Asked by: Duke of Montrose (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times there have been joint ministerial meetings between their ministers and (1) Scottish ministers, (2) Welsh ministers, and (3) Northern Irish ministers or senior officials, since 31 March 2001; and whether (a) the agenda, (b) the attendance, and (c) the minutes, are published.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) in its plenary format (JMC(P)), chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by the First Ministers of the devolved administrations and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, has met 13 times since 31 March 2001.
The Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations (JMC(EN)) has met 21 times since it was established in 2016. The JMC(EN) brings together the UK Government and the devolved administrations to discuss the progress of the UK’s exit from the EU.
The Joint Ministerial Committee on Europe (JMC(E)) has wherever possible met quarterly in advance of European Council meetings to discuss ongoing EU business with the devolved administrations.
During the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive, senior officials from the Northern Ireland Civil Service attended. The attendance and matters under discussion are published on the GOV.UK website, via communiqué, for JMC(P) and JMC(EN) meetings.
As set out in the MoU between the UK Government and the devolved administrations, minutes are not published following meetings of the JMC, to allow for free and candid discussion.
Asked by: Duke of Montrose (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the proportion of the £500 million for broadband extension, announced on 28 October, that will be required by each of the nations of the UK; and what contribution could still be required by local authorities.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The announcement on 28 October 2019 was the Ministerial Statement to Parliament in respect of the Government’s in-principle support for a Shared Rural Network (SRN) Programme, announced on 25th October 2019. The SRN is a proposal from the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to collectively increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the United Kingdom to 95% by 2025, underpinned by a legally binding coverage commitment from each operator to have reached more than 92% by 2026. The Government’s in-principle support remains subject to detailed negotiations with the MNOs, but our ambition is to reach a final agreement on the SRN early next year.
Crucially, the benefits will be felt across all four nations with the SRN extending coverage from each operator to a minimum of 85% in Scotland, 86% in Wales and 91% in Northern Ireland and 91% in England by 2026, although we expect the actual outcomes to be higher
Industry is contributing £530 million to address partial not-spots (areas where there is currently only coverage from at least one but not all four MNOs). In addition, subject to reaching a final agreement, the Government will invest £500 million to provide new digital infrastructure in total not-spot areas (areas of market failure where no operators are present today). This £500 million will be funded from central Government, for the purposes set out in the business case for the Shared Rural Network. As this funding is state aid, it will require the approval of the European Commission or, depending on the circumstances of EU exit, the Competition and Markets Authority.
The £500 million funding from Government does not assume any contributions from the devolved administrations or from local authorities. However, support from both the devolved administration and local authorities will be crucial to the success of the programme - particularly in relation to planning approvals for new sites or site upgrades. Officials in central Government have had detailed conversations about the SRN proposal with their devolved counterparts, and will continue to engage with them regularly over the coming months.
The UK has a vibrant telecoms industry, and we are keen that this programme reflects that. The programme will be delivered jointly by all four MNOs however, it is expected that organisations across the industry will have the opportunity to get involved in the delivery of the programme, as grant beneficiaries, by competing to build the required infrastructure, in an open, fair and transparent way. Beneficiaries will be required to report on their funding in line with the usual process for publishing their own accounts. Further details will be made available as the programme progresses.
Asked by: Duke of Montrose (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the £500 million for broadband extension, announced on 28 October, will be ringfenced; and whether beneficiaries of the funding will be required to publicise the source of that funding.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The announcement on 28 October 2019 was the Ministerial Statement to Parliament in respect of the Government’s in-principle support for a Shared Rural Network (SRN) Programme, announced on 25th October 2019. The SRN is a proposal from the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to collectively increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the United Kingdom to 95% by 2025, underpinned by a legally binding coverage commitment from each operator to have reached more than 92% by 2026. The Government’s in-principle support remains subject to detailed negotiations with the MNOs, but our ambition is to reach a final agreement on the SRN early next year.
Crucially, the benefits will be felt across all four nations with the SRN extending coverage from each operator to a minimum of 85% in Scotland, 86% in Wales and 91% in Northern Ireland and 91% in England by 2026, although we expect the actual outcomes to be higher
Industry is contributing £530 million to address partial not-spots (areas where there is currently only coverage from at least one but not all four MNOs). In addition, subject to reaching a final agreement, the Government will invest £500 million to provide new digital infrastructure in total not-spot areas (areas of market failure where no operators are present today). This £500 million will be funded from central Government, for the purposes set out in the business case for the Shared Rural Network. As this funding is state aid, it will require the approval of the European Commission or, depending on the circumstances of EU exit, the Competition and Markets Authority.
The £500 million funding from Government does not assume any contributions from the devolved administrations or from local authorities. However, support from both the devolved administration and local authorities will be crucial to the success of the programme - particularly in relation to planning approvals for new sites or site upgrades. Officials in central Government have had detailed conversations about the SRN proposal with their devolved counterparts, and will continue to engage with them regularly over the coming months.
The UK has a vibrant telecoms industry, and we are keen that this programme reflects that. The programme will be delivered jointly by all four MNOs however, it is expected that organisations across the industry will have the opportunity to get involved in the delivery of the programme, as grant beneficiaries, by competing to build the required infrastructure, in an open, fair and transparent way. Beneficiaries will be required to report on their funding in line with the usual process for publishing their own accounts. Further details will be made available as the programme progresses.
Asked by: Duke of Montrose (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 May (HL Deb, col 973), whether the three devolved administrations have agreed how the UK’s £3 billion of agricultural support will be divided up; and if not, what plans they have to reach an agreement.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We have made a commitment that the amount we allocate to farming support - in cash terms - will be protected until the end of this Parliament. Allocations from the current Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) budget were set by the government in 2014.
No decisions have yet been taken on allocations once we have left the EU.
Asked by: Duke of Montrose (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times the Scottish Parliament has passed a legislative consent motion for legislation regarding matters that were not at that time devolved under Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998, and in each case what reason was given for the motion.
Answered by Lord Dunlop
This Government and its predecessors have always sought consent from the Scottish Parliament with regard to legislating on devolved matters under the Sewel Convention. The Convention does not require consent to be sought for matters which are reserved under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998, though the legislative consent process can be used to enable the Scottish Parliament to indicate its consent for certain matters to be transferred in or out of Schedule 5. For example, section 10 of the Scotland Act 2012 made provision for certain elements in relation to air weapons to be within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and a Legislative Consent Motion was passed to cover this provision.
Asked by: Duke of Montrose (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to secure unhindered humanitarian access to assist civilians in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, in the light of the recent destruction of crops and the disruption of agricultural activity.
Answered by Baroness Northover
In the joint US, UK and Norway statement of 23 December we renewed our call for all parties in the Two Areas, as well as Sudan’s other conflict zones, to immediately allow full and unfettered humanitarian access. It is vital that both the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North make this a priority issue in the next round of African Union High Implementation Panel mediated peace talks, a point that we make consistently to both sides.
Asked by: Duke of Montrose (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks made by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 25 February, what proportion of the costs of meeting the target on the expansion of broadband in Scotland by the end of 2017 will be met by the Government; and how much it is expected to cost.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Scottish Government estimate the total capital cost for the current Scotland projects under phase 1 of the Superfast Broadband Programme will be £412 million. The UK Government is contributing nearly £101 million, the Scottish Government will contribute nearly £63 million, Scottish local authorities will contribute over £102 million and the European Union over £20 million towards the total. The balance of just over £126 million is expected to be contributed by the supplier BT.
The UK Government has allocated a further £21 million for phase 2 delivery within Scotland. This funding is subject to procurement and confirmation of local match funding.
Asked by: Duke of Montrose (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the context of Scottish devolution, deep geothermal heat is considered a form of renewable energy and therefore devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Verma
Section D1 of Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998 reserves the generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity. It makes no specific mention of geothermal energy. Since geothermal energy may be used directly for the production of heat and/or electricity, the devolution analysis for geothermal energy is split. Geothermal energy for the purposes of heat, including supplying district heating networks, is a devolved matter; where geothermal energy is utilised for electricity generation, it is a reserved matter (which is consistent with the reserved status of other renewable electricity-generating technologies).
Asked by: Duke of Montrose (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to report on the effect of the current badger culling trials on other wildlife and the general ecology in those areas.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
Defra has published the Food and Environment Research Agency's evaluation of the potential consequences for wildlife of a badger control policy in England.
We are not planning any further work on this at the present time.