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1256111

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Peers: Writs of Summons
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many writs of summons were sent to Peers in (1) 2016, (2) 2017, (3) 2018, (4) 2019, and (5) 2020; and how many of those writs were sent to Peers in (a) each region of England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, and (d) Northern Ireland.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL10731
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 answer text <p>The information on the number of writs of summons issued to Peers is set out below:</p><p> </p><p>(1) 2016 - 17</p><p>(2) 2017 - 823</p><p>(3) 2018 - 20</p><p>(4) 2019 - 814</p><p>(5) 2020 - 43</p><p> </p><p>Following the dissolution of Parliament for General Elections in 2017 and 2019, writs of summons were sent to all eligible Peers in the UK and Northern Ireland. In 2016, 2018 and 2020, writs of summons were only issued to newly created, or newly elected, Peers.</p><p>Information on writs issued by region is no longer held by the Crown Office, which is responsible for issuing the writs. Writs are issued to contact addresses provided by Peers to the House of Lords.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 10/12/2020 17:00:13 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1255619

registered interest
date	25/11/2020
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	Saudi Arabia: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister raised (1) human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, including (a) the continued potential use of the death penalty for those who allegedly committed crimes as minors, and (b) the continued detention of women activists arrested in 2018 for campaigning for the right to drive, and (2) the case for ensuring unimpeded access for human rights groups to Yemen, in his discussions with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia on 24 November.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL10690
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2020 answer text <p>Our close relationship with Saudi Arabia allows us to raise our concerns about human rights, including on political detainees and use of the death penalty, in private and in public. The Prime Minister addressed the issue of women's rights and further developments needed in that area in his recent discussions with the Crown Prince.</p><p>The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. This is especially the case for juveniles and for crimes other than the most serious. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa raised the death penalty with Dr Awwad al Awwad, President of Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission, during his virtual visit in July. I raised the death penalty in a call with Dr Awwad in June.</p><p>We have consistently raised concerns over the continued detention of women's rights defenders at senior levels with the Saudi authorities. The UK signed a statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 15 September, calling for the release of women's rights defenders. I raised women's rights defenders during my call with Dr Awwad in June. The Minister for the Middle East most recently raised the women's rights defenders' cases with the Saudi Ambassador to the UK on 16 November.</p><p>We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Yemen, which is a human rights priority country for the UK. We call on all parties to facilitate unhindered access for humanitarian actors and agencies and ensure that humanitarian workers are able to conduct their work safely and without harm.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 09/12/2020 16:29:13 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1255620

registered interest
date	25/11/2020
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	Antibiotics
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to encourage, (2) to support, and (3) to enforce, the use of antibiotic consumption data as a public health measure in decisions about (a) trade policy, and (b) the protection of public health.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL10691
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2020 answer text <p>Public health issues are being actively considered as part of the Government’s trade policy development. The Government has been clear that it will uphold the United Kingdom’s high levels of public, animal, and plant health.</p><p>The UK’s five-year national action plan for antimicrobial resistance includes ambitions to reduce antimicrobial use in human and animal medicine. Public Health England (PHE) works with the National Health Service to develop and maintain robust surveillance systems for monitoring and reporting trends in antimicrobial use. Local data on antibiotic prescribing is published by PHE in an online only format and can be used by healthcare staff, commissioners and directors of public health to benchmark performance and develop local action plans.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 04/12/2020 14:41:11 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1254034

registered interest
date	19/11/2020
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	Human Rights: Standards
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the report by the World Benchmarking Alliance 2020 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, published on 16 November; and what steps they plan to take, if any, to address the findings of that report.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL10497
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government welcomes the fourth iteration of Corporate Human Rights Benchmark report. It is disappointing to see that only a minority of companies demonstrate a willingness to take human rights seriously and go beyond creating policies and commitments, to taking practical steps in addressing human rights violations.</p><p>The UK Government is already taking action to advance this agenda, ensuring that companies comply with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The UK Government has also been a founding supporter of the World Benchmarking Alliance and continues to support their work.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 27/11/2020 12:07:54 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1254036

registered interest
date	19/11/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide extra support to legal aid practitioners to address additional (1) pressures from remote working, (2) demands from vulnerable clients, and (3) workload from domestic violence cases, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL10498
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2020 answer text <p>We are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a range of challenges for the legal profession. We have been working closely with legal aid providers across the justice system throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so, monitoring any impact and understanding their concerns.</p><p>In April the Legal Aid Agency published operational guidance, including guidance on working remotely and working with clients during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>A range of measures have been introduced to support providers during the pandemic while maintaining access to justice for the most vulnerable in society. These include:</p><ul><li>Reducing the levels of contract administration to allow providers to focus on supporting their clients;</li><li>Expanding how domestic abuse requirements may be evidenced to make it easier for victims to access legal aid during this difficult period;</li><li>Expanding the scope and relaxing the evidence requirements for hardship payments in crown court cases – including reducing the threshold for work done to £450, rather than the previous £5,000;</li><li>Halting the pursuit of outstanding debts owed to the Legal Aid Agency;</li><li>Suspending sanctions in relation to missed deadlines for delegated function applications, substantive amendments and appeals against LAA decisions;</li><li>Publicising existing avenues of financial help for legal firms, such as the ability to apply for early payment for work already done on a case, and changing rules for payment on account for providers, benefitting cashflow in the short-term and ensuring that providers can claim the same amount of money for online hearings as they can for face-to-face hearings.</li></ul><p>HMT have introduced and recently extended a range of measures to support individuals and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the furlough scheme, Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan and Bounce Back Loan, to provide some financial stability. We encourage the professions to continue to take advantage of this support where appropriate.</p><p>We will continue to closely monitor the situation, working with providers to keep these measures under review.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 02/12/2020 12:49:07 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1254038

registered interest
date	19/11/2020
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Shipping: Carbon Emissions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government why they voted to support amendments to International Maritime Organisation rules in relation to limiting the carbon intensity of ships; and what assessment they made, if any, of the potential impact on the climate of these amendments before casting their vote.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL10499
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2020 answer text <p>HMG is committed to working through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce and ultimately phase out greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. The measure agreed at the recent Marine Environment Protection Committee represents a compromise for short-term carbon intensity improvements and provides a framework upon which we can continue to build in the coming years. This is the first step of many under the Initial IMO Strategy to decarbonise international shipping. HMG will be working closely with other Member States and the IMO to develop robust medium- and long-term measures.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 03/12/2020 11:57:07 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1254040

registered interest
date	19/11/2020
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	Local Government: Elections
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of plans by the Welsh Government to allow councils to adopt the Single Transferable Vote system for local government elections; and whether they intend to introduce such powers for English councils.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL10500
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government does not intend to introduce such powers for English councils. This Government has made a commitment to continue to support the First Past the Post system of voting on a national and local level.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 03/12/2020 15:32:37 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1254043

registered interest
date	19/11/2020
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: Vaccination
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to undertake public consultation on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to different age groups and other distinct population groups.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL10501
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2020 answer text <p>There are no plans to undertake a public consultation on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to different age groups and other district population groups.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 01/12/2020 12:02:14 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1251612

registered interest
date	12/11/2020
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	Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to comply with the United Nations Framework on Reparations; and what plans they have to establish an inquiry into reparatory justice.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL10267
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2020 answer text <p>We are not aware of a &quot;United Nations Framework on Reparations&quot;, and can find no reference to such a framework in the UN's document database. There is a framework called: &quot;Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law&quot;. As implied by its title, this addresses reparation for individuals for gross or serious violations of human rights law or international humanitarian law. These bodies of law are not retroactive. If a UK citizen's rights are violated, they have recourse to remedy and reparation through the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), which gives further effect to the European Convention on Human Rights. In particular, section 8 HRA states that &quot;In relation to any act (or proposed act) of a public authority which the court finds is unlawful, may grant such relief or remedy, or make such order within its powers as it considers just and appropriate&quot;. There are no plans to establish an inquiry into section 8 HRA.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 24/11/2020 16:18:04 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1251613

registered interest
date	12/11/2020
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	Scabies
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make scabies a notifiable disease.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL10268
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2020 answer text <p>There are no plans to make scabies a notifiable disease.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 08/12/2020 17:13:01 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle