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  • Lord Browne of Belmont – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Browne of Belmont – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Browne of Belmont on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in reducing the levels of youth unemployment in Northern Ireland over the last three years.

    Lord Dunlop

    The Government is reducing the largest structural deficit in UK peacetime history and this more than anything will help deliver a sustainable economic recovery and so directly assist young people get into employment.

    The Government has also abolished employer National Insurance Contributions for under-21 year olds from April 2015 making it cheaper for businesses in Northern Ireland to employ young people.

    According to data from the Office for National Statistics, the number of unemployed 16-24 year olds in Northern Ireland has fallen by 5 per cent in the last three years.

  • Lord Browne of Belmont – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Browne of Belmont – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Browne of Belmont on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to improve support for children and young people with mental health problems.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Children and young people’s mental health is a priority area for this Government and it is committed to delivering the vision set out in Future in Mind, the report published jointly by the Department and NHS England in March 2015. This is supported by an additional investment of £1.4 billion over the course of this Parliament. A copy of Future in Mind is attached.

    Progress has been made on many of the key ambitions set out in Future in Mind. One significant development being that Local Transformation Plans (LTPs) for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing have been produced covering the full spectrum of mental health issues, from prevention to intervention for emerging or existing mental health problems. LTPs also address the full spectrum of need, for every clinical commissioning group (CCG) in the country. The Local Government Association have produced a spreadsheet giving details of LTPs. A copy of this spreadsheet is attached.

    Work is in progress to strengthen the capacity and capability of the workforce and to improve data and information in order to deliver the vision set out in Future in Mind by 2020. In addition, the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme is continuing to be rolled out across the country.

    Progress has also been made on making help and support to children and young people available online through the launch of an online hub for children and young people on the NHS Choices website and further investment made into a campaign to reduce stigma and discrimination as proposed in Future in Mind.

    All CCGs, working closely with their partners, have developed and submitted LTPs to transform their local offer for children and young people’s mental health. Plans cover the whole spectrum of services from prevention to intervention for emerging or existing mental health problems and address the full spectrum of need.

  • Lord Browne of Belmont – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Browne of Belmont – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Browne of Belmont on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a record is kept of persons employed in Northern Ireland whose primary addresses are in the Republic of Ireland, and what steps they have taken to ensure that such data are collected and updated regularly.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration from an employment is normally taxed in the country where it is earned, so the primary address of an employee is not relevant. As such the information is not held in the format requested.

  • 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 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Police and Crime Commissioners who are unsuccessful in seeking re-election in May will receive financial support from the public purse, as is the case with MPs who are unsuccessful in a General Election; and if so, how much.

    Lord Bates

    Police and Crime Commissioners who are unsuccessful in seeking re-election in May will not receive any direct financial payment from the public purse as a result. Police and Crime Commissioners are eligible to join the Local Government Pension Scheme and those that have done so may be able to access money paid into that scheme in line with its rules.

  • 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 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the purdah period begins in respect of the forthcoming elections of Police and Crime Commissioners.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The purdah period for Government departments in respect of the forthcoming Police and Crime Commissioner elections will begin on 14 April 2016.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wigley on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the respective responsibilities of the home nations’ tourism organisations following restructuring of VisitBritain, in particular regarding the attraction of overseas visitors to each of the four nations.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Tourism is a devolved matter, so it is for each of the home nations to decide on the structure and activities of their national tourist boards.

    The Government has decided that the British Tourist Authority should continue to trade as VisitBritain and VisitEngland – with VisitBritain focussed on the promotion of Britain overseas, and VisitEngland focussed on the development of English tourism product. VisitEngland will do this through a new £40m Discover England fund.

    Funding for British tourism will now be ring-fenced and the Government is committed to setting challenging targets for VisitBritain to encourage more visitors to explore beyond London. We are actively engaging with the Scottish and Welsh Governments on these targets and operating principles.

  • Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wigley on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have undertaken into the number of legal practitioners who will still be able to provide criminal legal aid services in England and Wales in the light of the decision to abandon proposals to reduce significantly the number of duty solicitors in those countries.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    All organisations who bid for own client contracts in 2015 will have the opportunity to bid for criminal legal aid work when we invite applications for replacement contracts later in the year. As my colleague, Lord Faulks, told the House on 28 January, a process of natural consolidation is already taking place in the criminal legal aid market, following the reduction in crime and natural competition.

  • Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wigley on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of holding a referendum in June on the UK’s membership of the EU on the elections to the National Assembly for Wales.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    As the Prime Minister has consistently said, what will determine the timing of the referendum is the outcome of the negotiation. The only deadline we have set is to hold the referendum by the end of 2017. The Government has made no decisions on the date, except to specifically rule out holding it on 5 May 2016 or 4 May 2017.

    As the Foreign Secretary has said – ultimately, the decision will be made by the House, as the date will be decided by a statutory instrument brought before it.

  • Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wigley on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on, or reciprocal measures that may be taken against, British nationals living in other EU member states arising from any steps taken to reduce the amount of child benefit paid by the UK to EU migrants in the UK that may be repatriated to the migrants’ home countries.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Details of the proposals for child benefit is subject to the ongoing negotiation.

  • Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Lord Wigley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wigley on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take in the light of the finding by Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate in its Thematic Review of the CPS Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Units that there are inconsistencies in the level of care provided to rape and sexual assault victims by Rape and Serious Sexual Offences units.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is continually committed to improving the prosecution of rape and serious sexual offences and the quality of the service the CPS provides to victims of these serious crimes. The Thematic Review acknowledges that the CPS has undertaken a considerable amount of work to prioritise the improvement of rape prosecutions and endorses the use of teams of specialist prosecutors to handle all rape and serious sexual offences cases. Ensuring the best possible service is provided to victims will continue to be at the heart of CPS improvement activity.