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  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the rates of (1) misuse of postal votes, and (2) voting fraud, in the light of the recent local elections and the European Parliamentary elections.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The integrity of our elections is central to our democracy. The introduction of Individual Electoral Registration will make the electoral register more accurate and secure.

    The Government will carefully consider any findings by the Electoral Commission in relation to the elections held on 22 May 2014 to determine whether any further measures may be needed to support electoral integrity.

  • 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 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 17 June (WA 37), which third countries envisage joining the European Union; and what assessment they have made of the impact of further European Union enlargement, particularly on the financing of the European Union and migration.

    Baroness Warsi

    Six countries currently have been awarded Candidate Status by the European Union (EU). Of these, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey are currently in accession negotiations. Iceland has suspended its accession negotiations. Macedonia is a candidate country but has not yet opened accession negotiations. Last month, the European Council endorsed the decision to grant Candidate Status to Albania. Two further countries are recognised as potential candidates. These are Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo.

    The current governments of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have all publicly expressed an interest in joining the EU.

    The accession process is a lengthy one, involving detailed negotiation of 35 Chapters of the EU Acquis, with candidate countries required to adapt their administrative and institutional infrastructures and bring their national legislation into line with EU legislation in these areas. Financing of the EU and migration will be addressed at several stages in this process, notably in EU Common Positions and related impact assessments by the European Commission on Chapter 2 (Free Movement of Workers), Chapter 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security) and 33 (Financial and Budgetary Provisions). We welcome the emphasis that EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fule, has placed upon economic governance in the enlargement process, which should increase economic convergence between accession countries and the EU and reduce migratory pressures.

    The UK has not produced national impact assessments on EU enlargement in addition to the European Commission’s own impact assessments. As part of the Government’s review of the balance of competences with the European Union, however, reports are due to be published on enlargement and free movement of persons.

  • 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 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the event of Jean-Claude Juncker being appointed President of the European Commission, they plan to review their policy concerning continuing membership of the European Union.

    Baroness Warsi

    This Government is clear that membership of a reformed EU is in the UK’s interest. The EU must reform to become more competitive, flexible and democratically accountable, and work fairly for those in and outside the Eurozone.

  • Baroness Uddin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Uddin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Uddin on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 14 May (WA 522), why they do not intend to ring-fence monies identified by the Independent Living Fund as needed to meet the critical and substantial needs of recipients.

    Lord Freud

    The Government’s position on how local authorities manage their finances is clear; local authorities need to be allowed to meet their statutory responsibilities in a flexible and responsive way and the ring-fencing of funding prevents this. Allowing local authorities the flexibility to manage their budgets locally means they can respond to local needs and priorities to deliver more efficient services and better outcomes.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how much sand and gravel is used each year to protect the United Kingdom coastline.

    Lord De Mauley

    The Environment Agency holds this information locally and it would be disproportionately costly to collate the records to answer this question accurately in the time allowed.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the marine aggregate industry.

    Lord De Mauley

    The UK Marine Policy Statement (MPS) is the framework for preparing Marine Plans and taking decisions affecting the marine environment. The MPS sets out the policy objectives for key activities taking place in the marine environment. This includes an assessment of marine aggregate resources, potential impacts from extraction activities and issues for consideration by decision-makers. Within English waters marine aggregate extraction activities are regulated by the Marine Management Organisation.

    Government, regulators, The Crown Estate and the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA) have collaborated on an extensive programme of research (over £25 million in ten years) into understanding and minimising the environmental impacts of aggregates dredging. Following the completion of that programme BMAPA and The Crown Estate recently commissioned and published Aggregate Dredging and the Marine Environment – an overview of recent research and current industry practice. The report is available on The Crown Estate website at www.thecrownestate.co.uk

    The marine aggregate industry has and continues to engage constructively with Government and regulators in developing marine plans and licensing policy and Marine Conservation Zones.

    “

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with representatives of the haulage industry about improving the safety of cyclists and other vulnerable road users.

    Baroness Kramer

    There have been discussions with representatives of the haulage industry in a number of broader meetings. The meetings included the Commercial Vehicle Road Safety Forum, the Road Haulage Forum and a driver certificates of professional competence (DCPC) stakeholder meeting for the EU review. The subjects discussed included the potential for DCPC, vehicle design and enforcement to improve safety, including of cyclists and other vulnerable road users.

    Department for Transport officials have also attended meetings about vehicle construction and to develop a best practice standard for construction logistics. These have been in collaboration with the haulage industry and Transport for London, with the objective of improving road safety for cyclists and other vulnerable road users.

    The Department runs a Safety Sub Group of the Minister’s Cycling Stakeholder Forum. This includes members from the haulage industry, such as the Freight Transport Association, Road Haulage Association and Minerals Products Association.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential for greater use of Thames to move freight.

    Baroness Kramer

    Transport for London has assessed the potential use of the Thames and other waterways in their London Freight Plan.　 The Port of London Authority (PLA), the Mayor of London / Greater London Authority (GLA), Transport for London (TfL) and their partners in the public and private sectors have been working to encourage greater use of the Thames for the movement of freight, including that associatedwith infrastructure products in central Londonsuch as Crossrail, the Tideway Tunnel and Blackfriars Station.

    The Department for Transport’s Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme provides grants to assist companies with the costs associated with running inland water freight transport instead of road, where inland waterway is more expensive. Grant support is being provided for a freight service on the Thames between Denton and Silvertown.

  • Lord Eames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Eames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Eames on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Republic of Ireland on ways to encourage dialogue among Northern Ireland parties on the issues of flags, parades and dealing with the past.

    Baroness Randerson

    The Government is in regular contact with the Irish Government at ministerial and official levels on these issues. Both Governments strongly support an intensification of the parties’ negotiations and believe that finding an agreed way forward on these issues would be an important step forward for Northern Ireland.

  • Lord Eames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Eames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Eames on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to re-examine the proposals of the Consultative Group on the Past in the light of current circumstances in Northern Ireland.

    Baroness Randerson

    The Government continues to urge the Northern Ireland parties to engage in discussions about how to deal with the past. I would expect that the work of the Consultative Group on the Past would continue to provide useful material for consideration in these discussions. The Government has been clear that it will not seek to impose any solutions and continues to encourage political leaders in Northern Ireland to work towards an agreement.