Blog

  • Lord Taylor of Goss Moor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Taylor of Goss Moor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Goss Moor on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 September (HL2163), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the letter of July 2015 from the Minister of State for Farming, Food and Marine Environment to the government of Japan on the United Kingdom’s opposition to their ongoing coastal hunts and continued programme of lethal scientific research on cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises); and also a copy of any reply received.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    A copy of both the letter and the response received will be placed in the Library of the House. These are also attached for reference.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce a British fuel efficiency test for all motor vehicles sold in the United Kingdom which exactly simulates real driving conditions and which does not use a rolling road nor overinflated tyres.

    Viscount Younger of Leckie

    We will continue to work with the EU to produce testing that more accurately reflects real world driving conditions. The current laboratory test – the New European Test Procedure – is expected to be replaced in 2017 with a new test – the World Light duty Test Procedure – that will more closely replicate the design of modern vehicles and the way they are driven.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace since 1995 in relation to the promotion of diesel engine cars.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    There have been numerous contacts between government departments and both Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth since 1995. The information on representations made is not readily available and it would be disproportionate to fully retrieve it.

    I can however confirm that in the last month representations to more than one government department have been made by the organisations raising concerns regarding the possible promotion of diesel engine cars.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the removal of the passports of British Jihadists who have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq, in order to prevent their return to the United Kingdom.

    Lord Bates

    The Government has long-standing powers under the Immigration Act 2014 to deprive persons of their British citizenship if such deprivation is deemed ‘conducive to the public good’, for instance if a person has been involved in threats to national security, war crimes, serious and organised crime or unacceptable behaviours such as glorification of terrorism.

    Deprivation of British citizenship results in simultaneous loss of the right of abode in the United Kingdom. Once deprived, an individual becomes subject to immigration powers and can be deported or removed from the UK or prevented from returning to the UK if deprivation action occurs whilst they are abroad.

    In addition under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, the Home Secretary may impose a temporary exclusion order on a British citizen suspected of involvement in terrorism-related activity outside the UK. The individual’s passport would be cancelled, but the individual may return to the UK in accordance with a permit to return.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what range of sanctions is available to use against British Jihadists returning to the United Kingdom after fighting in Syria and Iraq; and whether they will encourage the police to use them.

    Lord Bates

    People seeking to travel to engage in terrorist activity in Syria or Iraq should be in no doubt we will take the strongest possible action to protect our national security. If they return to the UK they should expect to be subject to a police investigation. Whether a prosecution for an offence can be pursued in individual cases is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.

    The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act, which received Royal Assent on 12 February 2015, has added to existing powers by disrupting the ability of people to travel abroad to engage in terrorism-related activity and controlling their return to the UK; enhancing our ability to monitor and control the actions of those in the UK who pose a threat; and combating the underlying ideology that feeds, supports and sanctions terrorism.

    In addition, the Government has powers under the Immigration Act 2014 to deprive persons of their British citizenship if such a deprivation is deemed ‘conducive to the public good’, for instance if a person has been involved in threats to national security, war crimes, serious and organised crime or unacceptable behaviours such as glorification of terrorism. Deprivation of British citizenship results in simultaneous loss of the right of abode in the United Kingdom. Once deprived, an individual becomes subject to immigration powers and can be deported or removed from the UK

  • Baroness Gardner of Parkes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Gardner of Parkes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gardner of Parkes on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is an authority that has the right to inspect properties with regard to the number of people living in the property; and what power that body has to act.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Local authorities have powers under Part 10 of the Housing Act 1985 to tackle overcrowding. They can inspect a property to determine the number of people who are living there and have powers to take action against landlords of overcrowded properties on a tenant’s behalf, such as serve a notice to abate overcrowding.

    In addition the Housing Act 2004 introduced the Housing Health and Safety Rating System which is designed to assess the presence and severity of a range of hazards in the home, such as excess cold, fire, crowding and space. This allows action to be taken by local authorities, such as issuing an improvement notice, against individual properties which are substandard or dangerous.

  • Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the cost of the right to buy discount for housing association tenants is expected to be each year until 2020; what assessment was carried out on the projected costs of discounts; and whether they will place any such research in the Library of the House.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Government has been clear that the sale of high value vacant council housing will pay for the cost of compensating housing associations for the discount, so the Right to Buy will be cost neutral.

  • Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the average right to buy discount is expected to be for housing association tenants outside London; and whether they will break this data down by local authority area.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Working with the National Housing Federation, the Government has secured an historic agreement with housing associations to give their tenants the opportunity to buy their home with Right to Buy discounts equivalent to those enjoyed by Council tenants, up to a maximum discount of 70% of market value, or £77,900 (£103,900 in London), whichever is lower. This will deliver the manifesto commitment to extend the benefits of Right to Buy to 1.3 million housing association tenants.

  • Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the National Federation of Housing and the Local Government Association regarding funding the right to buy for housing association tenants.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Government regularly meets the National Housing Federation and Local Government Association to talk about a number of issues.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Uzbekistan concerning Mr Muhammad Bekzhanou.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our Embassy in Tashkent raised Mr Begjanov’s case with the Government of Uzbekistan last year and, together with our EU colleagues, we have called for his release as part of an annual amnesty granted by the Uzbek authorities. We plan to raise Mr Begjanov’s case again with the Uzbek authorities in the coming weeks. More broadly we have raised with the Uzbek authorities our concerns about the use of a provision of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code to impose additional sentences for violation of prison rules such as in the case of Mr Begjanov and various other prisoners.

    We have longstanding concerns about the overall human rights situation in Uzbekistan. Our Embassy in Tashkent raises these issues at every appropriate opportunity with the Uzbek authorities and funds projects that support good governance and human rights. We also continue to encourage further progress towards full implementation of Uzbekistan’s international human rights commitments.