Written Answers
Wednesday 19 March 2014
Apprenticeships
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 27 February (HL Deb, col 1010), what action they are taking to ensure that employers pay apprentices the legal minimum wage.[HL5828]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie) (Con): The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.
From May 2013 all Apprenticeships calls to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline are prioritised by HMRC who investigate all complaints about non-payment of the minimum wage.
We have also stepped up our communication activity to increase the level of awareness of the minimum wage rules across the board, including apprentices. We want to help employers to avoid falling foul of minimum wage rules unwittingly, and ensure that individuals are well-informed about their minimum wage eligibility. We have already issued National Minimum Wage (NMW) posters to our stakeholders asking them to display them where employers and workers will see them, to raise awareness of the National Minimum Wage rules. The poster highlights the new NMW rates that came into effect on 1 October 2013 and the contact details for the Pay and Work Rights Helpline.
On 1 November 2013 we also launched a spot the difference campaign so that employers are aware of the differences between workers that result in differing rates of NMW and other issues such as factoring in travel time between jobs. We issued national and regional press releases targeting the top five sectors as well as the top five regions.
In addition, In England, from 1 October, the Skills Minister, (Matthew Hancock), is writing to each new apprentice on a Government-funded Apprenticeship, setting out what they can expect from their Apprenticeship—this includes information on NMW entitlement. From October, we have also ensured that information on the NMW rules is included in the information packs that National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) issues to prospective Apprenticeship employers.
In Northern Ireland, HMRC officers have already engaged with employers, training providers and the Department of Employment & Learning (DEL), offering guidance on compliance with NMW. DEL have taken this forward, cascading the information to all training providers in Northern Ireland.
Finally, we have improved guidance on gov.uk and information more generally, to ensure we have clear, comprehensive and consistent information on the minimum wage rules.
Bloody Sunday
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 10 March (WA 341), whether they will now answer the question.[HL5936]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office (Baroness Randerson) (LD): The Government has not issued any letter which can be described as providing “immunity”. Nor has it any plans to issue any such letters to members of the Armed Forces or anyone else. The letters issued to so-called “on-the-runs” do not amount to immunity, exemption or amnesty from arrest—something that could only be given effect by legislation in Parliament. No recipient of such a letter should be in any doubt that if evidence emerges after the date the letter was issued in connection with terrorist offences, they will be liable for arrest and prosecution in the normal way.
As stated in my previous answer, any potential prosecutions relating to the events on Bloody Sunday are a matter for the police and the Northern Ireland Director of Public Prosecutions to consider.
British Nationality
Question
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in making orders depriving British persons of their nationality under section 40 or 40A of the British Nationality Act 1981, they will (1) consider, and (2) satisfy, the requirement that they are not assisting in any unlawful conduct directed against such persons by a third party state.[HL5898]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): The Home Secretary only makes orders to deprive British nationality when it is conducive to the public good to do so or where the individual obtained it fraudulently. In so doing, she also satisfies herself that, in the circumstances of each case, the act of depriving an individual of British nationality is lawful as a matter of domestic and international law.
The Home Secretary would not deprive an individual of British nationality to assist any unlawful conduct by a third party state against that person.
Council Tax
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much “new burdens” funding was made available to each local authority in England in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2014–15, to compensate for the additional costs of establishing a local Council Tax support scheme. [HL5967]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Stowell of Beeston) (Con): The following link sets out the new burdens funding allocations made available to each local authority in England in 2013-14 and 2014-15:
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/specgrant1314/CTSnewburdensfunding.xls
Crime: Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide
Question
Asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions for corporate manslaughter and corporate homicide have been brought in each year since 2010.[HL5824]
The Advocate-General for Scotland (Lord Wallace of Tankerness) (LD): The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes cases of corporate manslaughter in England and Wales brought under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. The offence of “corporate homicide” applies to cases in Scotland and Northern Ireland, of which the CPS holds no records.
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 came into force in April 2008. The following table shows the number of cases which included a charge of corporate manslaughter under the Act and have been charged by the CPS in each calendar year since 2010.
| Cases Charged | |
The figures relate to charges under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 in England and Wales only and not to any other type of corporate manslaughter charge.
Discretionary Social Fund
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 3 March (WA 278), what evidence they have that Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans were “poorly targeted and failed to help those most in need”.[HL5962]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 3 March (WA 278), which authorities have decided to “wind-down their local Discretionary Social Fund replacement schemes following underspends this year”.[HL5963]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Work and Pensions, Steve Webb MP, on 20 January (HC Deb, col 49W), when Ministers announced that it was their intention that “2014–15 would be the last year of separate funding for local welfare provision from the Department for Work and Pensions”.[HL5964]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud) (Con): The coalition Government outlined the evidence in Local support to replace Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans for living expenses in England, Government response to the call for evidence June 2011. A copy was placed in the House library and it can be found online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-support-to-replace-community-care-grants-and-crisis-loans-for-living-expenses-call-for-evidence
Nottinghamshire County Council have consulted on their plans to wind down their dedicated scheme and provide support by other means. Information on other authorities will be provided by the review my Department will shortly be carrying out about the way local authorities have used the funding provided following the abolition of the discretionary Social Fund. We are making arrangements with local authorities regarding this. A copy of the findings will be placed in the House Library.
There has never been a commitment to provide specific funding beyond 2014/15. On the basis of experience on the ground since support was localised, central government believes that it makes most sense for councils to choose how much funding to allocate to these services in their areas in future—according to local priorities and needs—and how to provide such support.
Egypt
Questions
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current state of political freedom in Egypt and of the prospects for free and fair Presidential elections later this year.[HL5886]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): The January 2014 constitutional referendum was an important moment for millions of Egyptians who expressed their opinion through the ballot box. We welcome the fact that the new constitution includes better provisions for the protection of the rights of minorities, including Christians, and women. However, we are concerned by restrictions on freedom of expression for opposition groups and the press, both in the run-up to the referendum and since. We encourage Egypt’s interim authorities to ensure that Egypt’s democratic transition leads to free and fair presidential elections in a genuinely inclusive process. We are pleased to hear that the EU European External Action Service is discussing with Egyptian authorities its intention to send an Electoral Observation Mission to Egypt for the presidential elections.
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the state of freedom of religion and belief in Egypt following the removal of President Morsi from office in July 2013.[HL5914]
Baroness Warsi: Sectarian violence increased under President Morsi and has continued since. Amnesty report that 200 Christian-owned properties have been attacked and 43 churches burned down or damaged since July 2013. In September, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement in Parliament condemning the violence against Christian churches.
Article 64 of the 2014 constitution states that freedom of belief is absolute. The key test will be how the constitution is implemented, as many articles require additional legislation.
We have continued to raise the importance of respect for different religions and beliefs and the protection of religious minorities with the Egyptian authorities. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Mr Robertson), discussed the situation faced by Coptic Christians and implications of the new constitution in a meeting with Bishop Yulios during his visit to Cairo in December 2013. The Bishop was optimistic about the new Constitution provisions for religious minorities.
Energy: Supply Disruption
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to withstand possible shocks in the energy sector, such as might arise from developments in the Ukraine.[HL5868]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma) (Con): The UK has a well-functioning gas market able to access a diverse range of supplies from domestic producers, Norway, the Continent, LNG or storage. For a disruption to the UK’s physical gas security to occur, there would need to be a prolonged dispute, very high UK demand and simultaneous disruption to other UK supply sources. We are therefore reasonably placed to manage gas security of supply risks.
Since the Russia/Ukraine gas supply dispute of 2009, there have been changes to UK and EU gas markets that would mitigate the impact of another dispute, if it were to occur. For example, EU wide efforts to implement the Third Energy Package are making it easier to trade gas across Europe. The Gas Security of Supply Regulation was agreed in 2010 and emergency gas supply plans are in place.
In the event of a situation which resulted in a disruption to electricity supply to customers, industry and Government have robust emergency plans in place to manage and respond to the event, which are exercised on a regular basis.
EU: Competitiveness Council
Question
Asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Livingston of Parkhead on 4 March (WS 127), how many other European Union countries agreed with measures called for by the United Kingdom in the Competitiveness Council on 20 and 21 February; which countries they were; which proposals they supported; and what prospect they foresee for their adoption.[HL5816]
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Livingston of Parkhead) (Con): The discussions referred to in the Written Statement were non-legislative in nature, with no votes taken. The UK’s proposals found support from a number of Member States. Some Member States aligned themselves closely with the UK position. We are working closely with those countries with the aim of making progress under the next European Commission.
EU: Exports
Question
Asked by Lord Renwick of Clifton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to support duty-free access for Ukrainian exports to the European Union.[HL5916]
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Livingston of Parkhead) (Con): It is the Government’s intention to support the European Commission’s proposal for temporarily removing customs duties on Ukrainian exports to the European Union. This follows Council conclusions of 6 March which set out a package of measures to help stabilise Ukraine’s economy including the granting of autonomous trade preferences.
Flooding
Questions
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 24 February (WA 183), whether, where the impact of European Union Directives are found to impede the long- and short-term measures to improve flood management, they will seek to have them annulled or amended.[HL5723]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley) (Con): Our priorities in flood risk management are the protection of life and property. Once the need for a flood defence scheme to meet these criteria has been established, the Environment Agency will work with local authorities, communities and other partners to ensure that the scheme conforms with EU legislation
whilst providing the standard of defence needed. Where there may be costs or other impacts associated with compliance, such as restricted timings for construction activity, these can usually be managed by understanding and planning for the requirements early, and with the use of good project management.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many residential buildings they estimate suffered serious damage during the recent floods; and what proportion of that total were built within the last 20 years. [HL5741]
Lord De Mauley: The Department is not able to provide an answer to this PQ as it would involve disproportionate cost.
Government Departments: Staff
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are currently employed for more than 50 per cent of their working week to support the Permanent Secretary of the Attorney General’s Office in his role as Accounting Officer; and what are their job titles.[HL5802]
The Advocate-General for Scotland (Lord Wallace of Tankerness) (LD): The Treasury Solicitor is the Accounting Officer for the Attorney General’s Office, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Treasury Solicitor’s Department (TSol).
TSol’s governance, processes and controls have been designed to enable the Treasury Solicitor to discharge his Accounting Officer duties. All staff have a role in this, but nobody spends more than 50% of their working week directly supporting him in discharging his duties as Accounting Officer.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are currently employed for more than 50 per cent of their working week to support the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in his role as Accounting Officer; and what are their job titles.[HL5806]
Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con): Managing Public Money, HM Treasury’s handbook on how to handle public funds, describes the role and responsibilities of the Accounting Officer. All employees of the Department support her in this.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are currently employed for more than 50 per cent of their working week to support the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education in his role as Accounting Officer; and what are their job titles.[HL5808]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): A large proportion of the staff who work in the Department for Education support the Permanent Secretary in his role as Accounting Officer.
The information requested about those who do so for more than 50% of their working week is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are currently employed for more than 50 per cent of their working week to support the Permanent Secretary of the Scotland Office in his role as Accounting Officer; and what are their job titles. [HL5861]
Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Director of the Scotland Office is the Accounting Officer for the Scotland Office and the Office of the Advocate General. Work supporting the role of the Accounting Officer is carried out across the Offices. No record is kept of the proportion of the working week that staff spend supporting this role.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are currently employed for more than 50 per cent of their working week to support the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport in his role as Accounting Officer; and what are their job titles.[HL5862]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): As Accounting Officer, the Permanent Secretary is accountable to Parliament for the quality of administration across the Department. All staff in the Department therefore support the Accounting Officer, and it is not possible to distinguish the proportion of their time spent doing so. The Permanent Secretary is currently supported by four staff in his own Private Office.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are currently employed for more than 50 per cent of their working week to support the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Work and Pensions in his role as Accounting Officer; and what are their job titles.[HL5906]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud) (Con): In one sense, all DWP staff support the Accounting Officer through their individual responsibilities to work confidently within the system of control for which the Accounting Officer is ultimately responsible, to ensure the effective operation of a major government department, which will make some £136.4 billion in welfare payments this year.
More narrowly, the Accounting Officer is directly supported in his role by his Finance Director General, the 40 Senior Civil Servants that comprise that DG’s senior management team; and—in turn—by other colleagues when they handle issues which require explicit Accounting Officer involvement.
Health Innovation Challenge Fund
Question
Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Department of Health will make a decision about the future of the Health Innovation Challenge Fund following the agreement by the Wellcome Trust to continue joint funding.[HL5953]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): The Department will determine its contribution to the Health Innovation Challenge Fund (HICF) on an annual basis.
The Department's 2014-15 revenue allocation for research and development will be finalised shortly. The Department will then decide whether it will continue to contribute to the HICF after the current funding agreement ends in May 2014.
Health: Dentistry
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will give a substantive response to the recommendations by the Office of Fair Trading in their report on dentistry, published in September 2012.[HL5833]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) carried out a study of the dental market in 2012. The OFT published its report entitled, Final Report: Dentistry, an OFT market study on 29 May 2012. The Government published its response to this report on 29 August 2012 entitled, Government Response to the Office of Fair Trading Market Study into Dentistry.
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216914/Gov-Resp-dentistry.pdf
A copy has been placed in the Library.
Health: Hypertension
Questions
Asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of people suffering from hypertension in the United Kingdom.[HL5786]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of people being treated by the National Health Service for hypertension. [HL5787]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost to the National Health Service of treating patients with hypertension.[HL5788]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of people with hypertension in the United Kingdom who are screened for alcohol misuse.[HL5789]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): Information on the number of people suffering from hypertension in the United Kingdom is not held.
Information on the number of people with hypertension in the UK who are screened for alcohol misuse is not held centrally.
National Health Service programme budgeting data on hypertension is collected under the category 'other problems of circulation'. Spend for this category was £3.99 billion for 2012-13.
Information on the number of people being treated by the NHS for hypertension is not available. However, the number of people recorded on practice hypertension register is available through the Quality and Outcomes Framework.
| Table 1: Number of patients on the register for hypertension in England, 2012-13 | |||
| Number of Practices | Sum of list size for all practices | Sum of register | |
India: Golden Temple, Amritsar
Question
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 3 March (WA 287), whether they intend to hold further meetings with the representatives of Sikh organisations in the United Kingdom to address concerns arising from the publication of the Cabinet Secretary's report on the Indian operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib.[HL5883]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): Ministers held two recent round-table meetings with the Sikh community and the Government is keen to ensure that constructive dialogue is maintained.
Iran
Question
Asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the human rights situation in Iran following the election of President Rouhani. [HL6020]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): The human rights situation in Iran remains dire. We are particularly concerned by reports that the rate of executions has increased in 2014. We urge Iran to take concrete action to improve its human rights record. However, President Rouhani’s government has taken some positive steps on human rights, including the release of a number of political prisoners in September 2013.
Iraq
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussion, and with whom, they have had regarding Iraq’s new draft Personal Status Law and its impact on women’s rights.[HL5978]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): We are aware of concerns, which we share, about the draft Personal Status Law in Iraq. The law remains in draft, and has not been approved by Iraq’s parliament. We have raised our concerns about the draft law with the Iraqi Justice Minister, and have also discussed this issue with the UN and EU. We expect Iraq to uphold its international obligations under UN conventions to protect the rights of women and children.
Israel
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the use of CS gas within residents’ houses in Qaddum and other villages. [HL5979]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): The UK has not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities.
Offenders: Re-offending
Question
Asked by Lord Carlile of Berriew
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which offences the Risk of Serious Recidivism calculator will classify as serious.[HL5378]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Faulks) (Con): Public protection is at the heart of our reformed system. The Government takes all offending seriously which is why we are implementing our Transforming Rehabilitation proposals, which will tackle persistent reoffending.
To assist with the risk assessment of offenders, we have developed a Risk of Serious Recidivism (RSR) predictor which uses the same analytical approach as our existing predictors the Offender Group Reconviction Scale (OGRS) and the OASys Violence Predictor (OVP). The RSR predictor is an actuarial tool designed to predict the likelihood of an offender committing a further offence which causes serious harm to an individual, by which we mean a life-threatening or traumatic event from which recovery, whether physical or psychological, can be expected to be difficult or impossible. The RSR predictor does this by predicting the likelihood of an offender going on to commit particular offences, based on evidence about the characteristics of offenders who have committed such offences in the past. The tool has been thoroughly tested and has been shown to be a strong predictor of seriously harmful reoffending, but we are continuing to test and develop it.
The statutory offences currently predicted by the RSR are set out at Annexe A. This is not a list of all offences the Government views as serious; we consider all offences to be serious. Rather, it is a list of the offences most likely to involve the causing of serious harm. The list will be reviewed periodically to consider whether new offences are included in the scope of the RSR predictor where appropriate (for example the aggravated knife possession offences introduced by the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act1 ).
Note:
The list will be reviewed periodically to consider whether new offences are included in the scope of the RSR predictor where appropriate (for example the aggravated knife possession offences introduced by the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act).
1The new offences relating to the LASPO Act were introduced in December 2012. The analytical work to develop an actuarial predictor of reoffending requires a full two year observation period to understand the reoffending behaviour associated with the new offence(s). At the time of developing the RSR predictor, this full observation period was not available for these offences and therefore they were not considered for inclusion in the definition. They will be considered as part of our planned annual review process for the RSR.
2This is “section 20” wounding (i.e., under the Offences against the Person Act 1861), while “section 18” wounding is code 5/01. Therefore, both types of wounding are considered serious offences.
Parking
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, when their consultation on local authority parking strategies is summarised, that summary will include the weight of opinion expressed on each issue; and whether that summary will be published.[HL5960]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): When the response to the consultation is published it will include an analysis of the opinions that were expressed.
Qatar and Syria
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Qatar and other mediators in Syria about arranging further exchanges of prisoners between the various conflicting parties.[HL5930]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): Since the early days of the conflict we have consistently called on both sides
to release prisoners. The international community made it clear in the Geneva I communiqué of June 2012 that they called for the release of arbitrarily detained persons. The latest UN Commission of Inquiry report of 5 March highlights the scale of the issue. We continue to press our concerns over detainees, including in the “London 11” core group of Friends of Syria, to which Qatar also belongs. This group most recently discussed the issue of detainees at the meeting of senior officials in Geneva on 31 January. The London 11 group has called for the release of detainees in its various communiqués.
Railways: Electrification
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether electric trains are likely to be available to take advantage of the newly-electrified lines which will become available between Manchester and Liverpool in December 2014.[HL5961]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): The Department for Transport is confident that an agreement will shortly be reached that would see electric rolling stock become available to operate between Liverpool and Manchester from December 2014.
Railways: London Midland
Questions
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why London Midland had its franchise extended to 2017; and what assessment they have made of the performance of its trains in the West Midlands.[HL5869]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): As announced on 26 March 2013, it is anticipated that subject to affordability, value for money and the agreement of commercial terms, a Direct Award contract will be negotiated with the incumbent operator to run the London Midland franchise from the end of the current franchise until the start of the competed franchise, expected in June 2017. No decision has yet been taken on this.
The Franchise Agreement between the Government and each individual train operator includes contractual benchmarks in key performance areas. The Department monitors each train operator’s overall performance against these areas and there are clear actions set out in the Franchise Agreement should performance drop below what is expected. This regular assessment includes monthly meetings with their senior management where performance figures are scrutinised and challenged.
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what monitoring they are undertaking of the performance of London Midland rail services in the West Midlands. [HL5870]
Baroness Kramer: The Franchise Agreement between the Government and each individual train operator includes contractual benchmarks in key performance areas. The Department monitors each train operator’s overall performance against these areas and there are clear actions set out in the Franchise Agreement should performance drop below what is expected. This regular monitoring includes monthly meetings with their senior management where performance figures are scrutinised and challenged.
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the performance of Passenger Focus in representing the concerns of customers of London Midland in the West Midlands area. [HL5872]
Baroness Kramer: The Department for Transport is aware that the independent passenger watchdog, Passenger Focus, has a strong record of representing the interests of London Midland customers on a range of issues including ticket office opening hours, complaints handling, compensation for poor service resulting from driver shortages and the Christmas 2013 service cuts. In addition, we understand that Passenger Focus has been discussing with London Midland the most recent results of the National Rail Passenger Survey and their actions to improve scores particularly in relation to punctuality.
Severe Wet Weather
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether rainfall in the periods (1) 1 December 2013 to 28 February 2014, (2) 1 December 1914 to 28 February 1915, and (3) 1 December 1765 to 28 February 1766, is considered by the Met Office to be extreme; what were the climate factors affecting the rainfall in those years; and what was the level of carbon emissions in those years.[HL5838]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie) (Con): I have asked the Chief Executive Officer of the Met Office to respond direct to the Noble Lord, and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
Somalia
Question
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they are providing to the Federal Government of Somalia to make progress on delivering security, stability and services to all its people.[HL5885]
Baroness Northover (LD): The UK Government is committed to promoting security, stability and service delivery in Somalia. Funding is not provided directly to the Federal Government of Somalia. UK assistance
is mainly delivered through international partners such as the UN, NGOs and private sector providers. DFID support includes work to deliver more legitimate governance structures and promote conflict resolution, supporting increased access to justice and security; and the provision of basic services through health and education programmes.
In addition, DFID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence co-finance the Conflict Pool, which provides support to promote security in Somalia.
Sri Lanka
Question
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the inclusion of a reference to the creation of an independent international commission of inquiry in the resolution on Sri Lanka to be tabled at the United Nations Human Rights Council this month.[HL5889]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): I refer the noble Baroness to the Written Ministerial Statement laid before the house on 13 March, Official Report, column WS207.
Sudan
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of reports of the killing of a student and the arrest of other protestors during a demonstration in Khartoum on 11 March; and whether they will review the policing of such events in the context of the training given to Sudanese police officers by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.[HL5955]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): We were deeply concerned to hear of the death of a Darfuri student during the demonstration in Khartoum on 11 March. We have called for a full investigation into the incident and for the perpetrators to be held to account. We raised our concerns in the UN Security Council on 12 March. This event, once again, has highlighted the need for a true opening up of democratic space in Sudan.
The Department for International Development provided a limited programme of education and training to the Sudanese Armed Forces and Sudanese police aimed at increasing their understanding of international law, human rights and improving oversight and accountability. This programme ended in November 2013.
Vehicles: Heavy Goods Vehicles
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals are being put forward by European Union institutions to improve the design of the cabs of heavy goods vehicles to reduce crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians and to improve aerodynamics.[HL5951]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): The European Commission has put forward a proposal to amend Directive 96/53/EC, which sets the maximum weights and dimensions of vehicles in national and international traffic. This proposal will permit an increase in vehicle lengths to allow for new, safer and more aerodynamic vehicle cabs.
Council negotiations on the dossier are in progress and the UK is negotiating to ensure that the safety of vulnerable road users and improved aerodynamics are recognised as key objectives of this proposal. However, any proposals for improvements to the technical requirements for vehicles are not under the scope of
this directive, and will need to be fully evaluated before a decision can be taken on their likely effect on road safety and aerodynamic performance.
Young Offenders: Education
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 January (WA 310), whether they will provide details of their “plans for transforming youth custody to ensure that all young people in the youth secure estate…receive high quality education provision”. [HL5878]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Faulks) (Con): The Government set out its plans in Transforming Youth Custody—Government response to the consultation (CM8792) published on 17 January this year and available at:
https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-youth-custody.