Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support the bee population.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Recovering nature is a priority for this Government, which is why we have set legally binding targets to halt and then reverse the decline in species abundance, reduce the risk of species extinction and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats. Action under the Environmental Improvement Plan to deliver our biodiversity targets will address key pressures impacting pollinators including habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, use of some pesticides, climate change and land use intensification.
Our 2014 National Pollinator Strategy sets out a 10-year plan to help pollinators survive and thrive. It delivers action across four themes: strengthening evidence; restoring habitats and species; sustaining pollinator health; and engaging wider society. A Defra-led working group is considering future priorities for pollinators beyond 2024.
Agri-environment schemes are a key mechanism for recovering bees and other pollinators, in particular through the ‘Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package’. Between 2014 and 2019, an estimated 30,000ha of bee-friendly habitat was delivered through this scheme.
We have also collaborated with research institutes and volunteer organisations to set up the Pollinator Monitoring and Research Partnership to improve our understanding of pollinators and pollination services, and raised the profile of pollinators through our annual Bees’ Needs Week, which raises awareness of key actions we can all take to protect pollinators. Bees’ Needs Week 2024 will run from 8-14 July.
Defra supports the honey bee population specifically through the work of the National Bee Unit inspectorate, which operates our bee pest surveillance programmes and provides free training and advice to beekeepers, including on pest and disease recognition. While bee health is a devolved matter, Defra and the Welsh Government work together on bee health and, in 2020, we jointly published the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 (copy attached).
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many countries the UK has diplomatic representation in.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a diplomatic representation present in 160 countries recognised by the UK Government. This number periodically changes for political and operational reasons. It excludes countries in which we have closed or temporarily suspended a Post in country, which may operate elsewhere. The UK also has representation present in 15 territories, which includes 12 UK Overseas Territories.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) publishes a full list of locations in which the UK has a diplomatic presence on GOV.UK at www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-foreign-office-posts.
This list is regularly updated.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many countries have diplomatic representation in the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office publishes details of foreign embassies, high commissions and consulates in the UK on GOV.UK at www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk.
This page includes the London Diplomatic List (LDL), which contains details of all embassies and high commissions, as well as the names of heads of mission and other diplomatic agents appointed in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The LDL lists 171 diplomatic missions with their permanent seat in the UK; and 17 non-resident diplomatic missions.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support new tram lines extensions or new tram lines in the East and West Midlands.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Responsibility for promoting new mass transit schemes, or extensions to existing networks, is devolved to local transport authorities (LTAs) in England. LTAs are best placed to bring forward new mass transit proposals, which could include light rail or tram technology, based on local transport challenges and opportunities.
Currently, the principal way LTAs can access Government funding for mass transit schemes which they wish to prioritise is through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) for eligible Mayoral Combined Authorities. West Midlands Combined Authority has been allocated a Settlement of £1.05 billion between 2022/23 and 2026/27.
In the East Midlands, Nottingham Express Transit is financed under a private finance initiative structure. The current contract, which was signed in 2011, expanded the tram network, doubling the previous size. The cost of this expansion will be met over the 23-year life of the contract, and the Department for Transport makes an annual contribution of £24.95 million per annum, alongside a contribution from Nottingham City Council to pay for this scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the level of overcrowding in the social housing sector.
Answered by Lord Evans of Rainow - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Data on the levels of overcrowding can be found in the English Housing Survey 2021 to 2022: social rented sector report
We are committed to reducing overcrowding and the length of social housing waiting lists, by increasing the supply of affordable housing and enabling councils and other social landlords to make better use of their existing stock.
That is why since 2010, we have delivered over 659,500 new affordable homes, including over 468,700 affordable homes for rent, of which over 166,300 homes for social rent. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country, and we have also recently launched our £750 million Local Authority Housing Fund.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many freeports they have established in the past three years; and where they are.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Excellent progress has been made with Freeport delivery - all English Freeports are open for business and seven out of eight have final government approval. We have also announced two new Green Freeports in Scotland as well as two new Freeports in Wales. The location of each Freeport can be found on the Freeports page on GOV.UK .
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in buildings other than schools.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the noble Lady to the response given to Question UIN 197493 on 11 September 2023.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many countries in the world the UK has a diplomatic representative present in.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a diplomatic representative present in 160 countries recognised by the UK Government. This number periodically changes for political and operational reasons. It excludes countries in which we have closed or temporarily suspended a Post in country, which operates elsewhere. The UK also has a representative present in 15 territories, which includes 12 UK Overseas Territories.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) publishes a full list of locations in which the UK has a diplomatic presence on GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-foreign-office-posts). This list is regularly updated.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government with how many countries the UK has visa-free travel arrangements for UK citizens.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
UK passport holders can travel visa free to 153 countries and territories. Information on entry requirements for each country can be found at Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the ease of UK-based artists' and musicians' ability to travel to work in the EU.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government recognises the cultural and economic value of the creative industries to the UK-EU relationship. The UK Government has worked closely with industry to help UK artists adapt to this new regulatory environment and continues to engage with stakeholders to understand their priorities.
The Government has engaged with EU Member States on their entry requirements for touring artists. The vast majority of Member States (24 out of 27) have confirmed that UK musicians and performers do not need visas or work permits for some short-term touring. This includes Greece, who announced a visa exemption for touring artists this June. We continue to call on the remaining Member States to make their arrangements as generous as the UK's.