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1545503

registered interest
date	24/11/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Energy: Storage
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the planning barriers to the installation of significantly scaled battery storage units in England; and what plans they have to boost their rollout.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3743
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2022 answer text <p>It is for local authorities to determine planning applications for battery storage installations where development comes forward, taking into account the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as a material consideration which is clear that the planning system should support our transition to a low carbon future. As set out in the Net Zero Strategy, and as part of our programme of changes to the planning system, we will review the NPPF to ensure it contributes to climate change mitigation and adaptation as fully as possible.</p><p>The Government's British Energy Security Strategy reflects the importance of flexibility for our energy security.</p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 08/12/2022 17:28:38 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1545504

registered interest
date	24/11/2022
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Public Health
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the public health impacts, including on loneliness, lack of opportunities for physical activity and provision of services locally to where people live, of the sale of public buildings and spaces each year in England.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3744
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>Any decision involving the sale of public buildings will consider social cost and public value, in line with HM Treasury Green Book guidance. Property sales may form part of a wider programme. Where this is the case, the net social value will form part of the overall cost benefit analysis.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 29/11/2022 15:02:33 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1543075

registered interest
date	16/11/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Seasonal Workers
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to assist seasonal workers whose contracts are terminated early, (2) to prevent brokerage fees from being levied in seasonal workers' home countries, and (3) to support unemployed seasonal workers to find work in agricultural labour jobs or other sectors.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3444
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2022 answer text <p>The Seasonal Worker scheme operators are responsible for managing all aspects of the recruitment and placement of workers on UK farms and ensuring their welfare in the UK. This includes ensuring ethical recruitment practices, in line with Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority regulations; arranging a new employer if the worker requires it; and ensuring that workers are fully supported throughout their stay.</p><p>The Home Office closely monitors the scheme operators to ensure they are complying with their sponsor duties. Together with Defra, the Home Office also maintains regular contact with operators to ensure they adhere to requirements for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of seasonal workers. Non-compliance with the relevant guidance could result in the revocation of their sponsor licence.</p><p>Scheme operators must also be licensed by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority who, supported by the Home Office, are working with overseas agencies to prevent abuse of the system and educate workers about their rights in the UK, including not paying recruitment fees.</p> answering member printed Lord Murray of Blidworth question first answered 22/11/2022 12:52:31 answering member 4950 label Biography information for Lord Murray of Blidworth
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1543076

registered interest
date	16/11/2022
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Guide Dogs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to educate the public about the legal status of guide dogs for the blind and other assistance dogs; and what steps they plan to take to penalise businesses which have failed to educate their staff about their legal status.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3445
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2022 answer text <p>The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) provides for protection of disabled people, including those needing assistance dogs, in employment and the supply of goods, services, public functions and in clubs and associations. It does not have universal application to the public, or in other settings, and general public education campaigns about it would not be proportionate. However, the Government runs under contract the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), an equalities and human rights helpline, which receives about 35,000 customer contacts a year, more than 60% of which concern disability issues. The EASS can intervene directly with or assist the complainant to take the problem up with the relevant service provider in many cases, including those involving assistance dogs.</p><p>It is the responsibility of all businesses to ensure that they are aware of their obligations to their customers and employees under the Act. To help them in this, Government and relevant independent bodies offer a range of technical guidance and statutory codes of practice that clearly explain what businesses should and should not do to ensure that their conduct is lawful and not discriminatory.</p><p>The Act places a duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve disabled people’s access to goods and services so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty therefore those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require, including auxiliary aids.</p><p>The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the public body responsible for enforcing the Act. In 2017, the EHRC published two pieces of guidance - a guide to help businesses understand what they can do to meet their legal duties to assistance dog owners, and a guide to help tourism businesses welcome people with access requirements. The EHRC supports disabled individuals who have experienced discrimination to take their cases to court.</p><p>In recent years, case law has strengthened the equalities law for people with assistance dogs. There have been a number of significant cases brought under the Equality Act involving assistance dogs, which have been successfully litigated, for example, Bloch v Kassim (assistance dogs in taxis); Clutton and Williams v Pen-y-Bryn Group (assistance dogs in restaurants); and McCafferty v Miah (assistance dogs in shops).</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 30/11/2022 15:31:06 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1536993

registered interest
date	27/10/2022
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total saving to His Majesty's Treasury through (1) housing benefit subsidy, and (2) Universal Credit, of imposing a social housing rent cap at less than the usual level of Consumer Price Index plus one per cent.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>The Government recently consulted on whether to make a temporary amendment to the CPI+1% cap on annual social housing rent increases. The consultation closed on 12 October and the government is carefully considering the responses.</p><p> </p><p>Any decision to change the CPI+1% cap would subsequently be reflected in the fiscal forecasts (including of Universal Credit and Housing Benefit expenditure) that are published by the Office for Budget Responsibility, and the more detailed breakdowns of these expenditure forecasts that are published by DWP.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 02/11/2022 17:15:36 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1536996

registered interest
date	27/10/2022
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	Fungal Diseases: Drugs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to stimulate (1) awareness of, and (2) research into, dual use of antifungals in (a) medicine, and (b) agriculture, as well as to engage with relevant stakeholders.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2950
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2022 answer text <p>NHS England’s national pharmacy and prescribing clinical lead is supported by seven regional antimicrobial stewardship leads, which collaborate with stakeholders in infection prevention and control and patient safety and with the Care Quality Commission to mitigate the threat of antimicrobial resistance, including from dual use of antifungals.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency is investigating antifungal resistance in the environment to determine whether particular levels of antifungals in surface waters from releases by agriculture or water treatment may lead to resistance. It is engaging with external bodies including leading United Kingdom universities and the research councils. The UK Health Security Agency is releasing regular reports on fungal infection surveillance and antifungal prescribing data for a selection of fungal pathogens.</p><p> </p><p>The Medical Research Council is funding the Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter to undertake research into the use of antifungals in medicine. The Centre will host a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre on clinical mycology and therapeutics to prevent and manage potentially deadly fungal infections. While the NIHR has not supported specific research on dual use of antifungals and it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR has invested more than £6 million in research into fungal infection in the last five years.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 08/11/2022 13:37:18 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1536997

registered interest
date	27/10/2022
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	Fungal Diseases: Drugs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what investment strategy they have devised to address the gap in funding for antifungal development, particularly in light of the World Health Organization (WHO) fungal priority pathogen list.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2022 answer text <p>The UK Health Security Agency is collaborating with medicinal chemists at the School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kings College London, to develop new antimicrobials with novel modes of action for the World Health Organization’s priority pathogens. A series of compounds which evade efflux-mediated resistance are in development. Early-stage pre-clinical development has gained support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases through its Preclinical Services team, for studies on pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics and efficacy.</p><p> </p><p>While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has invested more than £6 million in research into fungal infection.</p> answering member printed Lord Markham question first answered 08/11/2022 13:37:47 answering member 4948 label Biography information for Lord Markham
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1522039

registered interest
date	13/10/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Refugees: Ukraine
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will consider including refugees arriving under the family visa scheme within the funding of the Homes for Ukraine scheme; and whether they will remove the barriers to exchanging Ukrainian currency for sterling.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2579
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2022 answer text <p>To support those fleeing the conflict, the Government has introduced two visa schemes to welcome Ukrainian refugees to the UK: the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine. The Ukraine Family Scheme allows applicants to join family members or extend their stay in the UK. Homes for Ukraine allows Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK if they have a named sponsor under the scheme. Further details on scheme eligibility can be found at GOV.UK. People that enter under both visa schemes support integration by providing full access to social services and welfare in the UK for up to three years.</p><p> </p><p>As each of these schemes uses different routes to support Ukrainians to find safe refuge in the UK, they were set up to be funded differently. The Ukraine Family Scheme is similar to existing family visa routes, and provision of public services from this route will be managed in the usual way. The UK-based family member is expected to provide support and accommodation for those coming to join them, who in turn benefit from the wider integration advantages in joining an existing family network.</p><p> </p><p>On the matter of exchanging Ukrainian currency for sterling, the Government has taken steps to ensure support for incoming Ukrainian nationals opening bank accounts, and Ukrainians are able to convert their currency to GBP electronically at several major banks and electronic money institutions. The industry has also taken measures to support refugees and their access to essential financial services, including commitments to waive certain fees. The Government continues to monitor the situation for Ukrainians in the UK’s financial marketplace closely.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 27/10/2022 13:05:00 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1518479

registered interest
date	26/09/2022
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	Poultry: Animal Welfare
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Animal and Plant Health Agency has made in its investigation into the deaths of millions of factory farm chickens during heatwaves in summer 2022; when the results of the investigation are expected to be published; and what plans they have to prevent future such events.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2321
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/10/2022 answer text <p>The Animal and Plant Health Agency is supporting local authorities in investigating what took place on individual poultry units. Ongoing investigations are confidential as any information released may prejudice any potential legal action in the future.</p><p>HM Government takes breaches of animal welfare legislation very seriously. Prior to and during this summer's heatwaves, we reiterated advice to livestock keepers to ensure their contingency plans took full account of the need to protect health and welfare during hot weather. We are very concerned about the significant mortalities in broiler chickens that occurred. We are discussing what happened with the poultry sector and looking carefully at what measures could be put in place in future to help prevent a recurrence of mass mortalities and improve broiler chicken welfare.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 10/10/2022 16:36:16 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1518480

registered interest
date	26/09/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Freeports: National Parks
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend (1) planning rules, and (2) other regulations, in national parks included within the boundaries of freeport zones.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2322
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/10/2022 answer text <p>By delivering investment on specific priority sites, Freeports will create thousands of high-quality jobs in some of our most disadvantaged communities. These sites have been carefully selected for their suitability for development by the local Freeport coalition, which comprises key private partners and Local Authorities who, importantly, provide democratic accountability for the actions of the Freeport. The development sites sit within an 'outer boundary' which sets the limit for how far apart they can be and broadly indicates the area they expect to benefit most directly from the Freeport's economic impacts. This in no way means that the area has been earmarked for development nor does this confer any special planning status. Local Authorities retain all their statutory powers and responsibilities, including responsibility for providing planning permission. Freeport status in no way undercuts the local planning process and there is no change to the current planning and environment status of national parks.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 10/10/2022 15:31:19 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle