Asked by: Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of pavement parking on disabled pedestrians.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
In early 2019, the Department for Transport completed an evidence review of pavement parking in England, looking at the extent of the problem, the effectiveness of the current legislation and options for change. Department officials consulted with a wide range of stakeholders, including Guide Dogs, The Royal National Institute of Blind People and Living Streets, to ensure the safety of disabled pedestrians was considered in the review process.
Evidence from that review was provided to the Transport Select Committee as part of their inquiry into pavement parking in summer 2019. The Government has now responded to the committee setting out our intention to carry out a public consultation on possible solutions to this complex problem. The options include allowing local authorities with civil enforcement powers to enforce against unnecessary obstruction of the pavement, and introducing a London-style pavement parking prohibition across England.
Asked by: Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money has been spent under section 22 of the Family Law Act 1996 on (1) the provision of marriage support services, (2) research into the causes of marital breakdown, and (3) the research into ways of preventing marital breakdown, for every financial year since the Act was passed.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
As policy responsibility for relationship issues has moved between departments several times since 1996, the information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The policy responsibility for relationship issues currently sits with the Department for Work and Pensions. The Department does not make grants under section 22 of the Family Law Act (1996). However, we have funded a range of work to help couples (including those who are married) to improve the quality of their relationships.
Since responsibility for this area moved to the Department, we have spent the following in each financial year:
2014/15 - £7.5 million
2015/16 - £11.2 million
2016/17 - £6.3 million
2017/18 - £5.24 million
2018/19 - £15.85 million
2019/20 current forecast - £10.2 million
Currently, these services are focused on the specific issue of parental conflict, and are delivered through our Reducing Parental Conflict programme.
Asked by: Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the standstill period for the British Board of Film Classification's Guidance on Age-verification Arrangements ends; and when they intend to (1) lay that guidance before Parliament, and (2) announce the new date on which the age verification regime to prevent children accessing commercial pornography online will come into force.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned research into online pornography use and its effect on attitudes and behaviours towards women and girls; and if so, when that research will be published.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government Equalities Office has commissioned research exploring legal pornography use and its influence on harmful behaviours and attitudes towards women and girls. The research is currently in the fieldwork phase and will be published in autumn 2019.
There are a number of existing pieces of research on the impact of pornography on young people and views towards age verification. S26(b) of the Digital Economy Act provides the regulator with the ability to carry out, commission or support research which it considers appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 20 July (HL Deb, cols 883–4), on what date the age verification requirements to protect children from accessing online pornography will come into effect.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Once the appropriate remedial actions have been undertaken to correct a procedural error announced on 20th June, we will announce further details on timings for commencement of age verification for online pornography, giving stakeholders sufficient time to prepare.
Asked by: Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will implement the requirements in the Digital Economy Act 2017 in relation to age verification on websites with pornographic content.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Age verification for online pornography is a world-leading measure to protect our children from adult content which is currently far too easy to access online. The Government, and the British Board of Film Classification as the regulator, are taking the time to get the implementation of this policy right and ensure it is effective.
The government recently announced that from 15 July commercial providers of online pornography will be required by law to carry out robust age -verification checks on users, to ensure that they are 18 or over.
Asked by: Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) arrests, and (2) convictions, for importing child sex dolls there have been in the financial years (a) 2016–17, (b) 2017–18, and (c) 2018–19.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office does not hold centrally the information requested.
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of arrests for notifiable offences on a financial year basis but it is not possible to separately identify those for the importation of child sex dolls.
Data on the number of arrests are published in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales
Information on prosecutions and convictions is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the (1) Director of Public Prosecutions, and (2) Crown Prosecution Service, on whether an imported child sex doll falls within the definition of an obscene article under the Customs Consolidation Act 1876.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
The Crown Prosecution Service has prosecuted the importation of child sex dolls under the provisions of the Customs Consolidation Act 1876, in conjunction with the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, where there is sufficient evidence to do so and a prosecution is required in the public interest. The CPS intends to issue guidance to assist prosecutors considering such allegations shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, of the 1.7 per cent of 11–16 year olds identified as problem gamblers by the Gambling Commission's research study, Young People and Gambling, published in November, what proportion have problem gambling behaviour associated with private bets.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Gambling Commission’s Young People & Gambling 2018 report was based on a survey completed by 2,865 children in schools in England, Scotland and Wales. Of these, 37 children were identified as problem gamblers. The data was then weighted by gender, age and region. Where sample sizes for an age group were particularly small (for example, only 66 children aged 16 completed the survey, of which two were identified as problem gamblers) these children had large weights in the final dataset. Estimates about rates or numbers of problem gamblers should therefore be treated with caution.
Due to the small numbers both of children participating in any given gambling activity, and of problem gamblers identified by the survey, it is not possible to provide robust problem gambling rates on a per activity basis, including for those legally playing the National Lottery.
Of the 37 respondents identified as problem gamblers, 33 had on at least one occasion in the past 12 months spent their own money on an activity which is regulated under the Gambling Act 2005.
Asked by: Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, of the 1.7 per cent of 11–16 year olds identified as problem gamblers by the Gambling Commission's research study, Young People and Gambling, published in November, what proportion are legally playing the National Lottery.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Gambling Commission’s Young People & Gambling 2018 report was based on a survey completed by 2,865 children in schools in England, Scotland and Wales. Of these, 37 children were identified as problem gamblers. The data was then weighted by gender, age and region. Where sample sizes for an age group were particularly small (for example, only 66 children aged 16 completed the survey, of which two were identified as problem gamblers) these children had large weights in the final dataset. Estimates about rates or numbers of problem gamblers should therefore be treated with caution.
Due to the small numbers both of children participating in any given gambling activity, and of problem gamblers identified by the survey, it is not possible to provide robust problem gambling rates on a per activity basis, including for those legally playing the National Lottery.
Of the 37 respondents identified as problem gamblers, 33 had on at least one occasion in the past 12 months spent their own money on an activity which is regulated under the Gambling Act 2005.