Prescription Drugs: Prices
Questions
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why small and medium-sized enterprises with sales between £5 million and £25 million are exempted from the protection in the new Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme.[HL2575]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a further limit to the maximum price of a prescription only, branded health service medicine on small and medium- sized pharmaceutical companies as proposed in the Consultation on Amendments to the Statutory Scheme to Control the Prices of Branded Health Service Medicines of October 2014.[HL2576]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of strengthening the information requirements on small and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies as proposed in the Consultation on Amendments to the Statutory Scheme to Control the Prices of Branded Health Service Medicines of October 2014.[HL2577]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): Companies with sales of less than £5 million a year of branded medicines to the health service (i.e. excluding their global sales) are exempted from making Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) payments to the Department. All companies in the Scheme with £5 million or more a year of such sales are covered by the provisions of the scheme. The level of sales threshold for the exemption
was agreed with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry as part of the 2014 PPRS negotiations. Small companies were represented in the negotiations.
Companies that choose not to join the PPRS are covered by the Statutory Scheme for controlling branded medicine prices. Companies in the statutory scheme with branded medicine sales of less than £5 million to the health service (i.e. excluding global sales) are exempted from the limit on maximum price and the information requirements.
The Government has consulted on a further limit to the maximum price of branded health service medicines in the statutory scheme. This is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/branded-medicines-controlling-prices.
As stated in the consultation document, Amendments to the Statutory Scheme to Control the Prices of Branded Health Service Medicines, published on 10 October 2014, the Government is aware of the need to broadly align the effect of the two schemes while taking account of the differences between them. As the consultation document says that the Government is particularly interested in the impact of an additional price cut might have on small companies, the Government has asked for views on the impact of any price adjustment on companies that are close to the £5 million exemption threshold.
The consultation document discusses strengthening information requirements. Companies would only be asked to provide this information on the rare occasions when the Department suspected a possible breach of the regulations.
The Government will take account of a range of factors set out in the consultation document and the consultation impact assessment when reaching a decision on its consultation proposals, as well as responses to the consultation, including responses from small and medium-sized companies.
Prisoners: Females
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many women were in prisons in England on 30 June in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 respectively.[HL2501]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Faulks) (Con): The decision to sentence a person to a custodial sentence, or to remand a person into custody prior to trial or sentencing, is a matter for the independent judiciary and courts will take into account all the circumstances of the offence and the offender in determining this.
For the last two years, the female prison population has been consistently under 4,000 for the first time in a decade. Data on the number of women in prison is published annually at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/339036/prison-population-2014.xls
The numbers of women in prisons in England on 30th June on each of the years in question were:
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
We are committed to making sure that sentencers have robust community options at their disposal. The Female Offenders Advisory Board are working in Greater Manchester on a pathfinder aimed at providing sentencers with robust and effective sentencing options in the community which may divert women from custody, where appropriate. Learning from the pathfinder will inform a new operating model for working differently with women in the criminal justice system. We are also testing a new model of liaison and diversion in police custody and the courts. The trial scheme, in 10 areas, will aim to identify, assess and refer people with mental health, learning disability, substance misuse and social vulnerabilities into treatment or support services.
We are also working to make sure that female offenders have the support they need to turn their lives around. In March 2014, we published a first year progress report on delivery of our strategic objectives for female offenders, which sets out clearly our key priorities for addressing the needs of female offenders and reducing the number of women in custody. Our Transforming Rehabilitation reforms also mean that those serving under 12 month sentences will, for the first time in recent history, be subject to statutory supervision including a licence period in the community, aimed at supporting successful community reintegration and rehabilitation. Proportionally, more women than men are serving short sentences so they will benefit particularly from this element of the reforms.
Prisons: Parcels
Question
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effects of the ban on the receipt by prisoners in England and Wales of parcels containing for example books, underwear, clothing, stationery and Christmas presents.[HL2603]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Faulks) (Con): There have always been controls on the sending of parcels into prisons; the revised Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) national policy framework has simply ensured greater consistency across the prison estate. We now have simple rules that allow prisoners a parcel of items when they first arrive in prison, and then only further items in exceptional circumstances. The restrictions were introduced to enhance existing security measures and to prevent the IEP policy framework from being undermined.
There is no longer a numerical limit on the amount of underwear that prisoners can have in possession; the amount they can have is subject only to overarching volumetric control limits.
Procurement: EU Law
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish their response to the consultation on the draft regulations transposing the new European Union procurement directives in the United Kingdom. [HL2698]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): The Government’s consultation on implementing the 2014 EU Procurement Directives took place between 19 September and 17 October 2014. We expect to publish our response early in the New Year.
Productivity
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livingston of Parkhead on 13 October (HL1890), what they consider to be the reasons for the differences between the output per worker per hour in the United Kingdom and those of the other G7 countries, as reported by the Office for National Statistics in its statistical bulletin International Comparisons of Productivity—Final Estimates 2012; and what plans they have to improve the United Kingdom’s relative position.[HL2655]
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Livingston of Parkhead) (Con): The most up to date productivity data for 2012 are in the table.
| Current Price Productivity, 2012, G7 countries, Index UK=100 | ||||||||
| Japan | Germany | Canada | Italy | France | US | UK | G7 excl. UK | |
Source: International Comparisons of Productivity, First Estimates for 2013, ONS (Oct 2014)
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/icp/international-comparisons-of-productivity/2013---first-estimates/index.html
Analysis undertaken by BIS (2012) to support Lord Heseltine’s Review of UK Competitiveness examined UK productivity in comparison to France, Germany and the USA. An analysis of productivity across all G7 countries has not yet been completed. The full analysis can be found here (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/34647/12-1207-benchmarking-uk-competitiveness-in-the-global-economy.pdf) but the main findings were:
The analysis decomposed the productivity gap (measured by output per hour worked) into two components:
• Sector productivity effect – the share of the gap arising due to productivity in a given sector being higher in another country than in the UK.• Sector mix effect – the share of the gap arising due to employment in another country being more concentrated in high productivity sectors than in the UK.
When UK productivity is compared to France, Germany and the USA, the sector productivity effect in each of the comparator countries fully explains the gap. As such, higher productivity across almost all sectors in each of these economies accounts for the entirety of their lead over the UK. In fact, the UK’s favourable sector mix went some way towards reducing the gap, particularly against France.
Naturally, the factors driving the gap vary by country. However, at the aggregate level, the UK tends to have lower capital per head than France and Germany and a less efficient use of inputs in production (Total Factor Productivity) than the USA (BIS, 2010) (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32101/10-1213-economic-growth.pdf). There is also a (smaller) gap between the UK and its major competitors in terms of skills. This is generally characterised as a gap in intermediate skills with France and Germany, and a gap in higher level skills relative to the USA.
Plans to Improve UK Productivity
Government policy focuses on delivering growth which in turn depends on productivity in the longer term. In this sense, the majority of longer run Government economic policy is ultimately about raising productivity.
The Government’s industrial strategy and ‘The Plan for Growth’ are creating the right environment for businesses to invest and grow. This will continue to support UK long-term productivity growth.
Recent changes to national accounts methodology have slightly reduced the productivity gap between the UK and other leading G7 economies. Data for 2012 were revised and are provided in the table above. In case it is of interest, the most recent data for 2013 is also included in the table below. A full decomposition of the productivity gap has not yet been undertaken using the revised data.
| Current Price Productivity, 2013, G7 countries, Index UK=100 | ||||||||
| Japan | Germany | Canada | Italy | France | US | UK | G7 excl. UK | |
Source: International Comparisons of Productivity, First Estimates for 2013, ONS (Oct 2014)
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/icp/international-comparisons-of-productivity/2013---first-estimates/index.html
References
BIS (2010) Economic Growth, BIS Economics Paper No. 9
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32101/10-1213-economic-growth.pdf
BIS (2012) Benchmarking UK Competitiveness in the Global Economy, BIS Economics Paper No. 19
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/34647/12-1207-benchmarking-uk-competitiveness-in-the-global-economy.pdf
Public Expenditure
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage changes, in real terms, were incurred by the Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive in the financial settlements for the four financial years beginning 2011–12. [HL2572]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): The table below sets out the percentage changes in real terms to devolved administration budgets, year-on-year, for the period requested. It reflects the settlements set out at the 2010 Spending Review, and incorporates changes made at subsequent fiscal events.
| % change (real terms) | 2010-11 to 2011-12 | 2011-12 to 2012-13 | 2012-13 to 2013-14 | 2013-14 to 2014-15 |
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect on the budgets of the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive of equalisation of public expenditure per head of population throughout the United Kingdom.[HL2627]
Lord Deighton: The Government has not made such an assessment. The leaders of the three main UK political parties have indicated that the Barnett formula will continue to operate.
Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they informed the Northern Ireland Executive of their annual financial settlement for financial years 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14 and 2014–15; and the respective amounts for each of those years.[HL2570]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): The Northern Ireland Executive were informed of their allocations for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 as part of the 2010 Spending Review in October 2010. The allocations set out at that Spending Review are shown in the table below.
| £ million | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
Northern Ireland Executive budgets were then adjusted at subsequent Budgets, Autumn Statements and Estimates rounds to reflect Barnett consequentials flowing from those events.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they informed the Northern Ireland Executive of their annual financial settlement for financial year 2015–16; and what was that amount.[HL2571]
Lord Deighton: The Northern Ireland Executive were informed of their allocations for 2015-16 as part of the 2013 spending round in June 2013. The allocations made as part of the spending round are shown in the table below.
| 2015-16 | |
| £ million | |
Northern Ireland Executive budgets have been adjusted at subsequent Budgets and Autumn Statements to reflect Barnett consequentials flowing from those events.
Railways
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 6 November (HL2589), what savings they have made to date from alliances between passenger train operators and Network Rail.[HL2726]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): The sole deep Alliance between a passenger train operator and Network Rail (NR) is the Wessex Alliance between South West Trains and NR. It seeks to deliver benefits such as more effective station management, better planning of track maintenance, aligned objectives and operational efficiencies
The Alliance sees South West Trains and Network Rail share risks and opportunities within agreed parameters. To date, the Alliance has focused on improving the underlying condition of the infrastructure in order to secure operational efficiencies in the future. That approach has not yet generated savings for the Alliance, or therefore Government. Network Rail and South West Trains have, however, gained sufficient confidence in the potential of the Alliance to continue the arrangements into 2017 and we expect to see a financial return arising from these arrangements.
Religious Freedom
Question
Asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of citizens who have suffered threats or violence as a result of converting from Islam to another belief system.[HL2688]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bates) (Con): No formal assessment of the number of citizens who have suffered threats or violence as a result of converting from Islam to another belief system has been made.
However the UK Government takes all forms of hate crime very seriously. We deplore all religious and racially motivated attacks and so-called honour-based violence. We are encouraging anyone who is a victim of a hate crime, or subject to race-related abuse or attack, to report the incident to the police, so the offenders can be dealt with appropriately.
The May 2014 progress report into hate crime provides both an overview of Government achievements, and case study examples, demonstrating how work to tackle hate crime is being carried out locally. In addition, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary will be carrying out an inspection into the police response to honour-based violence in the new year.
Revenue and Customs
Question
Asked by Lord Willoughby de Broke
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the legal basis permitting HM Revenue and Customs to remove money from personal bank accounts without first obtaining a Court Order, as announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget speech in March.[HL2509]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): The Government consulted on the process and safeguards for the Direct Recovery of Debts between 6 May and 29 July 2014. This policy will modernise and strengthen HM Revenue’s and Customs’ ability to recover tax and tax credit debts from those who are refusing to pay what they owe but have sufficient funds in their accounts.
The Government will publish draft legislation in due course.
In line with the Government’s Tax Policy Framework, this draft legislation will be consulted on before it is included in the Finance Bill, where it will be subject to the usual Parliamentary scrutiny.
Sahel
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their intention not to open any new Missions in the Western Sahel region of Africa, what assessment they have made of the United Kingdom’s influence on political institutions and stability in the region. [HL2716]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con): The Government’s North and West Africa Strategy enables the UK to engage effectively with states and political institutions in the Western Sahel region. The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for the Sahel plays an important role in coordinating that effort and has built good relations with governments across the region. We also work through our partners, such as the EU, in those countries where the UK does not have a resident Ambassador. In addition, we work closely with regional organisations, as demonstrated in the recent case of instability in Burkina Faso, where we support the African Union and the Economic Community Of West African States' efforts to return that country to stable and democratic civilian government.
Schools
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they provide to local authorities who want to make greater use of school premises for the benefit of the community outside school times.[HL2743]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): The Education Act 2002 gives school governing bodies the power to run community services without the need to consult or obtain permission from local authorities. Schools have the freedom to use their estates for community facilities and can provide integrated services such as health services, childcare or adult education and work in partnership with other providers as a resource for the whole community. We do not provide support for local authorities as this is a matter for schools.
Sellafield
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Sellafield Ltd, the Office of Nuclear Regulation and other relevant bodies about existing, or potential, public safety, wildlife vulnerability and security risks arising from the condition of nuclear
waste storage ponds at Sellafield; what was the outcome of any such discussions; and what action they are taking to deal with any risks that may have been identified.[HL2582]
Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con): It is a national priority to reduce the hazard and risk at Sellafield in a safe and timely manner and progress in addressing the hazards at Sellafield is kept under frequent review. The actual detail of the programmes and the actions to maintain safety, are matters between Sellafield Ltd. as the site licence company and ONR as the independent nuclear regulator. Sellafield is ONR’s highest regulatory priority and receives a significantly enhanced level of regulatory attention.
Security at Sellafield is specifically designed to address a wide range of credible threats, with measures including perimeter and internal physical barriers, detection and surveillance technologies and an armed response provided by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. In line with internationally established principle of continuous improvement, the Sellafield site has seen a series of security enhancements over the last few years to ensure security remains robust.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what calculations they have made about the size and scale of potential security, environmental and public safety consequences of any potential failure in nuclear waste storage systems at Sellafield; and when they will publish details of those calculations.[HL2583]
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Government and licensees take very seriously the need to decommission legacy facilities, including those at Sellafield. This work is underpinned by periodic safety reviews, which are assessed by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). In addition to this, nuclear operators have a legal obligation under the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 (REPPIR) to identify, evaluate and assess their hazards and risks, which enables the ONR to determine the off-site emergency planning area in line with its assessment principles:
http://www.onr.org.uk/depz-onr-principles.htm.
Sierra Leone
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 750 military personnel sent to Sierra Leone have full life insurance cover.[HL2534]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever) (Con): It is ultimately a matter for individual Service Personnel whether they choose to purchase personal accident and/or life insurance cover.
However, the Department recognises that we also have a duty of care to ensure that personal accident and life insurance cover is available to those service
personnel who consider they require it. The Ministry of Defence therefore has a contract with Aon Ltd for a Personal Accident and Optional Life and Critical Illness Insurance, named PAX. A separate contract for Life insurance, named SLI365, is in place, managed by Willis Ltd and underwritten by Sterling Insurance Group. The cover which these schemes provide is voluntary and separate from the benefits provided by the Government. It is also possible that Service Personnel may have secured accident cover/life insurance through other means.
Separately, the Ministry of Defence provides compensation for personnel injured due to service through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Special Educational Needs
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, under the Children and Families Act 2014, a family with a child who has special educational needs may opt out of an Education and Health Care Plan; and, if so, by what mechanism.[HL2605]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): Parents can make their own arrangements for their child’s education. These must be suitable for the child’s age, aptitude and any special educational needs they may have.
Under the Children and Families Act 2014 where a local authority maintains an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan for a child or young person it is under a duty to secure the special educational provision specified in it unless parents have made suitable alternative arrangements.
Where a local authority is satisfied that the parents’ arrangements are suitable it must continue to review the child’s EHC plan annually and assure itself that the plan remains appropriate.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether social services investigations into families are automatically triggered if a family chooses an educational method, such as home education, other than those listed in their Education and Health Care Assessment. [HL2606]
Lord Nash: Social services investigations into families are not automatically triggered if a family whose child has an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment chooses to educate their child at home. Under section 7 of the Education Act 1996, parents have the right to educate their child at home. Home education must be suitable to the child’s age, ability, aptitude and special educational needs.
Where local authorities and parents agree that home education is the right provision for a child with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, the plan should make clear that the child will be educated at
home. If it does, the local authority must arrange the special educational provision in the plan, working with the parents.
In cases where the local authority names a school or type of school that it considers appropriate in the child’s EHC plan but the parents decided to educate the child at home, the local authority is not under a duty to arrange the special educational provision specified in the plan provided that it is satisfied that the arrangements made by the parents are suitable. Local authorities do not have the right of entry to the family home to check that the provision being made by the parent is suitable and may only enter the home at the invitation of the parents.
Spinal Injuries
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support Professor Raisman’s research into spinal cord injury following the success of his first clinical trial in Poland.[HL2706]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): Professor Raisman, currently at the University College London Institute of Neurology, has been developing this technique for around 40 years, 30 of which were spent at the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). All of the basic research and animal proof of concept for this work was undertaken during Professor Raisman’s time at the NIMR and a summary of this work can be found at:
www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/news/clinical-success-for-research-programme-which-started-at-nimr/
Since Professor Raisman left the NIMR the Medical Research Council (MRC) has been involved in guiding the clinical translation of this work, however the MRC is not currently supporting his research.
The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health. These are judged in open competition with other demands on funding and awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health. When appropriate, high quality research in particular areas of strategic importance may be given priority in competition for funds, but research excellence and importance to health continue to be the primary considerations in funding decisions.
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds eleven biomedical research centres that conduct translational research to transform scientific breakthroughs into benefits for patients. These centres are formed through partnerships between England’s leading National Health Service organisations and universities. The NIHR is investing £110 million over five years (2012-17) in the NIHR biomedical research centre at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University College London. The centre is supporting research on the use of cells from the lining of the nose to repair damaged nerves in the spinal cord.
State Retirement Pensions
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take action to ensure that the state pension is treated as a contributory pension and not a welfare benefit.[HL2791]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud) (Con): The state pension is based on the National Insurance contributions a person has paid or been credited with and it is paid out of the National Insurance Fund. The state pension is technically and legally a benefit and has been so since the 1946 National Insurance Act. The Government does not include the state pension in the Welfare Cap.
Sudan
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the government of Sudan's policy in respect of arming rebels in South Sudan, supporting armed jihadists in Africa and the Middle East, and destroying crops in South Kordofan. [HL2562]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con): We are deeply concerned at reports of government aerial bombardments targeting civilian farms and agricultural production in South Kordofan and frequently raise our concerns about the ongoing conflict in the Two Areas directly with the Government of Sudan and through multilateral forums such as the UN Security Council discussions. In respect of South Sudan the UK has been at the forefront of an effective EU arms embargo aimed at stopping the proliferation of arms across the region. The UK continues to work with partners to enforce this embargo. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not seen evidence of the Government of Sudan violent Islamist extremist groups, but we maintain dialogue with the Government of Sudan on wider radicalisation concerns in Sudan and the region.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent Conference on Human Trafficking and Smuggling in the Horn of Africa held in Khartoum, what representations they have made to the government of Sudan concerning reports of complicity by Sudanese government security officials in the abduction of refugees from Eritrea to Sinai. [HL2711]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum raised the allegations of Sudanese government officials involvement in the abduction of Eritrean refugees with senior representatives from the Government of Sudan in early November. This was part of follow-up to the recent African Union (AU)
Conference on Human Trafficking and Smuggling in the Horn of Africa, held in Khartoum, at which a new AU-EU regional process (the ‘Khartoum Process’) was proposed. Officials from the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office attended the Conference. The 'Khartoum Process' will help us to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Government of Sudan on migration issues.
Sugar
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 11 August (HL1282), whether they consider that supermarkets currently offer sufficient levels of sugar-free and sugar-reduced items; what impact they consider an increase in the availability of such items would have on obesity levels in the United Kingdom; whether they have any plans to intervene more strongly than the current voluntary arrangements in order to increase the availability of such items; and if not, why not.[HL2579]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): Through the Government’s voluntary partnership with industry, eight supermarket chains are currently signed up to the calorie reduction pledge and are taking actions to enable their customers to consume fewer calories. Five of these supermarkets are taking direct action to either cut sugar or provide sugar-free or sugar-reduced products.
Ten supermarket chains have committed to provide clear information on the front of food and drink products, including sugar content.
The Government is committed to reducing overweight and obesity through a range of actions involving consumers and a wide range of stakeholders. The role of industry in continuing to reduce calories, including sugar, through the voluntary partnership is a key component of the Government’s approach.
The final report of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on Carbohydrates and Health and Public Health England evidence and advice on sugar reduction, both due in Spring 2015, will inform the Government’s next steps.
Taxation
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the justification for aggregating a range of welfare benefits in the annual tax statements now being published rather than differentiating between different categories. [HL2586]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): The categories in the tax summary are based on those used in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA), which are internationally
recognised categories. Based on customer research, some headings have been simplified to make them easier to understand, such as the inclusion of social protection in welfare. ‘State pensions’ was separated from the ‘welfare’ category because it is a substantial area of spend.
Ukraine: Russia
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the suggestion by the government of Russia that the European Union act as guarantor in respect of money owed by Ukraine to Russia for gas supplies; and whether any consideration has been given to how such a scheme would be funded. [HL2470]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): Ukraine and Russia agreed a deal regarding the supply of gas on 30 October 2014 under which Ukraine will reprioritise funding to which it already has access under its IMF-led programme. The EU is not acting as guarantor to this deal.
Universal Credit
Question
Asked by Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered including school holiday provision in passported benefits to be included in Universal Credit.[HL2431]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): The Child Poverty Strategy, published in June 2014, outlined the Government’s actions to tackle child poverty and improve the living standards of poor children.[1]
We have not considered including school holiday provision in passported benefits to be included in Universal Credit.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-2014-to-2017
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Question
Asked by Lord West of Spithead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a policy on the use of lethal autonomous weapons systems and a definition of meaningful human involvement in drone operations.[HL2710]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever) (Con): Yes, the Government does have a clear policy on this and I refer the noble Lord to the statement made in the House of Commons by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Alistair Burt) on 17 June 2013 (Official Report, column 734) on the subject of autonomous weapons.
The phrase meaningful human control is an emergent concept which the UK is mindful of and working to define with interested parties in step with technological and doctrinal developments. However, in practical terms, in UK operations every target is assessed by a human, and every release of weapons is authorised by a human; other than in a very small number of instances, all targets are also acquired by a human. The exception is in a small number of defensive anti-materiel systems e.g. Phalanx. However, in those instances a human is required to authorise weapons release.
World War I: Debts
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what effect the debt payable to the government of the United States as a result of the First World War has on their foreign policy.[HL2728]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con): There has been no effect on the UK's foreign policy agenda as a result of the debt owed to the Government of the United States deriving from the First World War.