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  • Lord Patel of Bradford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Patel of Bradford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patel of Bradford on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in implementing the proposed voluntary agreement with housing associations regarding the extended right to buy, how they will safeguard the land interests of charities that have been acquired by charitable donation.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Under the voluntary agreement with the National Housing Federation, there will be a presumption that housing association tenants will have the right to purchase their home at Right to Buy level discounts, but associations will not be obliged to sell particular properties where there are reasons why this would not be in the interests of their operations.

    This includes housing associations exercising discretion over the sale of properties provided through charitable or public-benefit resources or bequeathed for charitable or public-benefit purposes, and in the possession of the housing association before it became registered under the Housing Act 1974 (or later equivalent legislation).

  • Lord Lexden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Lexden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the sale of the playing fields of over 100 schools since 2010 on the physical fitness of young people.

    Lord Nash

    The Government does not approve the sale of playing fields but assesses applications from schools and local authorities to dispose of them. A disposal can include a lease of the playing fields to a third-party commercial organisation with the fields, following investment and improvement, continuing to be used by the school.

    It is neither the government nor the Department for Education that instigate the disposal of playing fields. It is the local authorities, academies or schools that seek consent to convert these often surplus or un-used fields to enable them to invest in school sport or education. However, there is strict control in place which requires an assessment of the facilities available to pupils. The government will only give permission to dispose of school playing fields if it is clearly demonstrated that they are surplus to requirements and the sports and curriculum needs of the school and its neighbouring schools will continue to be met.

    Since any approved disposal would not impact on the provision of the sports curriculum at the school/s, no follow up studies on the sale of playing fields has been undertaken.

  • Lord Lexden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lexden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that local electoral registration offices in England and Wales work closely with schools, as has been done in Northern Ireland, to increase the number of young people registered to vote.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in Great Britain already work with their local schools and colleges to identify and register young people.

    In a report before the start of the current canvass of electors in Great Britain, the Electoral Commission called on all EROs to update their local public engagement strategies for the canvass. The Commission noted that strategies should reflect the activity EROs intended to carry out to target under-registered groups, such as attainers.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 2 November (HL2703), what duty they have, if any, to enable First Tier Tribunals to deal with asylum and immigration cases fairly and within a reasonable time.

    Lord Faulks

    The Lord Chancellor has responsibility for ensuring an effective and efficient system of tribunal administration. This duty encompasses the First-tier Tribunal. The Lord Chancellor must also uphold the continued independence of the judiciary and in doing so have regard to their need to have the support necessary to enable them to exercise their functions.

    HM Courts & Tribunals Service has allocated additional court time in place between December 2015 and June 2016 to ensure current waiting times do not increase for the tribunal user.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role the Secretary of State has in ensuring that the law of defamation in Northern Ireland is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

    Lord Faulks

    As set out in my Written Answer HL2680 on 30 October 2015, under the Human Rights Act 1998 (section 6), all public authorities are under a duty to act in compliance with the Convention rights set out in that Act. As the law on defamation in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter, it is for the Northern Ireland Executive, in considering its policy on the subject, to reach a view on whether the policy under consideration is compatible with the Convention rights.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they next plan to consider the case for further consultation on caste discrimination.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    We are currently considering the need for a consultation on caste discrimination. This is part of our wider consideration of the implications of the Tirkey v Chandok tribunal judgments.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 15 July (HL Deb, col 575), whether they will clarify how the judgment in Tirkey v Chandhok has changed the law on caste discrimination.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The judgment suggests there is an existing legal remedy for claims of caste-associated discrimination, under the ‘ethnic origins’ element of Section 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent UN Commission of Inquiry report on human rights abuses in Eritrea under President Isaias Afwerki.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We recognise the important work of the UN Commission of Inquiry and are concerned by their findings on human rights in Eritrea, in particular reports of arbitrary detention, and shortcomings in the rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms. At the Human Rights Council in July, we supported an extension of the Commission’s mandate so that it can continue its work.

    We regret that the Commission has been unable to visit Eritrea and therefore had to rely on witnesses who are outside of Eritrea and whose testimony may have been based on first-hand experience of Eritrea some time ago. We have made clear to the Government of Eritrea that it must improve respect for human rights and honour its international obligations, including allowing the Commission access.

  • Baroness Harris of Richmond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Harris of Richmond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Harris of Richmond on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of cross-border smuggling between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and how many prosecutions for such smuggling have been recorded in the past five years.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The government is committed to tackling the fraudulent evasion of duty. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) records statistics for excise offences in Northern Ireland by regime; hydrocarbon oil, tobacco and alcohol. It does not separate out those involving smuggling between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

    By their very nature these offences can include cross border aspects and HMRC works closely with the Revenue Commissioners in the Republic of Ireland to disrupt criminal activity connected with these goods. This includes regular exchange of intelligence, joint operational activity and the gathering of evidence for use in criminal prosecutions.

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the difficulties associated with the insulation of external walls of traditional terraced housing and other older properties with solid walls rather than cavity walls, and whether they are supporting, or will support, research into practical solutions for insulating such walls.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The Government has a number of ongoing projects to investigate issues surrounding solid wall insulation, including monitoring current installation practices (DECC), modelling the risks of unintended moisture-related problems (DCLG and DECC), preparing practical guidance for industry to reduce the risks of such problems (DECC) and a wider high-level study of solid wall insulation issues (BIS – the Hansford report, to be published on 12 November).

    The Government recognises that it is important that we do more and that is why we have commissioned Dr Peter Bonfield to undertake an Independent Review into Consumer Advice, Protection, Standards and Enforcement for both energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Review is due to report in March 2016 and represents a real opportunity to put energy efficiency on a more consumer-focussed and sustainable long-term path for the future.