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1235820

	registered interest
	date	18/09/2020
	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	Forests
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the amount of unmanaged woodland and forest.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8264
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/10/2020 answer text <p>59% of woodland in England is managed, and we recognise the need to increase support for management–safeguarding our woods, supporting biodiversity and providing sustainable timber.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to existing grant support for management, the Forestry Commission and Institute of Chartered Foresters are working to improve the quality of woodland management plans.</p><p> </p><p>We are also exploring further ways in which we can drive up the levels of sustainable woodland management in the development of the upcoming England Tree Strategy.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 02/10/2020 14:01:52 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1259964

	registered interest
	date	09/12/2020
	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	Environment Protection: River Lugg
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of ecological damage to the banks of the River Lugg; and what plans they have to prevent similar events occurring elsewhere in England.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL11273
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/12/2020 answer text <p>A joint investigation is currently underway involving the main agencies (Environment Agency, Natural England and Forestry Commission). This has included a recent site visit to establish the full detail and extent of recent work at the site. Further details will be made available in due course in line with the nature of the ongoing investigation.</p><p> </p><p>Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission have respective regulatory powers to ensure the management of SSSIs, waterways and trees, providing advice to landowners and consents/licences where appropriate. They continue to monitor and investigate any incidences of damage to sites and rely on the support of the general public in reporting possible illegal activity and pollutions.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 23/12/2020 16:54:45 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1235822

	registered interest
	date	18/09/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Investment Income
	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 impact that dividend recapitalisations have on financial security (1) nationally, and (2) internationally.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8266
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2020 answer text <p>A key part of the government’s economic policy objective is to preserve and enhance the stability of the UK’s financial system. This is reflected in the remit of the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) at the Bank of England, which is responsible for identifying, monitoring and taking action to remove or reduce systemic risks.</p><p> </p><p>There is little sign of dividend recapitalisations further increasing the leverage of borrowers in 2020 to levels above post-Global Financial Crisis average.</p><p> </p><p>Dividend recapitalisations are a small part of the broader leveraged loan market. They’ve accounted for slightly under 25% of September 2020 issuances to date. All the dividend recapitalisation issuances from July to September 2020 have been from US corporates.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Bank of England has ensured that the major UK banks hold enough capital to withstand losses on their leveraged loan portfolios commensurate with loss rates more severe than those experienced in the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.</p><p> </p><p>Given the US-focussed nature of the market, the Bank is also active in international discussions related to banks and non-banks. The Bank remains a key contributor to the work of the Financial Stability Board, including their analysis of leveraged loans.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 01/10/2020 11:56:22 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1179835

	registered interest
	date	24/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Railways: Culham
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the railway services at Culham to support the proposed increase in housing in the area; what assessment they have made of the impact of an increase in railway services at Culham on carbon emissions; and whether they expect any such improvements to rail services will precede the construction of new homes in the area.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL1712
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2020 answer text <p>A study of the rail corridors in Oxfordshire has been undertaken by Network Rail in partnership with the Department for Transport and local stakeholders led by the Oxfordshire Growth Board. The scope of the study has included an assessment of the demand for train services to and from Oxfordshire stations, including Culham, taking account of planned housing growth contained within existing Local Plans.</p><p> </p><p>The Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study will be published this Spring, and the outcomes will be progressed in accordance with the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline. The work undertaken to date has not included an assessment of the impact on carbon emissions of any proposals, which is because the limit of the study work was to produce a train service specification to meet forecast demand, understand the existing capacity shortfall and the infrastructure interventions that might be required in order to meet that specification.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 09/03/2020 16:58:09 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1179833

	registered interest
	date	24/02/2020
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Cowley Branch Line
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restore the Cowley Branch railway line for passenger services; what stations any such services would serve; what is their timetable for developing any such plans; and what assessment they have made of the impact restoring the line for passenger services would have on carbon emissions.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL1711
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2020 answer text <p>A study of the rail corridors in Oxfordshire has been undertaken by Network Rail in partnership with the Department for Transport and local stakeholders led by the Oxfordshire Growth Board. The scope of the study has included the possibility of reopening the line between Oxford and Cowley for passenger services, with two new stations serving the Oxford Business and Science Park. The work undertaken to date has not included an assessment of the impact on carbon emissions.</p><p> </p><p>The Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study will be published this Spring, and further development work on reopening the Cowley line will be progressed in accordance with the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 09/03/2020 17:00:03 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1217771

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2020
	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	Alcoholic Drinks: Advertising
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports of increases of 20 per cent in alcohol consumption by drinkers and increases in related harms during the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic, what consideration they have given to restricting alcohol advertising.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL6114
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2020 answer text <p>Advertising in the United Kingdom is overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the industry’s independent regulator, who enforce the Advertising Codes through a system of self-regulation and co-regulation with Ofcom. The Codes apply to all media, including broadcast and online, and set standards for accuracy and honesty to which advertisers must adhere, including specific conditions on advertising to children, causing offence and social responsibility. The Codes also include specific rules on alcohol advertising, with the underlying aim of ensuring that marketing communications do not imply, condone or encourage immoderate, irresponsible or anti-social drinking. The Codes are regularly reviewed and updated by the ASA to ensure they remain effective.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 17/07/2020 10:29:25 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1244937

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2020
	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	Green Homes Grant Scheme
	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 case for extending the Green Homes Grant scheme to March 2022; and what plans they have to provide funding for that purpose.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL9351
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2020 answer text <p>Any extension to the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme would be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to improving the building stock as part of reaching our net zero targets, up to £65bn investment will be needed in housing retrofit across the 2020s.</p><p> </p><p>We have confirmed that the delivery dates for Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator will extend into 2021/22 to provide assurance that work will be available. Outside of those schemes, we are creating the regulatory environment to drive retrofit and on 30<sup>th</sup> September we published a consultation on further improving the energy performance of privately rented homes over the 2020s, which provides a clear signal on how Government is committed to improving the housing stock.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 02/11/2020 15:51:13 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1233555

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2020
	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	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
	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 likely perturbation effect on the spread of bovine tuberculosis following the extension of the badger culling programme to Derbyshire, Oxfordshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8011
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2020 answer text <p>Applicants for a licence to cull badgers to control the spread of bovine TB (bTB) must meet Natural England's strict licensing criteria, which specifically includes measures to guard against the potential risk of perturbation effects as a result of disturbed badger social groups.</p><p> </p><p>The independent, peer-reviewed academic study into the effectiveness of badger culling (Downs et al. (2019) Nature Scientific Reports) which showed a decline in bTB incidence in the first two cull areas of Gloucestershire and Somerset, also showed a lack of evidence of a 'perturbation effect' in these areas, unlike the findings of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial, where culling led to an increase in bTB incidence rates outside of cull areas.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 21/09/2020 15:02:10 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1203073

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2020
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Young People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Prime Minister on 3 June that young people “should be guaranteed an apprenticeship”, what plans they have to introduce a scheme to ensure this guarantee is realised; what (1) ages, and (2) categories of people, will be able to participate in any such scheme; and how will the (a) employers, and (b) training opportunities, be (i) found, and (ii) funded.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL5579
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>Apprenticeships will have an important role to play in creating employment opportunities, particularly for young people, and supporting employers in all sectors to access the skilled workforce they need to recover and grow post COVID-19. We are looking to support employers of all sizes, and particularly smaller businesses, to take on new apprentices this year. We will set out further details in due course. We will also ensure that there is sufficient funding to support small businesses wanting to take on an apprentice this year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 25/06/2020 11:08:54 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1204220

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	UK Visas and Immigration: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of UK Visa and Immigration services to process applications, following the suspension of the priority service and the closure of Sopra Steria and some VFS global visa application centres; what consideration they have given to the need to process applications from NHS staff before the suggested changeover date of 5 August; and when they expect a full service will resume.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL5750
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2020 answer text <p>As UK Visas and Immigration begins to reopen its Visa Application Centres both in the UK and overseas, we are working closely with our partners to maximise the available capacity to service applicants in line with social distancing rules in each location.</p><p> </p><p>For those applicants who are due to start work in the NHS but who are unable to make their application from overseas due to the temporary closure of the Visa Application Centres, they should contact the UKVI NHS Team by emailing UKVINHSTeam@homeoffice.gov.uk and the team will seek to assist them.</p><p> </p><p>Applicants sponsored by the NHS who lodge an application in the UK under Tier 2 can begin work immediately while their application is under consideration.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the covid-19 outbreak, full details of which are published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents. The department continues to monitor the situation closely and takes these exceptional circumstances into account.</p><p> </p><p>These are unprecedented times and further adjustments may be made to requirements where necessary and appropriate, to ensure people are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 30/06/2020 15:59:05 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle