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  • Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to maintain warship building capability in the UK and what are their preferred locations for doing so.

    Earl Howe

    The Government has appointed Sir John Parker as the Independent Chair of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, which is intended to place UK shipbuilding on a sustainable long-term footing. Sir John Parker will consider a range of locations around the UK and report by the end of 2016.

  • Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the establishment of (1) the Royal Navy, (2) the Army, and (3) the Royal Air Force, and how many vacancies there are in each service.

    Earl Howe

    The requested information, as at 1 March 2016, is provided below:

    Service

    Liability (establishment)

    Full-time trained strength

    Deficit (vacancies)

    Royal Navy/Royal Marines

    30,220

    29,730

    480

    Army

    83,580

    79,840

    3,740

    Royal Air Force

    33,150

    31,000

    2,150

    Note: All figures are rounded. Totals and sub-totals are rounded separately and may not equal the sums of their rounded parts.

    Full details of liabilities and trained strengths are included in the UK Armed Forces Monthly Service Personnel Statistics, which can be found at the following address:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-monthly-service-personnel-statistics-2016

    “

  • Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees what are the implications of the vote in the House of Commons on 20 April in favour of retaining vellum for the printing of record copies of public Acts of Parliament.

    Lord Laming

    The House Committee considered this matter at its meeting on 3 May. The Committee agreed that, in response to the letter from the Clerk of the House of Commons about the debate, I should write to the Chairman of the House of Commons Administration Committee in the following terms:

    “I am writing further to the backbench debate on printing record copies of public Acts of Parliament on vellum. I have consulted the House of Lords House Committee in preparing this reply.

    As you know, this House agreed in 1999 to move to printing Acts of Parliament on archival paper instead of vellum. We are persuaded that printing on archival paper is a more appropriate use of public funds, and that the case for continuing to print on vellum is not made.

    If, in the light of the debate, the House of Commons wishes to arrange a contract for printing record copies of public Acts on vellum then the House of Lords Administration will gladly share experience of managing the legacy contract to assist you in making any such arrangements. I am sure you will appreciate that this House does not wish to contribute financially to any future printing on vellum. It is also important that we ensure the longevity of any public Acts, as the Clerk of the Parliaments must certify a record copy of them.

    Perhaps at our next regular meeting it would be possible for us to discuss some of the points made in the debate. I am, as ever, grateful to you for all your help in this matter.”

    I wrote accordingly on 4 May.

  • Lord Rowe-Beddoe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Rowe-Beddoe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rowe-Beddoe on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of costs incurred by them in connection with the recent visit of the President of the United States.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    It is long established Government policy not to comment upon matters of personal protective security and their associated costs. Disclosure of such information could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent data from Begbies Traynor showing that the number of British manufacturers that are struggling financially has risen by 20 per cent.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    We have not made an assessment of this report. The UK has some of the best manufacturing in the world, and we are focussed on a competitive tax regime and supporting science and innovation to make the UK an even better place to do business. There are a number of global headwinds which are currently placing significant pressures on UK manufacturing, making it more important than ever that we stick to our long term economic plan for sustainable growth.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the claim by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that the proposal to stop collecting data on the wealthiest 1 per cent in the UK would lead to their wealth being underestimated.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government is not proposing to stop collecting data on the wealthiest 1 per cent in the UK.

    HM Revenue and Customs consulted on a proposal to cease producing statistics on personal wealth based on Inheritance Tax returns. The consultation suggested that the Office for National Statistics’ estimates of personal wealth, based on the household Wealth and Assets Survey, give a better indication of the overall distribution of wealth.

    The Government has not yet published a formal response to the consultation, which has now closed.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK, along with the other countries that have committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, delivers clean water for all by 2030.

    Baroness Verma

    In the UK Aid Strategy published in November 2015, we committed to help 60 million people get access to clean water and sanitation in support of goal 6 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    We will achieve this target through projects managed by our Country Offices, the Department for International Development offices based in the UK and through our contributions to multilateral organisations such as the World Bank. We will continue to invest in country and regional programmes to improve water resources management, water efficiency and improve water quality.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent claims by the President of the United States that the UK leaving the EU could cause severe consequences to UK and US trade.

    Lord Price

    The Government has assessed that the total volume of UK trade with the world would be between 9% and 24% lower after 15 years if the UK left the EU.

    If the UK withdrew from the EU we would no longer benefit from the trade agreement the EU is negotiating with the US. Negotiating a replacement agreement would take years as the US would almost certainly want to conclude its negotiations with the EU first before deciding whether to enter into separate negotiations with the UK.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to promote Bristol as a location for small businesses with an eco-agenda.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Supporting our cities to grow is a key part of the Government’s long-term economic plan. As such Government departments are working together to support UK businesses by creating an effective business environment that allows them to flourish.

    An example of this work can be seen in the Bristol City Deal. As part of this deal the Government agreed to provide over £2m towards creating Invest in Bristol and Bath, a dedicated service established to attract investment to the region. In its first year of operation, Invest in Bristol and Bath helped 30 new companies locate or expand in the West of England area. This has the potential to deliver more than 530 new jobs by 2017.

    Building on the Bristol City Deal, the recently announced West of England Devolution Agreement sets out further ways in which Government will work with the planned West of England Combined Authority to support business growth across the city-region.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the obligations upon member states of the EU include any duty to observe the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The EU is not itself a party to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Any agreement for the EU to accede would need to be agreed unanimously by all EU Member States (including the UK) and all other contracting parties to the ECHR.

    Our renegotiation deal reaffirmed that the Charter of Fundamental Rights does not extend the ability of the Court of Justice of the European Union or domestic courts to rule on compliance with fundamental rights.