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  • Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any occasions on which an operational Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier will leave home waters without a fixed-wing air group embarked; and what will be the minimum viable size of that air group.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    The composition and size of the embarked air group in a deploying Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier will be tailored to meet the required task.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Foreign Secretary last met the Spanish Foreign Minister to discuss Gibraltar; and whether there are any plans to do so again in the near future.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has regular discussions with his Spanish counterpart. While they have not yet met to discuss Gibraltar directly, the Foreign Secretary made clear the Government’s well-known position on Gibraltar to the Spanish Foreign Minister in writing when he took office last year. The Foreign Secretary hopes to visit Spain soon and would certainly raise Spain’s policy towards Gibraltar when he does. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), frequently raises Gibraltar when he speaks to his Spanish counterpart, as do other Government ministers. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon), recently raised unlawful incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters when speaking to Spanish Defence Minister, Pedro Morenés. We stand by our commitment never to enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another State against their wishes. And we will not enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content. Ministers and officials continue to make this position clear to the Spanish government.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the threat posed by Islamist military action in Nigeria.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Nigeria faces a serious threat from Boko Haram. We believe that more than 4000 people were killed by the group last year in north-east Nigeria. The UN estimates that over 1.5 million people have been displaced by terrorist activities and at least 3 million have been affected by the insurgency.
    Addressing the threat from Boko Haram is primarily the responsibility of the Nigerian authorities. However, the UK, along with other international partners, is providing support to Nigeria and its neighbours in their efforts to defeat Boko Haram. This support includes a range of intelligence, military and development assistance, both to support current operations and to help tackle the long term causes of instability.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about the alleged harassment by armed soldiers of refugees from the Kobane region of Syria at a camp near Suruç, Turkey.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of reports of alleged harassment of Syrian refugees at a camp near Suruç, Turkey. We have not made representations on these specific allegations, but maintain regular dialogue with Turkey on the humanitarian situation in the region. We recognise the challenges facing Turkey because of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq and appreciate the Turkish government’s considerable humanitarian efforts in the region. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Turkey is now hosting more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees and a further 200,000 Iraqi refugees.

  • Lord McFall of Alcluith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord McFall of Alcluith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord McFall of Alcluith on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to promote (1) increased competition, and (2) the levying of fair fees and commissions, in the private pensions industry.

    Lord Freud

    The Government and regulators have introduced a package of measures, including establishing Independent Governance Committees to improve governance in contract based pension schemes, improved governance standards for trust based schemes and the introduction of a 0.75 per cent cap on charges in the default funds of schemes used for automatic enrolment. Subject to Parliamentary approval, these changes will come into effect from April.

    The Government is also banning a number of charges which are no longer appropriate in the context of automatic enrolment into workplace pensions. From April 2015, we will extend the existing ban on consultancy charging to all contract-based schemes used for automatic enrolment. Likewise, adviser commission and Active Member Discounts, which penalise those who stop contributing or leave their employer and move jobs, will be banned in all schemes used for automatic enrolment from April 2016. We are also introducing measures to improve transparency throughout the value chain in the workplace pensions market and expect that this will lead to increased competition on costs and charges to the benefit of the consumer.

    The recent pensions flexibility reforms are also an opportunity for the retirement income industry to develop new products that meet the evolving needs of consumers. The new flexibility will help consumers choosing to select an annuity or another option to access their pension savings to get a better deal in a more competitive market place. The shape of the market will now be driven by the choices consumers make, placing power back into the hands of savers.

    Furthermore, as of the end of December, over 5.1 million workers have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension. This is having a significant impact on the private pensions market and by 2020, we estimate that automatic enrolment will have generated an additional £8 to £12 billion a year in workplace pension saving. The growth in this market is supporting strong competition between providers and schemes.

  • Lord McFall of Alcluith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord McFall of Alcluith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord McFall of Alcluith on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the charges, fees and commissions paid by consumers in relation to private pensions are transparent.

    Lord Freud

    The Government is committed to improving the transparency of costs and charges in workplace pension schemes. The Government’s Command Papers ‘Better Workplace Pensions: Further measures for savers’ and ‘Better Workplace Pensions: Putting savers interests first’ published in March and October 2014 set out a range of measures including a cap on charges in default fund arrangements, a ban on inappropriate charges and proposals to introduce minimum governance standards and improve transparency across workplace defined contribution schemes.

    The Government has recently consulted on draft legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will introduce new requirements on trustees to improve the transparency of costs and charges in occupational schemes from April 2015. Under these new requirements, trustees will be required to annually report on costs and charges for the first time. Similar rules are to be introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority to require the newly formed Independent Governance Committees to report on costs and charges in workplace personal pension schemes.

    Later this year we will consult on ways to build on this first phase of enhanced transparency, to meet our duties under the Pensions Act 2014 requiring information about transaction costs to be disclosed to members of workplace pension schemes, and the publication of costs and charges information. The FCA also intends to consult on amending its rules to with a view to introducing equivalent enhanced transparency provisions for workplace personal pension schemes during 2015.

  • Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report by the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups, Civil Society Monitoring on the Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in the United Kingdom in 2012 and 2013, and the report Overcoming barriers by Ofsted, what plans they have to encourage local authorities to appoint leaders to drive forward strategies to improve outcomes for Roma school students.

    Lord Nash

    Local authorities have an important role to play in promoting better outcomes for Roma pupils. They are best placed to determine how to organise their local arrangements to support these pupils and should consider issues highlighted in the reports referred to by the noble Lady.

    To support local authorities, the Department for Education funded two local authorities to trial a ‘virtual headteacher’ for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils, with responsibility for supporting schools to promote better outcomes for this group. The effective practice identified has been circulated to every local authority.

    The Department will work with its Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Education Stakeholder Group, chaired by the noble Lady, to discuss ways for all the parties to encourage local action to improve provision and pupils’ outcomes.

  • Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the conclusions of the report by the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups Civil Society Monitoring on the Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in the United Kingdom in 2012 and 2013, launched on 2 December 2014; and what steps they plan to take in response to that report’s recommendations.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    I refer the noble Lady to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Housing and Planning (Brandon Lewis) on 5 January 2015, UIN reference 218133, and my answer to the noble Lord Avebury on 11 November 2014, Column WA36.

  • Lord Davies of Stamford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Davies of Stamford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Davies of Stamford on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the functionality, reliability and resilience to cyber-attack of the Autonomic Logistics Information System for the F35 aircraft.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    The F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) has been designed to be resilient against cyber-attack and will be the subject of testing throughout the life of the programme. The ALIS capability has been used by the UK since 2012 to support the aircraft operating in the US and has not experienced any reliability issues and nor have the other partners.

    In terms of resilience and business continuity, this is being ensured via the ALIS network architecture being installed at Main Operating Bases and deployed locations, which include the Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers.

  • Lord Boswell of Aynho – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Boswell of Aynho – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Boswell of Aynho on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each government department, from January to June 2014, (1) on how many occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution in the House of Lords was overridden, (2) on how many occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution in the House of Commons was overridden, and (3) in respect of how many documents an override occurred in (a) both Houses or (b) either House.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government seeks to avoid breaching the Scrutiny Reserve Resolutions, continuing to account for overrides in writing to the Committees. The European Union Committee’s Report on 2013-14 (House of Lords Paper 6) published on 1 July 2014, recognised that continued positive engagement between the Committee’s secretariat and Departments has seen the number of overrides fall significantly since 2010, noting that many of the overrides that continue to be recorded relate to sensitive and fast-moving foreign policy matters, which cannot be made public beforehand, and where a scrutiny override may be difficult to avoid. That remained the case in the period January-June 2014 where of the 25 overrides across both Houses, 21 were in this category in the House of Lords and 22 in the House of Commons. During this period, 476 Explanatory Memoranda were submitted.

    The figures requested are set out below:

    Department

    (1). House of Lords Override

    (2). House of Commons override

    (a). No. of overrides in both Houses

    (b). Total no. of overrides

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    19

    21

    19

    21

    Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    4

    2

    2

    4

    Totals

    23

    23

    21

    25