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  • Lord Birt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Birt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider exempting traditional windmills producing high-quality artisan flours from any obligations to introduce additives.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    In the UK iron, niacin and thiamin are added back by law to all UK milled flour (except wholemeal) to restore nutrients lost in milling. Flour milled in the UK is also fortified with calcium to reduce the risk of calcium deficiency, a condition associated with poor bone health and osteoporosis. The Government is currently considering requests to exempt certain minor flour uses from these mandatory fortification requirements. This exercise could be extended to consider exempting traditional stoneground mills producing low volumes of flour should a case be made.

  • Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the change, if any, in the number of households in the UK with a (1) UK-born, and (2) non-UK-born, Household Reference Person between 2010 and 2015.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the change, if any, in the number of households in London with a (1) UK-born, and (2) non-UK-born, Household Reference Person between 2000 and 2015.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Lord Kilclooney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Kilclooney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether levels of VAT in the UK can be reduced without the approval of the EU.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Member States have full autonomy over VAT within an agreed EU framework. Member States can apply a standard rate of VAT no lower than 15 per cent and apply a reduced rate of VAT no lower than 5 per cent.

  • Lord Lansley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Lansley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lansley on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of asylum claims resolved after six months were found to be well-founded in the latest period for which the statistics are available.

    Lord Bates

    In 2015 there were a total of 10,199 asylum claims which were concluded six months or more after their initial application date. Of these, 4,620 claims were found to be entitled to a grant of asylum based on a well-founded fear of persecution.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to setting a limit to how long individuals can be held at immigration removal centres.

    Lord Bates

    The Government does not believe that a time limit on immigration detention would be appropriate. Home Office published policy is centred on a presumption in favour of liberty. Depriving someone of their liberty is subject to careful consideration and scrutiny, with appropriate account taken of individual circumstances. The introduction of an arbitrary time limit could lead to the release of foreign criminals and illegal immigrants even when their removal is imminent. Home Office guidance is clear that detention must be used sparingly and for the shortest period reasonably necessary to achieve its purpose. Published statistics show that, in the year to December 2015, over 90 per cent of individuals leaving detention had been detained for no longer than four months.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take to improve the arrest and prosecution rates for racist attacks, abuse and graffiti on London’s rail network, in the light of the 650 incidents reported since 2013, resulting in only 13 arrests.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government considers the safety of people using the rail network to be of paramount importance. The British Transport Police (BTP) treats racially motivated hate crimes very seriously and a daily review takes place of every hate crime from the previous 24 hours. In line with the College of Policing’s National Hate Crime Strategy, BTP is working with partners to reduce hate crime and every crime is investigated in accordance with the College of Policing Guidance for the investigation of hate crime.

    In addition, the London Transport Community Safety Partnership (LTCSP), which brings together Transport for London (TfL), the police and other key stakeholders, is looking at this important issue at a strategic level to ensure a coordinated response. Both the BTP and the Metropolitan Police have stepped up operational activity to provide a visible, engaging, reassuring presence across the TfL network. TfL is also working with community organisations to engage with them on this issue and encourage reporting. TfL provides full support to the police for their investigations, through staff reporting and access to CCTV and oyster card data, to help bring any offenders to justice.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the fact that more than 50 per cent of pubescent girls under 10 in Cameroon are subjected to breast ironing”

    Lord Bates

    As set out in the Government’s new Violence against Women and Girls Strategy, we will continue to challenge the cultural attitudes that may underpin harmful practices, and ensure professionals have the confidence to confront these issues, safeguard victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

    We are clear that political or cultural sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing and uncovering brutal practices, including breast ironing. Where breast ironing is practised on girls it is child abuse and should be treated as such by all frontline professionals. The clear legal frameworks that apply to child abuse apply to breast ironing.

  • FALSE – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    FALSE – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of the practice of breast ironing” in Commonwealth countries of Africa

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government is aware of the harmful practice of breast ironing in some Commonwealth and other African countries. There is little reliable data on the number of girls suffering this form of abuse, but we strongly condemn violence against women and girls in all its forms.

    The Government places gender equality at the heart of our bilateral development programming and works through diplomatic and development channels to tackle the causes and drivers of violence against women and girls as a matter of priority. The manifestations of violence may change but it is critical to address the structural causes of violence, including harmful beliefs and attitudes.

    In Cameroon, Kenya and Nigeria we are continuing to engage with governments and local communities to support the rights of women and girls, including ending harmful practices which constitute violence against women and girls. In Cameroon our High Commission has been working closely with the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family on campaigns in coordination with local religious leaders, to raise awareness and support community-led change to end the harmful practice of breast ironing.

  • Baroness Sheehan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Sheehan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Sheehan on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many refugees have been brought to the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons scheme; how many of those refugees were children; and where within the UK those refugees have been dispersed.

    Lord Bates

    The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The next set of figures will be in the quarterly release on 26 May 2016 and will cover the period January – March 2016.

    Latest statistics published on 25 February 2016 confirms in 2015, a total of 1,194 people were resettled the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) including 1,085 who arrived in the last quarter of 2015. Of those resettled under the scheme in 2015, 605 were under 18 years old. Resettlement under the Syrian VPRS by local authorities is voluntary. It is a matter for each local authority to decide whether they want to publish the fact of their participation and the numbers of refugees they take.