P A R L I A M E N T A R Y D E B A T E S (HANSARD) HOUSE OF ... · 9/13/2018 · Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal ... those engaging in

Thursday

13 September 2018

P A R L I A M E N T A R Y D E B A T E S

(HANSARD)

HOUSE OF LORDS

WRITTEN STATEMENTS AND

WRITTEN ANSWERS

Written Statements ................................................ 1

Written Answers ..................................................... 9

Session 2017-19

No. 156

[I] indicates that the member concerned has a relevant registered interest. The full register of interests can be found at

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Ministers and others who make Statements or answer Questions are referred to only by name, not their ministerial or

other title. The current list of ministerial and other responsibilities is as follows.

Minister Responsibilities

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Earl Howe Minister of State, Ministry of Defence and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords

Lord Agnew of Oulton Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Lord Ashton of Hyde Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Lord Bates Minister of State, Department for International Development

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local

Government and Wales Office

Baroness Buscombe Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions

Lord Callanan Minister of State, Department for Exiting the European Union

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen Whip

Earl of Courtown Deputy Chief Whip

Lord Duncan of Springbank Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office and Scotland Office

Baroness Fairhead Minister of State, Department for International Trade

Lord Gardiner of Kimble Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural

Affairs

Baroness Goldie Whip

Lord Henley Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial

Strategy

Lord Keen of Elie Advocate-General for Scotland and Ministry of Justice Spokesperson

Baroness Manzoor Whip

Lord O'Shaughnessy Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care

Baroness Stedman-Scott Whip

Baroness Sugg Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport

Lord Taylor of Holbeach Chief Whip

Baroness Vere of Norbiton Whip

Baroness Williams of Trafford Minister of State, Home Office

Lord Young of Cookham Whip

Viscount Younger of Leckie Whip

© Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2018

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which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/



http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers

http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers

Written Statements 13 September 2018 Page 1

Written Statements Thursday, 13 September 2018

Abortion Clinic Protest Review

[HLWS927]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: My rt hon Friend the

Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sajid Javid)

has today made the following Written Ministerial

Statement:

As Parliament will be aware, concerns were raised with

my predecessor about the tactics of some of the protest

activities taking place outside abortion clinics in England

and Wales. In response, she ordered an in-depth

assessment to understand the scale and nature of the

protests and to establish if more needs to be done to

protect those requiring an abortion.

Understandably, there has been a significant level of

interest in this review. The Home Office published a call

for evidence in January this year and received over 2,500

responses. These came from a range of interested parties,

including abortion service providers, abortion service

clients, those engaging in anti-abortion demonstrations,

police forces and local authorities. The review explored

the existing laws to protect people from harassment and

intimidation. It also considered the experiences of other

countries in addressing problems relating to anti-abortion

activities outside clinics and hospitals.

The review gathered upsetting examples of harassment

and the damaging impact this behaviour has had on

individuals. This behaviour can leave patients distressed

and has caused some to rebook their appointments and not

follow medical advice in order to avoid the protestors. In

some of these cases, protest activities can involve handing

out model foetuses, displaying graphic images, following

people, blocking their paths and even assaulting them.

However, what is clear from the evidence we gathered is

that these activities are not the norm, and predominantly,

anti-abortion activities are more passive in nature. The

main activities reported to us that take place during

protests include praying, displaying banners and handing

out leaflets. There were relatively few reports of the more

aggressive activities described above. Nevertheless, I

recognise that all anti-abortion activities can have an

adverse effect, and I would like to extend my sympathies

to those going through this extremely difficult and

personal process.

Through the review, we also found that anti-abortion

demonstrations take place outside a small number of

abortion facilities. In 2017, there were 363 hospitals and

clinics in England and Wales that carried out abortions.

Through the review, we found that 36 hospitals and

clinics have experienced anti-abortion demonstrations.

Having considered the evidence of the review, I have

therefore reached the conclusion that introducing national

buffer zones would not be a proportionate response,

considering the experiences of the majority of hospitals

and clinics, and considering that the majority of activities

are more passive in nature.

In making my decision, I am also aware that legislation

already exists to restrict protest activities that cause harm

to others. For example, under the Public Order Act 1986,

it is an offence to display images or words that may cause

harassment, alarm or distress. This Act also gives the

police powers to impose conditions on a static

demonstration if they believe it may result in serious

public disorder, serious damage to property or serious

disruption to the life of the community or if the purpose

of the assembly is to intimidate others. There are also

offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997

when someone pursues a course of conduct which they

know will amount to the harassment of another person.

Civil legislation also exists and can be used to restrict

harmful protest activities. We have seen evidence that

such legislation has been effective. Ealing Council

recently introduced a Public Spaces Protection Order

under the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act

2014 to restrict anti-abortion demonstrations. The

Government will publish information on the current legal

remedies that are available in tackling intimidation and

harassment.

In this country, it is a long-standing tradition that

people are free to gather together and to demonstrate their

views. This is something to be rightly proud of. However,

it is vital that how views are demonstrated is carried out

within the law, and never more so than on such an issue

that can have such a personal impact on individuals. This

Government is absolutely clear that no-one should feel

harassed or intimidated simply for exercising their legal

right to pregnancy advice and abortion services, and I am

adamant that where a crime is committed, the police have

the powers to act so that people feel protected.

Where protesters are breaking the law, we will do all

we can to ensure those people are brought to justice and

for support to be provided to victims. I am asking the

police to work closely with abortion service providers,

offering advice on public safety and security, as well as

helping to ensure that all incidents of intimidation and

harassment are recorded and appropriate action taken. The

police will also continue to actively engage in community

discussions in areas facing heightened tensions.

We want to ensure that all those who are affected are

properly supported. Police and Crime Commissioners

(PCCs) have a role to play with their responsibility for

commissioning victim support services. This year, the

Government has allocated £68m to PCCs to locally

commission or provide support services for victims of

crime. I am asking PCCs to ensure that services are

available and accessible to those affected by crimes that

are committed during abortion clinic protests, regardless

of whether the crimes have been reported to the police.

We are engaging with the Welsh Government on the

outcome of the review.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Lords/2018-09-13/HLWS927/

Page 2 13 September 2018 Written Statements

While the evidence today suggests that national buffer

zones would not be a proportionate response, I will keep

this important matter under review.

I thank Members across this House for their

engagement on this issue.

Bovine TB

[HLWS930]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Minister of State for

Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (George Eustice) has

today made the following statement.

I want to update the House on the implementation of

the government’s strategy to eradicate bovine TB in

England by 2038.

Today the Animal and Plant Health Agency has

published data showing there has been a drop in TB

incidence in the first two cull areas where the number of

new confirmed breakdowns has dropped by around 50%.

In Gloucestershire the incidence rate has dropped from

10.4% before culling began to 5.6% in the twelve months

following the fourth cull. While in Somerset it has

dropped from 24% to 12%.

Data on TB incidence in the next eight areas has also

been published today although, as we anticipated, it is too

early to see any impact on TB in those areas.

Bovine TB remains one of the greatest animal health

threats to the UK and the government is continuing to

take strong action to eradicate the disease and protect the

future of our dairy and beef industries. Today I am

announcing further steps to enhance and strengthen our

eradication strategy; opening a new round of applications

to our badger vaccination grant scheme and issuing new

licences for badger control in 2018.

Although it does not provide complete protection or

cure infected animals (which continue to spread TB),

badger vaccination has a role to play and 3 projects have

received government funding in 2018 to vaccinate

badgers in the Edge Area of England. Therefore,

applications for the ‘Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme’

will be re-opened later this year, with grant funding

available to private groups wishing to carry out badger

vaccination in the Edge Area. Groups will receive at least

50% funding towards their eligible costs.

There is broad scientific consensus that badgers are

implicated in the spread of TB to cattle. This year,

following the effective licensed badger control operations

in 2017, culling operations will take place across 39% of

the High Risk Area. This includes a further ten new areas

which have been licenced to undertake culling operations

in 2018. Alongside our robust cattle movement and

testing regime, this will allow us to achieve and maintain

long term reductions in the level of TB in cattle across the

South West and Midlands, where the disease is

widespread.

In order to eradicate a pocket of infection in both cattle

and badgers in the Low Risk Area, we have also licenced

an area within Cumbria to undertake culling operations in

2018. Along with 6 monthly cattle testing, movement

restrictions and good biosecurity on farms this approach

offers the best opportunity to deal quickly with this real

and serious threat in the Low Risk Area.

To ensure we have a successful and resilient industry as

the UK enters a new trading relationship with the world,

we are determined to implement all available measures

necessary to eradicate this devastating disease as quickly

as possible. To aid this, a review, led by Professor Sir

Charles Godfray, is looking at options to take the bTB

Strategy to the next phase and will report to Ministers by

the end of September 2018. The findings will be

published in due course along with information on next

steps.

Ebola: Democratic Republic of the Congo

[HLWS932]

Lord Bates: My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State

for International Development, has today made the

following statement:

An outbreak of Ebola was declared in North Kivu,

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on 1 August. I

am updating the House on what the British Government is

doing to support the immediate response, to support

neighbouring countries to be prepared if the outbreak

were to spread, and to help countries to improve public

health systems and strengthen their resilience to deadly

diseases like Ebola.

DRC outbreak and UK response

The DRC Government and World Health Organisation

issued a single response plan on 10 August. DFID has

contributed financially and the plan is now fully funded

and delivering a range of activity including vaccinations,

treatment centres, mobile laboratories, case management

and logistics. As the response has progressed, the

authorities have identified confirmed cases beyond the

initial affected area. It is highly likely that the single

response plan will be revised in coming weeks, in which

case the UK stands ready to provide additional funding.

The UK also supports other international response

mechanisms which are contributing to tackling this latest

outbreak, including the UN Central Emergency Response

Fund (CERF) and the World Health Organisation’s

(WHO) Contingency Fund for Emergencies. The UK is

the largest donor to CERF and the second largest donor to

the WHO Contingency Fund.

We are supporting this Ebola response in other ways. In

2014, DFID worked with the Wellcome Trust to develop

an Ebola vaccine, which was subsequently developed by

others into the vaccine now being administered by the

WHO, Médecins Sans Frontières and the DRC

Government. This vaccine was also used in the previous

Ebola outbreak in DRC, in May. Furthermore, an

epidemiologist from the UK Public Health Rapid Support

Team was deployed with the WHO Team of Experts to

the affected area to carry out initial technical assessments.




Neighbouring countries and preparedness

This is a serious outbreak, taking place in a conflict-

affected region close to the borders of Rwanda and

Uganda. The region also hosts a high number of refugees

and internally displaced persons. Preparedness work in

neighbouring countries is therefore critically important.

A member of the UK’s Emergency Medical Team has

been deployed to Rwanda, to support the WHO in helping

Rwanda to prepare in case of potential spread of Ebola

over the border with the DRC.

In Uganda, the UK is supporting the Ministry of Health

and WHO preparedness work, and will provide funding

for WHO, UNICEF, the UN High Commission for

Refugees and the World Food Programme.

In South Sudan, we provided initial funding to WHO to

support preparatory work. We will consider with other

donors, including the United States, the best way to

support further contingency measures.

Risk to UK is low, but we are prepared

Public Health England assesses the risk of this outbreak

to the UK as negligible to very low. It will continue to

monitor and assess the outbreak closely. The UK remains

ready to respond should that risk change.

There is no link between Ebola and Monkeypox.

Longer-term UK support to tackle deadly diseases

Deadly diseases like Ebola, Zika and Yellow Fever

pose a serious threat to global health security. The 2014

outbreak in West Africa threatened to affect 1.4 million

people, cost African economies at least US$1.6 billion,

and required a major international effort to contain, with

the UK leading the response in Sierra Leone.

We have a vested interest in helping sub-Saharan Africa

improve public health systems and build resilience against

these diseases. DFID is investing £40 million over four

years through the Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa

Programme (TDDAP) to support preparedness, detection

and response work in the countries most at risk. This is

complemented by Public Health England’s £16 million

programme focused on preventing and responding to

similar outbreaks. TDDAP is designed to reduce the

impact of communicable disease outbreaks and epidemics

on African populations. This will also benefit the UK, by

reducing the risk of an outbreak spreading far beyond its

source.

EU Exit

[HLWS937]

Lord Callanan: My Right Honourable Friend, the

Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union,

Dominic Raab, has made the following statement:

Technical Notices

As announced by the Prime Minister and Secretary of

State for Exiting the European Union on 18 July 2018, the

Government is publishing a series of technical notices

during August and September. On Thursday 23 August,

we published 25 of these notices. Today, on Thursday 13

September, we are publishing a further 28 technical

notices, and will publish more in the coming weeks.

These notices are designed to inform people, businesses

and stakeholders about steps they may need to take in the

event of a ‘no deal’ scenario.

Notices are being published on the following areas:

1. Accessing public sector contracts if there’s no Brexit

deal.

2. Appointing nominated persons to your business if

there’s no Brexit deal.

3. Broadcasting and video on demand if there’s no

Brexit deal.

4. Connecting Europe Facility energy funding if there's

no Brexit deal.

5. Data protection if there’s no Brexit deal.

6. Driving in the EU if there's no Brexit deal.

7. European Regional Development Funding if there’s

no Brexit deal.

8. European Social Fund (ESF) grants if there’s no

Brexit deal.

9. Funding for UK LIFE projects if there’s no Brexit

deal.

10. Getting an exemption from maritime security

notifications if there’s no Brexit deal.

11. Handling civil legal cases that involve EU countries

if there’s no Brexit deal.

12. Industrial emissions standards (‘Best Available

Techniques’) if there’s no Brexit deal.

13. Merger review and anti-competitive activity if

there's no Brexit deal.

14. Mobile roaming if there’s no Brexit deal.

15. Recognition of seafarer certificates of competency


16. Reporting CO2 emissions for new cars and vans if


17. Running an oil or gas business if there’s no Brexit

deal.

18. Satellites and space programmes if there’s no Brexit

deal.

19. Trading goods regulated under the ‘New Approach’


20. Trading in drug precursors if there’s no Brexit deal.

21. Trading under the mutual recognition principle if


22. Travelling in the Common Travel Area and the

associated rights of British and Irish citizens if there’s no

Brexit deal.

23. Travelling to the EU with a UK passport if there’s

no Brexit deal.

24. Travelling with a European Firearms Pass if there’s

no Brexit deal.

25. Upholding environmental standards if there’s no

Brexit deal.



26. Using and trading in fluorinated gases and ozone

depleting substances if there's no Brexit deal.

27. Vehicle type approval if there’s no UK exit deal.

28. What telecoms businesses should do if there’s no

Brexit deal.

Notices are being published on gov.uk. These can be

found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/how-to-

prepare-if-the-uk-leaves-the-eu-with-no-deal

Copies of notices will also be placed in the Libraries of

both Houses to ensure all Members have access, and we

will continue to ensure that technical notices are made

available to Members.

General Affairs Council (18 September 2018)

[HLWS931]

Lord Callanan: I will attend the General Affairs

Council in Brussels on 18 September 2018 to represent

the UK. Until we leave the European Union, we remain

committed to fulfilling our rights and obligations as a full

member.

The provisional agenda includes:

Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027

Ministers will discuss progress on the Multiannual

Financial Framework proposals with the Presidency.

Presentation of the priorities of the Austrian Presidency

The Presidency is expected to present its top priority

areas during its six month tenure. These are: security and

illegal migration; maintaining competitiveness through

digitalisation; stability in the Western Balkans; and

securing an orderly Brexit.

Preparation of the European Council on 18 October

2018

The Council will discuss the draft conclusions for the

October European Council. The conclusions are expected

to cover Migration; Internal Security; and External

Relations.

Rule of Law in Poland/Article 7(1)

The Council will hold a hearing on Article 7(1). The

Commission and Poland will provide updates on the

issue, and Member States will be invited to pose

questions to Poland on its response to the Commission’s

concerns on the Rule of Law.

Legislative programming

On 12 September 2018, the Commission published a

‘Letter of Intent’ which set out its proposals for the

Commission Work Programme for 2019. Ministers will

debate the proposals included in the letter before the CWP

for 2019 is adopted in October. Ministers will also

consider progress on legislative files in the Joint

Declaration on the EU's legislative priorities for 2018-19.

Humanitarian Situation: Idlib

[HLWS935]

Lord Bates: My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State

for International Development, has today made the

following statement:

The Syrian regime’s systematic and blatant disregard

for international humanitarian and human rights law

during the eight years long civil war has resulted in the

worst humanitarian catastrophe of this century so far. An

estimated 400,000 people have been killed, 13 million

people are in need of humanitarian assistance, 6.2 million

have been internally displaced and 5.6 million refugees

have fled to neighbouring countries.

The UK remains extremely concerned over escalating

military action in the Northwest of Syria by the Syrian

regime and its international backers, putting at risk almost

3 million people, many of whom have fled to the region to

seek shelter. The last few days has seen dozens of Russian

and regime airstrikes against areas of Idlib. Last weekend,

we received reports of three hospitals, two White Helmets

offices and three ambulances being attacked and put out

of service, leaving thousands with no access to medical

care. Last month alone there were over 100 civilian

fatalities, and since the start the start of this month,

already 30,500 people have been displaced.

A disaster in Idlib is still avoidable. It is not too late for

the Syrian regime and Russia to change tack. The British

Government continues to call on them to work with

Turkey, the UN Security Council and the rest of the

international community to find a negotiated way forward

to avoid the needless loss of human life. If they were

genuinely concerned about the presence of terrorist

groups, this is what they would do. Sadly, the experience

of Aleppo, Eastern Ghouta and elsewhere is that this is

just a pretext, and that their real intention is to reimpose

regime control through brutal military means regardless

of the cost.

So, in addition to our diplomatic efforts, we are

working with the UN, Turkey, humanitarian agencies and

our international partners to undertake contingency

planning in case the regime and Russia indeed launch a

full-scale offensive against Idlib in the coming days and

weeks. Our aim is to ensure that the lives of innocent

Syrian civilians are saved.

For this reason today I announce that the UK will

provide additional aid funding of up to £32 million for the

Northwest Syria. This money will help to provide shelter,

clean water and sanitation, mental health services, and

support heath workers and facilities. This is our second

uplift of emergency funding for Northern Syria in recent

weeks. On 17 August I announced a £10 million package

of support, including the provision of emergency

assistance and vital support for medical centres and

mobile medical clinics.

Sadly, Northwest Syria is just the latest target for the

regime in eight years of devastating civil war. Over that

time the UK has been at the forefront of the international




response, providing life-saving and life-changing support

for millions of people in places like Idlib, Aleppo, Eastern

Ghouta and most recently Southwest Syria. We are the

second largest bilateral donor and have pledged £2.71

billion to date, our largest ever response to a single

humanitarian crisis. Last year our support in Idlib

governorate provided approximately 653,000 people with

access to clean drinking water, immunised 1,335,000

children under five, helped 321,000 children access

education and provided 398,000 medical consultations.

But money alone is not enough. We are working with

the UN to ensure robust planning and preparation for

Northwest Syria. With our international partners, the UK

continues to use our position in the UN Security Council

and the International Syria Support Group to advocate

above all else for the protection of civilians, and calls on

all parties to allow humanitarian agencies unfettered

access to deliver aid to those most in need.

Regardless of what happens in Idlib, this sadly won’t be

the end of the suffering of the Syrian people. To achieve

that requires a political solution, leading to an inclusive,

non-sectarian government which can unite the country

and protect the rights of all Syrians. That is why we

continue to support the UN-led Geneva process aimed at

reaching a negotiated settlement

Immigration

[HLWS929]


Minister of State for Immigration (Caroline Nokes) has

today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

As part of the clearance of the Calais camp in October

2016 the Government transferred 769 unaccompanied

children to the UK, all of whom claimed Asylum in the

UK. The Government acted decisively at this time to

remove vulnerable children from a dangerous situation

where they were at risk of violence and abuse. The unique

situation in Calais and unprecedented action we took to

safeguard children demonstrated the Government’s

commitment to supporting the most vulnerable children

affected by the migration crisis.

Of the 769 cases, 220 cases were transferred in

accordance with s67 Immigration Act 2016 (‘’the Dubs

amendment), and formed the first tranche of these cases.

Some of these cases did not qualify for Refugee or

Humanitarian protection under the existing rules, as such,

in June 2018 we introduced a new form of leave (section

67 leave) for these cases.

The remaining 549 cases were transferred to reunite

with family members already in the UK. These cases have

been considered carefully and on their individual merits,

and a large proportion of these cases have been

recognised as refugees.

It is our view that all those 549 transferred from Calais

to the UK to reunite with family should be able to remain

here with their family members. In keeping with our

commitments to family unity, we do not consider that it

would be in their best interests to separate children from

their families, having received significant support from

UK authorities to reunite and integrate.

It is our intention to introduce, by laying a new

Immigration Rule, a new form of leave for any of these

cases that have not already been considered refugees. This

leave will only be available for those that were bought

over as part of the Calais clearance exercise in October

2016, who were under the age of 18 at this time, and who

had recognised family ties in the UK. Individuals who

qualify for this leave will have the right to study, work,

access public funds and healthcare, and can apply for

settlement after ten years.

Independent Reviewer of Terrorism

Legislation: Reports

[HLWS928]


Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sajid Javid)


Statement:

In accordance with section 36 of the Terrorism Act

2006, Max Hill QC, the Independent Reviewer of

Terrorism Legislation, prepared a report on the operation

in 2016 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and Part 1 of the

Terrorism Act 2006, which was laid before the House on

25 January 2018. He also prepared a report on the use of

terrorism legislation following the Westminster Bridge

terrorist attack, which was laid before the House on 22

March 2018.

I am grateful to Mr Hill for his reports and have

carefully considered the recommendations and

observations included in them. I am today laying before

the House the Government’s responses to both reports,

copies of which will be available in the Vote Office. They

will also be published on GOV.UK.

Intelligence and Security Committee:

Diversity and Inclusion Report

[HLWS934]

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: My Rt Hon. Friend

the Prime Minister has made the following statement to

the House of Commons:

On July 18 2018, the Intelligence and Security

Committee’s report on Diversity and Inclusion was laid

before Parliament. I responded to this on the same day in

a Written Ministerial Statement.

The Government has given additional consideration to

the Committee’s important conclusions and

recommendations, and I have today laid a further

Government response before the House.

Copies of the response have been placed in the

Libraries of both Houses.





Retail Sector

[HLWS933]

Lord Henley: My hon Friend,the Parliamentary Under

Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and

Corporate Responsibility (Kelly Tolhurst) has today made

the following statement:

The UK’s retail sector is a driving force in our economy

and plays an important social role in communities across

the UK. The industry employs 3.1 million people and

generated £93 billion of Gross Value Added in 2017 - 5%

of UK GVA.

Change has always been an inherent part of the UK’s

dynamic retail sector and the Government is clear that we

want all types of retail to thrive now and in the future. We

are supporting the sector as it undergoes structural change

and responds to changing consumer expectations,

embraces new technology and prepares for EU Exit.

Government and industry have recognised that positive

action is needed to ensure the sector thrives in the future.

To achieve this, and as part of the Industrial Strategy, we

established the Retail Sector Council in March.

The Council is jointly chaired by the Minister for Small

Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility and

Richard Pennycook (chair of the British Retail

Consortium). All retail activity in the UK is represented:

large and small; independents; and traditional and online

or disruptive retailers. Through the Council the

Government is helping the retail industry to come

together to develop sector-led solutions to support its

productivity and growth. The Council has now met twice

and are identifying their priorities and actions to be

agreed at the next meeting later this year.

In addition, the Government is also committed to

supporting the retail sector through a range of measures.

• In July Jake Berry MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary

of State, Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and

Local Growth, appointed a panel of experts to diagnose

issues that currently affect the health of our high streets

and advise on the best practical measures to help them

thrive now and in the future. Chaired by Sir John

Timpson (Chairman of Timpson - the multiple service

retailer) the panel will focus on what consumers and

local communities want from their high streets. They

are holding a series of evidence sessions across the

country to hear directly from communities. The panel

will look at the current challenges and work out options

to ensure our town centres remain vibrant. The panel of

experts have a wealth of experience and include

representatives from the retail, property and design

sectors.

• We have taken action to reduce the business rates

burden faced by some businesses, with reforms and

reductions worth over £10bn by 2023, and the

Government is currently reviewing the wider taxation

of the digital economy to make sure all businesses pay

their fair share.

The Government understands the concerns of those

affected by job losses in the sector, and the uncertainty

this can cause. Where job losses occur, Jobcentre Plus,

along with other government departments, work with the

companies affected to understand the level of employee

support required to get people back into employment as

soon as possible.

British retailing is transforming and the Government is

committed to doing all it can to ensure the sector

continues to thrive.

Senior Public Sector Pay Awards

[HLWS936]

Lord Young of Cookham: The Chancellor of the

Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office


Statement.

I am today announcing the Government’s decision on

pay for the senior civil service, senior military and police

and crime commissioners.

The Government received the Senior Salary Review

Body’s (SSRB) report on 2018 pay for the senior civil

service, senior military and police and crime

commissioners on 4 July 2018.

The Government is committed to world class public

services and ensuring that public sector workers are fairly

paid for the vitally important work they do. We ended the

1 per cent pay policy in September 2017 because we

recognised more flexibility is now required to deliver

world class public services - with higher awards in return

for improvements to public sector productivity.

It is vital that we consider all pay awards in light of

wider pressures on public spending. Public sector pay

needs to be fair both for public sector workers and the

taxpayer. In reaching a final decision on all 2018/19

public sector pay awards, we have balanced a need to

recognise the value and dedication of our hard-working

public servants with ensuring that our public services

remain affordable in the long term, to contribute to our

objective of reducing public sector debt. We have also

sought to ensure that pay awards are fair and consistent

across public sector workforces, reflect existing pay and

benefit packages, as well as recruitment and retention

levels.

The Government values the independent expertise and

insight of the SSRB and takes on board the valuable

advice, principles outlined, and constructive challenge to

the Government’s recommendations outlined in the

report. Within the current context there remains a need to

take into account affordability when making decisions on

senior pay, as well as fairness in the approach for senior

and junior grades.

Senior Civil Servants

The Government’s evidence to the SSRB in December

2017 set out a vision for a future SCS Pay framework

which - in line with the Civil Service Workforce Plan -




will help us attract, retain and develop the very best senior

talent for government.

This new pay system will aid us in achieving our vision

for a future SCS which is more diverse, experienced and

professionalised, with a better mix of specialist and

generalist leaders.

We are pleased that the SSRB welcome the direction of

travel laid out in our vision for the future SCS and look

forward to engaging with SSRB to further articulate our

strategic plan to reach this vision.

Over the next year, and amongst other commitments set

out in our response to the SSRB’s recommendations

below, we will be articulating plans to:

• move to a set of consistent pay ranges by professional

grouping over time.

• provide greater reward for high performers and those

who develop capability by remaining in role.

• explore options for reforming the SCS performance

management system.

Taken together, this will start tackling some of the

biggest issues identified with the current pay system as

well as ensuring that the Civil Service is able to attract

and retain key, scarce skills from the external market and

balancing incentives in the current system.

The Government values the independent expertise and

insight of the SSRB and takes on board the valuable

advice, principles outlined, and constructive challenge to

the Government’s recommendations outlined in the

report.

Within the current context there remains a need to take

into account affordability when making decisions on

senior pay, as well as fairness in the approach for senior

and junior grades.

Senior Civil Service recommendations and response for

2018/19

This year the SSRB made six recommendations for the

Senior Civil Service (SCS):

i) all SCS members should receive a 1 per cent

consolidated basic pay increase.

ii) 0.25 per cent of the paybill should be used to

increase the pay band minima for all pay bands to

£68,000, £90,500, and £111,500 respectively.

iii) the pay range maxima are reduced for new recruits

and those currently paid below the new maxima, to

£102,000, £136,000, and £167,500 respectively.

iv) 1.25 per cent should be allocated and distributed to

address pay anomalies

v) The Cabinet Office should provide evidence to

demonstrate the application of the award to specific

target groups of staff.

vi) the introduction of a corporate recognition scheme

with awards of around £1,000.

The Government accepts the recommendation of an

overall 1 per cent figure for consolidated increases but

will continue to give departments flexibility to target that

overall 1 per cent award at the individual level. This

aligns to SSRB’s principle of targeting reward to higher

performers and those lowest in the pay range and is

consistent with the approach taken for delegated grades

The Government accepts the recommendation to

increase the minima for all pay bands to the figures

suggested by SSRB. The Government also agrees that the

1 per cent pay award should be applied after any increases

from the raising of the minima.

The Government agrees in principle to the

recommendation to reduce the maxima for SCS in non-

market facing or niche roles . This will not be achievable

for this year’s pay round as further consultation is needed

to understand the makeup and workability of professional

groupings before pay ranges are set.

The Government accepts the recommendation to set

aside further money to address pay anomalies, and agrees

to provide clear criteria for use. However to put aside the

1.25 per cent suggested would move significantly away

from coherence between the approach for SCS and

delegated grades and risks affordability issues.

Efficiencies found from controlling movement around the

system will be put aside to cover anomalies and increases

to the minima, and we anticipate this to be 0.25 per cent

rather than the 1.25 per cent SSRB proposed.

The Government accepts the recommendation to

monitor the use of the aforementioned pay anomalies

money, as well as the recommendation to extend in year

non-consolidated performance related awards to 20 per

cent of the eligible population and introduce a new

recognition scheme for corporate contribution.

The Government notes the SSRB’s additional

comments outside of the formal recommendations and

commits to:

• providing a clear articulation of the desired

application of the SCS pay system, be that centralised

management of the workforce, delegation to

departments or a specified balance between the two.

• review the SCS performance management system as a

priority.

• outlining clear guidance and principles to ensure the

workability and fair application for the movement to

pay ranges based on professional groupings.

• exploring options for a credible capability based

salary progression model.

• providing a clear proposal on the future of the SCS 1A

grade.

The Government would like to work proactively with

SSRB to help develop our proposals further and invites

the review body to contribute towards the further review

of the Senior Civil Service pay framework including the

commitments made above.

Senior Military Officers

The Government has accepted the spirit of the

recommendation of a 2.5 per cent increase to senior

military salaries with effect from 1 April 2018 with a 2

per cent increase to pay and a 0.5 per cent non-


consolidated one-off payment. This decision is made to be

consistent with the main Armed Forces’ pay award and in

consideration of long term affordability. The Government

has also accepted the recommendation that there is no

change to the current pay differentials for senior medical

and dental officers.

Police and Crime Commissioners

The Government has accepted in part the SSRB’s

recommendation to increase the bottom four PCC salary

bands. With effect from 1 May 2018, these pay bands will

be increased by 2 per cent. PCCs taking on responsibility

for the governance of fire and rescue services will also

receive an additional consolidated allowance of £3,000.

The Government has accepted the SSRB’s

recommendation that PCC pay should be reviewed again

in 2020/21 to enable a full assessment of the role,

particularly in light of the additional responsibilities for

fire and rescue services; thereafter, full reviews should be

conducted on a four-yearly basis. However, future

reviews should be aligned to the PCC electoral cycle. A

further review should therefore take place to set PCC pay

ahead of the 2024 elections.

The SSRB also recommended that from May 2019,

PCC salaries should be increased by 2 per cent in line

with the pay award for local authority staff and that this

link should continue annually until the next formal review

of PCC pay. The Government has not accepted this

recommendation. The role of PCCs continues to evolve

and the Government is of the view that automatic pay

increases are not appropriate while change is ongoing.

The Government also seeks to avoid creating a disparity

between PCCs and police officers whose pay increases

are not automatic.

The SSRB recommended that a review of the pay

structures for PCCs should be conducted in advance of

the next formal review of PCC pay. The Government has

not accepted this recommendation. PCC pay structures are

currently aligned to those of chief police officers, and

their pay is under review as part of sector-led reforms to

deliver a new pay and reward framework. PCC pay

structures will be reviewed following the completion of

the on-going review of chief officer pay.

The SSRB recommended that PCCs who lose their seat

at election should be entitled to a loss of office payment.

The Government will further consider the issue.

Written Answers 13 September 2018 Page 9

Written Answers Thursday, 13 September 2018

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the

recently announced scheme to make 2,500 agricultural

visas available to non-EU workers will be sufficient to

solve the labour shortage in the sector; and what is their

long-term strategy to deal with that issue. [HL10176]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The seasonal workers

pilot is not designed to meet the full labour needs of the

horticultural sector. Rather we are seeking to evaluate the

immigration system’s ability to assist in alleviating labour

shortages during peak production periods. The pilot will

inform our long-term thinking in this area.

Asylum

Asked by Lord Hylton

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1)

unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and (2)

refugees of all ages, with close family members in the

UK have so far been identified by UK immigration

liaison officers sent to France, Italy and Greece; and

how many have reached the UK as a result. [HL9973]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The role of the UK

liaison officers is to facilitate good working co-operation

between EU Member States, including Italy, France and

Greece, on asylum and immigration matters with the UK.

Liaison officers are not involved in identifying children

under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, as it is a

matter for our partner states to refer children who meet

the criteria and where it is in their best interests to transfer

to the UK. Liaison officers are not involved in the

identification of applicants with qualifying family

members either as this is also a matter for the competent

national authorities of Dublin states.

On 30 November, the Government published data on

the numbers of children transferred to the UK from the

Calais camp clearance under both the Dublin III

Regulation and section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.

The data can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transfers-of-

children-to-the-uk-from-the-calais-operation-november-

2017

On 22 February 2018, the Home Office published data

on the number of transfers into the UK from other Dublin

states. The relevant statistics can be found at as_22_q,

asylum volume 5 at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-

statistics-october-to-december-2017-data-tables. 2018

Dublin data will be published in February 2019.

We remain fully committed to delivering our

commitment to transfer the specified number of 480

children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016

and are working very closely with participating States, to

deliver the scheme in line with their national laws. Over

220 children are already in the UK and transfers are

ongoing. We will not provide a running commentary on

numbers and will publish the details once all children are

in the UK.

The Answer includes the following attached material:

Table - Transfers of Children to the UK-Calais op[ [Table -

Transfers of Children to UK from the Calais Op Nov 2017.xlsx]

Table - as_22-q Asylum Vol 5 [as_22-q - Asylum Vol 5.xlsx]

The material can be viewed online at:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-

answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2018-09-04/HL9973

Asylum: Compensation

Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan

to compensate the 17 people who received decisions

from the Home Office last year on asylum claims that

they had submitted more than 15 years ago. [HL10103]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: In response to a

recent Freedom of Information request, the Home Office

provided figures which noted that, in 2017, 17 decisions

were made on claims for asylum that had been submitted

more than 15 years ago.

In the majority of these cases, whilst the Home Office

database that registered the original claim for asylum was

updated with a new outcome in 2017, the Home Office

had also made an earlier decision on the asylum claim.

For example, several of the entries made in 2017 were to

update records where it had been identified that an

individual had voluntarily left the United Kingdom at an

earlier date. In other instances, new decisions were made

on cases where individuals had previously lost contact

with the Home Office.

UK Visas and Immigration has a formal complaints

procedure for customers who are unhappy with the

service that it provides. Under this procedure ex-gratia

payments may be made in cases where it is found that

maladministration has occurred.

Asylum: English Language


To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they

provide to asylum seekers aged 19 or older who are

eligible for a 50 per cent contribution to the costs of

English language classes through the adult education

budget about where they can obtain funding for the

remaining 50 per cent. [HL10007]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Home Office policy

is not to provide asylum seekers with publicly funded

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

courses. They may access courses on a fee-paying basis.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2018-09-06/HL10176







Page 10 13 September 2018 Written Answers

Asylum claimants awaiting a decision for over six months

are eligible for a 50% contribution to the cost of ESOL

courses through the Adult Education Budget. We also

know that many ESOL providers use their discretion to

set lower fees.

Those granted refugee status by the Home Office and in

receipt of certain work-related benefits are eligible for

fully funded ESOL courses.

We encourage asylum claimants (adults and dependants

of an adult asylum seeker) to contact the Asylum Help

helpline for free and independent advice (telephone: 0808

8000 630, https://www.gov.uk/asylum-helplines).

Asylum: LGBT People

Asked by Lord Judd

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they

are taking to ensure that LGBT people seeking asylum,

who have experienced torture and forms of violence

that may be difficult to disclose, have access to legal

representatives who are allowed time and capacity to

obtain the requisite evidence. [HL10208]

Asked by Lord Judd


are taking to ensure that women seeking asylum, who

have experienced forms of violence which may be

difficult to disclose, have access to legal representatives

who are allowed the time and capacity to obtain the

requisite evidence. [HL10209]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: All asylum claimants

have the opportunity to be legally represented during their

asylum claim, and legal aid funding is provided to those

who need it.

In addition, Migrant Help is funded by the EU Asylum,

Migration and Integration Fund and the Home Office to

provide independent advice and guidance to assist those

considering seeking asylum and those that have claimed

asylum to move through and understand the asylum

process. Migrant Help also run an asylum helpline and

provide advice in a language that the asylum seeker

speaks, that is free and accessible to all asylum seekers.

This includes support for claimants who are seeking legal

advice.

All asylum claims lodged in the UK are carefully

considered on their individual merits against a

background of relevant case law and up to date country

information, which covers country specific issues relating

to torture, gender based harm, including female genital

mutilation (FGM), sexual exploitation, violence in

conflict, domestic violence and those subject to violence

relating to LGBT persecution. We ensure that claimants

are given every opportunity to disclose information

relevant to their claim before a decision is taken, even

where that information may be sensitive or difficult to

disclose.

Asylum: Sri Lanka

Asked by Lord Naseby

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Sri

Lankans (1) applied for asylum, and (2) had

applications approved in each year since 2008, broken

down by ethnicity. [HL9991]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office

publishes data on the number of applications and initial

decisions, broken down by nationality, in table as_01_q

(volume 1 of the asylum tables) in the quarterly

Immigration Statistics publication. The latest figures, up

until June 2018, are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-

statistics-year-ending-june-2018

Data on ethnicity are not available.

Table 1: Asylum applications, initial decision, and

grants on asylum applications from Sri Lankan nationals,

2008 to June 2018

Year Total

applications

Total initial

decisions

Total grants

2008 1,473 874 206

2009 1,115 1,251 190

2010 1,357 1,612 228

2011 1,756 1,604 323

2012 1,744 1,384 333

2013 1,811 1,287 262

2014 1,292 1,217 157

2015 961 1,537 179

2016 845 731 44

2017 690 645 49

2018 (Jan-Jun) 261 302 22

1. Grants include grants of asylum, discretionary leave,

humanitarian protection, and grants under family and

private life rules.

2. Decisions made in a given year does not necessarily

relate to the number of applications in the same year.

Applications are based on the date of application and

decisions are based on the date of initial decision.

3. Data include main applicants only.

4. Data for 2018 include 6 months of data only (Jan-

Jun). This is the latest period that is publically available.


Table as_01_q (Vol 1 - Asylum Table) [HL991 Lord Naseby

Annex A.xlsx]



https://www.gov.uk/asylum-helplines




https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018







Asylum: Yemen


To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment

they have made of the number of asylum decisions

concerning people from Yemen that have been

overturned on appeal. [HL10105]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: All asylum claims

lodged in the UK are carefully considered on their

individual merits against a background of relevant case

law and up to date country information.

Appeals are allowed for a variety of reasons, often

because of new evidence presented before the tribunal

which was not available to the decision maker at the time.

However, all allowed appeals are reviewed to

understand where there are opportunities to further

improve guidance and training.

Attorney General: Families

Asked by Baroness Eaton

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many

Attorney General’s Office policies have been assessed

against the Family Test; and whether they will publish

any such assessments. [HL9944]

Lord Keen of Elie: The government is committed to

supporting families. To achieve this, in 2014 we

introduced the Family Test, which aims to ensure that

impacts on family relationships and functioning are

recognised early on during the process of policy

development and help inform the policy decisions made

by Minsters. There is no requirement for departments to

publish the results of assessments made under the Family

Test.

The Attorney General’s Office does not develop its own

policy nor has responsibility for any Government policies.

As such the department has not had to consider the

guidance but would do so if appropriate.

Commission for Countering Extremism

Asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will

publish the (1) work programme, (2) remit, and (3)

terms of reference, of any studies by the Commission

for Countering-Extremism. [HL10014]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government

published a Written Ministerial Statement (HLWS527)

and Charter for the Commission for Countering

Extremism on gov.uk in March 2018. They confirm the

Commission’s purpose, remit, accountabilities, and early

outputs. In its first year the Commission will:

• engage widely and openly on extremism and our core,

shared values across the public sector, communities,

civil society, families and legal and academic experts;

• publish a study into the threat we face from extremism

and the current response; and,

• advise ministers on the Commission’s future

structures, work programme and the appointment of

further commissioners.

This advice is expected in March 2019. The Charter

also confirms that the Commission is a transparent

organisation operating independently from Government.

The Commission will determine the content of its reports,

the recommendations it makes to Government and its

public statements, including the timing of these,

independently.

The detail of when the Commission will publish the

terms of reference for its study is a matter for the

Commission but we understand it will be published

shortly.

Department for Environment, Food and

Rural Affairs: Bicycles

Asked by Lord Berkeley


they have made of the prohibition of visitors bringing

their folding bikes into the DEFRA office at 2 Marsham

Street in London; and whether that prohibition is

compatible with the aims of that Department’s

environmental policies. [HL10134]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Defra is a tenant at 2

Marsham Street, with the Home Office (Defra’s

Landlord) occupying the majority of the site. Defra

follows the security protocols set by the Home Office.

For folding bikes the following protocols apply across

the whole building:

Full building pass holders can bring folding bikes into

the office but most enter via the car park and leave

bikes at the bike racks.

VIPs are permitted to enter the office space with a

folding bike.

Pre-booked visitors are requested to take their bike to

the car park entrance where it can be left in a secure

sheltered area (visitor bike racks are provided).

Unannounced visitors are required to contact their

host/sponsor to vouch for them and book them in on

arrival so that they can leave their bike at the car park

entrance.

Folding bikes cannot be processed through the security

scanners at the Marsham Street reception.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Asked by Baroness Tonge

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much DfID

spent directly targeting reproductive health under the

OECD’s Development Assistance Committee codes (1)

13010, (2) 13021, (3) 13022, (4) 13030, and (5) 13081

in the financial years (a) 2015–16, (b) 2016–17, and (c)

2017–18. [HL10035]







Lord Bates: DFID spent the following directly

targeting reproductive health under the OECD

Development codes 13010; 13021; 13022; 13030 and

13081:

2015/16: £313.705M

2016/17: £307.197M

This data does not capture spend on our substantial

multilateral contribution to the Global Fund to fight

AIDS, TB and Malaria, UNFPA, WHO, Unitaid and

UNAIDS.

Data for all sector codes and spend are available on the

Statistics for International Development website. Figures

for the 2017/18 will be released early in 2019.


To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of

DfID’s total overseas development aid was spent on

sexual and reproductive health and rights in (a) 2015–

16, (b) 2016–17, and (c) 2017–18. [HL10037]

Lord Bates: Based on internationally agreed

methodology, DFID spent 10.7% in 2015-16 and 9.49%

in 2016-17 of its overseas development aid on sexual

reproductive health and rights.

Figures for 2017-18 are not yet available.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection


To ask Her Majesty's Government how much DfID

spent directly targeting HIV and AIDS under the

OECD’s Development Assistance Committee codes (1)

13041, and (2) 13042 in the financial years (a) 2015–

16, (b) 2016–17, and (c) 2017–18. [HL10036]

Lord Bates: DFID spent the following directly

targeting HIV and AIDS under the two OECD

Development codes 13041 and 13042:

2015/16 = £27.159M

2016/17 = £27.143M

This data does not capture spend on related

programming that complements our wider work on

comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights

including research and health systems strengthening.

Data for all sector codes and spend are available on the

Statistics for International Development website. Figures

for the 2017/18 will be released early in 2019.

Grafton College of Management Sciences:

Standards

Asked by Lord Storey


they have made of the report published by the Quality

Assurance Agency for Higher Education in June on

Grafton College of Management Sciences. [HL10171]

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The department

considered the published report from the Quality

Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education on

Grafton College of Management Sciences Limited,

alongside other investigation reports and outcomes, to

assess compliance with the department’s ‘Specific Course

Designation Guidance: Policy and Guidance for

Alternative Providers of Higher Education’ (published in

July 2017). The department took action in line with this

published guidance to protect public funds. Grafton

College of Management Sciences is no longer designated

for student support purposes.

Greater Manchester Police

Asked by Lord Bradley

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1)

police officers, and (2) police community support

officers, were employed in Greater Manchester in each

of the last ten years. [HL10058]


collects and publishes statistics on the number of police

officers, and Police Community Support officers (PCSOs)

employed by each Police Force in England and Wales on

a bi-annual basis. These data are published in the ‘Police

workforce, England and Wales’ statistical publication.

Data on the number of police officers, police staff and

PCSOs in Greater Manchester, as at 31 March each year

and going back to March 2007, can be found in the

accompanying Open Data Table:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/

attachment_data/file/629362/open-data-table-police-

workforce.ods


Open Data Table - Police Workforce [Open Data Table - Police

Workforce.xlsx]


http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-


Heathrow Airport

Asked by Lord Grade of Yarmouth

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have

been given assurances that the £14 billion proposed

costs for the Heathrow Airport expansion cover the full

capacity increase to 130 million passengers per year.

[HL9954]


To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to

publish a breakdown of the costs of Heathrow Airport

expansion. [HL9955]

Baroness Sugg: The Government is clear that the

Northwest Runway scheme at Heathrow will be financed

by the private sector without Government support.

Heathrow is a regulated airport and as such any plans for





https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362/open-data-table-police-workforce.ods











expansion, including expenditure, are subject to scrutiny

from both its airline customers and the regulator with

updates expected as appropriate.

Ahead of the decision to designate the Airports

National Policy Statement (NPS) the Government and its

independent expert advisors concluded that, so far as can

be assessed at this early stage of the process, Heathrow

Airport Limited (HAL) is able to privately finance

expansion without Government support.

The Airports NPS is clear that it requires a scheme that

must be “capable of delivering additional capacity of at

least 260,000 air transport movements per annum” – and

it is for an applicant to demonstrate how the phasing of

any scheme would deliver this capacity increase in its

Development Consent Order application.


To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any,

they are taking to ensure that (1) the costs of Heathrow

Airport expansion do not rise above £14 billion, and (2)

that airlines, passengers and taxpayers will not cover

any extra amount should costs rise above that level.

[HL9956]

Baroness Sugg: The Government is clear that the

Northwest Runway scheme at Heathrow will be financed

by the private sector. Ahead of the decision to designate

the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) the

Government and its independent expert advisors

concluded that, so far as can be assessed at this early stage

of the process, Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) is able

to privately finance expansion without Government

support.

The Secretary of State for Transport set out a clear

ambition in 2016 for airport charges to remain as close as

possible to current levels in real terms. The Secretary of

State has re-commissioned the CAA to oversee, and

report on, how well Heathrow Airport Limited is

engaging with the airline community on its plans for

expansion with the objective of achieving value for

money for the consumer. This follows on from a previous

commission during which Heathrow announced the

identification of potential costs savings of up to £2.5bn.

Ultimately, the CAA will determine the level of airport

charges in lines with its primary duty to further the

interests of consumers (passengers and freight operators).

In its most recent consultation the CAA noted that there

are “credible scenarios in which capacity expansion can

be delivered affordably and financeably, with airport

charges per passenger remaining close to current levels in

real terms and line with the ambition expressed by the

SoS [Secretary of State] on these matters in 2016”.


To ask Her Majesty's Government what process will

be used to determine who will be the developer and

operator of the new terminal at Heathrow Airport.

[HL9957]

Baroness Sugg: The Airports National Policy

Statement (NPS) does not identify any statutory

undertaker as the appropriate person or appropriate

persons to carry out the preferred scheme.

Any prospective developer would need to submit a

Development Consent Order (DCO) application in line

with the Airports NPS. Any application for a DCO will be

considered carefully and with an open mind based on the

evidence provided, through a public examination by the

independent Planning Inspectorate, before any final

decision is made.

The CAA has recently published a technical note

outlining its approach to dealing with licensing issues

raised by potential new developers of expansion at

Heathrow.



they have made of the extent to which competition

between existing and new terminal facilities at

Heathrow Airport might be beneficial to airlines and

passengers. [HL9958]

Baroness Sugg: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA),

the independent regulator, will consider the benefits of

competition at Heathrow Airport. It has already explained

the importance of considering alternative commercial and

delivery arrangements for the provision of new capacity

and has recently published a technical note on this subject

in the context of expansion.

Government continues to encourage all potential

promoters to engage with all relevant stakeholders on

proposals that will facilitate the efficient and timely

delivery of new capacity at Heathrow Airport.

Home Office: Families

Asked by Baroness Eaton

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Home

Office policies have been assessed against

the Family Test; and whether they will publish any such

assessments. [HL10070]


applies the Family Test, if appropriate and proportionate,

to new policies and legislation that might have an impact

on the family, to ensure strong and stable family

relationships are supported, not undermined. The

Government's guidance on the family test is available on

Gov.uk.

Home Office: Written Questions

Asked by Lord Jopling

To ask the Leader of the House what explanations she

has received from the Home Office about that

Department's failure to answer within 10 working days

three questions for written answer (HL9827, HL9860

and HL9890) which were tabled on 24 July. [HL10256]









Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: As Leader of the

House I take very seriously the responsibility incumbent

on all Ministers to provide full, timely and

comprehensible answers to Questions for Written Answer

(QWAs).

In this instance I am informed that the Home Office is

working towards an appropriate response, noting that this

is subject to ongoing legal proceedings. I have been

assured by the Department that an answer will be

provided as soon as possible. In the meantime, I know

that the Home Office has been in touch with the relevant

members of the House to apologise and to provide an

explanation for the delay.

My office will continue to work with all departments to

ensure prompt and satisfactory answers to all QWAs.

Asked by Lord Jopling

To ask the Leader of the House what steps she has

taken to draw the failure of the Home Office to answer

within 10 working days three questions for written

answer which were tabled on 24 July (HL9827,

HL9860 and HL9890) to the attention of Home Office

ministers. [HL10257]

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: As Leader of the

House I take very seriously the responsibility incumbent

on all Ministers to provide full, timely and

comprehensible answers to Questions for Written Answer

(QWAs).

I have raised the outstanding answers with the Minister

of State for Counter Extremism and understand that

members concerned have been contacted by the Home

Office to apologise for the delay and to provide an

explanation as to why these answers have not yet been

provided. I know that the Minister will answer the

questions as soon as is possible.

My office will continue to work with all departments to

ensure prompt and satisfactory answers to all QWAs.

Human Trafficking

Asked by Baroness Doocey

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will

issue new guidance following the case of PK(Ghana) v

Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018]

EWCA Civ 98. [HL9942]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Following the

judgment in PK(Ghana) officials were instructed to

temporarily defer most decisions on whether to grant

discretionary leave to remain to trafficking victims. This

was to enable new guidance to be prepared that would

take account of the findings of the Court.

Grants of discretionary leave continued to be made if it

was found that a grant was necessary to enable a

trafficking victim to seek compensation through the

courts or to assist the police with a criminal investigation

or prosecution. Victims also continued to be granted leave

if they qualified for refugee status or under other

provisions in the Immigration Rules.

The new guidance was published on 8 August 2018 and

normal decision making has therefore resumed. The

guidance is available on the GOV.UK web-pages at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl

oads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/732594/dl-for-

victims-of-modern-slavery-v1.0ext.pdf


dl - for victims of Modern Slavery [dl-for-victims-of-modern-

slavery-v2.pdf]

The material can be viewed online at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-


Immigrants: Detainees

Asked by Baroness Hamwee


children in the UK had one or both parents placed in

immigration detention in each calendar year since 2010;

what were the ages of those children; for what period

were they separated from one or both parents; and if

such records are not kept, why not. [HL9959]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Providing the

information requested would require a manual check of

individual records which could only be done at

disproportionate cost.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Asked by Lord Green of Deddington

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether in the

event of a no-deal Brexit they intend to implement

unilaterally the immigration element of the citizens'

rights agreement reached with the EU in December

2017. [HL10185]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Having reached an

agreement with the EU on citizens’ rights in December

2017, the Government remains confident that we will

reach a wider agreement on the UK’s withdrawal from the

EU.

However, the Prime Minister has been clear that as a

responsible Government we continue to prepare for a

range of outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in

which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached.

Further information on the Government’s plans in the

event of a no deal scenario will be published in the

coming weeks.

Immigration: Sri Lanka

Asked by Lord Naseby


immigration applications from Sri Lankan nationals

were granted in each year from 2008, broken down by

ethnicity. [HL9992]



https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/732594/dl-for-victims-of-modern-slavery-v1.0ext.pdf











Baroness Williams of Trafford: Unfortunately, the

Department does not record this information in such a

way as to allow us to report on the estimated number of

immigration applications from Sri Lankan nationals in

each year from 2008, broken down by ethnicity and this

data could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

International Planned Parenthood

Federation: Finance


To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution

they made, if any, to the (1) core, and (2) non-core,

funding of the International Planned Parenthood

Federation in (a) 2015–16, (b) 2016–17, and (c) 2017–

18. [HL10111]

Lord Bates: I can confirm the International Planned

Parenthood Federation received direct central funding

from the Department of International Development, to the

amount of £8.6m in 2015-16, £6.45m in 2016-17 and no

further funds in 2017-18.

Iraq: Yazidis

Asked by The Earl of Sandwich

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much

humanitarian assistance they have given to the Yazidis

in northern Iraq in each year since 2014; and what form

this assistance takes within the current UK

humanitarian programme in Iraq. [HL10107]

Lord Bates: DFID has committed £237.5m in

humanitarian support to Iraq since 2014, including £20

million this financial year. This support is provided on the

basis of need, irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity,

and in line with international humanitarian principles; it is

not possible to provide figures on assistance specifically

provided to Yezidis or other religious groups. The UK

works with the Government of Iraq, the UN, humanitarian

partners and minority representatives to support the rights

of all minorities and to ensure our aid reaches those in the

greatest need.

Joint United Nations Programme on

HIV/AIDS: Finance


To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they

provided to UNAIDS in (1) core, and (2) non-core

funding in (a) 2015–16, (b) 2016–17, and (c) 2017–18.

[HL10038]

Lord Bates: All funding to UNAIDS in the periods

requested have been core-funding as follows:

• 2015/16: £15 million in core funding



Legal Aid Scheme: Asylum



unaccompanied and separated children seeking asylum

have accessed exceptional case funding for legal aid in

each year since 2012. [HL10008]


To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of

unaccompanied minors seeking asylum who have

applied for exceptional case funding for legal aid since

2012 have been successful. [HL10101]

Lord Keen of Elie: (HL10008) A total of 57

Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) Immigration cases have

been granted to applicants under the age of 18 who were

described as ‘unaccompanied or separated’ children.

(HL10101) This information could only be obtained at

disproportionate cost.

Madeleine McCann

Asked by Lord Black of Brentwood

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 2

May (HL7044), whether any request had been made by

the Metropolitan Police Service to extend the funding

for Operation Grange beyond the end of September

2018; and if so, by how much, over what further period,

and for what purpose; and what has been the total spent

on Operation Grange to date. [HL10052]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: To date no request

has been received from the Metropolitan Police Service to

extend funding for Operation Grange beyond the end of

September 2018. The total cost of Operation Grange is, to

date, £11.6m.

Missing Persons: Children

Asked by Lord Black of Brentwood

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any

funding requests other than Operation Grange have

been received from the Metropolitan Police Service in

the last year relating to the search for missing children;

and if so, how much funding has been made available.

[HL10053]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office has

not received any other Special Grant requests from the

Metropolitan Police Service relating to the search for

missing children.

Offensive Weapons: Crime

Asked by Lord Ouseley


they have made of any correlation between the

reductions in youth services provision and police











numbers and the levels of gun and knife crime in the

UK. [HL10095]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: On 9 April 2018, the

Government published a new Serious Violence Strategy

to take action to address serious violence and in particular

the recent increases in knife crime, gun crime and

homicide. The strategy outlines an ambitious programme

and is based on evidence about the trends and drivers of

serious violence and analysis of what works in terms of

interventions. Our analysis clearly points to a range of

factors driving increases in serious violence including

improvements in police recording, but changes in the

drugs market is a key driver of recent increases in knife

crime, gun crime and homicide.

Our multi agency approach means that the strategy is

not solely focused on law enforcement, but depends also

on partnerships across a number of sectors such as

education, health, social services, housing, youth services,

victim services and others. In particular, the strategy

stresses the importance of early intervention to tackle the

root causes of serious violence and provide young people

with the skills and resilience to lead productive lives free

from violence.

The Strategy sets out 61 commitments including:

• A new Early Intervention Youth Fund, this has been

doubled from £11 million to £22 million and was

launched by the Home Secretary on 30 July.

• A new round of the (anti-knife crime) Community

Fund in 2018/19. Due to the number and quality of bids

submitted, and as part of the Government’s

commitment to early intervention and prevention to

tackle serious violence, the funding available has been

increased from £1 million to over £1.5 million. We

announced the successful 68 bids on 2 August.

• A new £3.6m National County Lines Co-ordination

Centre to tackle violent and exploitative criminal

activity associated with county lines.

• A new Offensive Weapons Bill to strengthen

legislation on firearms, knives and corrosive

substances.

We have also established a Serious Violence Taskforce,

chaired by the Home Secretary, to oversee delivery of the

strategy and this group has met three times since April.

Origin Marking

Asked by Lord McNicol of West Kilbride

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are

taking to protect products that benefit from protected

geographical or traditional status under EU legislation.

[HL10165]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government

recognises the economic and cultural importance of UK

geographical indications (GIs). We are working with the

Devolved Administrations and stakeholders to develop

new UK GI schemes for when we leave the EU.

We will use the European Union (Withdrawal) Act

2018 to ensure that GI schemes are in place on day one of

leaving the EU for wines, aromatised wines, spirit drinks,

agricultural products and foodstuffs. This will provide UK

protection for UK GIs when we leave the EU and ensure

that the UK fulfils its obligations under World Trade

Organisation Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual

Property Rights rules.

The protection of UK GIs in the EU and EU GIs in the

UK is subject to ongoing negotiations. We anticipate that

all current UK GIs will continue to be protected by the

EU’s GI schemes after we leave the EU.

Palestinians: Schools

Asked by Lord Judd


are taking to ensure that the schools for Palestinian

children operated by United Nations Relief and Works

Agency for Palestine Refugees can continue their work

throughout the coming academic year. [HL9978]

Lord Bates: The UK is committed to ensuring that the

UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees

(UNRWA) continues to deliver a high-quality education

to over 500,000 children across the region. The UK has

announced £17 million of funding over the past four

months, in addition to our original budget of £28.5

million, to protect UNRWA’s vital services, including

education. We continue to work with international

partners to help unlock further funding for UNRWA.

Passports: Children


To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan

to take any action to compensate those British-born

children of EU citizens settled in the UK who were

turned down for passports following an administrative

error. [HL10104]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Passport applications

for these children may require additional information to

confirm their eligibility, or registration as a British

citizen, before a passport can be issued. The applications

remain open while these processes are followed.

There is no charge for registration in these cases and no

specific compensation scheme. HM Passport Office

compensation policy is detailed on www.Gov.uk

Ross Fund

Asked by Baroness Sheehan

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the

Written Answer by Lord Bates on 7 December 2017

(HL3634), how much of the Ross Fund has now been

(1) allocated, and (2) disbursed. [HL10022]

Lord Bates: The Ross Fund is a portfolio of

programmes, identified in the UK Aid Strategy, led by








either DFID or Department of Health and Social Care

(DHSC), aimed at combatting the world's most serious

diseases.

DFID was allocated £547m and DHSC £461m from the

Ross Fund Portfolio. To date DFID has (1) allocated

£509m and (2) disbursed £161m to end of financial year

2017/18. DHSC has (1) allocated £395m and (2)

disbursed £62.1m to end of financial year 2017/18.

Details for the current financial year will be available

after March 2019.

Students: Loans


To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they

have, if any, to provide assistance to students paying

over six per cent in interest on their tuition fees and

maintenance loans. [HL10106]

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The system of variable

interest rates based on income is progressive, and ensures

that higher earners make a fair contribution to the

sustainability of the higher education system.

Student loan interest rates vary with income. Only

borrowers earning over £45,000 and those in study pay

the maximum interest rate of 6.3% and many will be

charged less than this. The system of variable interest

rates help ensure that the highest earners make a higher

total contribution than those on lower incomes.

Reducing interest rates would benefit high earners only.

That is why the government has increased the repayment

threshold from tax year 2018-19 and will increase the

repayment threshold again in April 2019, reducing

monthly repayments for all borrowers earning above

£25,000.

We believe that it is right that students should

contribute to the cost of their higher education and that

this contribution should be linked to their income. This

means that those who have benefited the most from their

education repay their fair share.

UN Population Fund: Finance




funding of the UN Population Fund in (a) 2015–16, (b)

2016–17, and (c) 2017–18. [HL10110]

Lord Bates: Her Majesty’s Governments core and non

core funding to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in a)

2015/16, b) 2016/17 and c) 2017/18 can be found in the

table below.

Core Non-

core

2015 2016 2017 2015 2016 2017

UNFPA 20 20 20 94.7 87.5 110.9

These figures were taken from ‘Statistics on

International Development, table A8’. The figures for

2017 are provisional DFID figures. Final figures for

HMG will be released on Statistics on International

Development which is due out in November this year.

UN Women: Finance




funding of UN Women in (a) 2015–16, (b) 2016–17,

and (c) 2017–18. [HL10114]

Lord Bates: Her Majesty’s Governments core and non-

core funding to UN Women in a) 2015/16, b) 2016/17 and

c) 2017/18 can be found in the table below.

Core Non-

core

2015 2016 2017 2015 2016 2017

UN

Women

12.5 12.5 12.5 4.2 8.3 6.2






UNICEF: Finance




funding of UNICEF in (a) 2015–16, (b) 2016–17, and

(c) 2017–18. [HL10115]

Lord Bates: Her Majesty’s Governments core and non-

core funding to UNICEF in a) 2015/16, b) 2016/17 and c)

2017/18 can be found at the table below.

Core Non-core

2015 2016 2017 2015 2016 2017

UNICEF 48 48 48 287.6 354 383.2






USA: UNRWA

Asked by Baroness Helic

To ask Her Majesty's Government what

representations they have made to the government of

the United States following the announcement that the

US government will no longer fund the United Nations






Relief and Works Agency; and whether they intend to

continue to provide funding to that Agency. [HL9961]

Lord Bates: The UK remains unequivocally committed

to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine

Refugees (UNRWA). The US has consistently been

UNRWA’s single largest donor. When the US announced

their intention to withhold a planned disbursement to

UNRWA in January, we were sympathetic to their

concerns over the need for a broader donor base for

UNRWA, but made clear to them that we did not consider

a sudden cut in planned funding was the right way to

address this. My officials and I continue to raise this with

our US counterparts.

Visas: Doctors

Asked by Baroness Northover

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Home

Office has received any representations from the (1)

Department of Health and Social Care, or (2)

Department for International Development, about

extending the number of Tier 5 visas available for the

Medical Training Initiative. [HL10219]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office is

in regular contact with the Department of Health and

Social Care and the Department for International

Development regarding all aspects of the UK immigration

system.

White Helmets: Syria

Asked by Baroness Cox

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether members

of the White Helmets and their families evacuated from

Syria via Israel have arrived in the UK. [HL9939]


To ask Her Majesty's Government where in the UK

members of the White Helmets group evacuated from

Syria via Israel (1) have been, and (2) will be settled.

[HL9940]


To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the

White Helmets group and their families evacuated from

Syria via Israel are now in the UK. [HL9941]

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Together with

international partners, the UK is working to resettle

members of the White Helmets and their families. Any

resettlement to the UK will be in line with the established

UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) process for identifying

and resettling the most vulnerable refugees. Our prime

concern for those coming to the UK under our

resettlement schemes is their safety and protection as they

arrive in this country. We believe that one way to protect

their privacy and support their recovery and integration is

to limit the amount of information about them that we

make publicly available.

Notwithstanding this the Home Office is committed to

publishing data on arrivals in an orderly way as part of the

regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the

Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

World Health Organisation: Finance




funding of the World Health Organisation in (a) 2015–

16, (b) 2016–17, and (c) 2017–18. [HL10113]

Lord Bates: Contributions are as follows:

Year* Core (£millions) Non – core(£ millions)

15/16 33.48 117.64

16/17 29.80 130.79

17/18 29.80 130.79

*WHO operates on a biennium financing cycle. Figures

above are based on WHO biennium year 14 -15 and 16-

17. Contributions are split into two separate years in

response to this PQ. For example. UK total core

contribution to the WHO biennium of 2014- end 2015

was approx. £66.96m but has been divided in two to show

our approximate contribution for 2015.

UK core contribution also includes our Assessed

contributions: 15/16 - £18.62m; 16/17 - £17.33m and

17/18 - £17.33m.

The UK contribution includes support to Polio

Eradication amongst other health areas.








Index to Statements and Answers

Written Statements ................................................. 1

Abortion Clinic Protest Review ............................ 1

Bovine TB ............................................................ 2

Ebola: Democratic Republic of the Congo ........... 2

EU Exit ................................................................. 3

General Affairs Council (18 September 2018) ..... 4

Humanitarian Situation: Idlib ............................... 4

Immigration .......................................................... 5

Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation:

Reports .................................................................. 5

Intelligence and Security Committee: Diversity

and Inclusion Report............................................. 5

Retail Sector ......................................................... 6

Senior Public Sector Pay Awards ......................... 6

Written Answers ..................................................... 9

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers ............................. 9

Asylum ................................................................. 9

Asylum: Compensation ........................................ 9

Asylum: English Language .................................. 9

Asylum: LGBT People ....................................... 10

Asylum: Sri Lanka .............................................. 10

Asylum: Yemen .................................................. 11

Attorney General: Families ................................ 11

Commission for Countering Extremism ............. 11

Department for Environment, Food and Rural

Affairs: Bicycles ................................................. 11

Developing Countries: Health Services .............. 11

Developing Countries: HIV Infection ................ 12

Grafton College of Management Sciences:

Standards ............................................................ 12

Greater Manchester Police ................................. 12

Heathrow Airport................................................ 12

Home Office: Families ....................................... 13

Home Office: Written Questions ........................ 13

Human Trafficking ............................................. 14

Immigrants: Detainees ........................................ 14

Immigration: EU Nationals ................................ 14

Immigration: Sri Lanka ..................................... 14

International Planned Parenthood Federation:

Finance............................................................... 15

Iraq: Yazidis ...................................................... 15

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS:

Finance............................................................... 15

Legal Aid Scheme: Asylum ............................... 15

Madeleine McCann ............................................ 15

Missing Persons: Children ................................. 15

Offensive Weapons: Crime................................ 15

Origin Marking .................................................. 16

Palestinians: Schools ......................................... 16

Passports: Children ............................................ 16

Ross Fund .......................................................... 16

Students: Loans .................................................. 17

UN Population Fund: Finance ........................... 17

UN Women: Finance ......................................... 17

UNICEF: Finance .............................................. 17

USA: UNRWA .................................................. 17

Visas: Doctors .................................................... 18

White Helmets: Syria ......................................... 18

World Health Organisation: Finance ................. 18

Documents

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