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166116

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	World War I: Debts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any countries owe money to the United Kingdom as a result of the First World War; and if so, which and how much in each case.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL3174
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2014 answer text <p>At the end of World War I, debt was owed between the UK and other countries. However, in 1931 President Hoover of the United States proposed a one year moratorium on all War debts, which allowed extensive international discussions on the general problems of debt repayment to be held. No satisfactory agreement was reached. In the absence of such an agreement no payments have been made to, or received from, other nations since 1934.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The most recent repayment made by the UK on its debt to the US from the First World War was made in the financial year 1932-33. More specific information on the date of this payment is not available.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK included the First World War debt to the US as part of the National Debt up until 1944-45, however all First World War debts to and from other nations are now effectively considered as having lapsed. Therefore, as explained in the answer to the original question, no arrangements have been made for repayment of the debt.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, the government holds eight undated gilts in its debt portfolio, three of which stem from bonds originally issued to raise money to finance the First World War.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor has announced that two of these undated gilts, 4% Consolidated Loan and 3½% War Loan, will be redeemed, on 1 February 2015 and 9 March 2015 respectively. These gilts account for some 99% of the bonds originally issued to finance the First World War. The government has also announced a strategy to remove the remaining undated gilts from the debt portfolio when it is deemed value for money to do so.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The repayments on this debt will go to the holders of these bonds. The Treasury does not hold detailed information on the identity of organisations or individuals who own gilts, however information on sectoral holdings of gilts is published on a quarterly basis by the Office for National Statistics. The latest information on the breakdown of gilt holdings by sector, including a breakdown of non-UK resident holders of gilts by foreign central banks and other non-residents, is published by the ONS in Section 5.2.10 of its quarterly United Kingdom Economic Accounts publication.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton grouped question UIN HL3175 HL3176 question first answered 09/12/2014 17:41:36 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

166117

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	World War I: Debts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 20 November (HL2727), concerning debt for the First World War, what are the arrangements for repayment of the United Kingdom's debt to the United States; and why that information was not included in the answer to the original question.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL3175
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2014 answer text <p>At the end of World War I, debt was owed between the UK and other countries. However, in 1931 President Hoover of the United States proposed a one year moratorium on all War debts, which allowed extensive international discussions on the general problems of debt repayment to be held. No satisfactory agreement was reached. In the absence of such an agreement no payments have been made to, or received from, other nations since 1934.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The most recent repayment made by the UK on its debt to the US from the First World War was made in the financial year 1932-33. More specific information on the date of this payment is not available.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK included the First World War debt to the US as part of the National Debt up until 1944-45, however all First World War debts to and from other nations are now effectively considered as having lapsed. Therefore, as explained in the answer to the original question, no arrangements have been made for repayment of the debt.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, the government holds eight undated gilts in its debt portfolio, three of which stem from bonds originally issued to raise money to finance the First World War.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor has announced that two of these undated gilts, 4% Consolidated Loan and 3½% War Loan, will be redeemed, on 1 February 2015 and 9 March 2015 respectively. These gilts account for some 99% of the bonds originally issued to finance the First World War. The government has also announced a strategy to remove the remaining undated gilts from the debt portfolio when it is deemed value for money to do so.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The repayments on this debt will go to the holders of these bonds. The Treasury does not hold detailed information on the identity of organisations or individuals who own gilts, however information on sectoral holdings of gilts is published on a quarterly basis by the Office for National Statistics. The latest information on the breakdown of gilt holdings by sector, including a breakdown of non-UK resident holders of gilts by foreign central banks and other non-residents, is published by the ONS in Section 5.2.10 of its quarterly United Kingdom Economic Accounts publication.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton grouped question UIN HL3174 HL3176 question first answered 09/12/2014 17:41:36 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

166118

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	World War I: Debts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 20 November (HL2727), concerning debt for the First World War, when was the most recent repayment made to the United States.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL3176
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2014 answer text <p>At the end of World War I, debt was owed between the UK and other countries. However, in 1931 President Hoover of the United States proposed a one year moratorium on all War debts, which allowed extensive international discussions on the general problems of debt repayment to be held. No satisfactory agreement was reached. In the absence of such an agreement no payments have been made to, or received from, other nations since 1934.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The most recent repayment made by the UK on its debt to the US from the First World War was made in the financial year 1932-33. More specific information on the date of this payment is not available.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK included the First World War debt to the US as part of the National Debt up until 1944-45, however all First World War debts to and from other nations are now effectively considered as having lapsed. Therefore, as explained in the answer to the original question, no arrangements have been made for repayment of the debt.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, the government holds eight undated gilts in its debt portfolio, three of which stem from bonds originally issued to raise money to finance the First World War.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor has announced that two of these undated gilts, 4% Consolidated Loan and 3½% War Loan, will be redeemed, on 1 February 2015 and 9 March 2015 respectively. These gilts account for some 99% of the bonds originally issued to finance the First World War. The government has also announced a strategy to remove the remaining undated gilts from the debt portfolio when it is deemed value for money to do so.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The repayments on this debt will go to the holders of these bonds. The Treasury does not hold detailed information on the identity of organisations or individuals who own gilts, however information on sectoral holdings of gilts is published on a quarterly basis by the Office for National Statistics. The latest information on the breakdown of gilt holdings by sector, including a breakdown of non-UK resident holders of gilts by foreign central banks and other non-residents, is published by the ONS in Section 5.2.10 of its quarterly United Kingdom Economic Accounts publication.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Deighton grouped question UIN HL3174 HL3175 question first answered 09/12/2014 17:41:36 answering member 4262 label Biography information for Lord Deighton
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

166119

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Gatwick Express Railway Line
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the Office of Rail Regulation is taking to improve and make more reliable the Gatwick Express train service.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL3177
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>This is firstly a matter for Southern, the franchised train operator of the Gatwick Express service, working with Network Rail. In the event of continued under-performance by Network Rail, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), which is responsible for regulating its performance, will investigate, and take action as necessary. 　The Department for Transport understands that the ORR is working closely with Network Rail with the aim of resolving the current issues which are affecting performance on its Sussex route, which is used by the Gatwick Express service.　 In parallel, the Department is working with the train operator to ensure it delivers a good service to passengers in line with its obligations under the franchise.</p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 01/12/2014 12:19:09 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

166120

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
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	Higher Education: Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government which department in which administration based where is responsible for all aspects of the funding and operations of the two universities in Northern Ireland.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL3178
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p>The Northern Ireland Department for Employment and Learning has responsibility for higher education in Northern Ireland, including providing institutional funding for research.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, as the UK operates a dual support system for funding research in universities, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, through Research Councils UK, competitively provides grants for individual research projects and programmes across the UK.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 08/12/2014 17:53:57 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

166121

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	UK Membership of EU
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in a referendum on the United Kingdom membership of the European Union, those United Kingdom citizens who live in other European Union countries will be allowed a vote.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL3179
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p><strong>The franchise for any referendum is set out in primary legislation which establishes that referendum. It will therefore be for Parliament to agree the franchise to be used in any future referendum on UK membership of the European Union. </strong></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 08/12/2014 17:56:09 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

156522

registered interest
date	19/11/2014
answering body	Leader of the House of Lords
answering dept id	92
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Leader of the House of Lords
hansard heading	Written Questions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Leader of the House what steps she takes to ensure the quality of answers to parliamentary questions; and what assessment she has made of the length of time taken to provide them.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL2945
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>It is the responsibility of individual ministers to decide what answers they give to Questions for Written Answer (QWAs), and they are of course accountable to the House for those answers. That direct accountability is important: that is why Ministers in this House must provide personally signed answers to members. The Ministerial Code states that <em>“It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament”.<br><br></em>As Leader of the House I have a particular responsibility to encourage Ministers and their departments to be punctual in answering written questions. My office immediately approach departments who have not responded to questions after 10 working days, and remain in contact with them until the questions are answered. At the end of this Session I will publish data on the annual performance of departments on their promptness in dealing with QWAs.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Stowell of Beeston question first answered 03/12/2014 12:49:49 answering member 4205 label Biography information for Baroness Stowell of Beeston
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

156523

registered interest
date	19/11/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Written Questions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what instructions and training notes they provide to officials preparing answers to parliamentary questions; and whether they will publish any such documents.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL2946
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>Guidance on responding to written parliamentary questions is provided by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons. This guidance is published on the Gov.uk website at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-answers-to-parliamentary-questions-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-answers-to-parliamentary-questions-guidance</a>. A copy of the guidance is attached to this answer.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 01/12/2014 16:18:17 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire attachment 1 file name drafting-pq-responses.pdf title Drafting Answers Guidance
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

156524

registered interest
date	19/11/2014
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Motor Vehicles: Registration
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how motorists in Northern Ireland obtain vehicle registration and licensing; what is their assessment of the success of the new system; and what changes to that system they propose, if any.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL2947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>Vehicles in Northern Ireland can be first registered by motor dealers using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s Automated First Registration and Licensing system. Alternatively, customers can send the relevant application form to the DVLA in Swansea. Any changes to the details of already-registered vehicles must be notified by the registered keeper completing the relevant part of the vehicle registration certificate and sending it to the DVLA.</p><p> </p><p>Vehicles in Northern Ireland can be licensed online or by telephone 24 hours a day, seven days a week or at one of 175 Post Offices that offer the service in Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p>The changes to vehicle registration and licensing services for Northern Ireland motorists were implemented on 21 July when more than 1.7 million Northern Ireland vehicle records were automatically transferred to the DVLA. A small number of records required additional processing but these were in line with expectations and the DVLA’s systems have operated very successfully since the migration. While no formal assessment has been made, the Government is confident that Northern Ireland customers are benefiting fully from the enhanced services that are now available to them.</p><p> </p><p>The DVLA is planning a number of future changes to vehicle registration and licensing services. These include providing the facility for motorists to notify vehicle changes and carry out personalised registration transactions online. These services will be available to motorists throughout the UK when they are implemented.</p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 01/12/2014 12:12:46 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

156525

registered interest
date	19/11/2014
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Motor Vehicles: Registration
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the written answer by Baroness Kramer on 11 November (HL2661) concerning vehicle registration and licensing in Northern Ireland, whether they will now answer the second and third limbs of the question.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL2948
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>The changes to vehicle registration and licensing services for Northern Ireland motorists were implemented on 21 July when more than 1.7 million Northern Ireland vehicle records were automatically transferred to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). A small number of records required additional processing but these were in line with expectations and the DVLA’s systems have operated very successfully since the migration. While no formal assessment has been made, the Government is confident that Northern Ireland customers are benefiting fully from the enhanced services that are now available to them.</p><p> </p><p>The DVLA is planning a number of future changes to vehicle registration and licensing services. These include providing the facility for motorists to notify vehicle changes and carry out personalised registration transactions online. These services will be available to motorists throughout the UK when they are implemented.</p><p> </p><p>As driver licensing in Northern Ireland is a devolved issue, the Government is not in a position to comment on the success of the system or any potential changes.</p> answering member printed Baroness Kramer question first answered 01/12/2014 12:05:09 answering member 1557 label Biography information for Baroness Kramer
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird