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93723

registered interest
date	16/10/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Islamic State
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the security threat to Britain from current ISIL actions in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL2147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The assessment of the threat to the UK from international terrorism is made by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC). JTAC assessments are made independently of Ministers.</p><p> </p><p>The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) increased the UK national threat level from international terrorism to SEVERE (meaning that an attack is highly likely) on 26 August for the first time since 2011. This decision was related to developments in Iraq and Syria where groups including ISIL are planning attacks against the West. As the Prime Minister said on 26 September 2014, Official Report, column 1256, ISIL is a terrorist organisation unlike those we have dealt with before, and represents a direct threat to the British people. They have already murdered two British hostages, and are threatening the life of another. The first ISIL-inspired terrorist acts in Europe have already taken place.</p><p> </p><p>There is also a threat to British nationals and interests from ISIL and groups affiliated with ISIL or Al-Qaeda in Arab and African countries. Amongst these groups are Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, operating in the Sahel, and Boko Haram and Ansaru in Nigeria. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice gives our most accurate assessment of the threat from terrorism to British nationals overseas.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL2150 HL2151 question first answered 27/10/2014 12:29:11 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

93693

registered interest
date	15/10/2014
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Nature Conservation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the World Wide Fund for Nature <i>Living Planet Report 2014</i>; what proposals they have to halt the destruction of species; and what they consider to be implications of the findings of that report for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL2122
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government considers the Living Planet Report an interesting contribution to increasing our understanding of the scale of the challenge facing species internationally but has made no formal assessment of its findings.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Internationally, we frame our work on biodiversity under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets. A comprehensive assessment, the Fourth Global Biodiversity Outlook, was published at the recent 12th Conference of the Parties to the CBD. This reported significant progress towards meeting some components of the majority of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. However, in most cases, additional action will be required to meet the targets by 2020. The Parties agreed to take comprehensive and urgent measures to ensure the full implementation of the Strategic Plan, including through the development and implementation of their national biodiversity strategies and action plans.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government helps achieve these global targets internationally through elements of Overseas Development Aid (particularly forest protection through the International Climate Fund and contributions to the Global Environment Facility) and through direct and financial support for various international agreements including the CBD, the Convention on Migratory Species and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The Darwin Initiative provides up to £6 million bi-lateral funding annually for developing countries to help meet their obligations under these international agreements, improve biodiversity and natural environment management and reduce poverty; and up to £2 million annually from the Darwin Plus fund for projects in the UK’s Overseas Territories.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK Government is also taking a leading role in global efforts to end the illegal wildlife trade. In December 2013, we announced a £10 million funding package to support efforts in developing countries to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife products. In February 2014 we hosted a high-level international conference for leaders from over 40 nations. This resulted in the London Conference Declaration, containing 25 commitments to action on enforcement and criminal justice, demand reduction and sustainable livelihoods.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Domestically, the Government set out its response to the CBD’s Strategic Plan in “Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services”, which aims to halt overall biodiversity loss by 2020. The strategy includes a commitment to achieve an overall improvement in the status of our wildlife and to prevent further human-induced extinctions of known threatened species.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It will be for Parties to CITES to decide how that Convention should respond to the Living Planet Report and other information about the status of species, which may be reflected in future proposals to list endangered species under the Convention.</p><p><br></p> answering member printed Lord De Mauley question first answered 27/10/2014 16:10:22 answering member 2202 label Biography information for Lord De Mauley
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

93695

registered interest
date	15/10/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Geothermal Power
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the context of Scottish devolution, deep geothermal heat is considered a form of renewable energy and therefore devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
tabling member printed	The Duke of Montrose
uin	HL2124
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>Section D1 of Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998 reserves the generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity. It makes no specific mention of geothermal energy. Since geothermal energy may be used directly for the production of heat and/or electricity, the devolution analysis for geothermal energy is split. Geothermal energy for the purposes of heat, including supplying district heating networks, is a devolved matter; where geothermal energy is utilised for electricity generation, it is a reserved matter (which is consistent with the reserved status of other renewable electricity-generating technologies).</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 27/10/2014 14:30:21 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	1922 label Biography information for The Duke of Montrose

93698

registered interest
date	15/10/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	EU Nationals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many European Union migrants were deported or otherwise obliged to leave the United Kingdom in the last five years for (1) criminal behaviour, and (2) inability to maintain themselves.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL2127
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The number of EEA nationals deported for criminal behaviour for the last five years are:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td>EEA Removals</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2009</td><td>748</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2010</td><td>933</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2011</td><td>1,147</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2012</td><td>1,653</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>2,130</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The Home Office does not routinely collect data on the number of EU nationals removed due to the inability to maintain themselves.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 27/10/2014 12:27:13 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

93709

registered interest
date	15/10/2014
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Hunting
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy with regard to the hunting of wild animals with dogs.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL2138
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The Hunting Act 2004 prohibits all hunting of wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales, apart from the tightly drawn exemptions set out in the Act.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government’s policy is that we will bring forward a motion with a free vote before the House of Commons on whether the Hunting Act 2004 should be repealed when Parliamentary time allows.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord De Mauley question first answered 27/10/2014 16:35:37 answering member 2202 label Biography information for Lord De Mauley
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

93712

registered interest
date	15/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Apprentices
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new apprenticeships have been created in (1) the United Kingdom, (2) the South West of England, and (3) Bristol, in the last 12 months.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL2141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>Provisional data for the 2013/14 academic year show there were 432,400 apprenticeship starts in England, 45,200 in the South West Region and 2,970 in Bristol Local Authority. It is not possible to directly compare 2013/14 estimates with figures from previous years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department does not collect Further Education information relating to the devolved administrations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 27/10/2014 16:57:24 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

93406

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Currencies
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what work is being undertaken by HM Treasury in respect of bitcoin and other digital currencies in the context of the speech by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 6 August; and what consultation has taken place with the UK Digital Currency Association, as the representative body of those United Kingdom businesses engaged with digital currency.
tabling member printed	Lord Harris of Haringey
uin	HL2072
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>On 6 August, the Chancellor announced a major programme of work looking into digital currencies and associated technologies, with a particular focus on whether they should be regulated. The Government is now considering the benefits offered by digital currencies and the technology that underpins them, and whether it should take action to support innovation in this area. At the same time, the Government is examining the risks presented by digital currencies, and assessing whether action is required to mitigate any concerns. The Government is engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including the UK Digital Currency Association, as part of this work.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton question first answered 27/10/2014 12:43:05 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	2671 label Biography information for Lord Harris of Haringey

93409

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Middle East
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with other European Union member states about scaling up the resettlement programme for refugees displaced by fighting in Syria and Iraq; and what is their policy in regard to applications for asylum from displaced Yezidis and Christians from those countries.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2075
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government believes that humanitarian aid and actively seeking to end the conflicts in Syria and Iraq are the most effective ways for the UK to help the majority of refugees, rather than increasing resettlement. We have made our position on this clear in relevant discussions with other EU Member States and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). We are aware that EU Member States have responded to the crises in different ways; it is right that the international community should consider all available means to relieve the suffering of the Syrian and Iraqi peoples. However, the UK’s overall contribution stands comparison with any in the world.</p><p> </p><p>To date we have committed £700 million to the Syrian relief effort, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and £23 million in aid to Iraq. UK funding is helping hundred of thousands of refugees; compared with aid, resettlement can only ever support a comparatively small number of people in need. We also support efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict, and we are working with the Iraqi government and the international community to tackle the threat posed by IS and promote an inclusive, sovereign and democratic Iraq which will protect all Iraqi citizens.</p><p> </p><p>To complement our humanitarian aid, we operate the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme to relocate to the UK the most vulnerable displaced Syrians who cannot be supported effectively in the long term in the region. In addition, the Government carefully considers each asylum application lodged in the UK, including those made by Syrian and Iraqi nationals on the grounds of religious persecution, on its individual merits, to ensure we grant protection to those who genuinely need it.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 27/10/2014 12:30:23 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

93411

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current rate of support provided to asylum seekers; and how many of those who receive such support they estimate to live below the poverty line.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL2077
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government ensures that asylum seekers are not left destitute by providing accommodation and a cash allowance to cover their essential living needs.</p><p>The table below sets out the current weekly allowances provided to asylum seekers and various categories of dependants that may also be supported.</p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p><strong>LEVELS OF CASH SUPPORT FROM 18 APRIL 2011</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>£</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td>SINGLE PERSON</td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aged 18 or over (excluding lone parent)</p></td><td><p>36.62</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aged 25 years or over (excluding lone parent), where the decision to provide cash support was made before 5 October 2009 and the person reached age 25 prior to that date.</p></td><td><p>42.62</p></td></tr><tr><td>QUALIFYING COUPLES</td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Both 18 years or over</p></td><td><p>72.52</p></td></tr><tr><td>LONE PARENT AGE 18 OR OVER</td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Age 18 or over</p></td><td><p>43.94</p></td></tr><tr><td>PERSONAL ALLOWANCE FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN</td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Person aged under 16</p></td><td><p>52.96</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Person aged 16 but under 18 (except where the person is a member of a Qualifying Couple)</p></td><td><p>39.80</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Government has reviewed the allowances and concluded that the allowances are sufficient to cover the essential needs of asylum seekers and their families.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 27/10/2014 15:47:49 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

93412

registered interest
date	14/10/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many asylum seekers have had their application refused but could not be returned to their country of origin in each of the last five years.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL2078
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The information requested in the noble Lord's question could only be obtained through a manual search of individual case files, which would incur adisproportionate cost. However, we do publish information on the outcome of asylum applications which may assist the noble Lord. This can be found at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/345774/asylum2-q2-2014-tabs.ods" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/345774/asylum2-q2-2014-tabs.ods</a></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 27/10/2014 12:39:56 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno