Tag: Baroness Whitaker

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2015-10-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which European Union directives apply to urban air pollution; and how each is enacted in United Kingdom law.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

There are two main pieces of European legislation applicable to urban air pollution:

• The Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe Directive 2008 (“the Directive”) applies to urban air pollution. It has been transposed in England by the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively, the Directive has been transposed by the Air Quality Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2010, the Air Quality Standards (Wales) Regulations 2010 and the Air Pollution and the Air Quality Standards Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010. The regulations reflect the legally binding limits set by the Directive for concentrations in outdoor air of major air pollutants that impact public health such as particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). The Directive requires the undertaking of air quality assessments and the reporting of findings to the European Commission annually. The UK has statutory monitoring networks in place to meet the requirements of the Directive, with air quality modelling used to supplement the monitored data.
• The National Emission Ceilings Directive (2001/81/EC) (NECD) sets limits on total annual emissions of key air pollutants (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and ammonia) to help reduce transboundary air pollution. The NECD is transposed into UK law by the National Emission Ceilings Regulations 2002.

There is also further legislation aimed at delivering specific reductions in emissions from certain areas of the economy, which for competitive or single market reasons has been set at European level. This includes:

• The Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU)
• The Sulphur Content of Liquid Fuels Directive (1993/32/EC)
• Petrol Vapour Recovery Directive (94/63/EC)
• The Quality of Petrol and Diesel Fuels Directive (98/70/EC)

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2015-10-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which authorities are responsible for the monitoring of urban air.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

In England, overall responsibility for monitoring ambient air quality lies with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In addition the Environment Agency is responsible for monitoring emissions from large and complex industrial processes in England. This function is undertaken by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency in Scotland, Natural Resources Wales in Wales and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern Ireland. Under the Local Air Quality Management System, local authorities are responsible for reviewing and assessing ambient air quality.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2015-10-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the impact of air pollution on the lung function of children in the London Borough of Lambeth.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Public Health England has not made any estimate of the impact of air pollution on the lung function of children in the London Borough of Lambeth.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-01-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Syrian Dom people will be included in the 20,000 refugees selected to be given refuge in the UK.

Lord Bates

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) identifies refugees for potential resettlement under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) scheme using its established vulnerability criteria. Although these do not include membership of a particular ethnic group, Dom people may qualify under the criteria, which include survivors of violence and/or torture and refugees with legal and/or physical protection needs. The scheme prioritises those who cannot be effectively supported in the region, and there are no quotas for the number of refugees that will qualify under each criteria.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider the work undertaken by Thames Valley Police in their newly published review of good practice in policing local Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities to be innovative; and what plans they have to encourage other police forces to undertake a similar approach to policy and practice in their areas.

Lord Bates

Equality and diversity are important – people across all communities want the police to fight crime while having confidence that their needs will be understood and respected.

The Government are pleased that Thames Valley Police have undertaken this piece of work which was co-authored by one of the Executive Directors of the national Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Police Association.

The Government established the College of Police as the professional body for policing to set standards, establish an evidence base for policing and disseminate what works.

It remains a matter for forces how they deal with issues to do with Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities. However, we would expect the College of Policing to make an assessment of effective policing practice and share effective and innovative practice where they find it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Chairman of Committees whether the House will provide further bicycle parking spaces, and if so, when.

Lord Laming

The House of Lords currently has 47 covered bicycle parking spaces in State Officers’ Court, 12 spaces in Chancellor’s Court and six spaces in Black Rod’s Garden. The House keeps opportunities to increase the number of spaces under review, and following completion of works on the Cast Iron Roofs and Chancellor’s Court, will consider again the provision of further bicycle parking spaces.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-03-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the account in the Equalities and Human Rights Commission’s report Is England Fairer? of the discrimination faced by Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, and how they propose to address this.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Government is committed to creating a fair society in which all people, of whatever ethnic origin or background, are able to participate fully in society and realise their full potential. The Government deplores racism in all its forms and is determined to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get on in life, free from harassment and fear.

The UK has a strong and well-established legal framework to combat discrimination and hate crime, which protects all individuals, including Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, from racial and other forms of discrimination, and racially motivated crime.

The Government is taking action to improve the situation of disadvantaged people, including Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, in a number of the areas of concern identified in the Equality and Human Rights Commission report. These include improving educational attainment and attendance; tackling bullying; improving access to healthcare; supporting people into work and keeping them there; tackling hate crime; and addressing the over-representation of ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-04-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to issue guidance to vets on how to proceed with the micro-chipping of dogs or horses when the owner is of no fixed abode, such as in the case of Gypsies and Travellers.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Owners of horses and dogs without a fixed address should provide the address of a family member or close friend with whom they keep in contact. Defra have worked with the veterinary representative organisations on their guidance for vets on microchipping of dogs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-04-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, where a dog or horse is being micro-chipped and its owner is of no fixed abode, such as in the case of Gypsies and Travellers, whether they have considered allowing a mobile phone number or address of a friend or relation of the owner to be recorded rather than the owner’s address.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Owners of horses and dogs without a fixed address should provide the address of a family member or close friend with whom they keep in contact. Defra have worked with the veterinary representative organisations on their guidance for vets on microchipping of dogs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what happens to horses seized under the Control of Horses Act 2015.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Under the Control of Horse Act 2015, if a horse that has been detained for a minimum 96 hours has not been claimed by the owner it may be sold, rehomed with charities or, where other options are not available, euthanised.