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1242107

registered interest
date	09/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Housing: Insulation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) the insurance industry, and (2) housing association providers, about agreeing an insurance indemnity to enable those in shared ownership properties to obtain a mortgage and move when they do not have a cladding test certificate.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL8965
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) designed and implemented the External Wall System form (EWS1) in conjunction with mortgage lenders to assist in the valuation of high-rise residential buildings for mortgage purposes, and high-rise residential buildings include those provided by housing associations. Not all lenders request an EWS1 form, and the Government does not support a blanket approach in EWS1 use for lower risk properties. We are working with mortgage lenders to support a more pragmatic approach in their valuation of homes within multi storey residential buildings. We are encouraging lenders to accept a broader range of evidence to assure themselves of a build’s value. The Department also discussed these challenges with Housing Associations, and has frequent meetings with the insurance industry, including on the availability of insurance for professionals undertaking this work.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 19/10/2020 16:46:16 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1241947

registered interest
date	08/10/2020
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Environment Protection
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the postponement of their autumn comprehensive spending review, what plans they have to accelerate measures to address (1) climate change, and (2) biodiversity loss.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL8905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2020 answer text <p>Last week, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out his determination for the UK to be at the forefront of the green industrial revolution, as we accelerate our progress towards net zero emissions by 2050. This year, the government has set out billions in support for addressing climate change, including over £3 billion to transform energy efficiency in homes and public buildings. We will be bringing forward sectoral decarbonisation plans, such as an Energy White Paper, as part of our leadership on global climate action through our COP26 and G7 Presidencies. We are also continuing to deliver our ambitious agenda for adapting to climate change, outlined in the second National Adaptation Programme (NAP). This includes £5.2 billion over six years from April 2021 in a major upgrade to flood and coastal protection.</p><p>Our 25 Year Environment Plan marked a step-change in ambition for wildlife and the natural environment. We announced new funding at Budget this year – up to £25m Nature Recovery Fund and £640m Nature for Climate Fund, of which £40m has been brought forward under the recently opened Green Recovery Challenge Fund. These funds will kick start a programme of nature-based projects to address the twin challenges of halting biodiversity loss and tackling climate change.</p><p>The Environment Bill will drive the long-term action nature needs to recover, through legally binding targets in at least four priority areas: air, water, biodiversity, and waste and resources. We are also developing a new Environmental Land Management scheme that will reward farmers and land managers for delivering environmental public goods as set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan, including thriving plants and wildlife.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 22/10/2020 16:47:48 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1239839

registered interest
date	01/10/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Children in Care: Brexit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children in each EU and EEA country who are UK citizens; which Government department or body has responsibility for looking after the interests of such children; what plans they have to provide special consular, or other, support services to those children after 31 December; and what steps they are taking to ensure that such children can exercise their rights under the EU–UK Withdrawal Agreement.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL8657
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2020 answer text <p>The Withdrawal Agreement ensures that UK nationals living in the EU can stay in their host country and continue living broadly as they do now. This includes children of UK nationals. It is not possible to track precisely the number of UK nationals in the EU, nor the number of children. However, the latest analysis from the Office of National Statistics from April 2018 estimated that 59,600 were aged under 15 years.</p><p>The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is responsible for policy relating to the rights of UK nationals living in the EU. Member States also have an obligation to ensure that UK nationals in scope of the Withdrawal Agreement living in their country are protected. When providing Consular assistance, the safety and welfare of children is paramount. It is the primary concern of FCDO when providing consular assistance to young people. The FCDO will provide assistance to vulnerable UK nationals in the EU, including children, after 31 December, in line with FCDO consular policy. We consider that someone is vulnerable when they cannot protect themselves from significant physical or emotional harm, or be protected by others.</p><p>The Government is supporting UK nationals, including families with children, to exercise their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. This includes support through the UK National Support Fund (UKNSF), which has allocated £3 million to external organisations to provide practical support to UK nationals who may have difficulty completing their residency applications.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 13/10/2020 14:41:34 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1239840

registered interest
date	01/10/2020
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	Bread: Sugar
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 Supreme Court of Ireland's ruling in Bookfinders Ltd -v- Revenue Commissioners on 29 September that the bread used by Subway cannot (1) be defined as bread, or (2) classed as a staple food, due to the amount of sugar it contains; what plans they have to review the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 to ensure that the legal description of bread meets public health criteria; and what steps they intend to take to promote public understanding of the sugar levels contained in bread used by fast food chains.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL8658
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2020 answer text <p>I am aware of the recent judgement by the Supreme Court in Ireland in the case between the Revenue Commissioners and Bookfinders in respect of Subway in Ireland. I agree it is an interesting case, not about the general definition of bread or cake, but about specific VAT rates payable for different goods and services, in respect of exemptions to higher tax rates that rely on specific definitions of food. One of these is to define bread, for taxation purposes, as containing no more than 2% of any of a number of substances, including sugar. The court held that this was designated in order to avoid the exemption falling to the supply of food not considered a ‘staple’ for which the exemption was designed, but to ‘indulgences’, which for example might include cakes and pastries.</p><p> </p><p>The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 (BFR) define bread as a food of any size, shape or form which is usually known as bread and consists of a dough made from flour and water, with or without other ingredients, which has been fermented by yeast or otherwise leavened and subsequently baked or partially baked. This definition is intended for consumers rather than for tax purposes.</p><p> </p><p>The BFR are in place primarily as a public health measure to support population intakes of four nutrients. They require therefore that flour sold in the UK (with a few exemptions) must be fortified with calcium, iron, niacin and thiamine, the latter three being simply restored after being lost in the milling process.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has committed to reviewing the BFR, as they apply in England, after the Transition Period. This will take into consideration regulatory concerns raised by industry and any potential legislative changes that might arise from the joint UK Government and Devolved Administrations consultation on the proposed additional requirement to fortify flour with folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects in foetuses.</p><p> </p><p>“Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives”, published in July, confirmed that we will introduce legislation to require large out-of-home sector businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways with 250 or more employees, to provide calorie labels on the food they sell. We will also encourage smaller businesses to provide calorie information voluntarily and will consider extending the requirement to include them in the future.</p><p> </p><p>The Eatwell Guide, the UK’s healthy eating model, and associated messaging is promoted through a range of channels including the NHS.UK website, the GOV.UK website, and the Government’s national social marketing campaigns Change4Life and One You.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 15/10/2020 15:11:46 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1230953

registered interest
date	02/09/2020
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	Weedkillers: Health Hazards
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of (1) the impact of aminopyralid contamination in compost on gardeners and market gardeners, and (2) the adequacy of the Health and Safety Executive's Chemicals Regulation Directorate enforcement of restrictions on the use of herbicide products containing aminopyralid.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL7596
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2020 answer text <p>There are measures in place to keep aminopyralid out of compost and manures. This is necessary because, as a herbicide, aminopyralid can harm broadleaved plants, leading to stunting and distortion (it is important to note that similar effects can result from nutritional deficiencies or diseases). The use of aminopyralid products is subject to strict conditions of use to ensure that plant material which may contain aminopyralid is not used in compost. These conditions have been in place for over ten years and, as a result, the number of reported incidents has declined to a very low level.</p><p> </p><p>Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors and enforcement officers consider all reported cases of suspected aminopyralid contamination of compost. Decisions on possible compliance and enforcement action are taken on a case-by-case basis. In most cases it is not possible to establish whether or not residues of aminopyralid have damaged plants nor, if so, the source of the residues. HSE maintains close contact with the authorisation holder and continues to keep under review the effectiveness of measures put in place.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 16/09/2020 15:35:47 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1230954

registered interest
date	02/09/2020
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	Urban Areas: Chewing Gum
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the environmental, (2) the health, and (3) the visual, impacts of chewing gum being deposited in urban environments; and what steps they are taking to ensure that companies benefiting from its sale are contributing to the cleaning of such gum.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL7597
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government has made no specific assessment of the environmental, health and visual impacts of chewing gum being deposited in urban environments.</p><p> </p><p>We believe that businesses should try to reduce the amount of litter their products generate. The Litter Strategy for England, published in 2017, sets out how we intend to work with the relevant industries to tackle certain types of particularly problematic litter, including chewing gum.</p><p> </p><p>Defra chairs the industry-funded Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG), which brings together the main chewing gum producer, Keep Britain Tidy, local government, the Chartered Institute of Waste Management, the Food and Drink Federation and the devolved administrations. The aim of the CGAG is to find and implement sustainable solutions to stop the irresponsible disposal of chewing gum and focus on changing individual behaviour in the long term. The CGAG has run annual behaviour-change campaigns for over ten years. We remain open to exploring other means of securing contributions from the industry to tackle gum litter.</p><p> </p><p>Mars Wrigley Confectionery, a member of the CGAG, has produced a free to use gum littering toolkit. Local authorities, businesses, transport providers or any other organisation interested in reducing gum littering can access readymade campaigns for free. This toolkit was promoted as part of Defra’s ‘Respect the Outdoors’ campaign that was launched this summer. More information can be found at: <a href="https://tacklegumlittering.co.uk/" target="_blank">https://tacklegumlittering.co.uk/</a>.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 16/09/2020 13:40:35 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1228271

registered interest
date	29/07/2020
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	Marks and Spencer: Labelling
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report National Food Strategy Part One, published in July, what assessment they have made of the remarks by Henry Dimbleby that the packaging of Marks and Spencer Percy Pigs makes "wilfully misleading" health claims.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL7503
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/08/2020 answer text <p>I have noted Henry Dimbleby’s comments about M&amp;S’s use of the terms ‘with natural fruit juice’ and ‘no artificial colours or artificial flavourings’ on Percy Pigs. In terms of the application of the present EU law, it is the responsibility of local authority trading standards, who are responsible for enforcing food labelling, who consider the whole label when making a judgement as to whether or not it is misleading.</p><p>These statements do not constitute health claims as defined by current nutrition and health claims legislation. However, Mr Dimbleby’s comments used this product as an example of a wider issue where such claims may in some circumstances be viewed as confusing or misleading, in that they might present otherwise unhealthy food if not consumed according to recommended portion sizes with a degree of wholesomeness.</p><p>At the end of the Transition Period we will be able to determine how food on our shop shelves is labelled. We are committed to undertaking a wide ranging review of food labelling to ensure that consumers can continue to have confidence in the food they buy. We will ensure that in collaboration with DHSC the issues raised by Mr Dimbleby in his National Food Strategy are evaluated, along with the impact of potential policy options, as part of this labelling review.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 17/08/2020 11:43:21 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1228031

registered interest
date	27/07/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Working Hours
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage and support firms in reducing working hours in an equitable manner while avoiding redundancies, on a model similar to the German Kurzarbeit scheme.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL7324
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/08/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ensuring that people are able to return to work in a manner that is sustainable and adjustable to the reopening of the economy.</p><p> </p><p>The Government therefore introduced flexible furloughing from 1 July. Firms can now bring back employees that have been furloughed for any amount of time and any shift pattern, while still being able to claim Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme grants for the hours not worked, with no minimum furlough period.</p><p> </p><p>It is right that state support is slowly reduced and the focus shifts to getting furloughed employees back to work. As such, from August 2020, the level of the grant will be slowly tapered to reflect that people will be returning to work. Employees will continue to receive 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500 when furloughed.</p><p>While other countries have announced similar schemes, the UK response remains among the most comprehensive.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 10/08/2020 14:32:13 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1225873

registered interest
date	16/07/2020
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Property: Energy
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in rolling out Property Assessed Clean Energy programmes in the UK.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL6924
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2020 answer text <p>Our ambition is for as many UK homes as possible to be EPC Band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. We have launched a Green Home Finance Innovation Fund, which will provide £1.8 million to support three organisations to produce new green lending products for owner-occupiers to install energy efficiency improvements. We have also committed to a consultation on the merits of setting requirements for lenders to help the households they lend to improve their energy performance. Finally, we are working closely with the Green Finance Institute’s Coalition for the Energy Efficiency of Buildings to further develop the green finance market.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 30/07/2020 14:45:39 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle