Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 5 August 2019 (HL17390), whether they implemented the EU’s occupational exposure limit value for Formaldehyde of 0.3ppm (parts per million); and if not, what is the limit on exposure in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Following the UK’s exit from the EU, and the end of the Transition Period (TP), the UK is no longer involved in the EU limit-setting regime.
The EU’s revised binding occupational exposure limit for Formaldehyde had an implementation date of 11 July 2021, with an extended transition period to 11 July 2024 for the healthcare, funeral, and embalming sector in the UK.
As the date of implementation falls after the end of the Transition Period, there is no legal obligation for the UK to align with the revised EU limits, and this includes the revised limit for Formaldehyde. The current Great Britain (GB) Workplace Exposure Limit for Formaldehyde remains 2ppm, which is the previously agreed limit. However, the Health and Safety Executive is currently considering a long-term delivery model for setting workplace exposure limits in GB ensuring any limits introduced will be achievable, feasible and protective of health.
The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is responsible for developing a system for Northern Ireland.
There is a robust and well-established regulatory framework in place in GB to protect workers from health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace through the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). Under COSHH, exposure to carcinogens, (as well as mutagens and asthmagens) should be reduced to as low as is reasonably practicable.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to shield the BAME community from COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Bethell
To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Science of Covid-19 note for House of Lords, which is attached due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter from the Secretary of State for Defence to the Chair of the War Widows' Association on 29 June, what plans they have to revisit their policy on war widows' pensions.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Officials have now developed a number of options to be considered. The full financial and legal implications of these options are being explored so that the Defence Secretary can decide how to proceed. Work on this is continuing at pace both in the Ministry of Defence and across Government.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate the recycling rate for waste from British households will exceed the former EU target of 50 per cent; and whether, following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, they have dropped that target.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government is committed to exceeding the 50% target for recycling household waste and this target remains in legislation. The Government has not prepared an estimate of when the UK will exceed this target. The latest UK recycling rate published in March 2020 showed that the UK recycled 45% of household waste in 2018.
The Government has also committed to recycle 65% of municipal waste in England by 2035 and set out measures to achieve this target in the Resources and Waste Strategy and the Environment Bill.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how women are affected by the loss of their Civil Service 'survivor' pension, following cohabitation with a new partner.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Government Actuary’s Department completed the quadrennial actuarial valuation as at 31 March 2016 and showed that the average annual pension for surviving adult dependants in the Civil Service pension arrangements was around £2,100 for male dependants and around £4,700 for female dependants.
The pensions of widows, widowers and surviving civil partner pensions, under the Classic section of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, cease if they remarry or cohabit. In 2018, the Government Actuary’s Department estimated the extra cost of paying all survivor pensions, regardless of remarriage or cohabitation and when it occurred. The estimated extra cost in 2018 was around £550m for reinstating pensions that had already ceased and an annual future cost of around £30m for stopping the practice going forward. The estimate was a simplified approximation based on an earlier estimate done in 2006.
Based on our initial investigation of ceased pensions for the last financial year (April 2019 to March 2020), seven widows’ and four widowers’ pensions were ceased due to remarriage or cohabitation. However, we have also noted that the figure for the financial year ended March 2020 may not reflect the experience in recent years as the initial data obtained shows an average of around 120 pensions ceasing on remarriage or cohabitation per year for the period 2008 to 2019. The split of the data previous to the financial year ended March 2020 between widows and widowers, and the breakdown between England, Wales and Scotland, are not available at this point.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Civil Service (1) widows, and (2) widowers, in (a) England and Wales, and (b) Scotland, have had their pension revoked as a result of remarriage or cohabitation.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Government Actuary’s Department completed the quadrennial actuarial valuation as at 31 March 2016 and showed that the average annual pension for surviving adult dependants in the Civil Service pension arrangements was around £2,100 for male dependants and around £4,700 for female dependants.
The pensions of widows, widowers and surviving civil partner pensions, under the Classic section of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, cease if they remarry or cohabit. In 2018, the Government Actuary’s Department estimated the extra cost of paying all survivor pensions, regardless of remarriage or cohabitation and when it occurred. The estimated extra cost in 2018 was around £550m for reinstating pensions that had already ceased and an annual future cost of around £30m for stopping the practice going forward. The estimate was a simplified approximation based on an earlier estimate done in 2006.
Based on our initial investigation of ceased pensions for the last financial year (April 2019 to March 2020), seven widows’ and four widowers’ pensions were ceased due to remarriage or cohabitation. However, we have also noted that the figure for the financial year ended March 2020 may not reflect the experience in recent years as the initial data obtained shows an average of around 120 pensions ceasing on remarriage or cohabitation per year for the period 2008 to 2019. The split of the data previous to the financial year ended March 2020 between widows and widowers, and the breakdown between England, Wales and Scotland, are not available at this point.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of paying all 'survivor' pensions to Civil Service (1) widows, and (2) widowers, regardless of remarriage or cohabitation and when it occurred.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Government Actuary’s Department completed the quadrennial actuarial valuation as at 31 March 2016 and showed that the average annual pension for surviving adult dependants in the Civil Service pension arrangements was around £2,100 for male dependants and around £4,700 for female dependants.
The pensions of widows, widowers and surviving civil partner pensions, under the Classic section of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, cease if they remarry or cohabit. In 2018, the Government Actuary’s Department estimated the extra cost of paying all survivor pensions, regardless of remarriage or cohabitation and when it occurred. The estimated extra cost in 2018 was around £550m for reinstating pensions that had already ceased and an annual future cost of around £30m for stopping the practice going forward. The estimate was a simplified approximation based on an earlier estimate done in 2006.
Based on our initial investigation of ceased pensions for the last financial year (April 2019 to March 2020), seven widows’ and four widowers’ pensions were ceased due to remarriage or cohabitation. However, we have also noted that the figure for the financial year ended March 2020 may not reflect the experience in recent years as the initial data obtained shows an average of around 120 pensions ceasing on remarriage or cohabitation per year for the period 2008 to 2019. The split of the data previous to the financial year ended March 2020 between widows and widowers, and the breakdown between England, Wales and Scotland, are not available at this point.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact on Civil Service (1) widows, and (2) widowers, of the loss of their 'survivor' pension due to remarriage.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Government Actuary’s Department completed the quadrennial actuarial valuation as at 31 March 2016 and showed that the average annual pension for surviving adult dependants in the Civil Service pension arrangements was around £2,100 for male dependants and around £4,700 for female dependants.
The pensions of widows, widowers and surviving civil partner pensions, under the Classic section of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, cease if they remarry or cohabit. In 2018, the Government Actuary’s Department estimated the extra cost of paying all survivor pensions, regardless of remarriage or cohabitation and when it occurred. The estimated extra cost in 2018 was around £550m for reinstating pensions that had already ceased and an annual future cost of around £30m for stopping the practice going forward. The estimate was a simplified approximation based on an earlier estimate done in 2006.
Based on our initial investigation of ceased pensions for the last financial year (April 2019 to March 2020), seven widows’ and four widowers’ pensions were ceased due to remarriage or cohabitation. However, we have also noted that the figure for the financial year ended March 2020 may not reflect the experience in recent years as the initial data obtained shows an average of around 120 pensions ceasing on remarriage or cohabitation per year for the period 2008 to 2019. The split of the data previous to the financial year ended March 2020 between widows and widowers, and the breakdown between England, Wales and Scotland, are not available at this point.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the European Commission that the government of China has run “targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns" about COVID-19; and whether they are aware of any other attempts by that government to spread false views in order to damage democracy in the West.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government takes the issues of disinformation seriously and our priority is to protect UK citizens from disinformation by any actor. We condemn any intentionally false claims in relation to Covid-19, which are a distraction from the important global efforts and cooperation needed to beat the virus. From the outset of the crisis we have outlined the importance of all countries providing timely, transparent and accurate data as an essential part of an effective response. We are working with our international partners, to protect our democracies against disinformation.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financial sustainability of NHS dental services.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England is continuing to fund dentists for their National Health Service contracts while the requirement to deliver a given amount of treatment is suspended. As part of the agreement dental practices will provide remote urgent advice, redeploy staff to provide urgent face to face care in one of the 550 urgent dental centres and redeploy other staff to support the wider NHS on COVID-19.
NHS England and NHS Improvement announced on 28 May that NHS dentistry outside urgent care centres will begin to restart from 8 June with the aim of increasing levels of service as fast as is compatible with maximising safety.