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  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-05-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the current political crisis in Brazil on the country’s stability and security ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The ongoing impeachment process in Brazil is a domestic issue for the people of Brazil and their elected representatives. We continue to follow developments closely. Preparations for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games are being led by the State and City of Rio de Janeiro. Experts from the London 2012 team have been working closely with the Rio 2016 authorities and we are confident they will deliver a successful Games.

  • The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2016-05-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to improve the reporting of fly-tipping on private land, since the publication of Defra’s 2010 report, Fly Tipping: Let’s cut it out.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-05-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the growth in private sector credit; the use of lending strategies by banks; payday lenders and peer-to-peer lenders; and risks to family finances and financial stability.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Private credit growth grew at 3.7% in the year to March, below the 2003-08 average of 11.5%. Industry sources such as Nesta estimate that peer-to-peer lending for consumers and business facilitated £2.4 billion of gross lending in 2015, 85% higher than in 2014. The volume of payday lending fell 35% in the first six months after the government transferred regulatory responsibility of the consumer credit market to the Financial Conduct Authority in April 2014.

    The government created the independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) to ensure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, and they have judged that financial stability risks from domestic credit growth are not elevated. The FPC has already taken action on loan-to-income ratios and mortgage affordability to ensure against risks from indebted households, and interest payments as a proportion of household income have fallen to a record low of 4.7% in Q4 2015, compared to 10.6% in Q1 2008.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-05-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are monitoring the lending practices of challenger banks” particularly with regard to their use of high loan-to-value ratios and low value-to-income ratios

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    This Government has fundamentally reformed the UK’s system of financial regulation.

    We established the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) to act as the UK’s macroprudential authority, tasked with identifying, monitoring and addressing systemic risks to financial stability. This involves monitoring levels of leverage, debt or credit growth of all banks active in the UK, including so-called “challenger banks”.

    In June 2014, the FPC took action to limit mortgage lending at high loan-to-income ratios; this action provided insurance against a rise in the number of highly indebted households.

    We also established the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) as the UK’s micro-prudential regulator, responsible for promoting the safety and soundness of the individual firms it regulates, through minimising the risk they pose to financial stability.

    The FPC’s latest assessment of financial stability risks from UK credit growth can be found in the record of its March 2016 meeting, which is available on the Bank of England’s website.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-05-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether British banks or the public purse could be compelled to participate in a scheme to rescue a failing bank based in the Eurozone to make a new contribution of equity, accept haircuts on assets or be forced into debt for equity conversions.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government has ensured that the UK will never be required to pay for any future Eurozone bail outs.

    The Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) requires Member States to put in place a bail-in tool, which will allow resolution authorities to write down liabilities in a failing bank and convert their debt instruments into equity. The BRRD represents an important step forward in ensuring that the EU effectively addresses the risks posed by the banking system.

  • Lord Palmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Palmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2016-05-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times the cross-department ministerial group to tackle illicit trade in tobacco has met since it was announced in the budget of March 2015; and whether they will set out the membership of that group, the issues that were discussed at each meeting and the intended outcomes.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The cross-department ministerial group to tackle illicit tobacco will meet for the first time later this month. This follows a number of productive meetings between officials in HMRC and other departments to identify the challenges and opportunities in the UK and internationally and determine a clear agenda for ministerial action. Further details on the group will be issued in due course.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 25 April (HL7391), whether the single stem cell line from the research project R0152 that was in preparation for depositing with the UK Stem Cell bank was derived following any form of nuclear transfer or pronuclear transfer.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the single stem cell line from the research project R0152, that was in preparation for depositing with the UK Stem Cell bank, was not derived following any form of nuclear transfer or pronuclear transfer.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that North Korean agents have killed the Korean-Chinese pastor Han Choong Yeol.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of the concerning reports surrounding the murder of Han Choong Yeol in the border region between China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. However, any investigation will be a matter for the Chinese authorities.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will raise with the Chinese authorities reports that North Korean agents entered Chiangbai and murdered the Korean-Chinese pastor Han Choong Yeol.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), to the Hon. Member for East Londonderry (Mr Campbell), on 9 May 2016 (PQ 36385), copied below for ease of reference:

    ‘I have no plans to raise this case with the Chinese Government. We have a regular dialogue with the Chinese about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which covers the effective implementation of UN sanctions to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons, and encouraging China to confront human rights violations by the North Korean regime, most notably the important principle of non-refoulement. I raised both points with Chinese Vice Minister Chen Fengxiang in December’.

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

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria are used by HS2 Ltd to challenge the locus standi of petitioners to the Lords Select Committee.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The rules relating to locus standi are set out in the Lords Standing Orders for Private Business 114-118 and the basis for our decisions was included in a note that accompanied the challenge notices sent to petitioners last week. The note explained that individuals or businesses whose property or interests are directly and specially affected by the scheme have locus. Therefore, petitioners who are listed in the Book of Reference, and whose property and interests may well be affected, have not been challenged. Local authorities on the route, who may have locus at the discretion of the Select Committee, have not been challenged, as they will represent issues pertaining to the inhabitants of their area. Individual petitioners have been challenged when their property or interests are not affected by the scheme or where this affect is not sufficiently different from that of the general public.

    Standing Orders also allow discretionary locus for groups representing amenity or recreational interests. Groups have only been challenged on the basis that they do not sufficiently represent amenity or recreational interests or other petitioners have a much stronger claim to represent such interests.

    The Government has also chosen not to challenge members of this House, where they are not directly and specially affected, in keeping with the approach taken in the Other Place.