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1189777

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Hong Kong: Demonstrations
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the Hong Kong protests issued on 18 April, what plans they have to meet with China’s Ambassador to the UK; whether the UK Ambassador to China will meet with officials in Beijing; and what further steps they are taking in response to those protests as a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration 1984.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/05/2020 answer text <p>We are concerned about the arrests of a number of political figures in Hong Kong, and are following these cases closely. We expect any arrests and judicial processes to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.</p><p>The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to Hong Kong's way of life and as such is protected in both the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. It is essential that any protests are conducted peacefully, and that the authorities avoid actions that inflame tensions. The authorities should focus on rebuilding trust through a process of meaningful political dialogue.</p><p>The UK remains committed to upholding the rights and freedoms underpinned by the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law and enshrined in Hong Kong's Bill of Rights, and we expect the Chinese authorities to respect and preserve Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy. We have made this position clear to the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing and the Chinese Embassy in London, and will continue to do so, publicly and privately.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 05/05/2020 11:05:24 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1189778

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Health Professions: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many final year nurses, midwives and associated health professionals who finished their courses early to take up roles in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are now working in the (1) NHS, and (2) social care sector; and what special provision is being made to support those workers.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3295
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>Final year nursing, midwifery and many allied health profession students are beginning to be deployed into the National Health Service and social care sector. Information on the overall numbers deployed is being collected by Health Education England and will be made available from early May 2020.</p><p>We have guaranteed that all nursing, midwifery and allied health students who do opt in to paid clinical placements to support the COVID-19 response will be rewarded fairly for their hard work. Students who opt in will be getting a salary and automatic NHS pension entitlement at the appropriate band. They will also still receive their student maintenance loan and Learning Support Fund payments too.</p><p>Universities will also continue to provide pastoral support to students throughout this time too.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 04/05/2020 15:53:01 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1189779

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Care Homes: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much financial, or in-kind, assistance they have provided to care homes and home care providers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; and how much of that assistance was given to for-profit care homes and home care providers.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3296
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2020 answer text <p>We have set out a comprehensive action plan to support the adult social care sector in England throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, including ramping up testing, overhauling the way personal protective equipment is being delivered to care homes and helping to minimise the spread of the virus to keep people safe.</p><p>On 19 March we announced £1.6 billion to help local authorities deal with the immediate impacts of COVID-19, which many councils will have directed towards adult social care services. On 18 April we announced an additional £1.6 billion of funding to support councils delivering essential frontline services. We do not collect centrally the breakdown of local authority support for different types of care providers.</p><p>This funding is part of the Government’s commitment to ensure the National Health Service and social care system, and other public services, have the resources required to tackle COVID-19. The Government will continue to monitor pressures in the NHS and local government and will keep future funding under review.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 15/05/2020 11:25:47 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1189780

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
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	Dairy Products: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist farmers and processors to find alternative outlets for milk and other dairy products that would otherwise go to waste due to disrupted supply chains as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3297
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/05/2020 answer text <p>Defra is working very closely with both farmer and processor representatives through this period of disruption to manage the impact on the dairy supply chain of Covid-19. Farmers supplying milk to processors that sell into the food service sector have seen a significant reduction in demand and we have taken several steps to support those affected.</p><p>This includes by temporarily setting aside some elements of competition law to enable farmers and the wider dairy sector to work together to minimise milk being wasted and to ensure it is processed into longer life dairy products. This approach will allow the market for milk to adjust to the change in demand for milk while allowing production to be restored when shops, restaurants and pubs are able to open again.</p><p>The Government's Covid-19 Business Interruption Loans scheme is available to the dairy industry to support them in this difficult period. I urge those farm businesses for whom it is appropriate to consider accessing these loans. Defra has held urgent discussions with the major banks to ensure they understand that farmers, milk buyers and milk processors are eligible for this scheme and we are working to increase awareness across the dairy industry. HMT have also now announced the new Bounce Back Loan scheme which will apply to businesses operating in agriculture. This will ensure that the smallest businesses can access up to £50,000 loans. The government will provide lenders with a 100% guarantee on each loan, to give lenders the confidence they need to support the smallest businesses in the country. We will also cover the first 12 months of interest payments and fees charged to the business by the lender.</p><p>The Government also took a number of early emergency steps to support dairy farmers and the wider sector. These included designating employees in the food sector as key workers and temporarily relaxing the normal rules on drivers' hours, enabling the sector to keep supply chains running, including deliveries from farm gate to processors.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 05/05/2020 15:07:53 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1189781

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
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	Food: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide access to land to individuals and communities seeking to establish individual or community food growing schemes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3298
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/05/2020 answer text <p>The Government values green spaces such as allotments and considers them to be an important community asset, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak. Allotments play an important role in helping people to live a healthy and active lifestyle and in providing food.</p><p> </p><p>Local councils have a statutory duty under Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 to provide a sufficient number of allotments based on local demand in an area and to let them to people residing in that area who want them. The provision of allotment spaces is the responsibility of local councils as they are best placed to determine the demand in their area.</p><p> </p><p>In 2012, the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-housing-communities-and-local-government" target="_blank">Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government</a> published a best practice guide for community groups wanting to find land to grow fruit and vegetables. This is available on the GOV.UK website at:</p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Local Government Association also provides guidance on allotments and community food growing schemes in its “Growing in the community” guidance, which is available online at: <a href="http://www.local.gov.uk/growing-community-second-edition" target="_blank">www.local.gov.uk/growing-community-second-edition</a>.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 05/05/2020 16:19:18 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1189782

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Protective Clothing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) surgical gowns, (2) N95 masks, and (3) surgical masks, are currently being held in central stocks in the UK; how many of each have (a) been distributed from central stocks in the UK in the last seven days, and (b) are expected to arrive in the next seven days; how they will be distributed (i) among the nations of the UK, and (ii) between the NHS and social care providers; and whether they intend to publish regular updates of these figures. [T]
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3299
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2020 answer text <p>From 25 February to 23 April we have delivered over 950 million items of personal protective equipment (PPE) across the health and social care system within England. This includes 140 million masks, 150 million aprons, 1.5 million gowns and 518 million gloves. Tens of millions more items of PPE will have been distributed by the devolved administrations. Additionally, in the week commencing 20 April, we released 29 million items of PPE to designated wholesalers for onward sale to social care providers.</p><p>We are working closely with the devolved administrations to co-ordinate the distribution of PPE across the United Kingdom.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 14/05/2020 11:18:38 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1183411

registered interest
date	09/03/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the COVID-19 outbreak, what plans they have to relax the rules on the length of time between when a member of NHS staff retires and when they can join a temporary staff bank.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2314
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2020 answer text <p>NHS England is working with its professional leads, the respective regulators, NHS Employers and the Department to determine how best to engage with retirees / leavers who are willing to return to work for a period of time to provide the extra capacity needed to meet the demands of COVID-19.</p><p>NHS England has been developing with stakeholders a clear and straightforward re-registration process and simplified employment checks. NHS England will identify what training is required to support returners and will develop guidance to help employers to engage with these staff and provide advice and support to all staff over this period.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 19/03/2020 17:35:58 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1181773

registered interest
date	02/03/2020
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	House of Lords: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Leader of the House what steps she is taking to ensure that parliamentary business can continue in the event of movement restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2035
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government has undertaken detailed work on COVID-19 with four strands: contain, delay, research and mitigate. Should there be a need to implement restrictions on movement then the Government, in consultation with the Usual Channels, will update the House on the next steps in relation to parliamentary business if there is a need to do so. While COVID-19 has the potential to spread extensively there is no reason to change parliamentary business at this stage. The Government is monitoring the situation closely and providing regular updates to parliament and the general public.</p> answering member printed Baroness Evans of Bowes Park question first answered 05/03/2020 14:41:40 answering member 4329 label Biography information for Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1181407

registered interest
date	27/02/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	European Medicines Agency
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Brexit has resulted in any changes in the UK’s participation in, and access to, the European Medicines Agency; if so, what assessment they have made of the impact this will have on the UK’s ability to respond to coronavirus; and what steps they intend to take as a result.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1980
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2020 answer text <p>As of 1 January 2020, we are in the transition period during which the United Kingdom will continue to follow European legislation and European Medicines Agency (EMA) processes and decisions until 31 December 2020. We continue to receive public safety information from the EMA and have firm links with the World Health Organization and other key international public health organisations working on this issue. The Government has set out its negotiation approach with the European Union, which includes commitments for cooperation and information sharing to enable regulators to act promptly to safeguard patient safety and public health.</p><p>The UK is a world leader in preparing for and managing public health incidents and on 3 March the Government published its action plan to tackle the spread of coronavirus. A copy of <em>Coronavirus: action plan. A guide to what you can expect across the UK</em> is attached.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 12/03/2020 17:35:00 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell attachment 1 file name Coronavirus_action_plan_-_a_guide_to_what_you_can_expect_across_the_UK.pdf title Coronavirus_action_plan
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1181408

registered interest
date	27/02/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Public Health
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure effective collaboration between the four UK public health authorities and their EU counterparts once the transition period ends.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1981
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2020 answer text <p>The United Kingdom is open to exploring cooperation between the UK and the European Union on matters of health security, as well as on commitments on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevention, in future relationship negotiations with the EU. The Government is committed to establishing a future relationship that benefits the whole of the UK. There are strong existing relationships between the UK's four public health agencies and their counterparts in EU Member States and we work closely with them to protect our citizens from cross-border threats to health, such as the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The UK remains committed to working with countries and partners from across the world, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora, such as the World Health Organization, G7 and the Global Health Security Initiative and we will continue to uphold all of our commitments under the International Health Regulations<em>. </em></p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 06/03/2020 14:14:26 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle