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Written Question
Law Enforcement Data Service
Monday 9th November 2020

Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the national roll-out of the National Law Enforcement Data Programme (1) to begin, and (2) to be completed.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The National Law Enforcement Data Programme (NLEDP) is delivering the Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS). NLEDP is due to begin the roll out of LEDS from quarter two 2021. LEDS will complete its roll out of PNC replacement functionality by quarter three 2023, and for PND replacement functionality by quarter three 2024.


Written Question
Law Enforcement Data Service
Monday 9th November 2020

Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their current estimate of the total cost of (1) designing, (2) building, and (3) rolling out, the National Law Enforcement Data Programme.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The total cost for the delivery of the National Law Enforcement Data Programme is £263M. This is as stated in the 2019 Business Case and includes programme cost to date but excludes costs associated with risk and optimism bias. Due to the parallel activity associated with design, build and delivery the costs are grouped. Any further breakdown of costs would be artificial due to the complexity of delivery.

NLEDP is currently producing a new Business Case which will include updated costs which is due for approval in April 2021.


Written Question
Law Enforcement Data Service
Monday 9th November 2020

Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that Police and Crime Commissioners are fully consulted at all stages in the design, build and roll out of the National Law Enforcement Data Programme.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

A Police and Crime Commissioner represents PCCs on the National Law Enforcement Data Programme (NLEDP) Board, along with an officer from their representative body, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC). As members of the Programme Board they are a part of the delivery and assurance of NLEDP and are consulted throughout every stage of the programme.

The PCC and APCC representatives are responsible for briefing other PCCs through their normal channels and regular updates are given to the PCCs' technology and digital portfolio group and General Meetings of all PCCs.

The PCC and APCC representatives also attend the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) Chief Constables Reference Group for NLEDP that consists of Police Chief Constables regularly meeting to discuss and scrutinise programme delivery.


Written Question
Police National Computer
Thursday 5th November 2020

Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Police National Computer (PNC) was last unavailable to police forces in England and Wales due to a power outage at the PNC Data Centre at Hendon; and how long it took to restore the PNC to normal service.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Prior to the power outage experienced this week, the previous occasion when we believe PNC would have been unavailable to police forces in England and Wales due to a power outage would have been on 21st June 2012. It took approximately 339 minutes to restore service.


Written Question
Law Enforcement Data Service
Thursday 5th November 2020

Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government who is the Director of the National Law Enforcement Data Programme.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Steve Thomson is the Programme Director for the National Law Enforcement Data Programme


Written Question
School Meals: Per Capita Costs
Wednesday 4th November 2020

Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the annual cost (1) in total, and (2) per pupil, of providing lunches to pupils in (a) primary, and (b) secondary, schools.

Answered by Baroness Berridge

The government spends over £550 million a year on in England, through the National Funding Formula, to ensure that 1.4 million disadvantaged children benefit from free school meals. A further 1.4 million infant pupils are also supported through universal infant free school meals.

The National School Breakfast Programme, running from March 2018 to March 2021, is supporting up to 2,450 schools in disadvantaged areas, at an overall cost to the government of approximately £35 million. Unit costs are commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be made available. Many schools operate their own breakfast club arrangements.

There is legislation in place that ensures schools provide meals to all pupils who want them, which should be provided free to those eligible for benefits-related free school meals or universal infant free school meals.

The Schools Food Standards provide the legislative framework to ensure schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.

The standards define the foods and drinks that must be provided, which foods are restricted, and those, which must not be provided. They apply to all food and drink provided to pupils on and off school premises and during an extended school day (up to 6pm), including school trips, breakfast clubs, tuck shops, mid-morning break, vending and after school clubs. The department’s advice is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england.

A summary of the standards and a practical guide are available from the school food plan website at:
http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/resources.

I believe that the School Food Standards have been transformational in the way schools operate their meal services. We will be updating these standards to bring them into line with revised nutritional recommendations in due course, this work is currently paused due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.


Written Question
Breakfast Clubs: Per Capita Costs
Wednesday 4th November 2020

Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the annual cost (1) in total, and (2) per pupil, of breakfast clubs in (a) primary, and (b) secondary, schools.

Answered by Baroness Berridge

The government spends over £550 million a year on in England, through the National Funding Formula, to ensure that 1.4 million disadvantaged children benefit from free school meals. A further 1.4 million infant pupils are also supported through universal infant free school meals.

The National School Breakfast Programme, running from March 2018 to March 2021, is supporting up to 2,450 schools in disadvantaged areas, at an overall cost to the government of approximately £35 million. Unit costs are commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be made available. Many schools operate their own breakfast club arrangements.

There is legislation in place that ensures schools provide meals to all pupils who want them, which should be provided free to those eligible for benefits-related free school meals or universal infant free school meals.

The Schools Food Standards provide the legislative framework to ensure schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.

The standards define the foods and drinks that must be provided, which foods are restricted, and those, which must not be provided. They apply to all food and drink provided to pupils on and off school premises and during an extended school day (up to 6pm), including school trips, breakfast clubs, tuck shops, mid-morning break, vending and after school clubs. The department’s advice is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england.

A summary of the standards and a practical guide are available from the school food plan website at:
http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/resources.

I believe that the School Food Standards have been transformational in the way schools operate their meal services. We will be updating these standards to bring them into line with revised nutritional recommendations in due course, this work is currently paused due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.


Written Question
School Meals: Standards
Wednesday 4th November 2020

Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that meals provided to pupils in (1) primary, and (2) secondary, schools meet national standards for nutritional value.

Answered by Baroness Berridge

The government spends over £550 million a year on in England, through the National Funding Formula, to ensure that 1.4 million disadvantaged children benefit from free school meals. A further 1.4 million infant pupils are also supported through universal infant free school meals.

The National School Breakfast Programme, running from March 2018 to March 2021, is supporting up to 2,450 schools in disadvantaged areas, at an overall cost to the government of approximately £35 million. Unit costs are commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be made available. Many schools operate their own breakfast club arrangements.

There is legislation in place that ensures schools provide meals to all pupils who want them, which should be provided free to those eligible for benefits-related free school meals or universal infant free school meals.

The Schools Food Standards provide the legislative framework to ensure schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.

The standards define the foods and drinks that must be provided, which foods are restricted, and those, which must not be provided. They apply to all food and drink provided to pupils on and off school premises and during an extended school day (up to 6pm), including school trips, breakfast clubs, tuck shops, mid-morning break, vending and after school clubs. The department’s advice is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england.

A summary of the standards and a practical guide are available from the school food plan website at:
http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/resources.

I believe that the School Food Standards have been transformational in the way schools operate their meal services. We will be updating these standards to bring them into line with revised nutritional recommendations in due course, this work is currently paused due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.


Written Question
Counter Terrorism Advisory Network
Wednesday 4th November 2020

Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Counter Terrorism Advisory Network last met to discuss concerns about the terminology used to describe faith-claimed terrorism; and how many organisations (1) were invited to attend that meeting, and (2) attended.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Counter Terrorism Advisory Network is a national stakeholder forum formed by Counter Terrorism Policing. Membership comprises of survivors of terrorism, academics and researchers, a variety of faith leaders, and community members.

The network met to discuss terminology on Thursday 18th June 2020. 154 individuals were invited of whom 61 attended.


Written Question
National Crime Agency: Languages
Monday 2nd November 2020

Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) which, languages are spoken by officers of the National Crime Agency.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Numerous languages are spoken by officers within the National Crime Agency but we are unable to disclose further details in order to protect operational activity.