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173562

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
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	Japanese Knotweed
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of the rate and extent of the spread of Japanese Knotweed in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world where it is not native.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL4122
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>We are aware that Japanese knotweed is widespread across many parts of the world; recent information (from the CABI Compendium, part funded by Defra) suggests it is found in 35 countries outside its native range. Following its introduction to the UK in the early 1800s, Japanese knotweed was first recorded in the wild in 1886. Its initial spread was slow. By 1930 it was present in 73 hectads (i.e. 10km x 10km squares) in the British Isles; by 1986 it had spread to 948 hectads and it is now present in approximately 2,879 hectads.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord De Mauley question first answered 26/01/2015 15:13:51 answering member 2202 label Biography information for Lord De Mauley
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

173563

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Lyme Disease
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 rate and extent of the spread of Lyme disease in (1) the United Kingdom, (2) other parts of the European Union, and (3) other parts of the world.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL4123
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Public Health England monitors laboratory-confirmed Lyme disease (also known as Lyme borreliosis) in England and Wales, devolved administrations of Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate local arrangements in place.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The rate of laboratory-confirmed Lyme borreliosis and its regional distribution in England and Wales has not changed significantly in recent years, data for 2013 will be published shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Assessment of Lyme borreliosis in other European Union (EU) countries is co-ordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Reporting systems and criteria are not standardised throughout EU countries and this data is not routinely collected by ECDC. Therefore as an assessment of Lyme borreliosis using routinely collected data across the EU is not available.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Reporting of Lyme borreliosis worldwide is co-ordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on the heterogeneous reporting systems and criteria adopted by individual countries.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 26/01/2015 13:01:20 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

173564

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Lyme Disease
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the recorded number of occurrences of Lyme disease in the United Kingdom in each of the past 10 years; whether they have estimated the extent of under-reporting; and what assessment they have made of the number of cases of Lyme disease in (1) the United States, and (2) other member countries of the European Union, in the latest year for which they have information.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL4124
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>The recorded number of occurrences of Lyme disease in the United Kingdom from 2004-2012 is shown in the following table:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year of report</p></td><td><p>2004</p></td><td><p>2005</p></td><td><p>2006</p></td><td><p>2007</p></td><td><p>2008</p></td><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>2012</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p><p>Lyme disease cases in UK</p><p> </p></td><td><p>586</p></td><td><p>693</p></td><td><p>940</p></td><td><p>1,027</p></td><td><p>1,098</p></td><td><p>1,093</p></td><td><p>1,213</p></td><td><p>1,189</p></td><td><p>1,163</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Data from 2013 is not currently available.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It is estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 additional cases of Lyme disease may occur each year in England and Wales.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The recorded number of occurrences of Lyme disease in the United States in each of the past 10 years is shown in the following table:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2004</p></td><td><p>2005</p></td><td><p>2006</p></td><td><p>2007</p></td><td><p>2008</p></td><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>2013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>TOTAL USA</p></td><td><p>19,804</p></td><td><p>23,305</p></td><td><p>19,931</p></td><td><p>27,444</p></td><td><p>28,921</p></td><td><p>29,959</p></td><td><p>22,561</p></td><td><p>24,364</p></td><td><p>22,014</p></td><td><p>27,203</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><em>Source:</em> CDC <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/index.html</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>Notes:</em></p><p> </p><p>The recorded number of occurrences of Lyme disease are not systematically reported. A paper in 2009 provided an estimate of 65,000 cases (Hubalek 2009 <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19367096" target="_blank">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19367096</a>)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Data on the number of occurrences of Lyme disease in other European Union member states is not held.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 26/01/2015 15:02:12 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

173565

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Lyme Disease
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information, advice and training is provided to doctors and nurses on the symptoms and treatment of Lyme disease; what advice is provided to general practitioners on the reference to specialists of patients exhibiting symptoms of Lyme disease; and which centres provide specialist treatment for that disease.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL4125
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2015 answer text <p>Public Health England (PHE) and the National Health Service have detailed information on the recognition, diagnosis, treatment and management of Lyme disease. PHE has also written a guide on how to refer patients for specialist advice, which is attached. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also has an online guide for general practitioners (GP) and other health professionals.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>PHE issues a letter to all GPs on an annual basis at the beginning of the tick season describing Lyme disease and highlighting the need to be aware and to recognise the condition. The majority of cases are managed by GPs without reference to specialists, but problem cases can be referred to neurology, rheumatology, cardiology and infectious disease clinics depending on the local provision and of services and patient’s symptoms. In addition to the attached guidance, <em>Suggested referral pathway for patients with symptoms related to Lyme disease</em>, PHE offers a telephone helpline for GPs and consultants to discuss particular cases. PHE works closely with the patient group Lyme Disease Action, who will also represent individuals who have trouble obtaining specialist advice, and can thus help in suggesting potential routes of referral.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Jolly question first answered 28/01/2015 14:04:57 answering member 4203 label Biography information for Baroness Jolly attachment 1 file name Lyme disease referral pathway Jan 2015.pdf title Lyme Disease Referral Pathway
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

173566

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Lyme Disease
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 quality and availability of tests for Lyme disease and related diseases in (1) the United Kingdom, (2) the rest of the European Union, and (3) North America.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL4126
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Public Health England (PHE) actively reviews test methodologies for Lyme disease based on peer reviewed reports and on evaluation of possible alternative test kits within the laboratory. As part of this work, staff from the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL) have attended international conferences, including those organised by pressure groups proposing alternative testing systems to those used in state laboratories, and met with private and state laboratory service providers in Europe and the United States.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>RIPL offers a telephone advice line to clinicians with problem cases, and also works with the patient charity Lyme Disease Action to address the needs of individual patients. RIPL also participates in a European external quality assessment programme, and cross-compares results with Raigmore Hospital in Scotland.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>All diagnostic tests for infectious diseases are less sensitive in the very early stages of disease, and the results of a laboratory test have to be interpreted in this light and in conjunction with the patient’s presentation. Whilst the current tests are not perfect, none of the alternatives have yet proven superior to accepted methodologies. Any novel methods to test for Lyme disease are kept under review.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 26/01/2015 15:07:51 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

173567

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
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	Lyme Disease
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 extent of Lyme disease in the United Kingdom in (1) sheep, (2) other farm animals, (3) domestic animals, and (4) wild animals; and what action they are taking to reduce the number of infected animals.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL4127
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2015 answer text <p>Defra has made no formal assessment of the extent of Lyme disease in the United Kingdom in livestock, domestic or wild animals. However a number of surveillance studies have shown that the main carriers of the <em>Borrelia</em> organism that causes Lyme disease in people and dogs are small wild mammals (for example mice and voles) and ground nesting birds. Other studies have looked at the role of cattle, sheep and deer as hosts for the intermediate tick host, although these species do not maintain infection with the organism. No action is taken to reduce the number of infected wild animals. Action to reduce the number of infected wild animals could only be taken at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Control of the disease in people is focussed on public awareness of the importance of preventing tick bites. Factsheets on tick bite risk and prevention are produced by Public Health England and Lyme Disease Action, with further information for patients published by NHS Choices. Veterinary advice on the prevention of infection in dogs is widely available through private practitioners and a vaccine for dogs is now licensed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord De Mauley question first answered 28/01/2015 17:30:08 answering member 2202 label Biography information for Lord De Mauley
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

173568

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Kashmir
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have provided any financial support for the redevelopment of houses destroyed during recent floods in Indian-administered Kashmir.
tabling member printed	Lord Ahmed
uin	HL4128
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2015 answer text <p>The UK government has not received a request from the Indian Government for financial assistance. In 2012, DFID announced that it would end our traditional financial grant aid to India in 2015. From this year on, our partnership will be based on sharing skills and expertise, investing in private sector projects that benefit the poor, and working together on global development issues.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 28/01/2015 16:52:02 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	3470 label Biography information for Lord Ahmed

173569

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
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	India
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of India regarding human rights issues in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
tabling member printed	Lord Ahmed
uin	HL4129
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p>Allegations of human rights abuses on both sides of the Line of Control in Kashmir must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently. Officials from our High Commissions in New Delhi and Islamabad regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with the Governments of both India and Pakistan, and visit the region to witness the situation on the ground first-hand. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has spoken to both his Indian and Pakistani counterparts about regional issues in recent months.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 23/01/2015 12:37:35 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	3470 label Biography information for Lord Ahmed

173570

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
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	India
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any representations to the government of India regarding the Governor's Rule currently in place in Jammu and Kashmir.
tabling member printed	Lord Ahmed
uin	HL4130
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>We have not made any representations to the Government of India on this matter.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 22/01/2015 15:55:55 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	3470 label Biography information for Lord Ahmed

173571

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Winter Fuel Payment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many recipients of the Winter Fuel Payment are higher rate taxpayers.
tabling member printed	Lord Tyler
uin	HL4131
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments is based on female State Pension age. The latest estimates we have show that there are currently around 600,000 higher and additional rate taxpayers in Great Britain in 2014/15 who are above the female State Pension age and therefore qualify for Winter Fuel Payments<sup>1</sup>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We ask people who want to return their payment to do so by post so that it can be dealt with securely under existing Departmental financial processes and recorded against their Winter Fuel Payment account. We also ask for a covering letter indicating whether or not they wish us to continue to issue payments in future years.</p><p> </p><p>Returned payments should be sent to the address on the issuing letter or to the office that pays the claimant’s benefit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The latest estimates we have show that treating Winter Fuel Payments as taxable income would bring in around £250 million a year of additional revenue<sup>2</sup>.</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p>1. This estimate is based on the 2011/12 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s November 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.</p><p>The estimate uses ONS population projections at mid year 2012 adjusted for financial years.</p><p>The estimate is rounded to the nearest 100,000.</p><p> </p><p>2. This estimate is based on DWP modelling using HMRC taxpayer data from November 2012 and Winter Fuel Payment caseload data from Winter 2013.</p><p>This takes into account revenue from Basic, Higher and Additional rate taxpayers.</p><p>Winter Fuel Payment rates are assumed to be £200 per year for recipients under 80 and £300 a year for recipients aged 80 and over.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL4132 HL4133 question first answered 26/01/2015 12:13:04 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	225 label Biography information for Lord Tyler