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  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take to strengthen the capacity of the Commonwealth to prevent and resolve conflicts between or within its members; and whether they will seek to provide the Secretary-General with greater resources for that purpose.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are committed to strengthening the capacity of the Commonwealth towards preventing and resolving conflicts between member states, including through the Secretariat and the Good Offices of the Secretary-General. We welcome the work already done by the Secretary-General in this area, most recently her appointment of a Special Envoy to strengthen multi-party democracy towards inclusive presidential elections in the Maldives in 2018.

    We will work closely with Patricia Scotland and partners as we build towards the UK hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Spring 2018. We believe she is the right person to drive through reform, strengthen the Commonwealth’s voice and unite members behind the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter.

    A key strand of strengthening the Commonwealth’s focus on democracy, the promotion of the rule of law and preventing conflict is the Commonwealth Secretariat’s work in promoting democratic values, including through election observation missions. We welcome these missions and will work with the Secretary-General to take forward this important programme.

  • Baroness Manzoor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Manzoor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Manzoor on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people who are classed as having a disability have been (1) deported, and (2) detained for immigration purposes, in each of the last 10 years.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The information requested is not held by the department.

  • Baroness Manzoor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Manzoor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Manzoor on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, of the people previously claiming Disability Living Allowance at the higher component of (1) mobility, or (2) care, how many have been assessed for (a) the higher rate, or (b) the standard rate, of (i) the mobility component, or (ii) the daily living component, of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in each year since PIP was introduced.

    Lord Freud

    The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) registrations, clearances and claims in payment for both new claims and reassessed claims (for those previously in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA)) is published on Gov.UK.

    In particular, breakdowns of reassessed claims in payment by type and rate of awards can be found from Stat-Xplore, which is a tool for exploring DWP’s statistics.

    The Department does not have verified data on the number of DLA claimants who have had their award changed as a result of the move to PIP. We intend to provide more detailed breakdowns of DLA to PIP reassessment outcomes in due course. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.

  • Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wigley on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provisions are being made at HM Prison Berwyn to meet the reasonable requirements of Welsh-speaking prisoners.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    It is a requirement that all staff at HMP Berwyn must show an understanding of the importance of the Welsh language.

    All prisoners at HMP Berwyn will have access to welsh speaking staff and all material will be bilingual. To help support this, we are currently arranging courses for our staff to ensure they have a good understanding of Wales and working in the Welsh context, which includes a section on language.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employers offered a package the value of which was above that normally permissible under a Cycle to Work Scheme in circumstances in which an employee had specific needs that required a specialist cycle due to a recognised disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2014–15.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    As this is not a Government scheme the Department for Transport does not collect data on how many employers offered or refused to offer, a package the value of which was above that normally permissible under a Cycle to Work Scheme under circumstances in which an employee had specific needs that required a specialist cycle due to a recognised disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2014–15.

    This is because the Cycle to Work scheme is an employee benefit covered by an exemption and therefore employers do not have to make an annual tax return regarding the benefit; meaning the Department does not collect the data.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employers refused to offer a package the value of which was above that normally permissible under a Cycle to Work Scheme under circumstances in which an employee had specific needs that required a specialist cycle due to a recognised disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2014–15.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    As this is not a Government scheme the Department for Transport does not collect data on how many employers offered or refused to offer, a package the value of which was above that normally permissible under a Cycle to Work Scheme under circumstances in which an employee had specific needs that required a specialist cycle due to a recognised disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2014–15.

    This is because the Cycle to Work scheme is an employee benefit covered by an exemption and therefore employers do not have to make an annual tax return regarding the benefit; meaning the Department does not collect the data.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Motability Scheme funds cars, powerchairs and mobility scooters but does not extend to cycles.

    Lord Freud

    Motability is an independent charitable organisation wholly responsible for the Motability scheme. Operational decisions, such as what types of vehicles the scheme should provide, are for Motability to make. They can be contacted at Director of Motability, Motability, Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5PX.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provision they have made to include disabled cyclists within the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government will work to increase awareness of both the use of cycles as a mobility aid and the need for discretion when implementing ‘cyclist dismount’ regulations in public areas, including stations.

    We recently consulted on the draft Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy and as part of the consultation sought views on how to increase cycling and walking in typically under-represented groups, including disabled people. The Government is in the process of analysing responses to the consultation and will publish a Government Response later this summer.

  • Lord Chidgey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Lord Chidgey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the potential effects on investment of uncertainty around issues of future market access, whether they plan to commit to (1) extending bilaterally the duty- and quota-free access that the least developed countries have had to the UK market since 2001 once the UK’s exit from the EU is completed; (2) honouring the duty- and quota-free market access granted to Caribbean countries since 2008 until new bilateral trade agreements have been concluded; and (3) unilaterally extending the duty- and quota-free access granted to sub-Saharan countries under the transitional arrangements established since 2008 until new bilateral trade agreements have been concluded.

    Lord Price

    While the UK is still a member of the EU, all rights and obligations will apply. There will be no initial change in the way we trade with developing countries. The new Department for International Trade will work with the Department for International Development on the structure and access to the UK’s markets to be offered to developing countries. This will reflect the UK’s longstanding support for Least Developed Countries and other developing country trading partners including through preferential trade agreements. This recognises that trade can be an effective way of growing economies and reducing poverty internationally.

  • Lord Chidgey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Lord Chidgey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to continue to recognise EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and food safety approvals for imports of agricultural products from the African, Caribbean and Pacific group countries once the UK’s exit from the EU is complete, or whether they plan to require exporters from those countries to secure separate SPS and food safety approvals for exports to the UK.

    Lord Price

    A new Department for Exiting the European Union has been established by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, to oversee arrangements for the UK’s exit from the EU after we have triggered Article 50. Until then the UK remains a full member of the EU.