Baroness Kennedy of Cradley Portrait

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

Labour - Life peer

Became Member: 19th September 2013


Baroness Kennedy of Cradley is not a member of any APPGs
Affordable Childcare
12th Jun 2014 - 11th Feb 2015
Draft Modern Slavery Bill
15th Jan 2014 - 3rd Apr 2014


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Baroness Kennedy of Cradley has voted in 396 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Baroness Kennedy of Cradley Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Baroness Williams of Trafford (Conservative)
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
(13 debate interactions)
Baroness Barran (Conservative)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
(8 debate interactions)
Lord Greenhalgh (Conservative)
(6 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Home Office
(20 debate contributions)
Scotland Office
(13 debate contributions)
Ministry of Justice
(6 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Baroness Kennedy of Cradley's debates

Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


1 Bill introduced by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley


A Bill to amend the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 to provide for service charges to be reduced where they do not reflect the landlord’s actual costs in providing goods and services; to make fixed service charges subject to reasonableness requirements; to amend the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 to make the same changes; and for connected purposes

Lords - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 13th July 2022
(Read Debate)

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1 Other Department Questions
4th Feb 2022
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what steps the House of Lords catering services are taking to support British farmers and growers by buying British produce.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.

It is always the intention of Catering & Retail Services to purchase high quality, fresh, seasonal produce. In catering outlets and for events the majority of fresh products purchased are British: meat, dairy, bread, eggs, and fruit and vegetables (when in season) are sourced from within the UK.

When tendering for new supplier contracts the Parliamentary Procurement and Commercial Service (PPCS) add to contracts wording such as:

"The Authority [PPCS] seeks to appoint fresh produce suppliers that have robust environmental and local sourcing policies and give preference to those that subscribe to Linking Environment and Farming marque (LEAF), or Red Tractor…"

Seasonality and the provenance of our ingredients feature heavily on our menus and promotional material. Key calendar dates such as British Food Fortnight are supported in our outlets through promotional activity, along with other regional showcases, highlighting produce and traditional food recipes from across the UK. Catering & Retail Services have also worked with the National Farmers Union for their Back British Farming campaigns.

3rd Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) deaths, and (2) serious injuries, in the agricultural industry from 2015 up until the last year for which records are available.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority

A response to the noble Baroness’ Parliamentary Question of 3 February is attached.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

8 February 2023

Dear Lady Kennedy,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of deaths and serious injuries in the agricultural industry from 2015 up until the last year for which records are available (HL5397).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing statistics on deaths registered in England and Wales. Mortality statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. The information on occupation is supplied by the informant when registering the death. The ONS does not hold data on serious injuries occurring in the agricultural industry.

From 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2022, 10,240 deaths of persons aged 16 to 64 working in the agricultural industry were registered in England and Wales (including non-residents). These deaths were registered with the Standard Occupational Classification minor group codes 511 and 911. These agricultural and related trades occupations are defined as those who cultivate and harvest crops, breed and rear animals, raise animals for consumption, catch and breed fish and other aquatic life, grow plants, trees, shrubs and flowers for sale, tend private and public gardens, parks, sports pitches and other recreational areas, and perform a variety of other skilled occupations related to agriculture and fishing.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
18th Nov 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of deaths from liver disease since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Noble Lady’s Parliamentary Question: HL3553 is attached.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
4th Feb 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the data from the 2021 Census will be published.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

09 February 2022

Dear Baroness Kennedy,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking when the data from the 2021 Census will be published (HL5990).

We aim to release the first results for Census 2021 data on the population of England and Wales in late May 2022. This will be followed by the release of the full data from the census in stages through to spring 2023. This includes data for small areas on the full range and combinations of census variables that provide such a rich insight into the characteristics of the population. In total there will be billions of counts of information to inform decision making in the years ahead. The range of products planned will make census data accessible for people with a range of levels of interest and experience, from those with a passing interest in information about the country or their local area through to expert and professional users of data.

The planned release schedule for Census 2021 will make the information available significantly earlier than has been possible previously. Our proposed outputs and analysis release plans are set out on the Release Plans page on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website [1]. The ONS held a consultation on our Census 2021 outputs plans last year, further details and part one of the ONS’s response to feedback on the consultation are available on our website [2].

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

1. https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/censustransformationprogramme/census2021outputs/releaseplans

2. https://consultations.ons.gov.uk/external-affairs/census-2021-outputs-consultation

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
20th Apr 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what five African countries have the largest total value of trade with the UK.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

26 April 2021

Dear Lady Kennedy,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what five African countries have the largest total value of trade with the UK (HL15101).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes monthly ‘All countries statistics’[1]. Services data for 2021 Q1 are not currently available at a geographical level but will be published in August 2021. Tables 1 and 2 provide details of UK Trade in Goods imports and exports for the top five African countries. Please note that data are in current prices and, as such, include the effect of inflation.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Trade in Goods imports, top five African countries, seasonally adjusted, £ million

Imports February 2021

South Africa

714

Morocco

93

Egypt

92

Kenya

37

Ivory Coast

35

Source: ONS

Table 2: Trade in Goods exports, top five African countries, seasonally adjusted, £ million

Exports February 2021

Egypt

156

South Africa

122

Nigeria

81

Ghana

40

Morocco

39

Source: ONS

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/datasets/uktradeallcountriesseasonallyadjusted

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
13th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' statement on 9 July that "the greatest threat we face now is not the [COVID-19] virus itself, rather it is the lack of leadership and solidarity at the global and national levels".

The UK takes a strong global leadership role in collaborating with other countries in efforts towards the development and distribution of a successful vaccine for COVID-19 and we encourage other countries to do the same.

COVAX is an international initiative to support the discovery, manufacture and fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for one billion people by the end of 2021.

The UK is actively engaging with the World Health Organisation, which has an important role to play in leading the global health response. The UK is committed to supporting the WHO as well as multilateral and international partners, such as Gavi and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
28th Apr 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what scientific modelling they have seen to inform the development of possible strategies to replace the COVID-19-related lockdown in place in England.

Scientific advice and analysis have underpinned the Government's policy making in the development of current social distancing measures and our recently published roadmap. We will continue to be guided by science in our approach.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
1st Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increased costs to British business resulting from the attacks to shipping in the Red Sea.

The Department of Business and Trade is in regular contact with key businesses and industries to understand the issues they may be facing as a result of the disturbance in the Red Sea. We have open channels of communication with key stakeholders to ensure the most effective mitigations are in place to support with any increased costs they are facing. Our Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy will help UK business build the secure and reliable supply chains vital to the UK’s economic prosperity, national security and essential services.

For exporters affected, UK businesses can access DBT’s wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk. This comprises a digital self-serve offer and our wider network of support, including trade advisors, export champions, the Export Academy, International Markets network, and UK Export Finance.

Lord Offord of Garvel
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
8th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of tidal turbine technology to produce energy at a cost-effective level.

Tidal stream is a novel technology and so initial costs are high. Cost reductions are required to deliver the potential benefits cost-effectively. In 2023 DESNZ published research on ‘Levelised Costs of Electricity from Tidal Stream Energy’. It suggested there is potential for significant cost reductions, subject to deployment. 94MW of new tidal stream power was procured in Contracts for Difference Allocation Rounds 4 and 5. This will increase the UK’s installed capacity tenfold.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
29th Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of electricity grid miscalculations on housebuilding in England.

The calculation of electricity network capacity for new housing developments is a matter for housing developers and network companies. Guidance on network capacity requirements for housing developments has been published by the Independent Networks Association, whose members are responsible for the connection of around 80 percent of newbuild developments. Distribution Network Operators also offer online calculators for housebuilders to determine the network capacity they might require for their developments.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
8th Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the amount of power that will be generated from wind and solar energy by (1) 2030, (2) 2040, and (3) 2050.

Two indicative Net Zero consistent scenarios for the GB power sector are published as Annex O of the Energy and Emissions Projections.[1] Renewable generation in these scenarios is:

Annual Generation (TWh)

2030

2040

2050

Net Zero Lower

282

427

483

Net Zero Higher

307

494

591

[1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6463addee140700013b6e048/annex-o-annex-j-all-power-producer-generation.ods

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
29th Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the roll-out of ground source heat pumps in homes.

We are putting in place a package of policies to drive the roll-out of ground- and air-source heat pumps, including targeted regulation, a new clean heat market-based mechanism and public funding measures, like the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
29th Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to local authorities to install solar panels on public buildings in their control.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is making available £2.5 billion over the financial years 2020/21 to 2024/25 to support public sector organisations including local authorities, schools and hospitals to install heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures - including solar panels - on public sector buildings. As of June 2023, the scheme has awarded grants worth over £2 billion to fund such projects.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
22nd Nov 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of electricity the UK will need per day by 2050.

Annex O of the Energy and Emission Projections presents indicative annual generation data out to 2050 for higher and lower demand scenarios. In these scenarios the UK will need an average of 1.5 to 2.1 TWh of electricity per day in 2050.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
18th Nov 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what work they are undertaking, if any, on converting carbon dioxide and hydrogen into methanol.

The Government is supporting innovation in the synthesis of methanol from low-carbon hydrogen through the UKRI Hydrogen and alternative energy vectors innovation programme.

Where transport fuels are produced by converting carbon dioxide and hydrogen into methanol using renewable inputs, they are eligible for support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). The RTFO is a certificate trading scheme that has been successful in reducing carbon emissions from road transport since 2008 through incentivising the use and production of low carbon fuels.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
18th Nov 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect new nuclear power generating capacity to come online in the UK.

The target date for commercial operations of reactor 1 at Hinkley Point C (HPC) is 1 June 2027. In order to achieve the up to 24GW deployment pathway by 2050, as set out in the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government intends to take one project to Final Investment Decision (FID) this Parliament and two projects to FID in the next Parliament, including Small Modular Reactors.

The Government is in constructive, ongoing negotiations on the Sizewell C project, which would be a replica of HPC. As announced in the Autumn Statement, subject to final approvals, the Government intends to support further development of the project, with an investment of £700m.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Nov 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility of geothermal energy providing part of future UK energy needs.

The most promising use of geothermal energy in the UK is for heat applications. The Government is supporting the North East Local Energy Partnership to commission a research report to provide an evidence-based assessment of existing and future geothermal potential for heat in the UK. This work is also part funded by the North East & Yorkshire Net Zero Hub. The British Geological Society will be undertaking this work with the engineering consultancy Arup. This builds on UKRI funding to develop the UK Geoenergy Observatories, which aim to inform how geoenergy can help to deliver clean economic growth.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
12th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what activities they are undertaking to support precision and reliability of atmospheric observation to improve weather forecasting.

Observations are an essential input in the production of weather forecasts. The Met Office utilises a comprehensive range of state of the art observing systems that fulfil a carefully prioritised set of requirements for measuring the atmosphere. These include satellites, weather radars, deep ocean buoys, radiosonde systems and land based observing stations across the UK and beyond. They are designed to meet detailed, internationally agreed performance standards and monitoring and incident management processes are in place to ensure compliance. The Met Office also has an ongoing research and development programme to exploit new technologies and deliver further enhancements to observations.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
13th Jun 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop wind farms in the Irish Sea.

Three large offshore windfarms, totalling 3.48GW, are currently being developed in the Irish Sea. BP and EnBW are developing the Morgan (1.5GW) and Mona (1.5GW) projects. Cobra and Flotation Energy are developing the Morecambe (0.48GW) project.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th May 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the latest case for the development of a tidal lagoon to generate energy in the UK.

The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around the UK’s coastlines, including barrage schemes and other alternatives. Any proposal would need to demonstrate strong evidence of value for money before the Government could take a view on its potential.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
28th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support solar panel construction in England.

The Government supports UK-based innovation in solar power through various innovation schemes, including the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund. The Government is also working with the solar industry to support the development of the UK supply chain. One of the best ways the government has supported the solar industry is overseeing its robust roll-out; 99% of the UK’s solar capacity has been rolled out since 2010.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
28th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support wind turbine construction in England.

The UK has 11.3GW of offshore wind installed with a further 9.1GW in construction. The Government has a target of 40GW by 2030, including 1GW of floating wind. The fourth Contract for Difference Allocation Round is currently open and will bring forward new projects.

As set out in the Net Zero strategy, the Government is providing £380 million for the UK’s world leading offshore wind sector, investing in supply chains, infrastructure and early co-ordination of offshore transmission networks, securing jobs and benefitting communities across the UK.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
6th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of a potential increase in energy prices in 2022.

The Government is monitoring the significant increases in wholesale energy prices closely, and meeting regularly with Ofgem, suppliers and consumer groups to understand the future impact on consumers as well as to discuss potential mitigations.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
27th Apr 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potentioal for exporting green energy in the next (1) five, and (2) ten, years.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Baroness.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the future of combined heat and power plants in the UK.

The government is currently reviewing the role of combined heat and power plants, as the economy transitions to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy held a call for evidence, Combined Heat and Power (CHP): the route to 2050, between 12 June and 4 September. The responses are currently being analysed and a government response will be published in due course.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
9th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal for a tidal lagoon near the Port of Mostyn in north Wales.

The Government has not yet received a detailed proposal from project developers for a proposed tidal lagoon near the Port of Mostyn in North Wales.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
9th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's future energy needs; and what plans they have to increase the generation of nuclear power.

The Government believes that nuclear power will play a key role in our future energy mix. Alongside other technologies, such as renewables, nuclear will enable us to remain a world leader in tackling climate change, helping to transition our energy system so that we can achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The forthcoming Energy White Paper will address changes to our energy system, promoting high-skilled jobs and clean, resilient economic growth.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
8th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the number, and (2) the total cost, of fraudulent claims that have been made to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

As part of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme application process lenders undertake fraud checks, including Know Your Customer and Anti Money Laundering checks as required. In addition, the application form is clear – any individual who knowingly provides false information is at risk of criminal prosecution. We are working across Departments, and with lenders and law enforcement agencies, to tackle fraudulent abuse of the scheme.

Details of how we expect the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to perform is set out in our accounts for 2019-20, a copy of which has been placed in the Libraries of the House. At this early stage, such estimates are naturally highly uncertain as reflected in the explanatory notes of the Accounts.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the amount of energy generated from solar power; and how they plan to assist private and public sector businesses (1) to start, or (2) to increase, generating solar power on land they own or occupy.

Solar PV is a UK success story and a key part of the government’s strategy for low cost decarbonisation of the energy sector.

Achieving our ambitious 2050 Net Zero target will require significant increases in renewable electricity generation, and we will need to increase deployment across a range of technologies, including solar PV. This is why government announced on 2 March 2020 that large scale solar PV projects will be able to compete in the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round. The round will open in late 2021 and aim to deliver up to double the renewable capacity of last year’s successful round, potentially providing enough clean energy for up to 10 million homes.

Small scale solar PV generators can receive payment for the renewable electricity that they export to the grid under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), introduced in January 2020. Generators can choose from several tariffs, which in some cases are higher than the export tariff provided under the previous Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme.

Both public and private sector businesses are entitled to seek support for new and extension solar PV projects under the CfD or SEG scheme, provided they satisfy the relevant eligibility requirements.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the amount of energy generated from wind power; and how they plan to assist private and public sector businesses (1) to start, or (2) to increase, generating wind power on land they own or occupy.

Achieving our ambitious 2050 Net Zero target will require significant increases in renewable electricity generation, and we will need to increase deployment across a range of technologies, including wind.

We now have 14.2GW installed onshore wind (ONW) capacity and we are a world leader in offshore wind (OFW) with installed capacity of 10.1GW (which will rise to 19.5GW by the mid 2020s).

On 6 October 2020, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced new plans to Build Back Greener by building on the UK’s success in wind energy. As part of this, we increased the offshore wind ambition to 40 GW by 2030, introduced a new target to deploy 1GW of floating wind by 2030, and to support up to double the capacity of renewable energy in the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction, which will open in late 2021.

This CfD allocation round will be open to both onshore and offshore wind (as well as other technologies) as announced on Monday 2 March 2020.

The Contracts for Difference scheme is the government’s main mechanism for supporting new renewable generation projects in Great Britain and to this date has secured clean energy for 12 million homes. Both public and private sector businesses are entitled to bid into the Contracts for Difference scheme.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the decision not to proceed with the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon

There are no current plans to review the decision not to proceed with the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the rollout of the latest version of smart meters to be completed.

In June 2020, the Government confirmed that from July 2021 a new four-year policy framework will be implemented with fixed annual installation milestones for energy suppliers that will drive continued investment and support the cost-effective delivery of net zero and our clean economic recovery. The framework seeks to achieve high levels of overall smart meter coverage across Great Britain over the four-year period.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
17th Sep 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to instruct pubs to close an hour earlier in areas under local restrictions to address the COVID-19 pandemic; and if so why.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 22 September that, as from 24 September, all pubs in England must have a 10pm-5am closing time to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
8th Sep 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many earthquakes have been recorded in the UK in the last 12 months with a magnitude of over two; and where they have been located.

In the last 12 months a total of 23 earthquakes have been recorded in the UK with a magnitude of over two. Details of the locality, date and magnitude are provided in the table below:

Date

Time (GMT)

Magnitude

Locality

24/09/2019

13:38:15

4.2

CENTRAL NORTH SEA

02/10/2019

19:22:07

2.4

MELTON MOWBRAY LEICS

05/10/2019

15:35:47

2.1

SOUTHERN NORTH SEA

14/10/2019

16:51:49

2.4

BISHOP'S CASTLE SALOP

08/11/2019

16:12:07

2.3

HALIFAX WEST YORKSHIRE

17/11/2019

22:31:54

2.1

MULL ARGYLL & BUTE

05/12/2019

22:49:18

3.2

BRIDGWATER SOMERSET

15/12/2019

21:19:53

2.1

IRISH SEA

07/01/2020

10:36:46

2.3

ARNISDALE HIGHLAND

23/01/2020

05:57:00

3.1

STOCKTON COUNTY DURHAM

31/01/2020

11:53:34

2.2

NORTHAMPTON NORTHANTS

01/02/2020

01:20:28

2.9

SOUTHERN NORTH SEA

01/02/2020

01:19:39

2.7

SOUTHERN NORTH SEA

07/02/2020

15:04:52

2.4

SOUTHERN NORTH SEA

22/02/2020

18:43:02

4

CENTRAL NORTH SEA

24/03/2020

17:19:20

2.3

PONTRILAS HEREFORDSHIRE

27/03/2020

03:25:28

2.8

SOUTHERN NORTH SEA

04/04/2020

15:28:17

2.2

BRACKLEY NORTHANTS

23/04/2020

05:30:50

3.3

SOUTHERN NORTH SEA

04/06/2020

12:48:16

2.1

WALSALL WEST MIDLANDS

06/06/2020

14:22:39

2.2

COMRIE PERTH & KINROSS

21/08/2020

17:41:52

2.6

SKYE HIGHLAND

08/09/2020

08:45:29

3.5

LEIGHTON BUZZARD BEDS

Data supplied by the British Geological Survey.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
24th Mar 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to stop all non-essential construction work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Construction plays a crucial role in supporting our public services, maintaining the nation’s infrastructure, and providing safe, decent homes for people to live in. Construction workers who cannot work from home, who show no symptoms of Covid-19, and who live in households where no person is self-isolating, should still go to work. This is consistent with the advice of the Chief Medical Officer.

However, the Government is clear that construction activity should only continue where it can take place in line with the social distancing guidance provided by Public Health England. Through the Construction Leadership Council, the construction industry has issued Site Operating Procedures which align with this guidance.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
24th Mar 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to add outsourced cleaners to the list of key workers.

Key workers are defined as those whose work is critical to the Coronavirus response, based on consultation across the Government. This includes those who work in the health and social care sectors, as well as those providing essential services in industries such as education and childcare, transport, food and delivery, utilities, communications, public safety, and the Government. We are actively keeping guidance on key workers under review.

Employers should carefully consider the guidance, which sets out the key workers who will not be able to work from home. They can contact the Government department responsible for their sector if they have any questions.

If you cannot work from home then you can still travel to work, provided you are well and neither you nor any of your household are self-isolating. This is consistent with advice from the Chief Medical Officer.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
8th Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of commercial radio in the UK.

His Majesty’s Government strongly supports a vibrant radio sector, including national and local commercial stations as well as community stations and the BBC, which between them provide a rich variety of choice for listeners across the UK.

The UK’s commercial radio sector now accounts for approximately 55% of radio listening in the UK, according to figures published by RAJAR for Quarter 4 2023, with 39 million people tuning in to national or local commercial stations at least once a week. This compares to 42% of radio listening and 34 million listeners in Quarter 4 2013. The growth in commercial radio listening over the past 10 years is thanks to the investment the sector has made to develop and grow new services and its ability to adapt what it offers to listeners on digital radio or via internet-connected devices such as smart speakers.

The measures in the Media Bill to reduce regulatory burdens on commercial radio and to secure protections for the carriage of radio on smart speaker devices are intended to help support and secure commercial radio’s long-term future.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
25th Apr 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the heritage railway sector to boost tourism and the enjoyment of railway heritage.

The UK is a true pioneer in the history of railway development, benefiting from the talents of Brunel and Stephenson among many others.

Heritage railways are major contributors to the UK’s visitor economy, attracting around 13 million visitors and bringing an estimated £250 million to the economy each year. More than 3,000 people are employed on heritage railways, with a further 22,000 volunteers generously committing their time and expertise.

The unprecedented Cultural Recovery Fund provided approximately £18 million to heritage railway related organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping them to reopen safely and continue to welcome visitors. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also currently undertaking the Local Visitor Economy Partnership accreditation process which will benefit heritage railways by ensuring that local tourist boards work together to boost the visitor economy across the country.

I have had a number of meetings with the Heritage Rail Association and other representatives of the sector, and keep in contact with them to discuss how else the Government can support it.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
11th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the risk to image recognition systems from cyber attacks using radio waves.

The Government is aware of recent research into the use of radio waves to disrupt image recognition. As part of the £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy, the government continually works to better understand cyber security vulnerabilities and how to protect businesses and users against these.

22nd Feb 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the National Theatre's decision to postpone tours in the EU due to uncertainty about work permits.

Touring in Europe is currently not possible due to Covid-19 and EU Member States have not set out plans for when it will be. We are working urgently with the UK’s creative industries to help ensure they can work confidently in Europe once touring can safely resume. In the meantime, we also urge EU member states to at least match what the UK offers to all EU artists touring here. The UK government strongly believes supporting touring is in the interests of both the UK and EU, and we continue our work on solutions.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
1st Feb 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the distribution of funds to football teams in the National League during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 19 November 2020, the government announced a £300 million Sports Winter Survival Package (SWSP) to provide a lifeline to organisations that would otherwise not survive the winter as a result of the restriction on spectators announced from 1 October. A provisional allocation of up to £25 million was made to support the National League. This is in addition to the £10 million cash injection from the National Lottery in October last year, the result of a unique promotional deal facilitated by the government.

Whilst the distribution of National Lottery support is a matter for the National League, the government was clear in supporting the deal that it expected the proceeds to be allocated sensibly to support clubs for as long as possible.

The government further confirmed on 27 January 2021 that Steps 3-6 of the National League system will receive up to £10 million of grant support from the Package to protect the immediate future of approximately 850 clubs over the winter period. This support is being distributed at pace by the Football Foundation and is available with immediate effect.

The National League has also benefited from the multi-billion pound package of cross-sector business support from the Government that has enabled many sports clubs and leisure businesses to survive, including the furlough scheme and business interruption loan scheme. Sports have accessed many hundreds of millions of pounds of support through this.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
10th Nov 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Barran on 9 November (HL Deb, col 808), what funding streams constitute the £119 million which Arts Council England has made available for individuals; what is the relative value of any such funding streams; and whether such funding derived from (1) Arts Council England’s regular funding, (2) the Culture Recovery Fund, or (3) any other sources.

The £119 million which Arts Council England made available for individuals is derived from ACE’s own funding (National Lottery reserves, Grant-in-Aid reserves and from repurposing some of their current funding programmes) and is made up of the following:

  • £17.1 million distributed through the Emergency Response Fund for individuals;

  • £6 million distributed by a series of Benevolent Funds focused on the self-employed.

  • £18 million available through their Developing Your Creative Practice fund. This came from an underspend from the £160m made available for the Arts Council’s Emergency Response Fund.

  • £77.9 million available through National Lottery Project Grants (available to both individuals and organisations). This is from ACE’s existing National Lottery money and an underspend in the Emergency Response Funds.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
24th Sep 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with social media platforms regarding misinformation about COVID-19.

Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, including social media platforms, on a variety of issues, including misinformation about COVID-19. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
8th Sep 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to enable sports stadiums to reopen safely in England.

The Government continues to liaise closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) and sporting bodies whilst developing its guidance to support the safe return of spectators to stadia more widely no earlier than October 1st. As announced by the Prime Minister, this remains subject to review. Pilot events will now be capped at 1,000 people.


Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
8th Sep 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to lower league football clubs to counter the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Football clubs are the heart of local communities and have unique social value.

The Government has provided unprecedented support to businesses throughout this period, including a comprehensive and sizable package of direct fiscal support for business through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support. Many football clubs have benefited from these measures.

The Government is in regular dialogue with all the football authorities to understand their financial position - but has been absolutely clear that it expects football to look first at how it can support itself through these difficult times. To this end I welcomed the Premier League announcement to advance funds of £125 million to the EFL and National League to help clubs throughout the football pyramid. The EFL has also announced a £50m relief fund to help their clubs enduring immediate cash flow problems because of the coronavirus crisis.


Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
27th Jul 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) Google, (2) Twitter, (3) Facebook, and (4) other social media sites, about (a) the action, and (b) the time, those companies take to remove (i) racist, (ii) anti-Semitic, (iii) abusive, (iv) criminal, and (v) illegal, content online.

Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with social media platforms such as Google, Twitter and Facebook on a range of issues, including hate speech, abusive and illegal online content. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.

We are aiming to publish the full government response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation later this year which will outline the detailed proposals for keeping users safe online. We will continue to engage with industry representatives as we finalise proposals and move towards legislation.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)