The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date they first discovered that the funding formula for police forces in England and Wales was based on incorrect data.
Lord Bates
The Minister of State for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Victims made a statement to the House on Monday 9 November on this issue. Ministers were informed of this issue on Friday 6 November.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 24 November (HL3768), how local support for Police and Crime Commissioners to take responsibility for fire and rescue services in their areas will be assessed.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The recent consultation on enabling closer working between the emergency services detailed the proposed process for assessing local support where a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is seeking to take responsibility for fire and rescue services. This includes a requirement for the PCC to consult locally and, where the PCC and relevant local authorities are not in agreement, Ministers may seek an independent assessment on the merits of transferring fire and rescue to the PCC before making a decision.
The Government is still considering the responses to the consultation before the proposals can be finalised. The Government’s response to the consultation will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the activities of ticket resale websites.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
An independent Review has been established to consider consumer protection measures in relation to online ticket resales and will report by 26 May 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-16.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what testing for bovine tuberculosis has been conducted on badgers that were killed as part of the cull to eradicate bovine tuberculosis.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Badgers culled under licence in Somerset and Gloucestershire in 2013 – 2015 and Dorset this year were not routinely tested for tuberculosis (TB), since this research had already been carried out under the Randomised Badger Cull Trial (RBCT).
However, testing of badgers between 1998 and 2005 via the RBCT and Road Traffic Accident surveys provided evidence of the typical prevalence of TB in badgers in areas of high incidence of TB in cattle. TB was found in around one third of all badgers in these areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-01-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support Fairtrade Fortnight.
Baroness Verma
Fairtrade is trusted by consumers throughout the UK to enable the world’s poorest people to get a fair price for what they produce. Its leading role in the marketplace also makes it perfectly positioned to convene discussions of trade and development issues.
Over the last six years, the Department for International Development has invested £18 million into Fairtrade and it will be continuing this support by engaging enthusiastically with Fairtrade fortnight.
The Department is currently finalising a programme of events for this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight that will include DFID Ministers and expects to focus on raising awareness and discussions around food security for farmers in the developing world.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-03-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of approved planning applications for housing that have yet to be built.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
As at 1 March 2016, data provided to the department by Glenigan indicate that there were full planning permissions for 658,000 homes in England on sites on which work had either not yet started or completed. Of these around 55,000 (8 per cent) were on unstarted sites granted permission more than three years ago. Typically permissions for these homes will have expired.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-05-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what types of data they envisage bus companies outside London will have to make available under the provisions of the Bus Services Bill.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The provisions of the Bus Services Bill enable the creation of a single repository of information that could contain information about routes, timetables, fares and tickets, as well as live information about bus arrival times. The information would be open to the public and could be used by software developers to create, for example, information applications for mobile devices.
The detail of what information is to be provided, and in what format, will be developed through close consultation with bus operators, local transport authorities and potential users and will be included in secondary legislation subject to the affirmative procedure.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-05-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that the members of combined authorities are not all male.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Membership of a combined authority is a matter for the democratically elected councils in the area, or the area’s electorate in the case of a combined authority mayor.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for requiring manufacturers of all domestic white goods to put fire-proof markings on them, including the manufacturer, model and serial number, so that they can be identified more easily if they are damaged after causing a fire.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Under existing legislation, electrical products must be labelled with the manufacturer’s name and address, and a serial number or other identification mark.
The Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances and the London Fire Brigade are in discussion over whether there is any further requirement for fire-proof markings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the service provided by almshouses to local communities.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Almhouses have for many hundreds of years played, and continue to play, an important role in providing homes for those in need in communities across the country.