Tag: Lord Kennedy of Southwark

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-03-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the comments of Chief Executive NHS England, in response to the sugar tax announcement in the budget, that sadly soft drinks are now our children’s largest single source of diabetes-inducing teeth-rotting excess sugar.””

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The evidence behind the comments from Simon Stevens, Chief Executive NHS England, comes from the Public Health England report ‘Sugar reduction: the evidence for action’ published in October 2015.

The PHE report states that soft drinks are the largest single source of sugar for children and teenagers in England, and that consuming too much sugar can lead to weight gain, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers. It is also linked to tooth decay.

This is why at Budget 2016, the Chancellor announced a new levy aimed at the producers and importers of added sugar soft drinks. The levy is designed to encourage companies to reduce the amount of added sugar in soft drinks and move consumers towards healthier choices. The levy will from part of a wider comprehensive childhood obesity strategy which the government launch in the summer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to require bus operators to make buses disability friendly.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Single deck buses designed to carry over twenty two passengers on local and scheduled routes must already comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR), including incorporating a designated wheelchair space and boarding facilities, priority seating and colour-contrasting hand-holds. Double deck buses must comply by the 1^st January next year, and coaches by 2020. As at 2014/15, 95% of buses in England were low floor or had an accessibility certificate, compared to 80% in 2009/10.

Positive driver interactions and accessible on-board information also make a big difference for many disabled passengers. We are developing best practice guidance on providing disability awareness training for drivers, and have supported innovative approaches for providing next stop information on-board vehicles.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-09-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to require manufacturers of household appliances to make publicly available the risk assessments they carry out on their appliances.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

We have no plans to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to have an ambassador and diplomatic presence direct to the EU after the UK implements Brexit, in addition to individual diplomatic missions to the remaining EU member states.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government would expect to retain diplomatic representation both to the EU and to its member states after the UK has left.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Turkmenistan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Turkmenistan is featured as a Human Rights Priority Country in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Human Rights Report – a clear indication of our continuing concern about the human rights situation in the country. We continue to call for the Turkmen Government to move forward with its reform programme, to secure full the implementation of the national human rights action plan, and to create an effective human rights ombudsman in order to give effect to the individual rights and freedoms set out in the newly adopted Constitution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people owned their own home in each year from 1997 until the last year for which records are available.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The numbers of owner occupier households in England, estimated from DCLG’s English Housing Survey, are provided in the table below

Number (000s) of owner occupied households, 1997 to 2013-14: England

Source: English Housing Survey https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/469214/2013-14_Section_1_Households_tables_and_figures_FINAL.xlsx

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland was advised of the impact on the criminal offence of breach of official duty as a result of the changes relating to the correction of procedural error made by the Northern Ireland (Elections) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2015.

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 effects of turning off street lights in the early hours of the morning by some local authorities.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Decisions about street lighting are primarily for elected local councillors, reflecting local circumstances and views. The Government has not made an assessment of the effects of turning off street lights in the early hours of the morning by some local authorities.

However, a research study – The effect of reduced street lighting on road casualties and crime in England and Wales : controlled interrupted time series analysis – by R Steinbach et al, in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health published in July 2015 on the effects of street lighting on road safety and crime in England and Wales (attached) found little evidence of harmful effects of switch off, part-night lighting, dimming, or changes to white light/LEDs on road collisions or crime.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the UK’s current CPI and RPI inflation rates.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

CPI inflation was 0.1 per cent in November 2015 and RPI inflation was 1.1 per cent. Low inflation is being driven by falling food and energy prices, and we continue to see a combination of low prices, rising pay packets and record high employment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timetable for the Transport for London and Department for Transport partnership to take control of the suburban rail routes in London.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

We are going to work with Transport for London (TfL), local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnership and others over the next few months to set up the Partnership announced on 21st January 2016 but the timetable for the formation of the partnership has yet to be agreed.

Depending on responses to the Prospectus and being able to agree satisfactory terms, transfers of the suburban services could take place when franchises end (the dates are as per the prospectus). We are exploring with TfL whether a separate business unit can be created for South West Trains.