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  • Lord Harrison – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Harrison – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for large occupational defined contribution pension schemes to be active owners or stewards of their assets, in line with the definition of stewardship as outlined in the Financial Reporting Council’s Stewardship Code.

    Lord Freud

    The Government supports the principles set out in the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) UK Stewardship Code including schemes becoming active stewards of their investments and reporting on that stewardship. The Code sets out a number of areas of good practice to which the FRC believes institutional investors should aspire, and operates on a ‘comply or explain’ basis. It includes guidance for pension schemes and other asset owners on steps they can take to protect and enhance the value that accrues to the ultimate beneficiary. The FCA requires UK authorised asset managers to report on whether or not they apply the Code.

    The UK stewardship code is voluntary, however we would encourage workplace pensions schemes to comply with the principles set out in the code. In addition we are developing governance standards of workplace defined contribution schemes, and have asked the Law Commission to investigate how fiduciary duties currently apply in the investment chain. The Pensions Regulator’s defined contribution Code of Practice also sets out the legal requirements and standards they expect trustees of defined contribution schemes to attain. This includes a section on investment which also references the FRC Stewardship code. These initiatives are part of our on-going work to ensure schemes are governed and administered to deliver in members’ interests.

  • Lord Harrison – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Harrison – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent steps they have taken to ensure that information on the engagement activities of pension funds and other institutional investors with investee companies is made fully accessible.

    Lord Freud

    The Government supports the principles set out in the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) UK Stewardship Code including schemes becoming active stewards of their investments and reporting on that stewardship. The Code sets out a number of areas of good practice to which the FRC believes institutional investors should aspire, and operates on a ‘comply or explain’ basis. It includes guidance for pension schemes and other asset owners on steps they can take to protect and enhance the value that accrues to the ultimate beneficiary. The FCA requires UK authorised asset managers to report on whether or not they apply the Code.

    The UK stewardship code is voluntary, however we would encourage workplace pensions schemes to comply with the principles set out in the code. In addition we are developing governance standards of workplace defined contribution schemes, and have asked the Law Commission to investigate how fiduciary duties currently apply in the investment chain. The Pensions Regulator’s defined contribution Code of Practice also sets out the legal requirements and standards they expect trustees of defined contribution schemes to attain. This includes a section on investment which also references the FRC Stewardship code. These initiatives are part of our on-going work to ensure schemes are governed and administered to deliver in members’ interests.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is being done to reduce the number of cyclist deaths on United Kingdom roads.

    Baroness Kramer

    I refer the Noble Lord to my answer of 24 Feb 2014, Official Report, column WA170 (HL5360). Since my answer we have launched the THINK! campaign on 24 March 2014.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to support the proposed European Union regulations on the sale of seeds, plants and plant material.

    Lord De Mauley

    The Government does not support the proposed European Union regulation on the sale of plant reproductive material as currently drafted. The future of the proposals is uncertain following rejection by the European Parliament.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Jordan concerning reports of Palestinian refugees being held under harsh conditions in Cyber City refugee camp in northern Jordan.

    Baroness Northover

    We are in regular contact with the Government of Jordan about refugees in Jordan, including Palestinian refugees.

  • Lord Ezra – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Ezra – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ezra on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect a demonstration plant for carbon capture and storage to be in operation in the United Kingdom.

    Baroness Verma

    The first commercial scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Plants in the UK are being brought forward through the Government’s CCS Commercialisation Programme. The Government has set aside £1 billion to support the first CCS projects in the UK, and is investing around £100m now to take two innovative projects forward into the detailed engineering and design phase known as FEED.

    The Peterhead and White Rose FEED studies have now commenced. We have taken time to develop a detailed FEED programme that will deliver the outputs necessary to take a final investment decision with confidence. The companies involved will take investment decisions in late 2015, with Government taking decisions shortly after. We expect projects to be under construction as soon as possible after the necessary consents and financing are in place.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the recovery of benefits through the Mesothelioma Support Scheme will yield; and what assurances they can give that some of this money will be spent on research for a cure for mesothelioma.

    Lord Freud

    Benefit and lump sum payments that were made in respect of mesothelioma will be recovered from the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) payment in the same way as they would be recovered from other compensation payments. The latest Impact Assessment for the DMPS dated 10 March 2014 estimates that the recovery of benefits in the first 10 years of the Scheme, to 31 March 2024, will be £72m.

    The issue of research is not directly a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions; however we have worked closely with the Department of Health to make progress in this area. This work has included setting up a partnership to identify mesothelioma research priorities which will lead to the National Institute for Health Research turning priorities into fundable research questions and to encourage applications from the research community. In addition the National Cancer Research Institute has a workshop planned on 02 May 2014 to discuss and develop new proposals for mesothelioma studies. The Government has established robust systems to ensure that funding is provided to the highest quality research bids. The work that the Department of Health is taking forward will support researchers in producing these bids and ensure that funding is allocated in a way that best supports sufferers of this terrible condition.

  • Lord Tyler – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Tyler – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what UK Border Agency controls are in place for entry into the UK from Jersey, Guernsey and Sark.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    There are no physical border controls in place for those entering the UK from Jersey, Guernsey or Sark. Jersey, Guernsey and Sark are part of the Channel Islands. The UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland collectively form a common travel area (CTA). Under Paragraph 15 of the UK Immigration Rules a person who has been examined for the purpose of immigration control in one part of the CTA does not normally require to be examined on arrival into any other part of the CTA.

  • Lord Tyler – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Tyler – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK Border Agency staff are permanently deployed in Jersey, Guernsey and Sark.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    There are no Border Force Officers deployed to Jersey, Guernsey or Sark.

    Jersey has its own Customs and Immigration Service. Guernsey has an Immigration, Nationality and Passport Department. Both islands have their own immigration rules.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to ensure that petrol filling stations are not too far apart.

    Baroness Verma

    DECC published a report from Deloitte LLP in December 2012, which considered long term changes to the retail market for road fuels in the UK, and the implications of these changes to our energy resilience. This market has changed significantly over the last decade. However, the findings of this report do not suggest that the changes to the size and shape of the retail market for road fuels have had significant impacts on the UK’s ability to be able to respond to supply disruptions or that these have significantly reduced the access of UK motorists to a local supply of fuel. The report found that in 2011, 98% of postcode sectors had a petrol filling station within 10 minutes drive, and 92% had more than two within the same travel time.

    Decisions on the location of individual petrol filling stations are for local planning authorities.