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  • Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morrow on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the trial use of victim support workers in accident and emergency settings in England to identify potential victims of domestic violence; and whether they plan to extend the scheme on a permanent and wider basis.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Home Office is working closely with Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse which is conducting an in-depth evaluation of the effectiveness of basing Independent Domestic Violence Advocates in both hospital accident and emergency and maternity units. The report is due in 2015-16. Six services are taking part in the evaluation:

    • Worth Services (based in West Sussex)
    • Bristol Royal Infirmary IDVA service
    • Domestic Violence: Health and Maternity Project (Imperial College, Standing Together and Advance Advocacy)
    • Cambridge Addenbrooke’s IDVA service
    • North Devon Women’s Aid
    • Newcastle Victim Support

    Emerging evidence from the evaluation can be found at:
    www.caada.org.uk/policy/CAADA_Themis_Research_Briefing_1.pdf.

    The Coalition Government will study the full findings from the evaluation before making a decision on whether the scheme is extended on a permanent and wider basis.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they will take to facilitate connections between the Cambrian Line and the train services provided from Porthmadog Harbour Station on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railways in order to support the tourist industry.

    Baroness Kramer

    The Cambrian Line is part of the Wales and Borders franchise operated by Arriva Trains Wales. The specification and day-to-day management of the franchise is the responsibility of the Welsh Government.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 27 March (WA 145), whether the electric stock referred to in her answer will be subject to refurbishment before its transfer to the Northern Rail franchise.

    Baroness Kramer

    The electric stock referred to in my previous answer will be subject to light refurbishment before transfer to the Northern Rail franchise. This will be specified and managed by Northern and the rolling stock company involved. As the Noble Lord may be aware, the Northern Direct Award is for 22 months – from February 2016 a new franchise competition winner will be running services on this franchise. Therefore the new franchisee will develop their own proposals regarding any further refurbishment or replacement of the electric powered rolling stock.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 27 March (WA 141), what steps they will take to ensure that legal aid resources are spent in the most equitable way and are not concentrated on fewer high-profile defendants.

    Lord Newby

    In the vast majority of cases, legal aid fees are based solely on factors such as the type of alleged offence, the length of trial and the amount of paperwork involved. They are not increased just because a defendant is “high-profile”. We plan to reduce these fees in 2015, subject to consideration of a number of reviews currently taking place. In addition, a very small number of the longest cases (Very High Cost Cases) are paid based on the work required and the substance of the case. These cases account for approximately 0.1% of criminal cases, but 7.5% of the legal aid spend. The Government is committed to controlling the cost of these cases, and has recently introduced a 30% cut in fees.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that library facilities in prisons, including the availability and ordering of books, are fit for purpose.

    Lord Faulks

    Prison library services are, in the majority of prisons, provided by Public Library Authorities. Prison libraries enable prisoners to receive, subject to the constraints of operating within a custodial environment, a service equivalent to that provided for library users in the community.

    We consider them to be fit for purpose.

  • Lord Lea of Crondall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Lea of Crondall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lea of Crondall on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average number of annuities purchased in each of the last five years for which data are available.

    Lord Newby

    There is no requirement for individuals to report the purchase of an annuity and the Government does not collect data on the number or purchase value of annuities. Industry data is collected and published by the Association of British Insurers and may be found on their website https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Industry-data/

    “

  • Lord Lea of Crondall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Lea of Crondall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lea of Crondall on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of annuities purchased over the last five years for which data are available were worth (1) between £500 and £2,000 per annum, (2) between £2,001 and £5,000 per annum, (3) between £5,001 and £10,000 per annum, and (4) between £10,000 and £20,000 per annum, in value at the point of purchase.

    Lord Newby

    There is no requirement for individuals to report the purchase of an annuity and the Government does not collect data on the number or purchase value of annuities. Industry data is collected and published by the Association of British Insurers and may be found on their website https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Industry-data/

    “

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of President Obama’s statement on 26 March that Kosovo only left Serbia after a referendum was organised”.”

    Baroness Warsi

    The point that President Obama was making is that the situations in Crimea and Kosovo are not comparable. Kosovo’s independence followed a humanitarian crisis, nearly nine years of UN administration, and the failure of a long period of inclusive, internationally sponsored negotiations on Kosovo’s final status. Kosovo thus declared independence only after other options were exhausted, and by the decision of a parliament that had been assembled through a free and fair vote conducted under UN supervision. None of these conditions apply in Crimea.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, as part of their package of sanctions towards Russia, they intend to instruct Centrica to cancel their agreement with Gazprom to supply the United Kingdom with gas; and if so, what will be the consequences for United Kingdom gas supplies and energy prices.

    Baroness Verma

    The international community has sent a clear, strong, consistent message to Russia. The sanctions we have imposed to date are having an impact. The European Council is clear that it will respond with further wide-ranging measures if there is any further destabilisation in Ukraine by Russia.

    The contract between Gazprom and Centrica is a commercial matter. It relates to a small part of total gas supply to the UK. While the contract is with a Russian company, the gas can be sourced from anywhere in the European network. The UK is not dependent on Russian energy imports and this contract does not alter that.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the financial impact, in terms of percentage of United Kingdom food prices, of the United Kingdom’s participation in the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy; and what is their assessment of the overall effect on the United Kingdom economy if the Common Agricultural Policy were abandoned.

    Lord De Mauley

    The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development estimates that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) cost EU consumers approximately €16 billion in 2012 as a result of higher food prices. This equates to 4% of consumption expenditure on agricultural commodities (at farm gate prices).

    The Government does not have estimates of the effect of abandoning the current CAP programme. However studies are available from 2009 which estimated the impact of removing aspects of the CAP policies and budgets that were in place at the time:

    1) Modelling commissioned by Defra estimated the impact of phasing out direct payments in CAP and liberalising agricultural trade. The results vary by sector, ranging from a negligible impact expected on UK cereal production and prices to around a 25% reduction in beef prices and production.

    2) A European Commission study estimates the impact of eliminating direct payments and liberalising trade. The results showed a 6% reduction in land use and a 30% reduction in land prices across Europe. However the impact on agro-food production was modest and food price changes ranged from a 33% fall in beef, to just a 1% fall for milk and eggs.