Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 14 November (HL2794), whether they will clarify why information relating to failure rates of biometric passports, and resulting delays, raise national security concerns.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
There are many reasons why passports fail at ePassport Gates, and to provide information relating to the use and performance of biometric passports may give those that want to cause harm to the UK an insight into security measures and cause vulnerability at our borders.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the failure rate of biometric passport gates at UK airports; and what was the total amount of delay resulting from such failures in 2016–17.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Protecting the UK border is, and always has been, of paramount importance to this Government. It has never been government practice, for reasons of national security, to comment on operational issues relating to border security. This includes offering commentary on the performance of border systems and of ePassport Gates specifically.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the editorial independence of the BBC Chinese Service of its potential relocation to Hong Kong.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have made no assessment regarding the operational decision to move some Chinese Language Service posts to Hong Kong. The BBC has advised that BBC Chinese Language staff are already able to report from Hong Kong independently and without interference from authorities. The BBC believes this will continue in Hong Kong which hosts regional headquarters and offices for more than a hundred leading international media organisations.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have been informed of any plans by the BBC to move the Russian Service to Moscow.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have not been informed by the BBC of any plans to move the Russian Service to Moscow. Operational decisions of this nature are for the BBC to take independently of Government.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their strategy to counter misinformation and censorship from Russia and China and what assessment they have made of how the relocation of the BBC Chinese Service to Hong Kong fits with that strategy, given the rise in Chinese intervention in freedoms in Hong Kong.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Russia’s use of disinformation and hybrid warfare is unacceptable. We are actively working with European and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies to protect and promote access to reliable information and bring balance and plurality to the Russian language media.
We are concerned by the harassment and detention of journalists in China. Freedom of expression is a priority for the UK and it should be the bedrock of a strong democracy. Working with the Chinese authorities and civil society to encourage greater freedom of expression in China remains a priority for us. In Hong Kong, we monitor freedom of the press closely, including in the Six Monthly Reports on Hong Kong, as this is one of the fundamental freedoms protected by the Joint Declaration and enshrined in the Basic Law
No assessment has been made regarding the operational decision to move some Chinese Language Service posts to Hong Kong. The BBC has advised that safety is always of paramount importance and BBC Chinese staff are already able to report from Hong Kong independently and without interference from authorities. The BBC believes this will continue in Hong Kong, which hosts regional headquarters and offices for more than a hundred leading international media organisations. The BBC faces challenges to press freedom all over the world every day and this move will not change its commitment to impartial journalism in any way.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the BBC World Service regarding the proposal to move the Chinese Language Service to Hong Kong.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We did not hold discussions with the BBC World Service prior to their decision to move some Chinese Language Service posts to Hong Kong. Operational decisions of this nature are for the BBC to take independently of Government.
The BBC has since advised that the entire service is not moving to Hong Kong but that there will be a change in the number of staff based in Hong Kong and London to allow more first-hand reporting in the region.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in making their decision about how to vote on the implementation of real driving emissions tests at the 28 October meeting of the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles, whether they took into account (1) estimates from DEFRA and Public Health England that pollution from mono-nitrogen oxides is responsible for 23,500 premature deaths in the UK per annum, (2) the 2010 estimates from the WHO suggesting that air-pollution related deaths cost the UK $83,069 per annum, (3) the failure of London, Leeds, and Birmingham to maintain nitrogen dioxide levels within legal limits over the past five years, and (4) the Supreme Court’s ruling in <i>R (on the application of ClientEarth) v Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs </i>[2015] UKSC 28 on 29 April that they should take immediate action to tackle air pollution.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to taking action on vehicle emissions testing that restores consumer confidence and delivers our wider air quality and climate objectives. We strongly support the current Real Driving Emissions agreement, which is expected to significantly reduce average real world NOx emissions from new diesel cars from 2017. It makes type approval requirements for diesel vehicles significantly more stringent by requiring manufacturers to ensure real-world emissions are maintained below 2.1 times the laboratory-testing limit in 2017 and at or below the laboratory-testing limit by 2020 (with a margin for measurement uncertainty). Issues relating to vehicle emissions are considered in the context of the UK Government’s plans for air quality. More detail is set out in the air quality plans published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the 17th December.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the failure of London, Leeds, and Birmingham to maintain nitrogen dioxide levels within legal limits over the past five years, what assessment they have made of whether relaxing emissions standards for cars is compatible with public health and legal requirements to control urban pollution.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to taking action on vehicle emissions testing that restores consumer confidence and delivers our wider air quality and climate objectives. We strongly support the current Real Driving Emissions agreement, which is expected to significantly reduce average real world NOx emissions from new diesel cars from 2017. It makes type approval requirements for diesel vehicles significantly more stringent by requiring manufacturers to ensure real-world emissions are maintained below 2.1 times the laboratory-testing limit in 2017 and at or below the laboratory-testing limit by 2020 (with a margin for measurement uncertainty). Issues relating to vehicle emissions are considered in the context of the UK Government’s plans for air quality. More detail is set out in the air quality plans published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the 17th December.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they made to the October 2014 findings by the International Council on Clean Transportation that some vehicles were producing emissions at seven times the legal limit.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government did not respond to the findings of the ICCT. This research confirmed the importance of ongoing work by Department for Transport officials on the development of a new European regulation to address issues around real world driving emissions.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place at a senior level with the government of Spain regarding a referendum on Catalonian independence, following the regional elections on 27 September.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
There have been no official discussions with the Government of Spain regarding a referendum on Catalonian independence since Catalonia’s regional election on 27 September.