Monday

20 July 2020

P A R L I A M E N T A R Y D E B A T E S

(HANSARD)

HOUSE OF LORDS

WRITTEN STATEMENTS AND

WRITTEN ANSWERS

Written Statements ................................................ 1

Written Answers ..................................................... 9

Session 2019-21

No. 89

[I] indicates that the member concerned has a relevant registered interest. The full register of interests can be found at

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Ministers and others who make Statements or answer Questions are referred to only by name, not their ministerial or

other title. The current list of ministerial and other responsibilities is as follows.

Minister Responsibilities

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Earl Howe Deputy Leader of the House of Lords

Lord Agnew of Oulton Minister of State, Cabinet Office and Treasury

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International

Development

Lord Ashton of Hyde Chief Whip

Baroness Barran Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Baroness Berridge Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Department for

International Trade

Lord Bethell Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care and Whip

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton

Waldrist

Whip

Lord Callanan Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial

Strategy

Earl of Courtown Deputy Chief Whip

Lord Gardiner of Kimble Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural

Affairs

Baroness Goldie Minister of State, Ministry of Defence

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Foreign and

Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development

Lord Greenhalgh Minister of State, Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local

Government

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel Minister of State, Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department

for International Trade

Lord Keen of Elie Advocate-General for Scotland and Ministry of Justice Spokesperson

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay Whip

Baroness Penn Whip

Baroness Scott of Bybrook Whip

Baroness Stedman-Scott Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions

Baroness Sugg Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department

for International Development

Lord True Minister of State, Cabinet Office

Baroness Vere of Norbiton Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport

Baroness Williams of Trafford Minister of State, Home Office

Viscount Younger of Leckie Whip

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which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/

Written Statements 20 July 2020 Page 1

Written Statements Monday, 20 July 2020

A303 Sparkford to Illchester Application:

Update

[HLWS392]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Honourable Friend,

the Minister of State for Transport (Andrew Stephenson),

has made the following Ministerial Statement.

I have been asked by my Right Honourable Friend, the

Secretary of State, to make this Written Ministerial

Statement. This statement concerns the application made

under the Planning Act 2008 for the proposed

construction by Highways England of a continuous dual

carriageway on the A303 linking the Podimore

Roundabout and the Sparkford Bypass.

Under section 107(1) of the Planning Act 2008, the

Secretary of State must make his decision within 3

months of receipt of the Examining Authority’s report

unless exercising the power under section 107(3) to

extend the deadline and make a Statement to the House of

Parliament announcing the new deadline. The Secretary

of State received the Examining Authority’s report on the

A303 Sparkford to Ilchester Development Consent Order

application on 12 September 2019 and the deadline for a

decision was previously extended from 12 December

2019 until 17 July 2020 to allow for further work to be

carried out.

The deadline for the decision is to be further extended

to 20 November 2020 (an extension of 4 months) to

enable further information to be provided by the

Applicant and interested parties on outstanding concerns

raised by the Examining Authority and consideration of

that provided information before determination of the

application by the Secretary of State.

The decision to set a new deadline is without prejudice

to the decision on whether to give development consent.

Building and Fire Safety

[HLWS384]

Lord Greenhalgh: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary

of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and

Local Government (Robert Jenrick) has today made the

following Written Ministerial Statement:

I would like to update Parliament on the Government’s

progress in overhauling the building and fire safety

system, as part of our unwavering commitment to

ensuring that people, and the buildings they live in, are

safe.

Building safety

We must never forget the seventy two people who lost

their lives as a result of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Countless lives were torn apart by that tragedy and we

owe it to the deceased, the bereaved, the survivors, and

the residents of all high-rise buildings to ensure that we

do all we can to prevent a repeat of events like that fateful

night occurring again.

We promised to overhaul the system and to establish a

national building safety regulator at its heart. Today I am

pleased to be making a significant step towards that

fundamental reform by publishing the draft Building

Safety Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny, before the final

Bill is brought forward to Parliament.

The Bill will establish the regulator in the Health and

Safety Executive (HSE) and give it significant powers to

improve safety and performance across the built

environment, especially in higher-risk buildings.

These reforms will improve safety and performance

standards across all buildings. However, certain buildings

warrant even closer oversight because the potential for

significant consequences should a fire spread or the

structure fail. It is right that we have a more stringent

regime where the risk is deemed greatest, to protect the

greatest number of people. Initially the scope of the more

stringent regime will apply to multi-occupied residential

buildings of 18 metres or more in height or more than six

storeys, whichever is reached first. We have designed the

new regime so its scope can be changed if the evidence

base or operational experience suggest it should.

The Bill will provide a stronger framework to make

sure those responsible for managing building safety risks

in higher-risk buildings are held to account, with stronger

enforcement powers and sanctions where those rules are

not followed. It will also ensure that the residents of high-

rise buildings have a stronger voice, alongside giving

them better access to safety information about their

building, clarifying their rights and providing recourse to

raise safety concerns directly to the regulator.

The draft Bill applies to England only with the

exception of the policies to require developers to belong

to a New Homes Ombudsman scheme, strengthen the

oversight of the construction products regulatory regime,

and allow the Architects Registration Board (ARB) to

monitor the competence of architects. Further detailed

analysis of the territorial extent is provided in the

Explanatory Notes.

Building safety financing

The Government is clear that it is unacceptable for

leaseholders to have to worry about the cost of fixing

historic safety defects in their buildings that they didn’t

cause.

The draft Bill proposes a new ‘building safety charge’,

which will give leaseholders greater transparency around

costs incurred in maintaining a safe building. We want

these to be fair and proportionate, which is why I have

deliberately included numerous powers in the Bill that

will enable us to limit the building safety costs that can be

re-charged to leaseholders.

This is a topic that we are particularly committed to

developing further throughout the process of scrutiny and

as the Bill is finalised for introduction. I have asked

Michael Wade, senior adviser to the Cabinet Office, to

accelerate this work with leaseholders and the financial

Page 2 20 July 2020 Written Statements

sector. We must remove barriers to fixing historic defects

and identify financing solutions that protect leaseholders

from unaffordable costs; but we must also ensure that the

bill does not fall on tax payers. We will update on any

further measures required before the final Bill is

introduced to Parliament.

Establishing the Building Safety Regulator

As I announced in January, the HSE is establishing the

regulator in shadow form, and I am today announcing that

I have set aside £16.4 million in this financial year for

HSE to recruit the people and develop the capabilities that

will enable the regulator to hit the ground running once its

powers come into effect.

HSE has a strong track record of improving safety and

fostering a safety-first culture within the construction and

major hazards industries, and will draw on years of

experience to deliver results quickly and effectively. As

shadow regulator, HSE is playing an increasingly

important role in the Government’s Building Safety

Programme: it is supporting work on how to identify

higher-risk buildings; supporting work by the National

Fire Chiefs Council to assess the fire risk in every high-

rise residential building by end 2021; and supporting

work with early adopters in the construction industry,

social landlords and local government to trial the new

regime, and to promote culture change across the

industry. I am today announcing that HSE will also take

over as chair of the Joint Regulators’ Group, which

advises the Government on ways to strengthen the

regulatory regime; and will take over the Independent

Expert Advisory Panel, which advises the Government on

fire safety in high-rise residential buildings.

Over coming months, the shadow regulator will engage

with and advise residents, building owners, the

construction industry and other regulators on how the new

system will operate, what it will mean for them, and what

they should do now to make their buildings safe and

prepare for the new regime. In the Autumn, we will kick

off work to appoint the first national Chief Inspector of

Buildings, who will lead the new regulator.

We, and the public, expect industry to manage building

safety risks now and prepare to fulfil their duties when

this new regime comes into effect. The public expects and

demands industry to implement these reforms with

conviction and speed. The new Building Safety Regulator

stands ready to work hand in hand with industry to bring

about a culture change that prioritises residents and their

safety.

Fire safety reforms

The Home Office is also today publishing a Fire Safety

Consultation, which sets out proposals to: strengthen the

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 – the Fire

Safety Order – and improve compliance for all regulated

buildings; implement the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1

report recommendations for multi-occupied residential

buildings which require a change in law; and, seeks views

on the effectiveness of the arrangements for consultation

and information sharing between building control bodies

and fire and rescue authorities in relation to building

work. This is alongside a commitment to overhaul the

Fire Safety Order’s supporting guidance.

Proposals for multi-occupied residential buildings,

mostly high-rise buildings, include prescribing in law the

frequency of checks of fire doors; that Responsible

Persons (RPs) carry out inspections of other key fire-

fighting equipment, not just lifts designed to be used by

firefighters; and that RPs provide information to residents

including in relation to fire safety (including evacuation

and other specific information) in an accessible format.

Our proposals go beyond the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s

recommendations in several areas. In others, our

proposals prioritise residents’ safety in a way that is

practical, proportionate and effective to the risks the

Inquiry has identified. The Government wants to listen to

the views of those who have experience of these matters,

including those who have been personally affected by the

Grenfell Tower tragedy. The proposals set out in the

Home Office consultation will further deliver the

Government’s objective to improve building and fire

safety in all regulated premises where people live, stay or

work.

Construction products

The Bill also enables us to progress our commitment to

radically strengthen oversight of the regulatory regime for

construction products. The bill will make sure a wider

range of construction products are subject to strengthened

safety regulations. It will also strengthen the powers

available to the Government, paving the way to create a

new national regulatory function that will have oversight

of the construction products regulation. The Government

is developing options for how this new national regulatory

function could be implemented.

Other housing measures

The draft Bill also contains measures to protect the

rights of all new build homebuyers by requiring

developers to belong to the New Homes Ombudsman. It

also includes new measures that will make access to

redress swifter and more effective for all social housing

residents.

Pre-legislative scrutiny

These are extensive reforms that it is incumbent on us

all to get right. The Building Safety Bill is a large and

complex piece of legislation, reflecting the scale of the

reforms needed. In this spirit, I am publishing the Bill in

draft form to ensure it receives the due and proper

consideration it deserves through pre-legislative scrutiny

from Parliament, from industry, from regulatory bodies,

and from residents. I want to thank those that have helped

shape the legislation so far, including those who

contributed to the ‘Building a Safer Future’ consultation

and who have engaged in various forums with my

department. I now encourage colleagues from across both

Houses to engage wholeheartedly in strengthening these

proposals so that together we can further improve the

legislation and deliver greater safety for residents.

Written Statements 20 July 2020 Page 3

I will deposit copies of the draft Building Safety Bill,

Delegated Powers Memorandum and Impact Assessment

in the libraries of both Houses. A copy of the full Fire

Safety Consultation and its Impact Assessment will also

be deposited in the libraries of both Houses.

Community Match Challenge

[HLWS390]

Baroness Barran: My Right Honourable Friend the

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,

Oliver Dowden MP, has made the following Statement:

On 8 April, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced

a £750 million funding package for the Voluntary,

Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector. I wish

to set out to the House the details of how £90 million

from this package will be allocated.

We are all aware of the vital role that the VCSE sector

plays in our society, and this has especially been the case

in the past few months. Charities and community

organisations have been at the frontline of the coronavirus

outbreak, providing trusted support to people and

communities.

Through the Coronavirus Community Support Fund,

£200 million is already being allocated largely to small

and medium sized charities in England by the National

Lottery Community Fund.

We are now inviting the philanthropists, foundations,

and grant makers to put forward new funding which the

Government will match on a pound for pound basis.

The Government will match up to £85 million of

funding from strategic funders such as philanthropists and

charitable foundations. This funding is intended for

beneficiary groups which are the most vulnerable and the

hardest hit by COVID-19. We expect awards to be made

principally to charitable grant makers providing aid to

small and medium sized charities. We anticipate funding

applications in the £5 million to £20 million range. This

innovative approach will build on the expertise of

philanthropists and foundations by supporting the

charities that they believe will have the highest impact in

the areas that we want to focus on, while giving charities

longer term recovery support by allowing the non-

Government portion of the match funding to be spent

beyond March 2021.

We believe that this approach will stimulate further

donations and ensure that a further £85 million of

philanthropic funding from those who wish to support

their communities during these challenging times will go

to charities, further increasing support to the sector.

An additional £4.8 million is also being allocated to the

Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies

Partnership to strengthen its support to the voluntary and

community sector, and its coordinating role with

government and statutory agencies, as they continue to

respond to COVID-19.

Applications close at midnight on 2 August 2020 and

details can be found at the fund website here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-

match-challenge-and-voluntary-and-community-sector-

emergencies-partnership.

Contingencies Fund Advance

[HLWS382]

Lord Callanan: My Honourable friend the

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for

Business and Industry) Nadhim Zahawi has today made

the following statement:

I hereby give notice of the Department for Business,

Energy and Industrial Strategy’s intention to seek an

advance from the Contingencies Fund of £5,070,000,000

to provide funding for the Nuclear Liabilities Fund

(NLF).

The funding will be used to increase the NLF’s public

sector assets, by making £5.07bn available to the NLF in

the form of a deposit in the National Loans Fund. This

offers an alternative investment opportunity to the NLF,

which otherwise would re-allocate monies within the next

month into investments in its privately held asset

portfolio. Such re-allocation would increase Public Sector

Net Debt, and so this alternative funding arrangement

avoids this immediate negative fiscal impact. The

payment to the NLF is fiscally neutral.

The Trustee Directors of the NLF have a fiduciary duty

to ensure the NLF remains on track to be sufficient to

meet certain future decommissioning liabilities.

Parliamentary approval for additional capital of

£5,070,000,000 will be sought in a Supplementary

Estimate for the Department for Business, Energy and

Industrial Strategy. Pending that approval, urgent

expenditure estimated at £5,070,000,000 will be met by

repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund.

The cash advance will be repaid upon receiving Royal

Assent on the Supply and Appropriation Bill.

Crossrail: Annual Update

[HLWS386]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Honourable Friend,

the Minister of State for Transport (Chris Heaton-Harris),

has made the following Ministerial Statement.

Over the past year, several milestones have been

reached on the Crossrail project and work continues

despite the new challenges presented by Covid-19.

When complete, the Elizabeth line will be

transformative, reducing overcrowding, delivering

spacious new trains, adding significant additional rail

capacity to London and the South East, and delivering a

huge boost to the recovering UK economy. Its benefits

will be vast and long lasting.

Important progress is being made on taking the

Crossrail project towards completion and for its transition

to Transport for London (TfL), the future Elizabeth line

operator.

Page 4 20 July 2020 Written Statements

In December last year, TfL Rail commenced operating

services between Paddington and Reading using the new

UK built Class 345 trains, marking another important

stage in the delivery of the Elizabeth line. This year, the

higher capacity 9 carriage trains are being introduced

along this part of the route.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has approved the

new trains to run in passenger service between

Paddington and Heathrow Airport, paving the way for a

future increase in services to 4 trains per hour, adding

important extra service capacity to the local rail network.

Final testing and driver training is taking place with

Bombardier and MTR Elizabeth Line ahead of the

services being introduced.

Over the past year, Crossrail Limited (CRL) have made

further progress on the final completion of the new central

section. Signalling and train software testing has

progressed and a number of assets including completed

shafts and portals together with the new Custom House

station have now been handed over to TfL. All of the

stations in the central section are now ready for the Trial

Running of services, with the exception of Bond Street

which requires further work.

Network Rail (NR) works on the eastern and western

sections of the route have continued to progress over the

past year with the delivery of the enhanced ticket halls

and access improvements on the surface section

progressing at Ilford and Romford; Acton Main Line,

Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Southall, Hayes &

Harlington and West Drayton, with step-free access being

prioritised where possible.

In March this year, future Elizabeth line stations

Hanwell, Iver, Langley, and Taplow were also provided

with step-free access from street to platform.

Together, these milestones represent key steps forward

in the operational development of the railway.

But there have been challenges as well.

In January, CRL announced that it planned to open the

central section of the railway in summer 2021 and the full

Elizabeth line by mid-2022, citing challenges with

completing the software development and the safety

assurance processes preventing it from meeting its

previously planned opening window. Progress was further

affected by the ‘safe stop’ announced on March 24, when

CRL ceased all physical work at its construction sites,

including Network Rail’s station upgrade works, as a

result of the Covid-19 crisis and in line with TfL’s

decision to pause work on project sites, though essential,

business critical and remote assurance work continued.

In November last year and before the impact of Covid-

19, CRL announced that it would not be able to deliver

the railway within the funding package originally

announced by the Department and the Mayor of London

in December 2018, and that it would require between

£400 to £650 million in additional funding.

The further schedule delays and cost increases to this

project since the last annual update are very

disappointing. A revised funding package will now need

to be developed for Crossrail that is fair to UK taxpayers,

with London as the primary beneficiary bearing the cost.

Works have now restarted as part of Crossrail’s

Recovery Plan with sites operating within the framework

of Public Health England’s safety guidelines, with CRL

intensely focussed on achieving the next key programme

milestone - commencement of the intensive testing of the

railway, known as Trial Running.

CRL are currently in the process of updating their cost

and schedule forecasts in light of their Recovery Plan,

including assessing the impact on their opening schedule

and will make a further update on this shortly.

A further update to the overall costings for Network

Rail’s programme show that the Crossrail On Network

Works require an extra £140m of funding with the cost of

the surface works package now standing at just under

£3bn. The additional costs, which were assessed before

the Covid-19 crisis, are the result of some station and

power upgrade work taking longer than planned.

The Department will continue to work with its joint

Sponsor, TfL, to closely scrutinise the project, supporting

its delivery as soon as is safely possible and to deliver the

vital assurance and safety certification that is required

before passenger services can commence.

The Department will also work with TfL to oversee the

effective review and evolution of Crossrail’s future

governance arrangements to make sure the right decisions

are taken as the project moves towards completion, and

that it successfully transitions to TfL operations as soon

as possible. CRL together with both Sponsors remain

committed to ongoing transparency with regard to the

project.

During the passage of the Crossrail Bill through

Parliament, a commitment was given that an annual

statement would be published until the completion of the

construction of Crossrail, setting out information about

the project’s funding and finances. Further details on

CRL’s funding and finances in the period to 29 May 2020

are set out in the table below. The relevant information is

as follows:

Total funding amounts provided to Crossrail

Limited by the Department for Transport and TfL in relation to the construction of Crossrail to the end of

the period (22 July 2008 to 29 May 2020)

£14,164,813,354

Expenditure incurred (including committed land

and property spend not yet paid out) by Crossrail

Limited in relation to the construction of Crossrail in the period (30 May 2019 to 29 May 2020)

£1,014,218,000

(excluding recoverable VAT on Land and Property purchases)

Total expenditure incurred (including committed land and property spend not yet paid out) by

Crossrail Limited in relation to the construction of Crossrail to the end of the period (22 July 2008 to

29 May 2020)

£14,972,678,000

(excluding recoverable VAT on Land and Property

purchases)

The amounts realised by the disposal of any land or

property for the purposes of the construction of

£16,000,000

Written Statements 20 July 2020 Page 5

Crossrail by the Secretary of State, TfL or Crossrail

Limited in the period covered by the statement.

The numbers above are drawn from CRL’s books of

account and have been prepared on a consistent basis with

the update provided last year. The figure for expenditure

incurred includes monies already paid out in the relevant

period, including committed land and property

expenditure where this has not yet been paid. It does not

include future expenditure on contracts that have been

awarded.

EFTA States and Switzerland: Future

Relationship

[HLWS389]

Baroness Sugg: My Honourable Friend, the Minister

for European Neighbourhood and the Americas (Wendy

Morton), has made the following written Ministerial

statement:

The Government is pleased to announce that we have

moved into formal negotiations on our future

relationships with both the EEA EFTA states (Iceland,

Liechtenstein and Norway) and Switzerland from the

beginning of July.

The Government has already been working closely with

all four non-EU states on a range of issues related to our

future relationship. We have successfully delivered a

number of agreements, including the EEA EFTA

Separation Agreement signed in January this year, which

broadly mirrors provisions in the EU Withdrawal

Agreement on citizens’ rights and a small number of other

relevant separation issues. With the Swiss we have

concluded and signed agreements in five key areas; trade;

air services; road transport; insurance; and citizen’s rights.

The EEA EFTA states and Switzerland are important

European economic partners, with bilateral trade totalling

approximately £27bn with the EEA EFTA states and

around £39bn with Switzerland in 2019. We also enjoy

close cooperation with these countries across a range of

areas outside of trade, which is why the Government is

seeking to agree measures that span across the entire

breadth of our relationship.

EEA EFTA States

Negotiations with the EEA EFTA states will continue

to take place alongside those we are conducting with the

EU. In some areas, our future relationship with these

states will be closely tied to the UK’s future relationship

with the EU by virtue of their participation in the EU

Single Market (via the EEA Agreement) and other EU-led

initiatives. In others, these countries have the flexibility to

agree bespoke bilateral arrangements. The ongoing

negotiations will need to take account of this, but we are

clear in our aim of protecting the close levels of existing

cooperation we have with these key European partners,

and building ambitious future facing agreements befitting

our close relationship with them.

A successful UK-EEA EFTA Future Relations

Dialogue took place on 16 July. We will be publishing

further details of these negotiations on the Government’s

website soon, providing further details on the scope of the

arrangements we are seeking to agree.

Switzerland

Over the last three years a dedicated high-level UK-

Swiss Continuity Dialogue has proven highly successful

in advancing vital work to uphold our excellent relations

with the Swiss in the context of our EU exit. The

continuity arrangements we have reached with

Switzerland have given vital certainty to citizens and

businesses alike. The Government is seeking to build on

these strong foundations in the future: we are now

convening a new UK-Swiss Future Relations Dialogue to

open the next chapter in our relations.

Our first UK-Swiss Future Relations Dialogue took

place on 1 July. The Government is taking a sequenced

approach to our joint endeavours with Switzerland before

the review clause in our trade continuity agreement

activates in 2021. Firstly, we will aim to resolve residual

separation issues as far as is possible. Secondly, we will

also aim to address issues that are dependent on our

negotiations with the EU or indeed related negotiations.

Thirdly, we will begin exploring new bilateral

opportunities where we can make progress together in

2020.

Sequencing

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working

with other government departments to secure the delivery

of these negotiations. The Department for International

Trade continues to be responsible for all trade and

economic arrangements. In non-trade areas, departments

responsible will seek arrangements which deliver on UK

interests and provide maximum coverage across the full

scope of our relationship with these countries.

The Government is aiming to bring some of the

agreements negotiated with these states into effect by the

end of the transition period in line with our approach to

EU negotiations. Further details on the progress of these

negotiations will be made available to Parliament as they

develop. Indeed, our future relationship with these key

partners is a government priority.

Public Service Pensions: Survivor Benefits

[HLWS393]

Lord Agnew of Oulton: My right honourable friend

the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Steve Barclay) has

today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The government is committed to providing public

service pensions that are fair for public sector workers

and for taxpayers. The government’s position remains that

benefit entitlements should normally be determined based

on the rules applicable at the time the member served, to

maintain fairness for active scheme members and the

taxpayer.

Following the Walker v Innospec Supreme Court ruling,

the government decided that in public service schemes,

surviving male same-sex and female same-sex spouses

Page 6 20 July 2020 Written Statements

and civil partners of public service pension scheme

members will, in certain cases, receive benefits equivalent

to those received by widows of opposite sex marriages.

The exception to this is in specific schemes where, in the

past, improvements in female members’ survivor benefits

have involved female members making employee

contributions or increasing them.

A case brought in the Employment Tribunal against the

Secretary of State for Education earlier this year

highlighted that these changes may lead to direct sexual

orientation discrimination within the Teachers’ Pension

Scheme, where male survivors of female scheme

members remain entitled to a lower survivor benefit than

a comparable same-sex survivor.

The government has concluded that changes are

required to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme to address the

discrimination. The government believes that this

difference in treatment will also need to be remedied in

those other public service pension schemes, where the

husband or male civil partner of a female scheme member

is in similar circumstances.

Departments responsible for the administration of

affected schemes will consult on and take forward

changes as soon as possible. Schemes will notify their

members of changes and any actions they need to take.

Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act

2018: Report on Regulations

[HLWS388]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Today the ‘Report on

Regulations Made under Section 32 of the Sanctions and

Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018’ will be laid in

Parliament.

The report details the two regulations laid under Section

1 of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018

during the reporting period from 23 May 2019 to 22 May

2020, and states the relevant human rights purposes of

those regulations.

In addition to the actions set out in the report, the

Government established the Global Human Rights

sanctions regime on 6 July by laying regulations in

Parliament. These regulations enable the Government to

impose sanctions in response to serious human rights

violations or abuses around the world. The Government

made immediate use of the powers provided by the

Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020,

implementing 49 designations on a range of people and

entities.

School Funding

[HLWS387]

Baroness Berridge: My right honourable friend the

Minister of State for School Standards (Nick Gibb) has

made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Today I am confirming provisional funding allocations

for 2021-22 through the schools, high needs and central

school services national funding formulae (NFF). The

allocations distribute the second year of the multi-billion

school funding settlement that the Secretary of State for

Education announced to Parliament on 3 September 2019.

Core school funding is increasing by £2.6bn in 2020-21,

and will increase by £4.8bn and £7.1bn in 2021-22 and

2022-23 respectively, compared to 2019-20. In addition,

we continue to fund the recent increase in pension costs

for teachers, worth £1.5bn a year.

These allocations, which are part of the annual funding

cycle, will provide schools and local authorities with

certainty of future funding. In addition to this core

funding, schools can apply for exceptional funding to

cover specific unavoidable costs incurred by schools due

to coronavirus (COVID-19) between March and July that

cannot be met from existing resources. Schools will also

benefit from the £1bn ‘catch-up’ package for the 2020/21

academic year to directly tackle the impact of the

disruption that COVID-19 has caused. This includes a

‘Catch-Up Premium’ worth £650m to support schools to

make up for lost teaching time for all pupils, and a new

£350m tutoring fund for disadvantaged pupils. Guidance

on the allocation and use of that funding will be published

today.

The funding factors used in the 2021-22 NFF remain

the same, but we have made two technical changes, which

are detailed in the NFF policy document also published

today:

• Funding from the teachers’ pay grant and the teachers’

pension employer contribution grant, including the

supplementary fund, has been added to the formulae

from 2021-22. This will simplify the allocation of this

funding – worth almost £2bn a year – recognising that

these grants are part of schools’ core budgets and

providing reassurance to schools and local authorities

that the funding will continue to be provided.

• The 2019 update to the Income Deprivation Affecting

Children Index has been incorporated so that

deprivation funding allocated through the formulae is

based on the latest data.

School funding through the NFF is increasing by 4%

overall in 2021-22. The NFF will distribute this funding

based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics.

The main features in 2021-22 are:

• The funding floor will ensure that every school is

allocated at least 2% more pupil-led funding per pupil

compared to its 2020-21 NFF allocation.

• The key factors in the NFF will increase by 3%,

providing a significant increase to those schools already

attracting their NFF allocations.

• The minimum per pupil funding levels will ensure that

every primary school receives at least £4,000 per pupil,

and every secondary school at least £5,150 per pupil,

delivering on the Government’s pledge to level up the

lowest funded schools.

• Funding to cover additional teachers’ pay and

pensions costs, previously funded through separate

grants, has additionally been reflected in all schools’

allocations. This means that a further £180 and £265

Written Statements 20 July 2020 Page 7

respectively will be added to the minimum per pupil

amounts above.

• Additional funding for small and remote schools will

increase in 2021-22, with primary schools attracting up

to £45,000, compared to £26,000 previously, as a first

step towards expanding the support the NFF provides

for such schools from 2022-23.

High needs funding will increase by a further £730m, or

10%, in 2021-22 – that follows the substantial increase

this year and brings the total high needs budget to over

£8bn. The high needs NFF will ensure that every local

authority receives a further increase of at least 8% per

head of population, compared to this year, with some

authorities receiving up to 12%. This vital extra resource

will help local authorities to manage their cost pressures

in this area. The Government is continuing to pursue a

cross-departmental review of the special educational

needs and disability (SEND) system to see what further

improvements are necessary to ensure that it supports

children and young people with SEND as effectively as

possible.

In addition, the Department will start negotiations with

some of those local authorities with the highest Dedicated

Schools Grant (DSG) deficits about supporting them to

reduce their deficits over time.

Central schools services funding in 2021-22 will

increase by 4% for the ongoing responsibilities that local

authorities continue to have for all schools. In line with

the process introduced for 2020-21 to withdraw funding

over time based on the commitments local authorities

entered into before 2013-14, funding for historic

commitments will decrease by 20% for those local

authorities in receipt of this funding.

The provisional NFF allocations published today will

be updated, based on the latest pupil data, to produce final

allocations in December that local authorities will receive

through the DSG.

Local authorities will continue to use that funding to

determine final allocations for all local mainstream

schools. In light of the need to focus efforts on meeting

the challenges of COVID-19, we are not changing local

authorities’ role in the distribution of school funding in

2021-22. The Government will, later this year, put

forward its proposals to move to a ‘hard’ NFF in future,

which will determine schools’ budgets directly rather than

through local formulae set independently by each local

authority. This will level up the school funding system so

that all schools across the country are funded on a

comparable basis. We will consult widely with local

authorities, schools and others to make this transition

carefully.

Service Complaints Ombudsman: Annual

Report 2019

[HLWS385]

Baroness Goldie: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary

Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence People

and Veterans (Johnny Mercer MP) has made the

following Written Ministerial Statement.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s formal response to

the Service Complaints Ombudsman’s (SCO) annual

report for 2019 on the fairness, effectiveness and

efficiency of the Service complaints system has today

been placed in the Library of the House.

The Ombudsman’s report assessed the fourth year of

operation of the reformed Service complaints system

which was implemented on 1 January 2016 and the work

of her office in 2019. The response sets out MOD’s

comments and approach to each of the Ombudsman’s new

recommendations, the observations that she has made and

includes a summary of our position on recommendations

made in previous annual reports.

The MOD values the strong independent oversight that

the Ombudsman brings to the Service complaints process,

and remains committed to having a system in which our

personnel can have confidence. This will include

progressing outstanding recommendations and

observations, together with improvements identified in

Air Marshal Wigston’s Report in April 2019 on

Inappropriate Behaviours.

The Statement includes the following attached material:

MODs Formal Response Annex A [MODs Formal Response to

Service Complaints and Ombudsman's Annual Report 2019.docx]

SCO Annual Report Recommendations Annex B [SCO Annual

Report Recommendations 2016 to 2019 to the Service Complaints

and Ombudsman's Annual Report 2019.docx]

The material can be viewed online at:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-

answers-statements/written-statement/Lords/2020-07-20/HLWS385/

Transport for London: Extraordinary

Funding and Financing

[HLWS391]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Right Honourable

friend, the Secretary of State for Transport (Grant

Shapps), has made the following Ministerial Statement.

I wrote to the House on 18 May 2020, to share details

of the extraordinary funding and financing agreement

reached with Transport for London (TfL). That package

of support, which was agreed between Government, the

Mayor and TfL, included a number of conditions and I am

today writing to update Parliament on two of those.

To help avoid such drastic action in the future work has

been underway on the Government-led review of TfL’s

future financial position and structure, and we have now

published the Terms of Reference for that review.

I am pleased to also announce the appointment of the

two Government Special Representatives to attend the

TfL Board; Andrew Gilligan and Clare Moriarty. They

will also be able to attend TfL’s Finance and Programme

Investment Committees. These positions required a

specific skillset and have therefore been made through

direct Ministerial Appointment.

Page 8 20 July 2020 Written Statements

Clare Moriarty is a former civil servant and has been

Permanent Secretary for the Department for Exiting the

European Union and for the Department for Environment,

Food and Rural Affairs, and she was previously Director

General, Rail Executive and Director General for

Corporate Services in the Department for Transport.

Andrew Gilligan advises the Prime Minister on

transport matters and worked closely with TfL for three

years, acquiring detailed knowledge of its operations, as

former Cycling Commissioner for London.

Unified Patent Court

[HLWS383]

Lord Callanan: My Honourable friend the Minister for

Science, Research and Innovation Amanda Solloway has

today made the following statement:

I am tabling this statement for the benefit of

Honourable and Right Honourable Members to bring to

their attention the UK’s withdrawal from the Unified

Patent Court system.

Today, by means of a Note Verbale, the United

Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has

withdrawn its ratification of the Agreement on a Unified

Patent Court and the Protocol on Privileges and

Immunities of the Unified Patent Court (dated 23 April

2018) in respect of the United Kingdom of Great Britain

and Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, and its consent

to be bound by the Protocol to the Agreement on a

Unified Patent Court on provisional application (dated on

6 July 2017) (collectively “the Agreements”).

In view of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the

European Union, the United Kingdom no longer wishes to

be a party to the Unified Patent Court system.

Participating in a court that applies EU law and is bound

by the CJEU would be inconsistent with the

Government’s aims of becoming an independent self-

governing nation.

The Agreements have not yet entered into force.

However, in order to ensure clarity regarding the United

Kingdom’s status in respect of the Agreements and to

facilitate their orderly entry into force for other States

without the participation of the United Kingdom, the

United Kingdom has chosen to withdraw its ratification of

the Agreements at this time. The United Kingdom

considers that its withdrawals shall take effect

immediately and that it will be for the remaining

participating states to decide the future of the Unified

Patent Court system.

Vaccine Taskforce

[HLWS381]

Lord Callanan: My Right Honourable friend the

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial

Strategy Alok Sharma has today made the following

statement:

I am today updating Parliament on the work of the

Vaccine Taskforce in securing a vaccine against Covid-

19.

Tackling this virus is the biggest challenge that this

country has faced in peacetime history. Today I am

announcing the recent steps that the Vaccines Taskforce

has taken towards making a successful Covid-19 vaccine

available as soon as possible to the UK population and the

wider world.

I can inform the House that we have signed agreements

with the BioNTech/Pfizer alliance and Valneva to

purchase their vaccines. This is part of our strategy to

procure a portfolio of promising vaccine candidates,

giving us the best chance of securing a successful one at

the earliest opportunity. Demand for a successful vaccine

will be high and placing these orders early will give us

access to the doses we need, if and when, any of these

candidates prove to be safe and effective in clinical trials

and receive regulatory approval.

I am also announcing that the Government has issued a

letter of intent in advance of entering an agreement to

secure an antibody that may be used as a therapeutic

treatment in support of the wider vaccination programme.

The antibody, manufactured by AstraZeneca, is currently

in clinical trials and could be available for use by the

second quarter of 2021, if those trials are successful.

Clinical trials play a vital part in the vaccine

development process. Today, the Government is also

launching the NHS Covid-19 vaccine research registry.

This new website will enable people in the UK to

volunteer for future vaccine studies planned in the UK,

playing their part in our national effort to ensure a Covid-

19 vaccine is available as soon as possible.

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 9

Written Answers Monday, 20 July 2020

A27: East Sussex

Asked by Lord Berkeley

To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have

taken the decision to proceed with the A27 Lewes–

Polegate improvement project; what is the project's

latest benefit-cost ratio; what environmental impact

assessments have been (1) completed, and (2)

published; and what consideration they have given to

upgrading the East Coastway rail line as an alternative

to this project. [HL6431]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: No decision has been

taken on whether to fund further enhancements to the A27

between Lewes and Polegate beyond those already in

construction. The second Road Investment Strategy,

published in March, commissioned Highways England to

develop proposals for this route for possible delivery after

2025. This work is expected to explore potential options

and their benefits and costs, including environmental

impacts, as appropriate.

Aerobility: Finance

Asked by Baroness Garden of Frognal

To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value

of the grant from the Department for Transport to

Aerobility for the Vigilant T1 aircraft. [HL6462]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: A grant of £745,000 was

awarded to Aerobility, a registered charity, to support its

work to refurbish the Vigilant T1 glider fleet, acquired

from the Ministry of Defence. The gliders had been

grounded by the Royal Air Force in May 2018. The grant

was specifically to cover the costs relating to the

refurbishment package, including modifications needed to

enable people with physical disabilities to fly the gliders,

and for the full refurbishment of eight aircraft, to be

retained by Aerobility for its operations.

Expanding Aerobility’s fleet of aircraft will lead to a

number of benefits, including, improving access to flight

training and flight experiences for those living with

physical and mental disabilities. It will also enable

Aerobility to offer services at additional locations in the

UK.

Agriculture: Employment

Asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking to ensure an adequate supply of labour on farms

in (1) England, (2) Northern Ireland, (3) Wales, and (4)

Scotland. [HL6510]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Seasonal Workers

Pilot is providing thousands of non-EU workers to farms

across the UK this year. Immigration is a reserved matter

and the Seasonal Workers Pilot is a nationwide pilot, with

a nationwide quota. The Government has placed a

specific duty on the operators to ensure that all regions of

the UK benefit from this pilot.

While restrictions due to COVID-19 initially delayed

the arrival of some Pilot workers, Defra and the Home

Office worked closely with Pilot operators to enable

workers to reach the UK. The Visa Application Centres in

Ukraine and Belarus, which were temporarily closed due

to COVID-19 restrictions, reopened on 1 June. This

allowed significant numbers of Pilot workers from those

countries to obtain a visa and travel to the UK.

We are aware of the wider impact that restrictions on

travel from other countries, as a result of COVID-19, has

had on the number of seasonal workers coming to work in

the UK. We are working closely with industry and

government officials in Scotland and Wales to help our

world-leading farmers and growers access the labour they

need over the busy harvest months. All are supportive of

the joint Defra and industry ‘Pick for Britain’ campaign

and website, aimed at driving awareness of seasonal roles

on farms. We understand that for England the demand for

seasonal workers is currently being met, and we are

closely monitoring the situation throughout the rest of the

summer.

Defra discussed with officials at DAERA the plans for

the Pick for Britain website and their thoughts on a future

public -acing campaign to attract more seasonal workers

from the UK. The feedback received was that DAERA

was working closely with industry representatives in

Northern Ireland and would use the existing Department

for Communities website – JobCentre Online (JCOL) to

advertise local opportunities. The website also provided a

link to the Pick for Britain initiative.

Animal Welfare

Asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to bring forward legislative proposals on animal

sentience. [HL6511]

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government

is committed to further strengthening our world-leading

animal welfare standards. We have committed to bringing

in new laws on animal sentience. Any necessary changes

required to domestic legislation will be made in a rigorous

and comprehensive way and will be brought forward

when parliamentary time allows.

Additionally, we have committed to ending excessively

long journeys for slaughter and fattening and to banning

the keeping of primates as pets. The Government is

supporting the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill. This

will increase the maximum custodial penalty for animal

cruelty from six months' imprisonment to five years'

imprisonment. The new maximum penalty of five years is

in line with campaigns by key stakeholders such as

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Dogs Trust and the

Page 10 20 July 2020 Written Answers

RSPCA. This is a positive step forward in improving

animal welfare. and will act as a serious deterrent against

cruelty and neglect. It will provide one of the toughest

sanctions in Europe, strengthening the UK's position as a

global leader on animal welfare.

Animals: Antimicrobials

Asked by Lord Empey

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

have they made of the UK's performance in addressing

antimicrobial resistance in animals compared to (1) the

27 Member States of the EU, and (2) other developed

economies. [HL6666]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: There is considerable

variation in levels and trends of antimicrobial resistance

between the UK and European Member States and other

global partners, for example the USA, Canada and Japan.

The UK is among those countries which have made most

progress in addressing antimicrobial resistance in bacteria

from animals in recent years.

In terms of comparing antibiotic sales between

countries, the latest published data in the European

Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption

project, which compared antimicrobial sales data for food

producing animals across EEA countries and Switzerland

for 2017 (published Oct 2019), shows that in 2017 the UK

had the fifth lowest level of antibiotic consumption in

food-producing animals (32.5 mg/kg) of the 31 European

countries reporting this data (only Sweden, Finland,

Norway, and Iceland are lower). This project is available

here:

https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/report/sales-

veterinary-antimicrobial-agents-31-european-countries-

2017_en.pdf The US, Canada and Japan also publish

antibiotic sales data: Canada published an overall sales

figure for 2016 of 150mg/kg, which was an 18%

reduction on their 2015 sales. USA and Japan do not

report in mg/kg but do publish data on tonnes of antibiotic

active ingredient used for food producing animals. The

USA reported a reduction of 38% between 2015 and 2018

whereas Japan showed an increase of 2.8% between 2013

and 2016.

We continue to be committed to working with livestock

sectors to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use and have

achieved a 53% reduction in sales of antibiotics for food-

producing animals between 2013 and 2018. We are also

committed to working alongside our global partners to

promote data sharing and responsible antibiotic use.

Architecture: Ethnic Groups

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking, if any, to support BAME–led architecture

practices and BAME built environment professionals in

their plans for the economic recovery from the COVID-

19 pandemic. [HL6530]

Lord Callanan: We are continuing to work across

Government and with a wide array of stakeholders

including the Royal Institute of British Architects, to

ensure that diverse voices are heard in the policy making

process, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are supporting the construction sector by helping it

drive increased investment in skills development, adopt a

more strategic and co-ordinated approach to recruitment,

and equip workers with the skills they need for the future.

Additionally, the Professional and Business Services

Council’s Skills and Inclusion Working Group is engaged

on access to skills to support business growth in the

industry, as well as considering how to increase social

mobility within the sector. The group have convened a

sub-group to consider immediate emerging skills issues

that have arisen as a result of COVID-19.

Arms Trade: Colombia

Asked by Lord Browne of Ladyton

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

killing of human rights defenders in Colombia and

recent reports of illegal surveillance by Colombian

Military Intelligence on civil society organisations,

whether they are reassessing the licensing of UK arms

exports, including cryptographic equipment, to

Colombia. [HL6712]

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: There are no extant

licences granted for Colombia that may be used for such

surveillance.

For context, all export licence applications are assessed

on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and

National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the

‘Consolidated Criteria’). In reaching a decision, the

Department for International Trade (DIT) receives advice

from a number of Departments including the Ministry of

Defence (MoD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth

Office (FCO). Together, we draw on all available

information, including reports from Non-Government

Organisations (NGOs) and our diplomatic missions. The

Consolidated Criteria provides a thorough risk assessment

framework and requires us to think hard about the impact

of exporting any items.

Assessments under Criterion 2 in particular include the

respect of rights and freedoms in the country of final

destination. A licence will not be issued if to do so would

be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria, including

where there is a clear risk that the proposed export might

be used for internal repression. Accordingly, we continue

to monitor global developments closely and are able to

review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary –

when circumstances require, in line with the Consolidated

Criteria.

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 11

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Asked by Lord Judd

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration

they gave to the actions of the government of Saudi

Arabia (1) in that country, and (2) in Yemen, when

deciding to resume granting export licences for arms

sales to Saudi Arabia; and what assessment they have

made of the compatibility of that decision with the

Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, announced on

6 July. [HL6672]

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Written Ministerial

Statement of 7th July 2020 set out the steps that HM

Government has taken to comply with the judgment of the

Court of Appeal of 20th June 2019 regarding licences for

military exports to Saudi Arabia for possible use in the

conflict in Yemen.

To address the Court of Appeal’s judgment, we have

developed a revised methodology in respect of all

allegations which it is assessed are likely to have occurred

and to have been caused by fixed wing aircraft reflecting

the factual circumstances that the court proceedings

concerned.

To be clear, allegations have been subject to detailed

analysis by reference to the relevant principles of

International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and in the light of

information and intelligence available. An evaluation has

then been made, in respect of each incident, whether it is

possible that it constitutes a breach of IHL or whether it is

unlikely that it represents a breach.

The Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime is a

separate issue entirely though. This new sanctions regime

will give the United Kingdom a powerful new tool to hold

those individuals involved in serious violations of rights

and responsibilities to account.

Asked by Lord Browne of Ladyton

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

answer by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 10 July (HL

Deb, col 1347), whether they will now answer the

question put, namely whether Parliament will be given

access to the methodology referred to in the Written

Ministerial Statement made by Lord Grimstone of

Boscobel on 7 July (HLWS336). [HL6764]

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Written Ministerial

Statement of 7th July 2020 explained and set out details of

the revised methodology developed to comply with the

Court of Appeal’s judgment of 20th June 2019 and applied

to re-take the decisions remitted by the Court of Appeal

on the correct legal basis.

HM Government have no plans to publish the

assessments to which the Noble Lord refers. Such

assessments use all available sources of information –

including some that are necessarily confidential and

sensitive – so we are not able to provide details of the

assessments.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Asked by Viscount Waverley

To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis they

decided to exclude Portugal as an ‘air bridge’ country

necessitating passengers to quarantine for 14 days upon

arrival in the UK from that country. [HL6541]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Decisions on the list of

countries that are exempt from self-isolation requirements

have been guided by the science.

The Joint Biosecurity Centre, in close consultation with

Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer, has

developed an approach to assessing the public health risk

associated with inbound travel from specific countries and

territories. This categorisation has informed the

government’s decisions about relaxation of border

measures.

The categorisation has been informed by an estimate of

the proportion of the population that is currently

infectious in each country, virus incidence rates, trends in

incidence and deaths, transmission status and

international epidemic intelligence as well as information

on a country’s testing capacity and an assessment of the

quality of the data available.

The government will keep the requirements and

exemptions set out in the regulations under review.

Bahrain: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Scriven

To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what

assessment they have made of the call by Amnesty

International on 16 June for Bahrain to halt the use of

its ‘Bahrain BeAware’ contact tracing application; and

(2) what representations they intend to make to the

government of Bahrain to (a) remind it of its obligations

under Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights, and (b) encourage that government to introduce

safeguards to ensure the (i) anonymity of ‘Bahrain

BeAware’ user data, and (ii) destruction of digital

records at regular intervals. [HL6525]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Bahrain BeAware

application was introduced by the Bahraini government to

advance contact tracing efforts and save lives during the

Covid-19 emergency as part of its Trace, Test and Treat

strategy which has received praise from the World Health

Organization (WHO). We understand that downloading

the application and registration as a user is optional

entirely voluntary. Users not in quarantine or mandatory

self-isolation can uninstall the application at any time. All

users are informed of its use of GPS software before

downloading. The Government of Bahrain have been

clear in their assurances of user privacy through a fully

encrypted and automated process. Any Location data

older than 6 weeks is deleted automatically from the

system. Users can also request that their data is deleted

from the system at any time.

Page 12 20 July 2020 Written Answers

BBC: Finance

Asked by Lord Stevenson of Balmacara

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have, if any, to commission an independent review of

the BBC’s funding needs to ensure that it receives the

resources needed to meet the responsibilities set out in

its Charter. [HL6583]

Baroness Barran: The BBC’s funding model is agreed

with the Corporation as part of the Royal Charter. It was

last considered as part of Charter Review 2015-16, during

which process the Government committed to maintain the

licence fee funding model for the BBC for the duration of

the current Charter period, lasting until the end of 2027.

The current licence fee settlement is agreed until April

2022. Negotiations between the Government and the BBC

for the next licence fee period, 2022-27, will begin in due

course. The Government will set out more detail on the

process to be followed ahead of negotiations.

Boarding Schools: Coronavirus

Asked by Baroness Gardner of Parkes

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to give boarding schools greater autonomy to

decide how to operate from September 2020. [HL6464]

Baroness Berridge: The Department has published

guidance to support all schools as they prepare for the

return of all pupils from the beginning of the autumn

term:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-

schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-

full-opening-schools.

The guidance provides schools with advice about how

to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in

schools. It also sets out how the department expects

schools to operate, and where there is flexibility. For

boarding schools the guidance encourages schools to keep

children in their class groups, but also allows for the

mixing of pupils in different groups residentially and

during the school day.

Boarding schools will still need to meet the national

minimum standards to safeguard and protect the children

in their care and those that are independent schools will

need to comply with the independent school standards.

Bus Services and Railways: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Bradshaw

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking to increase demand for the (1) bus, and (2) rail,

sectors as the restrictions in place to address the

COVID-19 pandemic are eased. [HL6438]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: We are working closely

with operators, Network Rail, TfL, the British Transport

Police and Trade Unions to ensure robust plans are in

place to meet demand and support safer travel. The

Department has issued guidance to ensure people stay

safe while using public transport.

We are fully supportive of encouraging people back on

to public transport at the right time.

Business: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking to shorten the response time for calls to

the COVID-19 helpline for businesses and the self-

employed. [HL6719]

Lord Agnew of Oulton: HMRC continue to prioritise

COVID-19 schemes. Following Government guidelines,

HMRC have reduced their telephony service times to

ensure staff safety and to provide greater flexibility with

available resource. HMRC have increased the level of

availability on their webchat service and provided staff

working from home with the technology to answer calls

from home. HMRC continue to monitor all call volumes

to ensure they have the available resource with the

appropriate expertise to meet demand.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment

they have made of the statistics published by the Data

Analysis Bureau that 15 per cent of 12,407 care home

workers from 650 care homes across England, Wales

and Scotland have been tested for COVID-19 since the

beginning of the pandemic, and that 6 per cent of those

tested were tested between 20 and 27 May. [HL4898]

Lord Bethell: Test kits have been offered to every care

home for over-65s or those with dementia in England,

reaching the testing target for 6 June. All remaining adult

care homes are eligible to access testing through the

whole care home portal. We have the capacity to send out

over 50,000 test kits a day.

Cheltenham Hospital: Accident and

Emergency Departments

Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham

To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis the

decision was taken to temporarily close Cheltenham

General Hospital's Accident and Emergency

department; and when this temporary closure will be

reviewed. [HL5376]

Lord Bethell: On 2 June 2020 the Board of

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust gave its

support to temporary service changes, proposed by its

clinical teams, as part of the next phase of its pandemic

response. The changes separate COVID-19 and non-

COVID-19 services, as much as possible, in order to

minimise the risk of transmission of the virus to patients

and staff. As a result, Cheltenham General Hospital’s

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 13

accident and emergency department will operate as a

minor injuries and illness unit, operating 8am to 8pm. The

changes will be reviewed on a three-monthly basis.

China: Uighurs

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6

July (HL6103), whether they will now answer the

question put, namely, what assessment they have made

of reports that the decline in birth-rates among the

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region’s ethnic minority

communities may indicate the promotion of a coercive

birth-prevention strategy targeted at ethnoreligious

minority groups; and whether any such targeted

coercive policy would require the UK Government to

consider their obligations, as a signatory to the 1948

Convention on the Crime of Genocide, to prevent,

protect, and hold to account perpetrators. [HL6547]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of reports

that the Chinese Government is using forced sterilisation

to minimise Uyghur birth rates. As the Minister for Asia

set out during an Urgent Question in the House of

Commons on 29 June, these reports add to our concern

about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and we are

considering them carefully. On 9 March the Foreign

Secretary raised our concerns about the human rights

situation in Xinjiang with his Chinese counterpart,

Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi. On 30

June, the UK read out a statement on behalf of 28

countries at the 44th session of the UN Human Rights

Council highlighting concerns about arbitrary detention,

widespread surveillance and restrictions in Xinjiang.

Common Purpose: Expenditure

Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the

total sum they have spent buying places on Common

Purpose courses during each of the last 20 years; and to

detail exactly (1) how, and (2) where, such expenditure

is recorded. [HL6784]

Lord True: No centrally held record of expenditure on

training or learning is maintained covering the entirety of

the period specified.

Common Purpose is not a provider of training through

Civil Service Learning.

Company Accounts

Asked by Lord Myners

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to introduce an equivalent of the US Sarbanes-

Oxley Act 2002 in the UK; and what assessment they

have made of whether any such legislation would (1)

increase confidence in company accounts, and (2)

reduce fraud. [HL6501]

Lord Callanan: The Independent Review of the

Financial Reporting Council recommended that

government should consider the case for adopting a

strengthened framework around internal controls on a

similar basis to the Sarbanes-Oxley regime in the US. In

response, the Government is exploring options in this area

and will bring forward a detailed consultation in due

course.

The Review heard that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed

in 2002, has led to better financial reporting, with a lower

incidence of significant accounting re-statements, but also

recognised the higher costs for companies. Any

strengthening of the UK regime would need to take

account of the UK’s well-established internal control

framework comprising interlocking company law

requirements, Listing Rules, UK Corporate Governance

Code provisions and auditor responsibilities.

Conflict Resolution: Females

Asked by Lord Tunnicliffe

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the

Ministry of Defence has spent on training related to (1)

the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and (2)

preventing sexual violence initiatives, in (a) 2016, (b)

2017, (c) 2018, (d) 2019, and (e) 2020 to date.

[HL6646]

Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) are

unable to answer the noble Lord’s question due to the way

funding is tracked and division of policy areas. Defence

have approached the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in

military operations through a combination of dedicated

training courses and specific modules added to existing

training.

In support of the UK National Action Plan on Women,

Peace and Security 2018 – 2022, the MOD have issued a

Joint Service Publication 1325; ‘Human Security in

Military Operations’ supported by a two-week Human

security Advisers Course. This provides an advanced

understanding of Defence’s role in the prevention of

sexual violence in conflict through; gendered approaches

to planning and operations, appropriate response to

survivors, and reporting mechanisms.

Tailored modules have also been embedded to routine

training for; deploying peacekeepers, overseas capacity

building for troop contributing countries, military

planners, policy advisers, Defence Attachés and

headquarters and units across the Royal Navy, the Army

and the RAF at home and overseas.

Contact Tracing: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

advice by the Scientific Advisory Group for

Emergencies that delays over 72 hours in contacting

individuals who have been in close contact with

Page 14 20 July 2020 Written Answers

someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will

have a detrimental effect on the 'R' value for COVID-

19, what steps they are taking to ensure that all such

individuals are traced within 72 hours. [HL6147]

Lord Bethell: The Government launched its NHS Test

and Trace service on 28 May 2020 to control the rate of

reproduction (R), reduce the spread of the virus and save

lives.

The contact tracing process starts as soon as NHS Test

and Trace receive notification that someone has tested

positive for COVID-19. We are reaching the close

contacts of thousands of positive cases and we are

encouraged by the progress so far and user feedback.

NHS Test and Trace statistics published on 9 July show

that since 28 May 90.3% (17,322) of people who tested

positive for COVID-19 were successfully reached and

asked to provide details about close contacts within 48

hours (for non-complex cases only). Additionally, 83.4%

(22,574) of people identified as recent close contacts were

reached and advised to self-isolate within 24 hours of

being identified (for non-complex cases only).

Currently we only have timings for each part of the

process rather than the end to end journey, so we can say

how many people received test results within 24 hours,

how many people who tested positive were reached

within 24 hours (for non-complex cases only) and how

many people who were identified as contacts were

reached within 24 hours (for non-complex cases only).

Coronavirus: Birmingham

Asked by Lord Blencathra

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the request made by the Director of

Public Health for Birmingham City Council for an

investigation into a possible link to the Black Lives

Matter protests in Birmingham with an increase in

COVID-19 cases in that city; and what steps they are

taking, if any, to support that investigation. [HL6403]

Lord Bethell: A specific analysis to investigate the

relationship between the demonstrations and the

subsequent number of COVID-19 cases would be

difficult, since there is no requirement for individuals to

report attendance at a demonstration or protest and,

therefore, the necessary data would not be available.

Following a request by the Director of Public Health for

Birmingham to investigate a spike in COVID-19 cases

between the 14-16 June and whether this could be related

to the Black Lives Matter protests in Birmingham on 4

June, analysis of pillar 1 and pillar 2 test counts in

Birmingham by ethnicity throughout June 2020 is being

undertaken. The number of confirmed cases in

Birmingham continued to decline overall during this

period.

Coronavirus: Demonstrations

Asked by Lord Blencathra

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there has

been any correlation identified between (1) an increase

in COVID-19 cases, and (2) the mass demonstrations

held in cities in England in June. [HL6402]

Lord Bethell: Demonstrations in England are reported

to have occurred in the first three weeks of June 2020.

Some of these demonstrations appear to have been large,

reportedly involving hundreds or thousands of people in

different locations, including major cities. Public Health

England has not performed a specific analysis to

investigate the relationship between the demonstrations

and the subsequent number of COVID-19 cases; such an

analysis would not be possible, since there is no

requirement for individuals to report attendance at a

demonstration or protest and, therefore, the necessary data

would not be available.

Since the start of June, the daily number of laboratory-

confirmed cases in England has continued to decrease

steadily and consistently, from 1,311 cases on 1 June to

386 cases on 28 June.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they

have for mass media campaigns on COVID-19

guidance to target (1) adults aged 60 and over, (2) those

designated as clinically vulnerable, and (3) those

designated as clinically extremely vulnerable. [HL5263]

Lord Bethell: At present, there are media campaigns

using television, print, radio, and digital that target adults

over the age of 65. There are not currently any plans for

media campaigns targeted towards the clinically

vulnerable and extremely clinically vulnerable. There is

guidance available for these groups online at GOV.UK

and this guidance has been promoted online through the

National Health Service and Every Mind Matters sites.

The impact of communications is constantly monitored

and optimised on a regular basis.

Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours

To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent the

'R' rate for COVID-19 includes an assessment of the

number of people who self-treat at home with no

hospital or emergency services intervention. [HL6052]

Lord Bethell: R is estimated by a number of

independent modelling groups based at universities and

Public Health England. Evidence from the different

models is considered, discussed, combined, and then a

consensus estimate is presented to the Scientific Advisory

Group for Emergencies as a range.

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 15

Individual modelling groups use a variety of different

data sources to estimate R. This includes epidemiological

data such as the number of hospital admissions and

deaths, and surveys that gather information on the

behaviour of individuals. The models include assumptions

about numbers of individuals who require no health

service intervention which are informed by a range of

studies including household infection surveys.

Coronavirus: Screening

Asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many postal

COVID-19 tests have been returned to laboratories for

each day since the scheme began; and (1) how many,

and (2) what percentage of, the tests administered by

post have been discounted because swabbed material

was not effectively collected. [HL5350]

Lord Bethell: As of 16 June, 3% of home test kits have

been returned void. We continue to work with our

partners to ensure home testing kits are of the highest

standard, user friendly and easy to return back for

processing.

Customs

Asked by Lord Birt

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to publish a response to the questions set out in the

reported letter from the Secretary of State for

International Trade to the Chancellor of the Exchequer

and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 8 July

about the new UK border regime to be introduced from

2021. [HL6759]

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: As the noble Lord will

be aware, HM Government does not comment on leaked

documents. However, as set out by my Rt. Hon. Friend

the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 13 July, we

have set out comprehensive guidance on the movement of

goods between Great Britain and the EU after the end of

the transition period.

This Border Operating Model provides clarity and

certainty to the border industry and businesses on the core

customs processes that all importers and exporters will

need to complete, and some additional processes that

apply to only certain products.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 2 July (HL5932),

what assessment they have made of the difference in the

rights of (1) Turkish, and (2) Greek, Cypriots in Cyprus

since the 1974 coup d'etat; and to list each meeting the

British High Commissioner to Cyprus has had with

representatives of (1) Turkish, and (2) Greek, Cypriot

communities since 2014. [HL6496]

Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 2 July (HL5932),

whether their agreement with the government of Cyprus

on the regulation of non-military development in the

Sovereign Base Areas in 2014 was (1) debated in

Parliament, and (2) informed by consultation with

representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community.

[HL6497]

Baroness Sugg: The 2014 arrangement on non-military

development of the Sovereign Base Areas is a non-legally

binding arrangement between the UK Government and

the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. It was not

debated in the UK Parliament. The arrangement was

discussed with representatives of the Turkish Cypriot

community prior to and following its signature.

The Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment

(SEIA) report prepared for the draft Policy Statement and

zoning maps of the SBAs, all published on 10th June

2020, are the result of extensive engagement and

collaboration from 2014 onwards. The public consultation

on the SEIA is open to Turkish Cypriots and related

documents have been made available in Turkish.

We recognise that the status quo in Cyprus causes

serious difficulties for both Turkish Cypriots and Greek

Cypriots, including as a result of dispossession of

property, enforced relocation of communities, and the

problem of missing persons. We believe that the best way

to secure the rights of all Cypriots is through a

comprehensive agreement in accordance with UN

resolutions.

The High Commissioner continues to engage with

representatives and members of the Turkish Cypriot

community to answer questions, as do the Sovereign Base

Areas Administration. The UK is committed to securing

and promoting the rights of all residents and property-

owners in the SBAs, regardless of whether they are Greek

or Turkish Cypriot, and will continue working with all

Cypriots to that end. A complete list of each of the

meetings held with the two communities since 2014 is not

held, given their frequency.

Diabetes: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking to reduce the number of diabetic patients whose

eyesight may be damaged due to delayed care during

the COVID-19 pandemic. [HL6256]

Lord Bethell: NHS England and NHS Improvement

have put extra measures in place during the COVID-19

pandemic so that people living with diabetes can continue

to receive care. Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) services

have not been paused during the COVID-19 pandemic,

however, the availability of screening facilities, and in

some cases the need to redeploy staff, has led to

rescheduling of DES appointments.

Page 16 20 July 2020 Written Answers

DES providers are now working to restore full

screening services, prioritising those most at risk of sight

loss, followed by those who attended their last screening

invitation and for whom there were no signs of eye

damage.

Disability: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the report by the Oxford University

Disability Law and Policy Project and the Bonavero

Institute of Human Rights An Affront to Dignity,

Inclusion and Equality, published on 2 July, in

particular its recommendations (1) that all legislation

passed during the COVID-19 pandemic should be

reviewed to ensure that the duties under the Equality

Act 2010 and the UN Convention on the Rights of

Persons with Disabilities are met, and (2) that a

COVID-19 disability inclusive response and recovery

group should be established to ensure that disabled

people are central in the decision making relating to

economic and social recovery following the pandemic.

[HL6704]

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Government notes the

recommendations in the report by Oxford University on

“An Affront to Dignity, Inclusion and Equality”.

The Cabinet Office Disability Unit continues to work

with disability stakeholders and across Government

Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people

are considered in the UK Government’s response to

COVID-19.

We are clear that consideration of equality impacts

must be integral in all key policy decisions. All equality

and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply

during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government remains committed to the United

Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with

Disabilities, and to the progressive realisation of the rights

for disabled people that it sets out.

The National Strategy for Disabled People is a key

manifesto commitment for this Government and its

delivery remains important for ministers, including No.

10. Its significance is even greater, as we re-build the

UK’s economy and society following the COVID-19

pandemic. We are now focusing on meaningful

engagement with stakeholders, strengthening our

evidence base and keeping momentum to deliver the high

ambition strategy that the Prime Minister has called for.

Drinks: Sugar

Asked by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the effectiveness of warning labels

on sugary drinks including on (1) carbonated soft

drinks, (2) fruit-flavoured drinks and, (3) energy drinks.

[HL6282]

Asked by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to limit (1) the size of servings of obesogenic

drinks such as carbonated soft drinks, fruit juice, fruit-

flavoured drinks and energy drinks, and (2) promotions

encouraging customers to "size-up" servings at low

cost. [HL6283]

Asked by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to require restaurants and takeaways to include on

their menus (1) calorific information about each dish or

item, and (2) information about the number of servings

of fruits and vegetables contained in each dish or item,

including when this figure is zero. [HL6284]

Lord Bethell: To ensure United Kingdom labelling

remains effective for consumers, we will consider a range

of measures to build on the success of our current ‘traffic

light’ nutritional labelling scheme.

All sectors of the drinks industry have been challenged

to reduce sugar levels in juice-based drinks by 5% by

2021. The reductions can be achieved through reducing

the number of calories and/or portion size of products and

shifting consumer purchasing towards lower or no added

sugar products.

Public Health England oversees the voluntary sugar

reduction and wider reformulation programme on behalf

of the Government, as set out in all chapters of the

childhood obesity plan and the 2019 Prevention Green

Paper. We have seen some important successes including

the average sugar content of drinks subject to the soft

drinks industry levy decreasing by 28% between 2015 and

2018.

We will be setting out our responses to the

consultations on restricting promotions of products high

in fat, sugar and salt by location and by price, and calorie

labelling in the out-of-home sector as soon as we can.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency:

Fringe Benefits and Pay

Asked by Earl Attlee

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the salary

range for Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency-

employed heavy vehicle testers who undertake tests at

authorised testing facilities; and what travel allowances

are available to them. [HL6430]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Vehicle Standards

Assessors (VSA) conduct heavy goods vehicle (HGV)

tests at Authorised Testing Facilities (ATF).

The basic annual salary for a VSA is £21,167 plus a

technical recruitment allowance of £2,590 per annum. In

addition, they receive one of two payments dependent on

their committed availability to be scheduled for testing as

follows:

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 17

Option A:

An annual payment of £2,400 for being scheduled

between 06:00 – 22:00 Monday to Friday and 06:00 –

18:00 Saturday

Option B:

An annual payment of £3,500 for being scheduled in

line with Option A above plus:

06:00 – 18:00 Sunday

06:00 – 18:00 Bank Holiday

22:00 – 06:00 Monday – Friday

18:00 – 06:00 Saturday – Sunday & Bank Holidays

This means the financial package available to VSAs is

between £26,157 and £27,257. This is subject to normal

Civil Service pay review which, following TU

negotiation, is effective from 1 October annually.

VSAs may have a lease car provided by the Driver and

Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and can claim work

relate mileage at the rate set by HMRC: currently this is

8p or 9p mile dependent on engine size. DVSA

employees who use their own car for work purposes can

claim either 25p or 35p per mile depending on the length

of employment.

Education: Travellers

Asked by Baroness Whitaker

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their

expected timetable for implementing the Council of

Europe Committee of Ministers’ recommendation of 1

July that the governments of Member States should

include Roma and Travellers’ history in school

curricula and teaching materials. [HL6546]

Baroness Berridge: The history curriculum gives

teachers and schools the freedom to use specific examples

from history to teach pupils about the history of Britain

and the wider world.

Gypsy, Roma and Travellers’ history can already be

taught as part of schools offering a broad and balanced

curriculum. Resources are available from experts in the

communities themselves and bodies such as the Historical

Association.

As part of Holocaust education, a wide array of

resources are available to help teachers explain the

persecution by the Nazis of different groups of people.

The Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from

Auschwitz programme and the knowledge and training

provided by the Centre for Holocaust Education include

information and resources to support an understanding of

the Holocaust and the Nazi’s persecution of other non-

Jewish groups including the genocide of the Roma.

Electric Vehicles: VAT

Asked by Baroness Randerson

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have, if any, to extend the reduction in VAT announced

on 8 July to the purchase of electric vehicles. [HL6688]

Lord Agnew of Oulton: VAT is a broad-based tax on

consumption and the standard rate of 20 per cent applies

to most goods and services. As was acknowledged at

Budget 2020, VAT makes a significant contribution

towards the public finances and helps fund the

Government's spending priorities including health,

schools, and defence.

Although the Government keeps all taxes under review,

there are no plans to change the VAT treatment of electric

vehicles at present.

Electricity Generation: Carbon Emissions

Asked by Lord Ravensdale

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the potential for investment in zero

emissions electricity systems to stimulate economic

recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, including (1)

additional renewables capacity, (2) additional nuclear

capacity, and (3) storage, transmission and distribution

systems. [HL6508]

Lord Callanan: In his speech of 30 June, my Rt. Hon.

Friend the Prime Minister made clear that in recovering

from COVID-19, we must build back better, build back

greener, build back faster, and to do that at the pace that

this moment requires. Our economy must be cleaner,

more sustainable, and more resilient.

Renewable and low carbon energy are important in the

delivery of our Net Zero target and will help drive new

jobs and growth across the UK.

The Government announced on 2 March 2020 that, in

addition to offshore wind, onshore wind and solar projects

can bid for contracts in the next Contracts for Difference

allocation round planned for 2021. At the budget, my Rt.

Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced

an ambitious support package for our low-carbon

economy including £800 million funding to deploy the

first carbon capture and storage cluster in the UK. These

announcements reflect our commitment to reach our net

zero target, through a sustainable, diverse, and resilient

energy system and capture economic opportunities in

doing so.

Nuclear power has the potential to play a key role in

achieving net zero and as the Prime Minister noted in his

30 June speech is an important UK innovation sector. We

consulted on a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) financing

model to enable new nuclear projects last year and are

considering the responses we received – we will publish

our response in due course. We also awarded an initial

£18m R&D grant, under the Industrial Strategy Challenge

Fund, to a Rolls-Royce led consortium developing an

SMR design last year, with a decision to be taken on

possibility of further grant of c.£200m later in 2020.

Economic recovery post Covid-19 is clearly a new

context in which future investment decisions will be

taken.

Electricity storage has a key role to play in

decarbonising our energy system. We are facilitating

Page 18 20 July 2020 Written Answers

investment in storage through delivering the actions set

out in the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan, including

creating a best-in-class regulatory framework and

reforming markets. Energy network regulation is a matter

for Ofgem, as the independent regulator, and Ofgem is

considering how the upcoming network price controls, for

example, can help stimulate the recovery while delivering

net zero at the lowest cost to consumers. Government will

continue to engage with Ofgem on these issues.

Environment Protection: Treaties

Asked by The Earl of Caithness

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money

they have spent in each financial year since 2015 to

support the development and implementation of (1)

the Convention on Biological Diversity, (2) the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, (3)

the United Nations Convention to Combat

Desertification, (4) the Ramsar Convention, (5) the

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species

of Wild Animals, (6) the African–Eurasian Waterbird

Agreement, (7) the Convention on International Trade

in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, (8) the

Berne Convention on the Conservation of European

Wildlife and Natural Habitats, and (9) the

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services; and for each such

agreement and body, how much of that money was (a) a

voluntary, and (b) a mandatory, contribution. [HL6439]

Asked by The Earl of Caithness

To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) strategies,

and (2) resources, they have (a) put, or (b) are putting,

in place to ensure that the UK continues (i) to benefit

from, and (ii) to engage with, biodiversity-related

multilateral environmental agreements following the

UK's departure from the EU. [HL6440]

Asked by The Earl of Caithness

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much staff

resource from the Department for Environment, Food,

and Rural Affairs in each financial year since 2015 has

been used to support the development and

implementation of (1) the Convention on Biological

Diversity, (2) the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change, (3) the United Nations

Convention to Combat Desertification, (4) the Ramsar

Convention, (5) the Convention on the Conservation of

Migratory Species of Wild Animals, (6) the African–

Eurasian Waterbird Agreement, (7) the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild

Fauna and Flora, (8) the Berne Convention on the

Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural

Habitats, and (9) the Intergovernmental Science-Policy

Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

[HL6441]

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The information

requested on money spent and staff resources to support

development and implementation of the listed agreements

and bodies is not held centrally. Compiling it would be a

complex exercise incurring disproportionate costs. We

have therefore provided the information that is readily

available below.

As a Party or Member of these Conventions,

Agreements and Bodies, the UK is required to make

financial contributions to support their development and

implementation. Details of the mandatory and voluntary

financial contributions made will be publicly available in

their financial records. The UK’s mandatory contributions

to the conventions and bodies listed amount to more than

£18 million since 2015[1].

The UK also implements these agreements through

financing a large number of cross-cutting programmes

and activities. One example is the world-renowned

Darwin Initiative which delivers on multiple international

commitments and on the UK’s wider ambitions for the

protection of global biodiversity. The Darwin Initiative

has committed £57 million since 2015.

Staff resources are in place to work directly on UK

input to the listed agreements and organisations and also

on programmes to implement them. Given the cyclical

timetable of the global meetings of the Conventions and

Agreements and the changing nature of the topics which

they cover, staff resources are adjusted over time to

ensure the UK is able to participate effectively in them.

For this reason, it is difficult to accurately quantify the

staff resources that have been involved since 2015.

The UK Government is fully committed to putting

nature at the heart of our plans for tackling the interlinked

global crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Our

departure from the EU presents an important opportunity

for the UK to play a stronger global role and in some

areas this will require additional resource. Efforts are

underway to make sure that resources are available in

order that we seize these opportunities, starting with

securing an ambitious set of post-2020 global biodiversity

targets at CBD COP15 and successful hosting of COP-26.

[1] Based on current exchange rates. Some

subscriptions are paid in non-sterling currencies.

EU Countries: British Nationals Abroad

Asked by Viscount Waverley

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6

July (HL6037), to list the countries in the EU which (1)

do, or (2) do not, adequately protect the interests of UK

citizens resident in those countries. [HL6540]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Withdrawal

Agreement protects the rights of EU citizens in the UK

and UK nationals in the EU who are lawfully resident by

the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. It

ensures they can continue to live, work, study and access

benefits and services, such as healthcare, broadly as they

do now. As is the case with other parts of EU law, the

Withdrawal Agreement has direct effect in the EU and is

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 19

binding on all Member States. These protections have

supremacy over any national legislation in Member States

that could be inconsistent with the Withdrawal Agreement

now or in the future. We do not assess, at this time, that

any Member States are not adequately protecting citizens'

rights but we are closely monitoring the situation across

the EU and we are providing the latest advice to UK

nationals resident there via our Living in Guides on

GOV.UK.

Furthermore, the Government wrote to the European

Commission on 14 May to set out our view on where

progress on implementation could improve. The European

Commission responded on 28 May, agreeing to work to

address them in advance of the Part Two provisions

coming into effect at the end of the transition period. The

Government is working closely with all Member States on

correct and timely implementation of the Withdrawal

Agreement, via our network of Embassies, High

Commissions and Consulates. The Specialised Committee

on Citizens' Rights has also started its work to oversee the

implementation and application of Part Two. Any

breaches that we become aware of, leading to a loss of

rights for UK nationals, during the transition period or in

the future, will be raised at this Committee and escalated

to the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee if

required.

Flood Control

Asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

To ask Her Majesty's Government what

assessment they have made of any improvements

required to protect communities from flash flooding and

more frequent flooding events. [HL6514]

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Climate

Projections 2018 (UKCP18) provide crucial information

about how we can expect our climate to change over

future decades. More intense rainfall, more extreme

weather and wetter winters are projected to increase the

threat of damage and disruption as a result of all types of

flooding.

The Government is investing £1.2 billion for a state-of-

the-art supercomputer to improve severe weather and

climate forecasting which will help to predict storms more

accurately and select the most appropriate locations for

flood defences. Forecasting improvements will also help

to predict better the likelihood of rain that might lead to

flooding from surface water.

We have committed to double the amount we invest in

the flood and coastal defence programme in England to

£5.2 billion over six years, better protecting 336,000

homes and non-residential properties. According to

Environment Agency modelling, this will reduce national

flood risk by up to 11% by 2027.

In April we announced changes to how the Government

funding is allocated to flood projects, including the

introduction of a new risk category which will enable

schemes that prevent surface water flooding to qualify for

more funding.

In July 2018 the Government published the Surface

Water Management Action Plan. This sets out the steps

we are taking, with the Environment Agency and others,

to manage the risk of surface water flooding. It includes

22 actions both to improve our understanding of the risks

and to strengthen delivery. These cover: improving risk

assessment and communication; making sure

infrastructure is resilient; clarifying responsibilities for

surface water management; joining up planning for

surface water management; and building local authority

capacity.

As a result of the Government's Strategic Policy

Statement to Ofwat, the 2019 Price Review includes more

than £1 billion to reduce the impact of flooding on

communities across England and Wales.

Last week the Government published its long-term plan

to tackle the risks of flooding and coastal erosion. The

plans include £200 million for innovative projects such as

sustainable drainage systems and nature-based solutions

like temporary or permanent water storage areas which

also boost wildlife. These will support 25 areas at risk of

flooding to test and demonstrate innovative actions to

adapt to a changing climate and improve their resilience.

In addition, up to £170 million will be spent to

accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes

that will begin construction in 2020 or 2021. 22 areas

across the country will benefit from this immediate boost

to jobs supporting the local economy as communities

recover from the impact of coronavirus.

Flood Control: Yorkshire and the Humber

Asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to hold the summit on flooding to put in place

defensive measures in Yorkshire, announced in

response to the November 2019 floods. [HL6513]

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government

recognises the impact that flooding has had on individuals

and local communities and sympathises with all those

affected. Following the November flooding, the

Government worked quickly to respond and activated the

Government Flood Recovery Framework and Property

Flood Resilience grants to aid people in getting back on

their feet as quickly as possible.

Last week the Government published its long-term plan

to tackle the risks of flooding and coastal erosion. The

plans include £200 million for innovative projects such as

sustainable drainage systems and nature-based solutions

like temporary or permanent water storage areas which

also boost wildlife. These will support 25 areas at risk of

flooding to test and demonstrate innovative actions to

adapt to a changing climate and improve their resilience.

In addition, up to £170 million will be spent to

accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes

that will begin construction in 2020 or 2021. 22 areas

Page 20 20 July 2020 Written Answers

across the country will benefit from this immediate boost

to jobs supporting the local economy as communities

recover from the impact of coronavirus. Up to

approximately £50 million of this funding will be

invested in Yorkshire to bring forward flood schemes in

Leeds, Sheffield and Hebden Bridge.

We are continuing to work on preparations for a

focused roundtable with Yorkshire MPs, and other

stakeholders, which Defra will host. Officials were

working to identify a date before the Covid-19 restrictions

came into effect. We are seeking to make alternative

arrangements.

Food: Safety

Asked by Lord Rooker

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of research conducted by the University

of Southampton into foodborne pathogens and the

effect of chlorine washing of salad products and meat,

in particular the study Viable but nonculturable Listeria

monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica Thompson

induced by chlorine stress remain infectious, published

on 18 April 2018. [HL6325]

Lord Bethell: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has

advised that it is aware of this research. The FSA’s view

is that whilst it is plausible that viable but nonculturable

cells could potentially cause foodborne disease, to date

there is no documented evidence that demonstrates this

occurs in the food chain. There remains a high level of

uncertainty over the likelihood of occurrence and

conditions that would be needed for this to happen but the

FSA will continue to review the literature and monitor the

latest developments on the topic.

Garages and Petrol Stations: Alternative

Fuels

Asked by Lord Oates

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration

they have given to introducing a requirement on petrol

forecourts to provide (1) electric recharging, and (2)

hydrogen refuelling, facilities; and what assessment

they have made of the feasibility of such a policy.

[HL6503]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government’s view

is that the market is often better placed to identify the

right locations for chargepoints and we encourage the

private sector to invest in and operate a self-sustaining

public network supported by the right policy framework.

On 1 April 2020, there were 17,947 public electric vehicle

charging devices available in the UK, 3,107 of which

were rapid devices. In the first three months of 2020,

1,436 more devices were available in total, an increase of

9%. Rapid devices also increased by 283, up 10% on the

previous quarter.

The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act (AEVA)

provides the Government with a range of powers to

improve the charging experience for current and future

users, including compelling fuel retailers to install

chargepoints. The Government has had a number of

discussions with representatives of fuel retailers about the

provision of electric vehicle chargepoints at service

stations and petrol forecourts, and we shall continue to

explore options with them.

In May, the Government published an ambitious vision

for rapid charging infrastructure along strategic roads in

England over the next decade, setting out the number of

rapid chargepoints that will be located across motorways

and major A roads to meet the future demand for electric

vehicle charging. Currently, a driver is never more than

25 miles away from a rapid (50 kilowatt) chargepoint

anywhere along England’s motorways and major A roads,

with a total of 809 open-access rapid chargepoints, as of 1

January 2020. This includes an average of 2 rapid

chargepoints at motorway service areas with more being

rolled out over the next year.

The UK is well placed to be a leader in hydrogen fuel

cell powered transportation and we are supporting

hydrogen where the market favours its use. The UK has

one of the largest hydrogen refuelling station networks in

Europe. The Government’s £23m Hydrogen for Transport

Programme is increasing the uptake of fuel cell electric

vehicles and delivering new refuelling stations and

upgrading some existing stations, as well as deploying

hundreds of new hydrogen vehicles.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Equality

Asked by Lord Black of Brentwood

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking to ensure that the upcoming National Sexual and

Reproductive Health Strategy will tackle sexual health

inequalities experienced by (1) BAME communities,

(2) trans and non-binary, including gender diverse,

people, (3) gay and bisexual men and women, and (4)

people living in poverty. [HL6434]

Lord Bethell: The development of the national sexual

health and reproductive health strategy was paused during

the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that we are moving

forward with the Government’s COVID-19 recovery

strategy, work on the strategy will be restarting shortly.

We will consider issues around inequalities, tackling

stigma and discrimination and other relevant issues as part

of the strategy development.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Asked by The Lord Bishop of Salisbury

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of

the green homes grant on 8 July (HC Deb, col 976),

whether (1) clergy housing, and (2) buildings open to

the public and run by charities, such as churches, are

eligible for that grant. [T] [HL6798]

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 21

Lord Callanan: In his Summer Economic Update, my

Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

announced a £2bn Green Home Grant scheme that will

support homeowners and landlords in England to improve

the energy efficiency of their properties, reducing energy

bills and carbon emissions, and supporting a green

economic recovery.

The funding will be spent on paying for accredited

tradespeople to install a range of measures, for example

insulation, to improve the energy performance of their

homes.

Further detail on eligibility will be announced before

the full launch of the scheme.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Annual Reports

Asked by Lord Berkeley

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will

place in the Library of the House copies of all reports

required to be produced under section 2 of the High

Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013; and, if so, to include

the dates on which those reports were presented to

Parliament. [HL6432]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There have been four

reports published under the High-Speed (Preparation) Act

2013, covering the periods from:

21 November 2013 - 31 March 2015, published in

November 2015

1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016, published in October

2016

1 April 2016 - 31 March 2017, published in October

2017

1 April 2017 - 31 March 2018, published in March

2019

The expenditure report of 1 April 2015 – 31 March

2016, was placed in the libraries of both Houses in

October 2016.

We will place the other copies of the published reports

in the libraries of both Houses, as well as the upcoming

report covering the period 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2019,

once published.

The answer includes the following attached material:

HS2 Prep Act 2013-15 (HS2 Preparation Act 2013 Expenditure

Report - Nov 2013 - Mar 2015.pdf)

HS2 Prep Act 2016-17 (hsr-preparation-act-annual-expenditure-

report-2016-2017-web-edition.pdf)

HS2 Prep Act 2017-18 (hs2-annual-expenditure-report-2017-18-

web-document.pdf)

Huawei: Security

Asked by Viscount Waverley

To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance, if

any, they provide to members of the public about the

security of Huawei products. [HL6594]

Baroness Barran: The National Cyber Security Centre

(NCSC) provides a range of guidance to the public on

how to secure their devices and accounts when using

online services:

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/information-

for/individuals-families.

They generally do not produce guidance for members

of the public on how to secure specific devices, but

encourage that they read the information provided by the

manufacturer.

In May 2019, in light of US sanctions against Huawei,

the NCSC published advice for Huawei customers

detailing the potential impact on customers in the UK.

The NCSC updates its advice when necessary.

Hydrogen

Asked by Lord Oates

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the steps taken by the EU to

establish the Clean Hydrogen Alliance; and what steps

they are taking to establish a formal working group for

regular engagement with industry in the UK about the

use of hydrogen as an energy source. [HL6504]

Lord Callanan: We recognise that the scale up and

demonstration of hydrogen’s potential in meeting Paris

commitments is a global challenge. We are an active

member of Mission Innovation and the International

Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy.

Since the UK has left the European Union, we are seeking

to engage and cooperate with the EU on hydrogen

through normal diplomatic channels. Therefore, the UK

will not attend EU meetings or working groups on this

topic other than in exceptional circumstances. Whilst the

UK is leaving the EU single market, it remains an

important part of the gas supply system for North West

Europe. The UK, including industry, can expect to work

cooperatively with its neighbours to sustain this mutually

beneficial relationship into the future as the methane gas

market is decarbonised, potentially leading to a European

hydrogen market.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any new

UK–EU arrangements relating to the welfare of

immigrants have been put in place since the UK’s

withdrawal from the EU. [HL6519]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: EEA citizens, and

their family members, resident in the UK by 31 December

2020 have until 30 June 2021 to apply for status under the

EU Settlement Scheme. Those who obtain this status have

secured their rights in UK law and so are able to access

benefits and services in the UK on at least the same basis

as they were before being granted that status. No-one’s

Page 22 20 July 2020 Written Answers

access to benefits is restricted or reduced by virtue of an

application to the EU Settlement Scheme.

In the future points-based immigration system, EEA

citizens coming to the UK will be subject to the same

rules as non-EEA citizens, including in relation to access

to benefits and services. This includes the same

safeguards and exceptions for those in genuine need.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Asked by Baroness Deech

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

report by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology

Authority Fertility treatment 2018: trends and figures,

published on 30 June, which reported that "since 2013,

the number of egg and embryo storage cycles increased

fivefold to just under 9,000 cycles in 2018", what plans

they have to expedite legislation to remove the 10-year

time limit for which frozen eggs and embryos can be

stored. [HL6352]

Lord Bethell: The Government ran a public

consultation between 11 February and 5 May 2020,

seeking views about changing the statutory storage limits

for embryos and gametes. The Department is currently

analysing responses. We intend to publish a Government

response to the consultation later this year, which will our

outline our plans.

In the meantime, the Government has given a two-year

extension to all those with embryos and gametes in

storage, who have been affected by delays to treatment

caused by the response to COVID-19. The Human

Fertilisation and Embryology (Statutory Storage Period

for Embryos and Gametes) (Coronavirus) Regulations

2020 were laid on 3 June 2020 and cover anyone who has

not been able to access treatment as a result of the Human

Fertilisation and Embryology Authority temporarily

suspending fertility treatment services on 23 March 2020.

Influenza: Disease Control

Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are

monitoring (1) the prevalence, and (2) the pandemic

potential, of the G4 influenza virus. [HL6350]

Lord Bethell: We continually assess the most

significant threats that the United Kingdom and its

citizens could face, including natural hazard risks such as

a pandemic influenza.

The Government continues to review and improve

surveillance for potentially zoonotic and new and

emerging infections, with early detection through horizon

scanning and epidemic intelligence activities, research,

and continually improving diagnostic techniques for the

identification of zoonotic pathogens.

In line with our standard practice, Public Health

England is undertaking a risk assessment of the G4

influenza virus and we will take any appropriate action

based on robust scientific and clinical advice.

Influenza: Research

Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the studies published by the

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the

University of Sydney and China Agricultural University

on the G4 influenza virus. [HL6349]

Lord Bethell: The article Prevalent Eurasian avian-like

H1N1 swine influenza virus with 2009 pandemic viral

genes facilitating human infection published in

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 29

June 2020 describes a surveillance study of pigs in

slaughterhouses and a veterinary hospital in China carried

out between 2011 and 2018.

Of the 30,934 samples from 10 different provinces, 165

tested positive for the Eurasian-avian (EA) like H1N1

swine influenza. Of those testing positive, 77 were

selected for genetic sequencing, and 29 were identified as

having the Genotype 4, described by the authors. The use

of a ferret model indicated that the Genotype 4 virus can

infect and transmit.

A serological study (analysis of antibodies in the blood)

of farm workers on 15 farms over the period of the study,

suggests that approximately 10-12% of farm workers had

detectable, specific antibody to G4 H1N1 viruses,

indicative of previous infection. The publication is not

clear if these were farms that were directly related to the

surveillance programme. It would also not be possible to

determine when these infections occurred.

The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats

Advisory Group is reviewing the risk associated with the

genotype 4 (G4) reassortant Eurasian avian-like (EA)

H1N1 virus, described in this publication.

Infrastructure: Skilled Workers

Asked by Lord Storey

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the skills shortage in the UK for the

infrastructure projects announced by the Prime Minister

on 30 June. [HL6528]

Baroness Berridge: The Employer Skills Survey 2019

gathered labour market intelligence on employer skills

needs and training activity among employers across all

sectors in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. It is the

fifth in the biennial series of Employer Skills Surveys

dating back to 2011. Previous findings are published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-

skills-survey-2017-uk-report.

Findings from the 2019 survey will be published

alongside these on GOV.UK in due course.

The survey collects information from employers

relating to difficulties they have had filling vacancies as a

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 23

result of skills shortages in applicants, along with

information on relevant skills lacking in existing staff.

This allows a targeted examination of more detailed skills

requirements for specific sectors.

In addition, to assess skills gaps in the future we are

setting up The Skills and Productivity Board, which will

bring together leading experts to offer independent

analysis and identify new and emerging skills needs.

The Construction Industry Training Board are

delivering a skills stability plan to ensure that the

construction sector continues to focus on training and

skills following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Integrated Review of Security, Defence,

Development and Foreign Policy

Asked by Lord Touhig

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil

servants in (1) the Cabinet Office, (2) Number 10, (3)

the Ministry of Defence, (4) the Foreign and

Commonwealth Office, and (5) the Department for

International Development, are working on the

Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development

and Foreign Policy. [HL6538]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Prime Minister will

lead the Integrated Review, which will report into the

National Security Council, with support from a cross-

Whitehall team in Cabinet Office and a small team in

Downing Street. This is a whole-of-government effort

with colleagues from all Government departments

contributing.

Intelligence and Security Committee

Asked by Lord Strasburger

To ask Her Majesty's Government when the members

of the Intelligence and Security Committee will be

nominated. [HL6087]

Asked by Lord Butler of Brockwell

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

Written Answer by Lord True on 29 June

(HL5988), what are the current circumstances delaying

the reappointment of the Intelligence and Security

Committee of Parliament. [HL6301]

Asked by Lord Lucas

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking to facilitate the appointment of the Intelligence

and Security Committee of Parliament; and what

estimate they have made, if any, of when that

Committee will be appointed. [HL6492]

Lord True: The Intelligence and Security Committee

was reconstituted on 14 July 2020.

Intelligence and Security Committee: Russia

Asked by The Lord Bishop of Salisbury

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

Written Answer by Lord True on 29 June (HL6029) and

the remarks by the Home Secretary on 22 June that

“appointments to the [Intelligence and Security]

Committee are taking place and an announcement will

be made in due course on when that will be coming

forward” (HC Deb, col 1085), when they estimate they

will be able to make the announcement about the

appointment of the Intelligence and Security

Committee; and what steps they are taking to ensure

that the Committee is (1) appointed before Parliament

adjourns for the summer recess, and (2) able to publish

the report Russia, sent to the Prime Minister on 17

October 2019. [T] [HL6521]

Lord True: The Intelligence and Security Committee

was reconstituted on 14 July 2020.

The report is the property of the Committee, not the

Government, and it will be up to them to choose when

they wish to publish it. I am sure the Committee will take

note of the Rt. Reverend Prelate’s interest in the

publication of the Report.

Iran: Arms Trade

Asked by Lord Turnberg

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to encourage the United Nations to renew the

sanctions on Iran when they are due for review in

October. [HL6652]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains

committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

(JCPoA), a reciprocal deal that lifts sanctions in exchange

for tough nuclear limits. Iran has broken the nuclear limits

in the JCPoA and we are working to bring Iran back into

compliance through the deal's Dispute Resolution

Mechanism.

UNSCR 2231, which underpins the JCPoA, includes a

number of clauses designed to allow sanctions to expire

on fixed dates: the UN travel ban and the UN

conventional arms embargo are due to expire in October

2020. E3 Foreign Ministers made clear on 19 June that

the planned expiry of the UN conventional arms embargo

would have major implications for regional security and

stability. We share concerns about Iranian proliferation,

and have repeatedly set out concerns about Iranian

destabilising behaviour. We are working closely with

remaining JCPoA parties to address these issues, as well

as with other members of the UN Security Council.

There are also other sanctions regimes which restrict

Iranian ability to proliferate weapons in the region that

will remain in place after the arms embargo expire. These

include UNSCRs 1540, 1701 and 2216, which prohibit

the proliferation of weapons to Lebanese Hizballah and

Page 24 20 July 2020 Written Answers

the Houthis. The EU arms embargo and UN ballistic

missile restrictions on Iran will also remain in place until

2023. There is an independent EU Iran human rights

sanctions regime, which places trade restrictions on

specified goods and technology which may be used to

repress the civilian population of Iran and on specified

goods and technology which may be used for interception

and monitoring services in Iran. These EU trade

restrictions do not have an expiry date.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Asked by The Marquess of Lothian

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the causes of the incident at the

Natanz nuclear facility in Iran on 2 July. [HL6675]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Following an explosion

on 2 July in a building at the Natanz facility, Iran's

Supreme National Security Council said they knew the

cause but due to "security concerns" further details would

be released at an "appropriate time". We will continue to

monitor Iran's response to this explosion. The IAEA have

confirmed that the location where the incident occurred

did not contain nuclear materials.

Iran: Prisoners

Asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent

discussions they have had with the government of Iran

about the release of (1) Nazanin Zaghari-Radcliffe, (2)

Anoosheh Ashoori, and (3) British-Iranian nationals

held in that country. [HL6572]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government

remains concerned about the welfare of British-Iranian

dual nationals detained in Iran, including Nazanin

Zaghari-Radcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori. Iran does not

recognise dual nationality and therefore does not permit

access to British-Iranian detainees.

We continue to urge the Iranian Government to

immediately release all UK dual nationals arbitrarily

detained in Iran - to enable them to return to their families

in the UK.

We continue to raise their cases at the most senior

levels, and discuss them at every opportunity with our

Iranian counterparts. Our Ambassador in Tehran

consistently raises all of our dual national detainees with

the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our Embassy in

Tehran continues to request consular access to our

detained dual nationals, and we have been supporting

their families since being made aware of their detentions.

Iraq: Internally Displaced People

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in

the report Visit to Iraq: Report of the Special

Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced

persons, published on 13 May, what discussions they

intend to have with the government of Iraq about (1)

adopting "a comprehensive legal and policy framework

to address the situation of survivors of conflict-related

sexual violence, many of whom remain in

displacement, including by providing reparation

through a comprehensive, inclusive and survivor

centred reparation programme and expanding the

proposed Yazidi reparations law and survivors’ grants"

and (2) undertaking "comprehensive dialogue with

communities affected by ISIL atrocities, in particular

ethnic and religious minorities, to establish transitional

justice mechanisms, to seek the truth about violations

and to provide reparation, rebuilding trust between the

population and the State and providing institutional

guarantees of non-repetition". [HL6552]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to

championing wider restorative justice efforts for survivors

of conflict-related sexual violence and holding

perpetrators to account. The UK has provided significant

support to survivors of sexual violence in Iraq. Our

Embassy in Baghdad has regular discussions with the

Government of Iraq and the UN Investigative Team for

the Accountability of Daesh (UNITAD), encouraging

close co-operation between them to achieve justice for the

victims of Daesh's crimes in Iraq. We welcome the fact

that UNITAD is expanding its engagement with

witnesses, survivors and impacted communities.

We are supporting the development of inclusive and

representative reconciliation processes, involving Yazidis

and other minorities who faced appalling suffering under

Daesh, at both national and community levels in Iraq. We

also remain committed to supporting Iraq to prevent

Daesh resurgence, as the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed to

new Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein on 25 June.

Israel: Visas

Asked by Baroness Tonge

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a

distinction is made between Israelis who live in Israel

and those who live in the Occupied Palestinian

Territories when deciding whether Israelis are eligible

for the six-month visa waiver to the UK. [HL6532]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Nationals or citizens

of Israel who hold a full Israeli passport do not require a

visa to come to the UK as a visitor or for any other

purpose, for less than six months. Each applicant is

assessed against a set of suitability and eligibility criteria

under the Immigration Rules. Applicants are considered

on their merits, regardless of where they live.

Large Goods Vehicles: Coronavirus

Asked by Earl Attlee

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether heavy

goods vehicle (HGV) operators are expected to carry

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 25

out six-weekly safety inspections during the COVID-19

pandemic; whether they are conducting such

inspections; and if so, why it is not possible to carry out

statutory MOT tests on HGVs. [HL6429]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Heavy goods vehicle

(HGV) operators are expected to maintain their vehicles

in order to ensure their safety at all times. During the

COVID-19 pandemic, specific guidance relating to

periodic maintenance inspections was published by the

Traffic Commissioners, setting out circumstances in

which inspection periods may be extended.

Primary legislation identifies annual testing for heavy

goods vehicles as distinct from the MOT scheme. For

most heavy vehicles the statutory annual tests are an

independent check which supplements the periodic

maintenance inspections. Permitting a wider range of

testers for the statutory annual HGV test would require

significant work to establish a regime which assures the

quality and independence of testing and manages road

safety risk and financial incentives.

Large Goods Vehicles: Testing

Asked by Earl Attlee

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many heavy

goods vehicles have been issued with a certificate of

temporary exemption from plating or testing under

section 53(5) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, during each

of the last five calendar years before 31 December

2019. [HL6428]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There were no heavy

goods vehicles issued with a certificate of temporary

exemption from plating or testing under section 53(5) of

the Road Traffic Act 1988 during each of the last five

calendar years before 31 December 2019.

LGBTQ People: Hate Crime

Asked by Lord Cashman

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking to support LGBTQ+ young people who have

been victims of (1) transphobic, and (2) racist, abuse.

[HL6404]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government has

made it clear that all forms of abuse and hatred are

unacceptable.

The UK has a robust legislative framework to respond

to hate crimes, which target race, religion, sexual

orientation, disability and transgender identity. The

Government published the hate crime action plan (Action

Against Hate: The UK Government’s plan for tackling

hate crime) in 2016 and refreshed this Plan in October

2018.

As part of the 2018 refresh and LGBT Action Plan the

same year, the Government committed to a public

awareness campaign to address the unacceptability of all

hate crimes, and to a Law Commission review of the

adequacy of current hate crime legislation. Also, the

Home Office has funded multiple projects aimed at

tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate

crime including:

• Kick It Out, who produced resources to raise

awareness of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic

abuse in football stadia;

• Barnardo’s, who worked with schools in East Ridings

of Yorkshire to promote understanding of LGBT lives

and prevent homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate

crime;

• Galop, who produced and distributed a series of

factsheets and research to understand tackle online

homophobic, biphobic and transphobic abuse; and

• The Proud Trust who worked with the British

Transport Police and rail companies to make public

transport safer for LGBT people and encourage the

reporting of hate crime.

The Government will continue to work with the police,

stakeholders including Galop and Stonewall and others to

understand the concerns of LGBTQ+ communities and

what should be done to address those concerns.

Local Government: Coronavirus

Asked by Baroness Eaton

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the role of local government in

supporting the Government's jobs and skills recovery

plan following the COVID-19 pandemic. [HL6660]

Lord Greenhalgh: On 8th July the Chancellor

announced measures across a range of targeted work-

based training offers to support people to build the skills

they need to get into work. This amounts to investment of

£1.6 billion in employment support schemes, which will

substantially expand existing provision. This includes

£111 million to triple traineeships for 16-24 year olds will

help more young people gain the skills to progress to

apprenticeships, further education and other employment.

We are providing employers with £2,000 for each young

person they hire as an apprentice and offering £1,500 for

each new apprentice hired aged over 25. We are also

providing £101 million for school and college leavers to

study high value Level 2 and 3 courses when there are not

employment opportunities available to them, providing

funding of £17 million to almost triple the number of

Sector-Based Work Academy placements, and giving the

National Careers Service an extra £32 million funding so

it can provide careers advice to 269,000 more customers.

Through our Plan for Jobs we have set out how we will

support people to stay in and access good jobs as we drive

forward our recovery. This includes investing £2 billion

to directly support hundreds of thousands of young people

through the Kickstart Scheme which will provide fully

subsidised jobs for young people across the country.

As part of raising the participation age legislation local

authorities have duties to track all academic age 16 and 17

year olds, identify those not in education, employment or

Page 26 20 July 2020 Written Answers

training or at risk of becoming so and supporting them to

re-engage in education or training. This includes a

September guarantee where local authorities need to

ensure that all year 11 students and year 12 students on a

one year course have a suitable offer of education or

training for the following September. We are working

closely with local authorities to support these duties and

monitor September guarantee offers.

Across these areas the government recognises the need

to work closely with local government to support these

various interventions and is proactively taking forward

conversations with local government on delivery of these

programmes.

Medicines and Medical Devices Safety

Independent Review

Asked by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the

findings of the report by the Independent Medicines and

Medical Devices Safety Review First Do No Harm,

published on 8 July, what plans they have to appoint an

independent patient safety commissioner to monitor the

relevant financial interests of medical professionals

offering advice or oversight of medicines and medical

devices. [HL6608]

Lord Bethell: We have just received the report by the

Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety

Review, led by Baroness Cumberlege.

As we have advised this week, it is now time for us to

consider this report and its recommendations carefully.

We will consider how this recommendation fits with the

structures we already have in place.

National Security Adviser

Asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

To ask Her Majesty's Government what

assessment they have made of the impact of the new

National Security Adviser being a political appointee on

his ability to carry out the full functions of that role.

[HL6865]

Lord True: As with previous National Security

Advisers, David Frost will be the principal adviser to the

Prime Minister and Cabinet on national security strategy,

policy, capability and civil contingencies. I refer the noble

Lady to the statement I made on 30 June 2020.

Oneweb

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

To ask Her Majesty's Government what

consultations, if any, they have undertaken with (1) the

European Southern Observatory, (2) the Square

Kilometre Array, (3) the Vera Rubin Observatory, and

(4) other relevant research consortia, on the UK-led

consortium’s acquisition of OneWeb. [HL6489]

Lord Callanan: As part of developing our bid and

making the acquisition of OneWeb, the UK Government

undertook appropriate due diligence.

OneWeb has met with the Royal Astronomical Society

as well as representatives from the UK Space Agency and

European Space Agency to discuss the potential impact of

its operations on astronomy. We will continue to support

this dialogue on an ongoing basis

BEIS and the UK Space Agency will continue to

support the UK science and astronomy community in

addressing this issue. The community is working with

colleagues from the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS),

the European Astronomical Society and the International

Astronomical Union to clarify what actions could be

taken to mitigate interference for the UK community and

our international partners.

OneWeb has been engaging with the community and

met with the RAS and representatives from the UK Space

Agency in January. The RAS is now seeking further

discussions with both Government and OneWeb to

consider potential impacts on science and risk mitigations.

Police: Israel

Asked by Baroness Tonge

To ask Her Majesty's Government what training

British police officers have received from the Israeli

police force in (1) the UK, and (2) Israel, in the last five

years. [HL6534]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We are not aware of

any British police officers having received training from

the Israeli police force, nor the Israeli Defence Force, in

the UK or Israel in the last 5 years.

Prisoners' Release: Older People

Asked by Lord Hylton

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to extend the End of Custody Temporary Release

scheme in prisons in England and Wales, in particular

to allow for the release of elderly prisoners. [HL6559]

Lord Keen of Elie: On 4 April, the government

announced the End of Custody Temporary Release

scheme (ECTR). This scheme enables risk-assessed

prisoners, who are within two months of their release

date, to be temporarily released from custody, as part of

the national approach to managing public services during

the pandemic. The government does not plan to extend

the scheme.

Prisons: Staff

Asked by Lord Ramsbotham

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have, if any, to launch (1) a whistleblowing hotline for

prison staff, and (2) a campaign for such staff to raise

awareness of their rights. [HL6791]

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 27

Lord Keen of Elie: We recognise the importance of the

physical, emotional and social wellbeing of employees is

paramount; particularly during these difficult times.

Whistleblowing procedures are already in place for staff

who wish to raise any concerns, including a Reporting

Wrongdoing Integrity Hotline. This allows HM Prison

and Probation staff to raise any concerns they may have.

Relevant guidance for employees and managers is

available through the intranet and the ‘My Hub’ service.

HMPPS is currently reviewing and updating its

whistleblowing policy, which we aim to publish later this

year, following consultation with the trade unions.

We are also taking action to address unacceptable

behaviours within HMPPS. In the coming months and

will be putting in place a dedicated Unit to support our

objective of reducing discrimination, bullying and

harassment. This will include a phone line to provide

advice and guidance.

Staff have access to a range of easily accessible services

should they have concerns about the workplace or their

own well-being. We constantly monitor these services to

ensure they meet the needs of staff with such concerns.

Protective Clothing: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Mawson

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking to resolve the reported disruption to deliveries of

personal protective equipment to the UK; and by what

date they expect such disruptions to have been resolved.

[HL3418]

Lord Bethell: The Government has brought together

the National Health Service, industry and the armed

forces to create a personal protective equipment (PPE)

distribution network, delivering critical PPE supplies to

those who need it.

We are doing everything we can on every front on the

international procurement of medical supplies. There is a

joint unit within the Department for International Trade

and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that uses our

extensive overseas networks and United Kingdom-based

expertise to coordinate international procurement of

medical and other critical supplies.

There is a 24-hour helpline that allows National Health

Service and social care providers to request emergency

drops of PPE to meet immediate need.

Refuges: Coronavirus

Asked by Baroness Helic

To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific steps

they took to provide additional support for domestic

violence shelters during the period when restrictions

were in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

[HL6476]

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government has made £10

million available specifically for domestic abuse

charitable safe accommodation providers, including

refuges, in support of this critical provision during the

COVID-19 outbreak.

To date, £8.76 million of this funding has already been

allocated to 122 successful charity bids across the

country, providing almost 1,600 bedspaces.

Additionally, Government issued guidance to domestic

abuse safe accommodation providers in support of their

service delivery during these unprecedented times. It

ensured front-line domestic abuse support workers were

included in the key workers list, and that domestic abuse

refuges are included in the Local Resilience Forums list to

enable them to request urgent PPE supplies.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation:

Hydrogen

Asked by Lord Oates

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking to incentivise the production of hydrogen

through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

[HL6505]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Under the Renewable

Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) certificate trading

scheme, renewable hydrogen supplied in the UK for use

in road vehicles and certain non-road mobile machinery is

eligible for support. It is categorised as a development

fuel, which potentially benefits from a higher tradeable

certificate value.

Satellites

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the compatibility of the planned

OneWeb satellite constellation with the UK’s

obligations to (1) the European Southern Observatory,

and (2) other intergovernmental research organisations.

[HL6488]

Lord Callanan: The UK Space Agency is working

with UK Research and Innovation and the science

community - including through our membership of

international bodies - to ensure mitigation options are

properly considered that may be necessary for the UK to

continue to meet its obligations to the European Southern

Observatory and other intergovernmental research

organisations. Government will be encouraging a

responsible and engaged approach from One Web.

Shipping: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Patten

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they

have made of the number of (1) vessels, and (2) crew

members, registered abroad, currently stranded in UK

ports. [HL6506]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There are currently 4,028

Foreign National crew on board 25 cruise vessels that are

Page 28 20 July 2020 Written Answers

not registered in the UK or within the wider Red Ensign

Group. 1,250 of these crew require repatriation.

We have so far repatriated 7,752 Foreign National crew

from cruise ships not registered with the UK or the wider

Red Ensign Group.

We continue to work with the industry, unions and

maritime charities to provide support and assistance to all

seafarers in the UK.

Social Media: Epilepsy

Asked by Lord Stevenson of Balmacara

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of (1) the prevalence of the deliberate

sharing of material capable of causing an epileptic

seizure on social media platforms, and (2) the case for

including measures against such behaviour in their

forthcoming online harms legislation. [HL6584]

Baroness Barran: The Online Harms White Paper sets

out the government’s plans for world leading legislation

to make the UK the safest place to be online. We intend to

establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards

their users which will be overseen by an independent

regulator. The ‘duty of care’ will ensure companies take

risk-based and proportionate steps to keep their users safe.

The regulator will also have the power to require

companies to publish transparency reports, which will

improve users’ understanding about the prevalence of

harmful content and the countermeasures companies are

taking. We will publish a full response to the white paper

consultation later this year, which will set out final details

regarding the scope of the duty of care and the obligations

on companies. We will follow this with legislation.

In addition to this new legislation, it is important to

make sure that the criminal law is fit for purpose to deal

with online harms. DCMS and the Ministry of Justice

have engaged the Law Commission on a second phase of

their review of abusive and offensive online

communications. This will include considering whether

co-ordinated harassment by groups of people online could

be more effectively dealt with by the criminal law,

whether it is targeted at individuals with epilepsy or

others. The Law Commission will review existing

communications offences and make specific

recommendations about options for reform, to ensure that

criminal law provides consistent and effective protection

against such behaviour.

Solicitors: Disciplinary Proceedings

Asked by Lord Mann

To ask Her Majesty's Government which solicitors

were (1) fined, (2) struck off, and (3) received other

disciplinary action from the Solicitors Disciplinary

Tribunal, for charging coalminers out of the

compensation scheme for (a) vibration white finger, and

(b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [T]

[HL6785]

Lord Keen of Elie: The Government does not hold the

information requested. The Solicitors Disciplinary

Tribunal is an independent Tribunal established under the

Solicitors Act 1974.

Space Technology: Research

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the implications of the OneWeb

satellite constellation for astronomy and other space

science research; and what steps they will take to

mitigate interference. [HL6487]

Lord Callanan: OneWeb has met with the Royal

Astronomical Society as well as representatives from the

UK Space Agency and European Space Agency to discuss

the potential impact of its operations on astronomy. We

will continue to support this dialogue on an ongoing

basis.

Su Zhimin

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of reports of the death of Bishop James

Su Zhimin of Baoding following his arrest and

disappearance in China in 2003. [HL6654]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the

reports of the death of Bishop James Su Zhimin. We

remain concerned by restrictions placed on Christians and

other religious groups in China, including reports of

individuals being detained for their beliefs. The freedom

to practice, change or share ones faith or belief without

discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that

all people should enjoy.

Technology: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Freyberg

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to competitively tender for future technology

products and services that were commissioned during

the first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. [HL6152]

Lord Bethell: The Department and its agencies have

always secured digital and technology products and

services in accordance with the requirements of United

Kingdom procurement laws and will continue to do so; in

responding quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has

made direct awards where permitted under regulation 32

of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Trade Agreements: Israel

Asked by The Marquess of Lothian

To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the

implications of the government of Israel’s planned

annexation of parts of the West Bank on the UK–Israel

Written Answers 20 July 2020 Page 29

trade and partnership agreement, in particular UK

preferential imports from Israel; and whether any such

implications have been discussed with the government

of Israel. [HL6677]

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The United Kingdom

does not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territories,

including settlements, as part of Israel.

For this reason, goods imported from the settlements

are not entitled to benefit from trade preferences under the

United Kingdom-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement.

We will maintain this approach. HM Government has

maintained a dialogue with Israel and we will continue to

work towards a negotiated two-state solution, using the

diplomatic means we have at our disposal.

Training: Coronavirus

Asked by The Earl of Shrewsbury

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have to provide financial support to training and skills

providers to ensure the provision of suitable resources

to train, re-train and upskill those whose employment

has been affected by COVID-19. [HL6526]

Baroness Berridge: We will continue to pay grant

funded providers their scheduled monthly profiled

payments for the remainder of the 2019/20 funding year

and funding allocations for 2020/21 have been confirmed.

Payments will be made in line with the national profile.

We have also invested £100 million to develop a

National Retraining Scheme to support working adults

prepare for future changes to the economy and to help

them retrain into better jobs, and have committed £2.5

billion for a National Skills Fund over the course of this

Parliament, which will support people to learn new skills

and prepare for the economy of the future.

We are introducing new T levels from this September –

high quality, practical courses designed by employers that

will provide a credible alternative to A levels and prepare

students for skilled work or further study.

We are currently reforming and simplifying the

qualifications system so that learners can easily find high-

quality qualifications that give them the skills they need.

With our proposals, any qualification, including existing

ones, can be approved if they provide learners with the

knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need.

We have also been working across government to build

a package of support measures to boost skills among

those who will be hardest hit by the labour market

impacts of COVID-19. On 8 July my right hon. Friend,

the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced measures

across a range of targeted work-based training offers to

support people to build the skills they need to get into

work. This amounts to investment of £1.6 billion in

employment support schemes which will substantially

expand existing provision. This includes:

• £111 million to triple the number of traineeships.

• £17 million to triple the number of sector-based work

academy placements.

• Paying businesses to take on new apprentices – an

extra £2,000 for each apprentice under 25 and £1,500

for apprentices over 25.

• £32 million to help 269,000 more people receive

advice from the National Careers Service.

• £101 million for school/college leavers to study high

value courses when there are not employment

opportunities available to them.

Travel: Coronavirus

Asked by Lord Myners

To ask Her Majesty's Government how frequently

they intend to update the list of countries exempt from

the UK COVID-19 travel quarantine rules; what (1)

criteria, and (2) data, will be used to inform such

decisions; whether the implementation of changes to the

list of exempt countries will be subject to a notice

period; and if so, what will be the length of any such

notice period. [HL6502]

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Secretary of State for

Transport made a Written Ministerial Statement on travel

corridors on 6 July 2020 setting out the criteria and data

that the Government has used when making decisions on

travel corridors.

The Health Regulations relating to the self-isolation

requirements remain under constant review and are

updated as required. Public health remains our top

priority, and we will not hesitate to remove countries and

territories from the list urgently if the health risks are seen

to increase such that there is a risk to the UK public’s

health from arrivals from these countries or territories.

Universities: Finance

Asked by Lord Storey

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have, if any, to support any UK university which faces

financial failure. [HL6527]

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The government

understands that the COVID-19 outbreak poses

significant financial challenges to the sector. In May

2020, the government announced a package of measures

combining different ways to give further support to higher

education providers at this time of financial pressure.

We have stabilised admissions and are pulling forward

an estimated £2.6 billion worth of forecast tuition fee

payments to ease cashflow pressure this autumn. We are

also bringing forward £100 million of quality-related

research funding for higher education providers in

England in the current academic year.

This is on top of the unprecedented package of support

for businesses already announced, to help pay wages,

keep staff employed and support businesses whose

viability is threatened by the outbreak. We recently

Page 30 20 July 2020 Written Answers

confirmed universities’ eligibility for these schemes,

which the Office for Students estimates could be worth at

least £700 million, depending upon eligibility and take-

up.

In June, the government announced further UK- wide

support in the form of the Department for Business

Energy and Industrial Strategy’s research stabilisation

package. More details are available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-

university-research-and-innovation-during-coronavirus-

covid-19.

In July, the government announced the higher education

restructuring regime, under which support for

restructuring can be given, as a last resort, when other

steps to preserve a provider’s viability and sustainability

have not proved sufficient. More details are available

here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-

education-restructuring-regime.

To prevent exploitative admissions processes, the

Office for Students introduced a temporary registration

condition designed to address specific circumstances

relating to the impact of COVID-19. To ensure a fair,

structured distribution of students across providers,

temporary student number controls have been put in place

for full-time, undergraduate domestic and EU students for

academic year 2020-21 (with certain specific

exemptions).

We are reminding providers, as part of existing

programmes and using established procedures, that the

department will consider purchasing land and buildings

where they can be used for new or expanding schools and

colleges in England. In this financial year, we have

budgeted up to £100 million to acquire sites for planned

projects in England.

The government has been clear that our world-leading

universities will always be open to international students.

Our review of the International Education Strategy this

autumn will respond to the new context and the

challenges posed by COVID-19 across all education

settings to ensure we can continue to welcome

international students in the future.

The government has worked with the Office for

Students to help clarify that providers can draw upon

existing funding to provide hardship funds and support

disadvantaged students affected by COVID-19. Providers

are able to use the funding – worth around £23 million per

month for July, August and September – towards student

hardship funds.

The Department for Education and the Department for

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have set up a

University Research and Knowledge Exchange

Sustainability Taskforce to consider how best to respond

to the challenges universities face on research as a result

of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions

they have had with international partners about securing

a permanent ceasefire in Yemen. [HL6573]

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to

support the efforts of the UN Special Envoy Martin

Griffiths to secure the parties' agreement to proposals for

a nationwide ceasefire and resumption of the UN-led

political process. We engage regularly with international

partners on Yemen, including through our role as

penholder in the UN Security Council. On 1 July, the

Foreign Secretary wrote a joint op-ed with his Swedish

and German counterparts calling for the international

community to back peace efforts. On 18 June, the

Minister for the Middle East and North Africa spoke with

senior Yemeni leaders and the Special Envoy during a

"virtual visit" and called for urgent action to secure peace

and avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.

Index to Statements and Answers

Written Statements ................................................. 1

A303 Sparkford to Illchester Application: Update

.............................................................................. 1

Building and Fire Safety ....................................... 1

Community Match Challenge ............................... 3

Contingencies Fund Advance ............................... 3

Crossrail: Annual Update ..................................... 3

EFTA States and Switzerland: Future

Relationship .......................................................... 5

Public Service Pensions: Survivor Benefits ......... 5

Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018:

Report on Regulations .......................................... 6

School Funding ..................................................... 6

Service Complaints Ombudsman: Annual Report

2019 ...................................................................... 7

Transport for London: Extraordinary Funding and

Financing .............................................................. 7

Unified Patent Court ............................................. 8

Vaccine Taskforce ................................................ 8

Written Answers ..................................................... 9

A27: East Sussex .................................................. 9

Aerobility: Finance ............................................... 9

Agriculture: Employment ..................................... 9

Animal Welfare .................................................... 9

Animals: Antimicrobials .................................... 10

Architecture: Ethnic Groups ............................... 10

Arms Trade: Colombia ....................................... 10

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia .................................. 11

Aviation: Coronavirus ........................................ 11

Bahrain: Coronavirus.......................................... 11

BBC: Finance ..................................................... 12

Boarding Schools: Coronavirus .......................... 12

Bus Services and Railways: Coronavirus ........... 12

Business: Coronavirus ........................................ 12

Care Homes: Coronavirus .................................. 12

Cheltenham Hospital: Accident and Emergency

Departments ........................................................ 12

China: Uighurs ................................................... 13

Common Purpose: Expenditure ......................... 13

Company Accounts ............................................ 13

Conflict Resolution: Females ............................ 13

Contact Tracing: Coronavirus............................ 13

Coronavirus: Birmingham ................................. 14

Coronavirus: Demonstrations ............................ 14

Coronavirus: Disease Control ............................ 14

Coronavirus: Screening ..................................... 15

Customs ............................................................. 15

Cyprus: Military Bases ...................................... 15

Diabetes: Coronavirus ....................................... 15

Disability: Coronavirus ...................................... 16

Drinks: Sugar ..................................................... 16

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency: Fringe

Benefits and Pay ................................................ 16

Education: Travellers ......................................... 17

Electric Vehicles: VAT...................................... 17

Electricity Generation: Carbon Emissions ......... 17

Environment Protection: Treaties ...................... 18

EU Countries: British Nationals Abroad ........... 18

Flood Control ..................................................... 19

Flood Control: Yorkshire and the Humber ........ 19

Food: Safety ....................................................... 20

Garages and Petrol Stations: Alternative Fuels . 20

Genito-urinary Medicine: Equality .................... 20

Green Homes Grant Scheme ............................. 20

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Annual Reports .... 21

Huawei: Security ............................................... 21

Hydrogen ........................................................... 21

Immigration: EU Nationals................................ 21

In Vitro Fertilisation .......................................... 22

Influenza: Disease Control ................................ 22

Influenza: Research ........................................... 22

Infrastructure: Skilled Workers ......................... 22

Index to Statements and Answers

Integrated Review of Security, Defence,

Development and Foreign Policy ....................... 23

Intelligence and Security Committee ................. 23

Intelligence and Security Committee: Russia ..... 23

Iran: Arms Trade ................................................ 23

Iran: Nuclear Power ............................................ 24

Iran: Prisoners ..................................................... 24

Iraq: Internally Displaced People ....................... 24

Israel: Visas ........................................................ 24

Large Goods Vehicles: Coronavirus .................. 24

Large Goods Vehicles: Testing .......................... 25

LGBTQ People: Hate Crime .............................. 25

Local Government: Coronavirus ........................ 25

Medicines and Medical Devices Safety

Independent Review ........................................... 26

National Security Adviser .................................. 26

Oneweb ............................................................... 26

Police: Israel ....................................................... 26

Prisoners' Release: Older People ........................ 26

Prisons: Staff ...................................................... 26

Protective Clothing: Coronavirus ....................... 27

Refuges: Coronavirus ......................................... 27

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation: Hydrogen

............................................................................ 27

Satellites ............................................................. 27

Shipping: Coronavirus ........................................ 27

Social Media: Epilepsy ....................................... 28

Solicitors: Disciplinary Proceedings .................. 28

Space Technology: Research .............................. 28

Su Zhimin ........................................................... 28

Technology: Coronavirus ................................... 28

Trade Agreements: Israel ................................... 28

Training: Coronavirus ........................................ 29

Travel: Coronavirus ............................................ 29

Universities: Finance .......................................... 29

Yemen: Peace Negotiations ................................ 30