Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have they have made of the number of permissive access footpaths that have been closed to the public since permissive access payments provided through legacy environmental stewardship schemes ceased following the introduction of the Countryside Stewardship scheme.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Financial support for the permissive access options within agri-environment schemes was withdrawn by Defra Ministers as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2010. Existing agreements under the original Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) and Higher Level Stewardship Scheme (HLS) were allowed to run their course to expiry, with final agreements ending by 2021.
Since 2010, agreements providing about 31,000 kilometres of CSS and 27,500 kilometres of HLS permissive linear access paths (footpath, bridleway/cycle routes, reduced mobility access and upgrades to existing paths) have expired along with 5500 ha (CSS) and 4000 ha (HLS) of permissive open access. These 58,500 km of paths and 9,500 ha of open access were present on about 3600 sites. Agreement holders with permissive access options were initially encouraged to continue offering access, if practicable, without payment, but we do not have any record of the extent to which this occurred. During 2021/22 Natural England, on behalf of Defra, will be conducting research to determine what happened to access provision after the end of Stewardship agreements to help inform future public access provision within schemes.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when, and for what reason, they decided to merge the North East region and the Yorkshire and Humberside region in their statistics on the incidence of COVID-19 and that virus's reinfection rates. [T]
Answered by Lord Bethell
Reporting on COVID-19 is broken down by NHS England’s seven regional teams. The North East and Yorkshire is one of the seven regional teams and so the statistics are merged for the North East and Yorkshire and Humber regions.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, what plans they have to introduce regional strategies to address COVID-19 death and infection rates. [T]
Answered by Lord Bethell
We are currently considering a range of options for addressing future phases of the COVID-19, including the implementation of tailoring containment measures to the regional and local level. As recently announced, each local authority will be given funding to develop local outbreak control plans, working with the local National Health Service, Public Health England and other stakeholders.
Any decisions on how to approach the mid- to long-term strategy to address the pandemic will be led by the science, build on the Government’s test and trace strategy, and be supported by the new Joint Biosecurity Centre.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to waive the cost requirement for the renewal of visas for those working in NHS hospitals in any capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. [T]
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government has announced we will extend the visas for a range of healthcare professionals working for the NHS and independent health and care providers, where their current visa expires between 31 March and 1 October. This offer also applies to their families. The 12-month extension is automatic and free of charge and those benefitting will not have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.
This is part of a wider Government approach to supporting the health and care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to keep all of our policies under review.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, and plan to have, with (1) The Road Haulage Association, and (2) The Freight Transport Association, about the negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department engages with the FTA and RHA regularly on issues related to the UK’s departure from the EU, preparations for the end of the Transition Period and the progress of the ongoing negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) the British Medical Association and (2) other health sector representatives about the availability of hospital beds for patients needing urgent treatment for something other than COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department regularly engages with the British Medical Association and other health sector representatives such as National Health Service trade unions, including through the Social Partnership Forum (SPF). SPF meetings are now exclusively focused on COVID-19 workforce issues.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the UK’s creative industries about continued UK participation in the EU Creative Europe programme.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has made the decision not to seek participation in Creative Europe in the next Multiannual Financial Framework. Prior to this decision, Ministers and officials engaged with relevant parts of industry and government-funded screen bodies including the British Film Institute.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of continued adherence in the UK to the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Implementation of the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) is required as part of the United Kingdom’s Withdrawal Agreement. Under the terms of this agreement, the UK will implement EU law adopted while it was a Member State where the implementation date falls within the transition period. After the transition period, the transposed measures in the Directive will become retained EU law and continue to apply to citizens and companies in the UK. Furthermore, the government has made a statutory instrument, the Broadcasting (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, to correct deficiencies in broadcasting legislation as a result of leaving the EU and ensure that Ofcom continues to have effective oversight of broadcasting in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy regarding UK implementation of the 2019 Copyright Directive.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The deadline for implementing the EU Copyright Directive is 7 June 2021. The United Kingdom left the European Union on the 31 January and the transition period will end on 31 December 2020. Therefore, the United Kingdom will not be required to implement the Directive, and the Government has no plans to do so.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many firms in the creative industry sector formerly based in the UK have relocated to the EU in (1) 2016–18, (2) 2019, and (3) since 31 January 2020.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
DCMS does not track this information.
Beyond the transition period, the UK has set out its proposals to the EU in a range of areas, making clear that we want a Canada-style relationship, based on a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement supplemented by other international agreements.