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Written Question
Visas: Young People
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of introducing a new youth-group digital visa application process for those under the age of 18 wishing to visit the UK.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

There are no current plans to introduce a youth-group visa application process specifically for those aged under 18.

Separately, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France during the March summit between the Prime Minister and the French President, we have committed to easing travel between our two countries for schoolchildren on organised trips. Work is now under way to operationalise these arrangements.

The Home Office is also developing a border and immigration system which is “digital by default”.

This will see physical and paper-based products and services replaced with accessible, easy to use online and digital services. This will provide applicants with an easy online application process, including providing biometrics and establishing or verifying identity using their smartphones.

The transition towards eVisas is already underway, with millions of customers already receiving digital evidence of their immigration permission and using this to enter and live in the UK.


This will be supported by clearer, accessible guidance and content on gov.uk making it simpler and more intuitive for people to understand if they are eligible for a visa, what steps they need to take to apply and, if granted, the conditions of their stay in the UK.


Written Question
Youth Mobility Scheme: EU Countries
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to negotiate bilateral youth mobility schemes with countries across Europe to ensure UK travel businesses can hire UK citizens for critical tourism roles overseas.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

The UK remain open to negotiating new Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) arrangements with other countries and territories including EU Member States. However, as each YMS is subject to a bilateral, reciprocal arrangement which also provides benefit to UK nationals, with the details agreed between the relevant parties, we are unable to disclose the status of negotiations as they occur.


Written Question
Youth Mobility Scheme: EU Countries
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made progress in negotiating any bilateral youth mobility schemes with EU countries, particularly France, Greece, Italy and Spain.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

The UK remain open to negotiating new Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) arrangements with other countries and territories including EU Member States. However, as each YMS is subject to a bilateral, reciprocal arrangement which also provides benefit to UK nationals, with the details agreed between the relevant parties, we are unable to disclose the status of negotiations as they occur.


Written Question
Government Departments: Construction
Thursday 22nd June 2023

Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current value of Government departments' directly procured construction contracts where project bank accounts are being used, as recommended in the Construction Playbook.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Construction Playbook reiterates the government's approach to procuring construction projects to maximise value for money and deliver high quality outcomes. The Playbook is clear that contracting authorities should use project bank accounts unless there are compelling reasons not to. The Cabinet Office does not collect information centrally on the value of contracts that use project bank accounts.


Written Question
Government Departments: Construction
Tuesday 20th June 2023

Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to trial insurance-backed alliancing for Government construction projects in the light of the successes achieved by the use of this method of construction procurement in reducing construction project costs.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Government is aware that there have been some projects on which Insurance Backed Alliancing has been successfully used and continues to monitor the use of this in the UK. The policy of the Government remains that construction clients can choose to use Insurance Backed Alliancing if the project is suitable, and this is agreed with the supply chain. The Government has no current plans to trial this mechanism more widely.


Written Question
Construction: Contracts
Tuesday 20th June 2023

Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are committed to pursuing targets of a 33 per cent reduction in both the initial cost of construction and the whole life cost of built assets, and a 50 per cent reduction in the overall time from inception to completion for new build and refurbished assets, as proposed in the Construction 2025 report published on 2 July 2013; and if so, what progress has been made in pursuing these targets and when they expect them to be met.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The targets set in the Construction 2025 Strategy played an important role in guiding construction policy, including for the Transforming Construction Challenge innovation programme (2018-22), in which the construction sector and Government jointly invested £420m. The outputs of the Challenge demonstrated that it is possible to meet and exceed the targets set in Construction 2025. As set out in the Transforming Infrastructure Performance Roadmap to 2030 and the Construction Playbook, Government policy is now to use digital and offsite manufacturing technologies to accelerate the construction of buildings, improve quality and safety, and to support the transition to net zero carbon.


Written Question
Carillion: Insolvency
Tuesday 20th June 2023

Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the final accounts for Carillion plc to be published by the Official Receiver following its liquidation in 2018.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Official Receiver has issued three reports to the creditors of the Carillion group liquidations. The final receipts and payments account for Carillion plc is expected to be issued on completion of the liquidation work, which is ongoing at this time, and upon the Official Receiver applying to the Secretary of State for his release as liquidator.


Written Question
Construction: Contracts
Tuesday 20th June 2023

Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made to move to zero retentions by 2025, as outlined in the Build UK Roadmap to Zero Retentions, endorsed by the Construction Leadership Council in December 2019.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Government continues to work with the construction sector, through the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), to tackle the problems caused by the late or non-payment of retentions. The CLC is currently taking forward work on a project to reduce the need for retentions through reducing defects and has agreed to reduce the default rate of retentions to zero in NEC construction contracts. The Government has also consulted on whether reporting on retentions should be included within the payment performance Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations and will respond to this as soon as possible.


Written Question
Construction: Contracts
Tuesday 20th June 2023

Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in partnership with the construction sector, to reform the practice of retentions; and when they expect to announce results.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Government continues to work with the construction sector, through the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), to tackle the problems caused by the late or non-payment of retentions. The CLC is currently taking forward work on a project to reduce the need for retentions through reducing defects and has agreed to reduce the default rate of retentions to zero in NEC construction contracts. The Government has also consulted on whether reporting on retentions should be included within the payment performance Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations and will respond to this as soon as possible.


Written Question
Focal Therapy
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Lord Aberdare (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase awareness among (1) patients, and (2) medical professionals, of the use of focal therapies including focused ultrasound to treat cancer patients.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

While focal therapies offer promise, they are not yet recommended for wider adoption and spread across the National Health Service because more evidence is needed. As part of developing their guidance and recommendations, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence seeks input from professionals and patient associations and, through its clinical commissioning policy route, NHS England encourages clinicians working in the NHS in England to submit new policy topics to enable patients to quickly benefit from innovative, evidence-based treatments.