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  • Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether landowners in the vicinity of Victoria Station have contributed to the cost of current upgrading work there; and if not, why not.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Arrangements for the funding of the Victoria Station Upgrade are the responsibility of Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor. However, I understand the scheme is funded by TfL, supported by a loan from the European Investment Bank.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to reform and improve the system by which noise associated with airports is measured in order to make it more closely aligned with systems used across Europe.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Under the Environmental Noise Directive, major airports in the EU including the UK are required to map for noise every 5 years using the same noise metrics.

    In addition, for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted the Environmental Research and Consultancy Department of the CAA map the average summer day and night exposure contours annually. Other Airports in the UK, may map for noise using metrics they think the most appropriate.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are plans to improve the Stansted Express service from Liverpool Street to Stansted airport; and if so, what are the details of those plans.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The current operator is engaged in discussions with Network Rail in regard to improving Sunday service provision to Stanstead Airport. And as we have stated in the East Anglia Stakeholder Briefing Document and Consultation Response, in the next long-term franchise Stansted will be served with an earlier weekday morning service, and other measures we have specified will improve both reliability and punctuality across the franchise including the London Liverpool St to Stansted services. We are also specifying a direct Norwich to Stansted service for the new franchise.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent recommendations in a report by Brake that local authorities need simplified powers to introduce 20 mph zones.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Local authorities have sufficient powers to introduce 20 mph zones. The Department issued revised guidance in January 2013 aimed mainly at traffic authorities who are responsible for setting local speed limits. This guidance was revised following full public consultation in Summer 2012 and is available online on GOV.UK

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) whether United Kingdom law complies with the judgment concerning the retention of fingerprints and DNA samples in S and Marper v United Kingdom [2008] ECHR 1581; and (2) whether the proposed retention of biometric data in Northern Ireland in the form of a snapshot” to be used by the expected Historical Investigation Unit will be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights and that judgment.”

    Lord Dunlop

    Following the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of S v Marper v United Kingdom [2008] ECHR 1581, the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 was passed to introduce a new legislative framework for the retention and destruction of biometric data (including fingerprints and DNA samples) taken under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) legislation in England and Wales and for material taken under UK wide terrorism powers. The Government believes that the new framework strikes the right balance between the rights of individuals under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the public interest in the prevention, investigation and detection of crime. In Northern Ireland, broadly similar provisions have been taken forward by the devolved administration in the Criminal Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2013. The relevant PACE (Northern Ireland) provisions, when brought into force, will ensure that the appropriate balance is also struck in respect of Northern Ireland.

    The Historical Investigations Unit, when established, must have access to historic evidence to support the investigation of past crimes, including relevant fingerprint and DNA evidence. The Government is satisfied that the proposal for the Historical Investigations Unit to access relevant biometric data is proportionate and, pursuant to the provisions of the Northern Ireland (Stormont House Agreement) Bill, sufficient restrictions on the retention of, access to and use of the data will be put in place to ensure compatibility with Article 8 of the European Convention.

  • Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what statistics are made publicly available on agricultural wages since the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Office for National Statistics publishes various agricultural wage statistics as part of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

    The latest statistical release containing agricultural wage rates is entitled “Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2014 Provisional Results.”

  • Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider extending the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator in order to deliver fair prices for dairy farmers.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The jurisdiction of the Groceries Code Adjudicator is defined by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice. The Code governs the commercial relationships between the ten largest UK supermarkets and their direct suppliers, and reflects the findings of the Competition Commission’s market investigation into the supermarket sector conducted between 2006 and 2008.

    The Government has no plans to extend the powers of the Adjudicator at this time. There will, however, be a statutory review of the performance of the Adjudicator next year in accordance with section 15 of the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013.

  • Baroness Jolly – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Jolly – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jolly on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many permanent members of staff are employed within the Human Trafficking and Kidnap Unit of the Metropolitan Police Service, and what staffing changes are envisaged in the next year.

    Lord Bates

    The Government takes modern slavery very seriously and the Modern Slavery Strategy sets out our approach to improving the law enforcement response. We expect individual forces to allocate adequate resources to tackling serious crime including modern slavery, within the overall level of funding available to them. However, decisions about the specific level of funding and staffing for specific units within the Metropolitan Police, such as the Human Trafficking and Kidnap Unit, are matters for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.

  • Baroness Jolly – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Jolly – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jolly on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding was allocated to the Human Trafficking and Kidnap Unit of the Metropolitan Police Service in (1) 2012–13, (2) 2013–14, and (3) 2014–15.

    Lord Bates

    The Government takes modern slavery very seriously and the Modern Slavery Strategy sets out our approach to improving the law enforcement response. We expect individual forces to allocate adequate resources to tackling serious crime including modern slavery, within the overall level of funding available to them. However, decisions about the specific level of funding and staffing for specific units within the Metropolitan Police, such as the Human Trafficking and Kidnap Unit, are matters for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.

  • Baroness Donaghy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Donaghy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Donaghy on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis they have carried out of the impact of the increase in School Direct and school-centred initial teacher training on the availability of placements for students on mainstream school-university programmes.

    Lord Nash

    The National College of Teaching and Leadership does not collect information on placements. These are negotiated between providers and schools as part of their partnership arrangements.