Tag: Lord Laird

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 9 February (HL5480), why that answer does not list (1) the precise dates in 2007 on which the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference met; (2) the specific topics discussed on each date; (3) who attended each meeting; and (4) what actions were taken as a result of each meeting.

Lord Dunlop

The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference met on one occasion during 2007, 26 February in Dundalk. This was the last time that the body met.

Details of Ministerial attendees and the topics discussed were published in a Joint Communiqué between the two Governments. A copy of this has been placed in the Library (along with copies of all other Joint Communiques published since 1998).

Although a range of issues were discussed, no formal actions were listed. The focus however at the time was the drive towards devolution and the Conference urged all political leaders to act with courage and determination in order to attain this. Assembly elections subsequently took place in May 2007.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-03-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to reduce the noise level of motorbikes travelling on public highways.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

There are already a number of measures in place to control motorcycle noise with manufacturers required to meet strict noise limits which are then enforced by the police and through the annual MOTs. There are currently no plans for further measures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Leader of the House, further to the Written Answers by Lord Dunlop on 24 March (HL7079) and 22 January (HL4982), what guidance she has given to the Northern Ireland Office about answering questions fully and substantially, and in particular providing definitions as requested.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston

The position has not changed since I answered the Noble Lord’s question HL6043 on 17 February. That answer is included below for your ease of reference and I have nothing further to add to this.

As Leader of the House, I regularly stress to departments the importance of giving full and timely answers to Questions for Written Answer. The content of each answer is a matter for the Minister concerned, and each Minister is responsible to the House for the answers they provide. That direct accountability is important: that is why Ministers in this House must provide personally signed answers to members.

The Ministerial Code says that “It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament”. It also makes clear that “Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public, refusing to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest”. In addition, there is a longstanding rule of this House that all answers should be complete and comprehensible. I shall continue to make this guidance clear to all Ministers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-10-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they owe the government of the United States for activities in the First World War; what are the repayment arrangements; and when the repayments will be completed.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The United Kingdom owed around £850 million to the United States for activities in the First World War. However, in 1931 the United States proposed a temporary moratorium on all War debts, to allow for negotiations on debt repayment. Following negotiations, no satisfactory agreement was reached and as such, repayments were cancelled between the United Kingdom and United States. The last repayment from the United Kingdom to the United States for debt from the First World War was made in the financial year 1932-33.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what non-disclosure agreements the Ministry of Defence made in 2003–04, and on what date each agreement was made.

Earl Howe

The Ministry of Defence does not hold a central record of non-disclosure agreements and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-12-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Dunlop on 27 November (HL3723) and 8 December (HL4130), whether those answers include all security personnel who served in Northern Ireland but are not from Northern Ireland.

Lord Dunlop

I have nothing further to add to my earlier responses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government who supervises and audits public funding of universities in the UK.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

Responsibility for higher education is devolved.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has responsibility for oversight of the higher education sector in England.

For Higher Education Institute’s that receive HEFCE funding, the individual HEI’s external auditor is required to provide a statement in their audit report that public funding has been used for the purposes for which it was provided. HEFCE also seeks a range of other accountability returns from each HEI and carries out periodic ‘HEFCE Assurance Reviews’ of all HEIs.

Similar arrangements are in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. BIS is responsible for “alternative HE providers”, which includes some private universities, who are not in receipt of funding from HEFCE.

Individual public bodies (such as Government Departments and Research Councils) are separately accountable for any public funding that they distribute.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether membership of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe requires them to regard all citizens in the UK to be equal and thus requiring equal treatment by law.

Lord Dunlop

In the UK, The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has many commitments that recall that all persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have an agreement or understanding with the IRA that there will be no attempts to stop or bring to court its members on charges relating to tax fraud or tax terrorism in South Armagh.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Genomics England is familiar with the Broad Institute’s database and it is one of a number of data sources that will be included in their clinical interpretation process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Republic of Ireland owes the UK as a result of loans made during the recent financial crisis, and what are the arrangements for repayment of those monies.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

I refer the noble Lord to the most recent statutory report which the Treasury provided to Parliament as required by Section 2 of the Loans to Ireland Act 2010. The last report was laid in Parliament on 26 April 2016 and is available in the Printed Paper Office.