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  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 15 December (HL3615), in respect of each retention instrument, what were the reasons for deciding not to transfer records to the National Archives, and what was the subject matter of each instrument.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    As set out in the Public Records Act 1958 (as amended), public records selected for permanent preservation are transferred toThe National Archives or an approved place of deposit no later than 20 years after creation, unless an department is authorised to keep them for longer. Such decisions are undertakenwithadvice from the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives.

    The Access to Public Records Manual published by the National Archives sets out the seven broad grounds for retention, which is attached.

    Retention instruments can cover multiple applicationsby departments to retain records and the number of applications covered by Lord Chancellor’s Instruments 111-119 ranges from 37 to 253, which were submitted by between 8 and 15 departments.

    The grounds provided by departments that were given permission to retain records under Instruments 111, 113, 114 and 119 are 1,2,4 and 6. Records under Instruments 112, 115, 117 and 118 were retained on grounds 1, 4 and 6 and records under Instrument 116 were retained on grounds 4 and 6. Each of the Instruments therefore covers documents retained on grounds of national security, as well as other administrative reasons.

    There is a strong public interest in not releasing information which could undermine the safeguarding of national security.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Northern Ireland Parades Commission can have its files and information accessed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Parades Commission for Northern Ireland is a specified public body under Part VII of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and subject to the provisions of the Act.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the case of children A and B in relation to Prism, heard on 10 December.

    Lord Bates

    The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) and any decision it makes are entirely independent of Government. The Home Office was not a named respondent in the case and we have made no assessment of the Tribunal’s decision.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for pressing the government of the Central African Republic to delay the planned election until there is confidence that that election can be held safely and that all eligible voters will be on the electoral roll.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government remains supportive of the elections planned for 27 December in the Central African Republic (CAR). This date has been agreed by the transitional government and the international community. Elections in CAR have already been delayed this year. Further delays would allow armed groups and spoilers to enhance their position and strengthen their rhetoric. There must be an end to the transition phase in order to secure a stable peace, and allow reconciliation to begin. By 16 November, when voter registration closed, approximately 95 per cent of the estimated electorate were registered, which is a significant success for the CAR transitional authorities. Out-of-country voter registration of Central African refugees and diaspora progressed more slowly, with approximately one third of the estimated refugee electorate registered. In the referendum on 13 December, judged a success by a UN Security Council assessment, many of CAR’s population turned out determined to vote. Through the international community, we will work to ensure that an elected president appoints an inclusive government representative of CAR’s population. Due to the commitment of the international community to the election date, agreement was found for some 300 extra UN troops to be provided to ensure security during the election period.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of evidence that Ugandan police, in the run-up to the election in February 2016, have used live ammunition to disperse opposition gatherings, and have committed other serious human rights violations.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    In our regular dialogue with the Ugandan government we stress the importance of protecting public order in a way that also protects the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. We are reinforcing that point with the Government of Uganda, bilaterally and with EU partners, in the run up to the February 2016 elections. The use of live ammunition by the Ugandan police to disperse crowds raises serious concerns about public safety.

    Peaceful exercise of freedoms of speech and assembly is fundamental to any democratic society and is provided for and protected under Uganda’s constitution. During his visit to Uganda on 15 December, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), underlined that it is vital for Uganda’s future that the elections in 2016 are credible, inclusive and transparent, and that they are underpinned by a respect for human rights. An EU election observation mission will be deployed to Uganda later this month.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 17 September (HL2043), when they expect to publish updated guidelines relating to lower-risk drinking.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Chief Medical Officer, with advice from a group of independent experts, has reviewed current drinking guidelines. The proposals will be published shortly.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they anticipate the review of unsafe product recall, chaired by Lynn Faulds-Wood, will be published.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The review of the UK unsafe product recall system chaired by Lynn Faulds Wood will be published soon.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the EU directives on asylum into which they have opted, and what are those from which they have opted out.

    Lord Bates

    Between 1999 and 2005, several measures harmonising common minimum standards for asylum were adopted. The six measures were the Dublin II Regulation, the EURODAC Regulation, the Temporary Protection Directive, the Reception Conditions Directive, the Qualification Directive and the Asylum Procedures Directive. The UK opted into all of these Directives.

    The Reception Conditions Directive, the Qualifications Directive and the Asylum Procedures Directives were later revised but the UK did not opt into the revised versions and remains bound by the original Directives.

    The Dublin II Regulation and EURODAC Regulation were also revised and the UK opted into the revised versions.

    The Temporary Protection Directive has not been revised and the UK remains bound by the original Directive.

  • Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many persons were paying National Insurance contributions in the most recent period for which data are available, and how many of those were citizens of the EU10 countries at the time they first registered for a National Insurance number.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    In 2012-13 it is estimated that 26.8m individuals are liable to National Insurance Contributions from earned income or self-employed profits across the different classes of National Insurance.

    This is estimated using the latest available outturn from the Survey of Personal Income (SPI) for 2012-13. The SPI does not contain information on the nationality of individuals in the sample.

    Calculating the number of individuals in 2012-13 who were paying National Insurance Contributions who were citizens of the EU when they first registered for a National Insurance number is complex and cannot be done quickly.However, HM Revenue and Customs are planning to produce more data early in 2016 on this issue.

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

    Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have taken since 2010 to reduce air pollution caused by traffic journeys to Heathrow airport and in its immediate vicinity, and what was the outcome of those measures.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    While the relevant local authority would be best placed to provide details on any specific measures, over recent decades, air quality has improved significantly. Between 2005 and 2013 emissions of nitrogen oxides have fallen by 38% and particulate matter has reduced by more than 16%. The Government is investing heavily in transport measures to reduce air pollution and since 2011 has committed £2 billion to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, support green transport initiatives and support Local Authorities to take action.

    On 17 December, we issued the UK plan for improving air quality. It sets out a comprehensive approach that will reduce health impacts and meet our environmental and legal obligations. It is available on the GOV.UK website.