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  • 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 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 10 February (HL4487), concerning the state of human rights in the Republic of Ireland, what steps they have taken to ascertain that the government of the Republic of Ireland is and has been carrying out those sections of the Belfast Agreement to which it agreed in 1998.

    Baroness Randerson

    I have nothing to add to my previous answer of 10 February to the Noble Lord.

  • 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 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officials work in each section of the Northern Ireland Office.

    Baroness Randerson

    The number of staff working in each business group of the Northern Ireland Office in January 2015, the latest period for which figures are available, is shown below:

    Business Group

    Number of Staff

    Senior Management

    6

    Business Delivery

    40

    Security and Protection

    31

    Legacy

    23

    Community Engagement

    15

    Economic Constitutional and Political

    19

  • 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 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 10 February (HL4725) relating to invitations to a briefing on 3 February about Northern Ireland, if such invitations were delivered why Lord Laird did not receive such communication; and why Lord Maginnis of Drumglass was invited only when he complained to the Northern Ireland Office; and whether they will supply a complete answer to the original question and list those Members of the House of Lords who were invited and explain why the question was not answered in full.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    Invitations to the briefing for Peers on 3 February were delivered to the House of Lords by a Northern Ireland Office official on 23rd January.

    Invitations were issued to the following Peers, including Lord Laird and Lord Maginnis of Drumglass:

    The Lord Alderdice

    Rt Rev the Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells

    The Lord Bew

    The Baroness Blood MBE

    Rt Hon the Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville CH

    The Viscount Brookeborough DL

    The Lord Browne of Belmont

    Rt Hon the Lord Browne of Ladyton

    Rt Hon the Lord Carswell

    Rt Hon the Lord Cope of Berkeley

    The Baroness Crawley

    The Lord Dubs

    Rt Rev the Lord Eames OM

    The Lord Empey

    The Lord Feldman of Frognal

    The Lord German OBE

    The Lord Glentoran CBE DL

    The Baroness Harris of Richmond DL

    The Lord Hay of Ballyore

    The Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill

    The Lord Hylton

    Rt Hon the Lord Kilclooney

    The Lord King of Bridgwater

    The Lord Laird

    The Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC

    The Lord Lexden

    The Lord Lyell DL

    The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

    The Lord McAvoy

    Rt Hon the Lord Mawhinney

    Rt Hon the Lord Mayhew of Twysden QC DL

    The Lord Morrow

    The Baroness O’Cathain OBE

    The Baroness O’Loan DBE

    The Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve CBE FBA

    The Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale

    General the Lord Ramsbotham GCB CBE

    Rt Hon the Lord Reid of Cardowan

    The Lord Rogan

    Rt Hon the Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

    The Lord Shutt of Greetland

    Rt Hon the Baroness Smith of Basildon

    Professor the Lord Smith of Clifton

    Rt Hon the Lord Tebbit CH

    The Lord Temple-Morris

    Rt Hon the Lord Trimble

    The Lord Willis of Knaresborough

    The list has been compiled of Peers known to be from Northern Ireland or who have shown an interest in its affairs, primarily through Parliamentary business or correspondence.

    Any Peers not included on this list who have an interest in Northern Ireland Affairs are invited to contact the Northern Ireland Office to be added to future invitations.

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

    Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether road safety targets are at present set for local authorities; and, if not, whether they have considered reinstating them.

    Baroness Kramer

    The Government has not set road safety targets for local authorities, and is not considering reinstating them. However, local authorities are free to set their own targets if they find this useful.

    The fact that the Government has not set a target does not mean that it does not consider road safety to be a high priority. The strategic framework includes forecasts of the casualty numbers that we might expect to see through to 2030 from the measures implemented by Government, and the actions of local authorities.

    While we believe that previous road safety targets have been useful we do not consider that over-arching national targets are necessary for road safety in Great Britain. This is because we do not believe that further persuasion is needed on the importance of road safety. We expect central and local government to continue to prioritise road safety and continue to seek improvements.

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

    Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 10 February (HL4677), in the light of the change in franchisee and the expectation of more changes, what steps they are taking to ensure that there are sufficient luggage space and catering facilities for the anticipated use of those trains.

    Baroness Kramer

    The interior of the Intercity Express Programme is designed flexibly so that it can be adapted to meet different traffic conditions in the future. Operators have been fully engaged in this process. We continue to work very closely with them on the train, including catering provision.

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

    Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 9 February (HL4678), whether the rise in suicides on the railway has been analysed by area, age group, sex and ethnicity of those who died.

    Baroness Kramer

    Details of suicides by area (route), age group and sex are recorded by the rail industry but not ethnicity.

    The relevant information is held by RSSB (formerly the Rail Safety & Standards Board) and is analysed to provide evidence to support the development and implementation of the industry’s suicide reduction programme.

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

    Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to define national standards for the creation of Low Emission Zones so that in future most vehicles are able to enter such zones.

    Baroness Kramer

    Low Emission Zones (LEZs) are one of a number of measures that can help improve air quality, particularly in urban areas. Introducing LEZs is a decision for local authorities. Government has already provided guidance to local authorities on the design of LEZs, such as which vehicles should be covered and what emissions standards they should meet. The Department for Environment and Rural Affairs is currently working with a small number of local authorities who are examining the value of introducing such schemes.

    Government is revising its air quality plans in relation to compliance with EU air quality standards. As part of this we are reviewing all feasible measures including the role of a national framework for LEZs. We will be consulting on revised air quality plans later in the year.

  • – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take following the recent report of Passenger Focus, Ticket to Ride”

    Baroness Kramer

    To coincide with the publication of Passenger Focus’s report, ‘Ticket to Ride – an Update’, the Government commenced a consultation on 3 February 2015 on changes to the process for administering penalty fares appeals. The consultation closes on 27 April 2015. A copy of the consultation document is attached.

  • Baroness Whitaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Whitaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recommendations made in the report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons of February 2014 reviewing the monitoring of Gypsy, Romany and Traveller prisoners.

    Lord Faulks

    I welcome the report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, People in Prison: Gypsies, Romany and Travellers.

    Meeting the needs of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) prisoners has traditionally been challenging due to very low declaration rates. To address this, and to improve the support received by them, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has carried out work to increase the confidence of these prisoners to declare their ethnicity.

    In March 2014, NOMS implemented a new tool to monitor various outcomes for prisoners against a range of protected characteristics, including GRT prisoners. This has proved to be successful and declaration rates have increased. The tool allows NOMS to better understand where gaps in services for GRT prisoners are, and for services to be commissioned where appropriate.

    NOMS has worked closely with organisations such as the Friends Family and Travellers and the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain to provide information to staff and prisoners regarding best practice when working with GRT prisoners.

    The Youth Justice Board (YJB) commissioned and jointly published (with HMIP) the report: ‘Children and Young People in Custody 2012-13: An Analysis of 12-18 year olds’ perceptions of their experience in secure training centres’. This was the first published annual summary of children and young people’s self-reported experiences and perceptions from surveys carried out with young people in each of the four Secure Training Centres (STCs). The YJB will continue to commission these reports and monitor the findings from this survey in future years to gain a better understanding of the representation GRT young people within STCs.

  • Lord Tebbit – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Tebbit – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 5 February (HL4559), whether they consider it to be in the interests of the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union in its existing form of membership.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK’s membership of the European Union brings many benefits to the UK, including jobs and investment, free access to the largest common market in the world and a strong collective voice to negotiate free trade agreements. EU Membership also gives the UK greater international influence on global threats such as climate change and Ebola. The Government’s position remains clear: the EU must reform to become more competitive, democratically accountable and fair for those inside and outside the Eurozone. The need for reform is widely recognised among EU Member States and the Government has already shown that it is possible, through our success in cutting the EU budget, reforming the Common Fisheries Policy, reducing the burden of EU regulation on business and ending the UK’s bailout obligations.