Blog

  • Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 10 March (HL6471), when they were informed of the NHS England plan to introduce a sugar tax on its premises by 2020.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We have a range of conversations about key issues at Ministerial and official level with NHS England. NHS England is independent and the decision on a sugar levy on the National Health Service estate is a matter for them operationally. We are interested to see the results of their consultation on a sugar levy.

    The Childhood Obesity Strategy will be published in the summer.

  • Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, Mr Mike Penning, on 17 December 2015 (HCWS426), when they will be able to provide further details on the allocation of the £38 million of New Transformation Funding to incentivise and facilitate transformation in policing, to invest in cross-force specialist capabilities, to exploit new technology and to improve how the UK responds to changing threats.

    Lord Bates

    The 2016/17 police funding settlement includes new transformation funding to incentivise and facilitate transformation in policing.

    As set out in the Minister for Policing, Fire, Criminal Justice and Victims’ Written Ministerial Statement of 4 February which accompanied the 2016/17 Final Police Grant Report, the indicative size of New Transformation Funding in 2016/17 is £37.8 million.

    Detailed plans are being developed and more information will be provided in due course.

  • Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the terms of reference of the Police Reform Group; when it was established; what is its composition; and whether it is in receipt of public funds.

    Lord Bates

    The Police Reform and Transformation Board is a non-statutory governance board which first met on 23 February 2016. It has been established and supported by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to provide strategic oversight and impetus to police transformation.

    Funding of the Board is a matter for the NPCC and APCC. Further information is available from the APCC and NPCC http://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/new-board-set-up-to-oversee-further-police-reform

  • Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the death of an American tourist and the wounding of several citizens by a Palestinian in Tel Aviv on 7 March, whether they will press the leadership of the Palestinian Authority to condemn that, and other similar incidents, and to reduce incitement to violence.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We regularly urge the Palestinian leadership to do more to condemn violence. Most recently our Consul General in Jerusalem had a meeting on 9 March with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Hamdallah where we raised our concerns on incitement.

    The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), issued a press statement on 9 March following the recent increase in violence, condemning the attacks on civilians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    We regularly raise incitement with the Palestinian Authority, and have urged key figures to encourage calm and condemn violence. We continue to support the reinstatement of the Tripartite Committee on Incitement as the appropriate channel to deal with allegations of incitement from either side.

  • Lord Renwick of Clifton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Renwick of Clifton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Renwick of Clifton on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any discrepancy between the net migration numbers and the number of EU citizens registering for the first time for National Insurance in the UK.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Lord Renwick of Clifton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Renwick of Clifton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Renwick of Clifton on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether it is appropriate for Scottish MPs to vote on trading hours in other parts of the UK.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    MPs from all parts of the United Kingdom can vote on all legislation before the House of Commons. The introduction of English Votes for English Laws has given English MPs a greater say over matters affecting England only. However, clause 33 of the Enterprise Bill, which related to Sunday trading laws, included provisions that extended to Scotland meaning that Scottish MPs were rightly entitled to vote at every stage in the legislative process.

  • Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the process by which the World Anti-Doping Agency informs athletes of the drugs added each year to the list of banned substances.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    WADA issues communications to a range of stakeholders to ensure that everyone knows the timeframes by which the Prohibited List is published and when it takes effect. This information is freely available on WADA’s website.

    In the UK, Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel receive information about changes to the Prohibited List through communications from UK Anti-Doping. This is done via the respective National Governing Bodies of sport in advance of the changes coming into place, as well as through information given on the UK Anti-Doping website, social media channels and the Clean Sport App.

    However, it is ultimately the responsibility of athletes and their support personnel to be aware of the annual changes to the Prohibited List.

  • Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the announcement that Maria Sharapova has failed a drug test for a substance introduced to the banned substance list this year, whether they will take steps to ensure that the World Anti-Doping Agency guarantees that all of its athletes, including those representing the UK, are fully aware of the drugs that are added to that list each year.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Both the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) take the matter of athlete communication and education very seriously. However, it is ultimately the responsibility of athletes and their support personnel to be aware of the annual changes to WADA’s Prohibited List.

  • Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the consumption of microplastics on human health.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    No such assessment has been made.

  • Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of microplastics from toiletries and detergents on aquatic life.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Microplastics from cosmetic products make up a very small percentage of the total of microplastics entering the marine environment, with estimates ranging from 0.01% to 4.1%. Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of microplastics in the marine environment. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report for this project is currently undergoing peer review.