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

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice and guidance has been provided by Public Health England in relation to the commissioning and performance management of prison healthcare service for prisoners diagnosed with Hepatitis C or identified as being at risk of developing Hepatitis C.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Public Health England (PHE), NHS England and the National Offender Manager Service (NOMS) have worked together to improve the diagnosis of blood-borne viruses (BBVs) (including Hepatitis C) among people in prison and to provide access to treatment and care for those infected through collaborative implementation of the BBV opt-out testing programme, published in the National Partnership Agreement in 2015. A copy of the Agreement is attached.

    PHE has published detailed expert advice to commissioners and prison healthcare services on all aspects of implementation of BBV opt-out testing, including testing and treatment algorithms. Further, PHE has supported dissemination of guidance through a programme of training and engagement events in partnership with the voluntary sector. PHE has co-developed with NHS England and NOMS a set of performance metrics called the Health & Justice Indicators of Performance (HJIPs) to provide data on the number of people tested, the number requiring treatment and those referred for treatment which supports commissioners in performance management of prison healthcare services.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to develop specific long-term targets to protect the public from the health impacts of aircraft noise.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Health impacts associated with aviation noise are already factored into policy appraisal where there is relevant robust evidence, including monetisation of these costs where this is possible.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to establish an Independent Aviation Noise Authority to participate in the planning and monitoring of proposed airport expansion in the South East of England, and of airport operations generally.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government is considering carefully the recommendation from the Airports Commission to establish an Independent Aviation Noise Authority. Any decision to take forward such a body would be subject to consultation on its detailed functions.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to begin consulting on the night noise regime for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports for the period beyond 2017.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government is currently assessing the evidence base required to review the current night flight restrictions and we will publish our proposals for the period after October 2017 later this year.

  • Lord Truscott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Truscott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Truscott on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any part of the proposed HS2 rail line is to be built on a flood plain.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Given HS2 is a national infrastructure project of over 350 miles, HS2 does currently plan to cross floodplains. For Phase One, the assessment of all sources of flood risk can be found in Volume 5 of the Environmental Statement. For Phase Two, flood risk is detailed in the Appraisal of Sustainability.

    HS2 Ltd has a design aim that, for the lifetime of the development, there should be no increased risk of flooding for vulnerable receptors, including residential property, taking projected climate change impacts into account. The design of HS2 does consider the practicalities of a range of environmental factors, including flooding.

  • Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the role of district councils in two-tier areas in the maintenance of drainage systems, the prevention of local flooding, and action when flooding occurs.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    District councils have several responsibilities and powers in relation to flooding and land drainage. These include powers to carry out flood risk management works on ordinary watercourses, powers to make bye-laws to manage flood risk in the authority’s area from ordinary watercourses and to secure the efficient working of a drainage system in the authority’s district or area. Those in coastal areas are also Coastal Protection Authorities.

    District councils are also responsible for a set of civil protection duties for emergencies. Plans are regularly reviewed and tested as part of local exercise arrangements.

    Defra commissioned an independent evaluation into the arrangements for managing local flood risk under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The evaluation has now concluded and will be published in due course. One of the areas the evaluation explored was partnership working between the Lead Local Flood Authority and other risk management authorities, including district councils.

  • Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effects of the current funding levels of (1) the Environment Agency, (2) lead drainage authorities, and (3) district councils, on (a) small scale flood alleviation schemes, (b) preventive and regular maintenance of drainage systems, and (c) the ability of these bodies to respond to emergencies.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Government confirmed in the Spending Review that the Environment Agency’s maintenance budget would be protected, in real terms, over the life of this Parliament.

    Under the Land Drainage Act, internal drainage boards assess how much funding they need in order to carry out works and then charge this to rate and levy payers accordingly. Internal drainage boards receive funding from agricultural rate payers in their drainage district and from district and unitary authorities via a special levy which they place on those bodies.

    The Government provides funding to lead local flood authorities to carry out their duties under the Flood and Water Management Act but local authorities decide what to spend on drainage and flood prevention according to local priorities. As part of a consultation on the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2016-17, the Government has proposed protecting this funding in real terms over the life of this Parliament.

  • Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have commissioned or have plans to commission a review of the activities and achievements of the Big Society programme since its inception; if so, who is conducting this review and when it will report and to whom; and if not, why not.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Big Society programme remains a key manifesto commitment for the Government. The 2015 Spending Review saw this commitment reaffirmed with, for example, funding for the National Citizen Service increased to over a £1 billion creating the next generation of community minded volunteers. An additional £100 million in funding for Social Impact Bonds has also been pledged to reduce demand on public services. These programmes are helping to create a stronger, more engaged nation where people and neighbourhoods are able to take greater responsibility with improving the country.

    These programmes are regularly reviewed and reports are publicly available.

  • Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current status of the Big Society programme; which department and Minister is responsible for it; what projects are currently active; what is the budget for each of those projects; what changes have taken place to the programme since the general election; and what procedures are in place to report to Parliament on the programme.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Big Society programme remains a key manifesto commitment for the Government. The 2015 Spending Review saw this commitment reaffirmed with, for example, funding for the National Citizen Service increased to over a £1 billion creating the next generation of community minded volunteers. An additional £100 million in funding for Social Impact Bonds has also been pledged to reduce demand on public services. These programmes are helping to create a stronger, more engaged nation where people and neighbourhoods are able to take greater responsibility with improving the country.

    These programmes are regularly reviewed and reports are publicly available.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, on 13 January (HC Deb, col 845) in which he states that the Northern Powerhouse stretches from north Wales to Newcastle”

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The Northern Powerhouse is part of the Government’s long-term economic plan to rebalance growth across the regions of the UK and enable the north to be greater than the sum of its parts. The exact extent of the North in the context of the Northern Powerhouse is not prescribed by the Government. The Northern Powerhouse and devolution are locally-led and it is for the local areas of the North to decide on the extent of their involvement.