Tag: Lord Kennedy of Southwark

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of UK GDP is spent on science and research in the UK, and how that figure compares with other countries in the EU.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The UK invested 1.7% of GDP in research and development in 2013, compared to an EU28 average of 1.9%.

The UK has a world-class science and research base and achieves a high rate of return for its investment. With 0.9% of global population, 4.1% of researchers and 3.2% of R&D expenditure, the UK accounts for 6.4% of articles, 11.6% of citations, and 15.9% of the most highly cited articles. We are the most productive science base in the G7, and rank first amongst comparable major research nations for Field Weighted Citations Impact.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the decision was taken to lay the Northern Ireland (Elections) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2015 on 2 November, and which Ministers were involved in taking the decision.

Lord Dunlop

Northern Ireland Office Ministers took the decision to lay the Northern Ireland (Elections) (Amendment) (No.2) Order 2015 on 30 October 2015, following discussions with Ministerial colleagues at the Cabinet Office. Northern Ireland Office officials began work on the Order in May 2015, although work was delayed by the department’s focus on the Northern Ireland Talks process. The Minister of Justice in Northern Ireland was advised of the impact of the proposed changes relating to procedural error by letter on 31 July 2015. The Chief Electoral Officer expressed support for the proposed content of the Order in meetings in June 2015. The Electoral Commission was consulted on the Order on 1 October 2015. As the Explanatory Memorandum to the Order sets out, there are significant differences in the systems operating in Northern Ireland and Great Britain and a one size fits all approach is not justified.

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 co-operation between highway authorities and statutory service providers who need to dig up the highway and footway to maintain, repair and replace their services.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the co-operation between highway authorities and statutory undertakers.

However, section 59 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 places a duty on local highway authorities to co-ordinate works on the highway and section 60 provides a mirror duty on statutory undertakers to co-operate with them in that role.

Additionally the Traffic Management Act 2004 introduced the Network Management Duty which requires local authorities to manage their networks with a view to making the most effective use of them. The 2004 Act also introduced permit schemes, which enable highway authorities to have a more proactive role in the management of their road networks.