Asked by: Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the World Food Programme's ability to scale up its humanitarian operation in Gaza.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to support the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
On 20 March, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK has funded WFP to provide 2,000 tons of food aid, enough to feed 275,000 people in Gaza. This is our largest delivery of aid to Gaza during the current crisis.
We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it, including through UN agencies and British charities.
Asked by: Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by The Earl of Minto on 27 November 2023 (HL200), what assessment they have made of the accuracy of report of the Board of Inquiry into the Nimrod crash on 2 September 1995, taking into consideration the rules pertaining to such boards of inquiry at that time, and its finding that Flight Lieutenant Dominic Gilbert was to blame for the crash.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is not possible to re-consider aspects of Boards of Inquiry held in the past without full reinvestigation of the original incident. It would not be in the public interest to re-open any such inquiries, where it is deemed there are no lessons to be identified for the Service, such as when aircraft are no longer in service. The likely complexity of such work due to the passage of time and the need to re-allocate Departmental resources are also significant considerations.
In 1997 Defence Ministers directed that BOI should not be permitted to attribute blame or negligence in cases of unnatural death or serious injury. Subsequently, in 2008, Boards of Inquiry were replaced by Service Inquiries under the Armed Forces Act 2006, separating accident investigation from the operational chain of command.
Service Inquiries (SI) are not permitted to find negligence or apportion blame, in order to encourage an open reporting culture, and to ensure that full and frank evidence be provided to SI panels.
Asked by: Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government on which department's accounts their commitment to fund compensation for sub-postmasters affected by issues arising from the Horizon software system appears.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Just over £1bn has been committed by Government to ensure postmasters are compensated fairly. This funding covers the three Horizon compensation schemes: the Overturned Convictions scheme, the Group Litigation Order Scheme, and the Horizon Shortfall Scheme. Funding is agreed by HM Treasury at the relevant Estimate on the basis of the Department for Business and Trade’s forecasts for compensation.
A provision was made in the 2022/23 accounts of the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Provisions should not be seen as an indication of the total amount of money available for compensation or how much claimants will receive; they are an estimate based on the latest information available.
The total discounted liability as at 31 March 2023 for sub-postmasters affected by issues arising from the Horizon software system was estimated at £600 million. This provision has subsequently transferred over to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and an updated value will be reflected in the department’s 2023-24 annual report and accounts to reflect policy announcements and changes since last years accounts.
Provision values will not include compensation paid to date. Annual accounts are produced on an accruals basis and compensation payments are recognised on this basis.
Asked by: Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether in incurring potential liabilities on the group litigation against Alan Bates and others which concluded in 2019, the Post Office required authorisation from the Government; and if so, what authorisation was needed and from whom; and whether such authorisation was granted.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under its Articles of Association, the Post Office is required to gain prior written consent from the Shareholder before entering into a transaction which involves the incurrence of a commitment, liability or payment of a sum in excess of £50 million. Officials have checked our records and have seen no evidence of any such written consent.
Asked by: Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the conclusions of the Boards of Inquiry into the fatal accidents of (1) the Chinook crash on 2 June 1994 and (2) the Nimrod crash on 2 September 1995, what assessment they have made of the similarities between the conclusions reached on human failings in each report.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As the noble Lord will be aware, Lord Philip’s independent review of 2011 into the Mull of Kintyre accident of 1994 was instrumental in the replacement of Boards of Inquiry with Service Inquiries. A Service Inquiry is an inquiry held under statute and seeks to identify where there are lessons to help prevent recurrence. As such, Service Inquiries are not permitted to apportion blame or find negligence.
Asked by: Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the government of Israel regarding reports of Hamas smuggling weapons and explosive materials across the Gaza border.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is resolute in its commitment to Israel's security. Our position on Hamas is clear: we condemn Hamas' attacks against civilians which are unacceptable and unjustifiable. We unequivocally condemn the use and possession of indiscriminate weapons by militant groups in Gaza. Hamas and other terrorist groups must cease their campaign of violence, for which there is no justification. Such activity compromises the region's security, its ability to prosper and escalates already high tensions, with consequences for the international community. Hamas must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements. In the 2030 Roadmap for UK-Israel bilateral relations, signed by the Foreign Secretary and his Israeli counterpart earlier this year, the governments of the UK and Israel have stated that we will continue to work together to keep our people safe from cyber, criminal and terrorist threats.
Asked by: Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 6 June (HL7991), what assessment they have made of (1) the size and power of the coronal mass ejection (CME) of 12 March in comparison to that of the “Carrington Event” of 1859, and (2) the impact this CME would have had if it had travelled towards, rather than away from, the Earth.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Met Office is responsible for advising the Government of the likelihood and impact of Severe Space Weather, such as coronal mass ejections. An event like that of 12 March travelling towards Earth would have global impacts on key sectors including energy, telecommunications and transport. The Met Office Severe Space Weather Scales set out further information on the potential impacts.
Asked by: Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the reasonable worst case scenario for a solar flare; and what consideration they have given to (1) the Carrington Event of 1859, and (2) the coronal mass ejection of 12 March 2023.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The National Security Risk Assessment includes the reasonable worst case scenario assessing the impacts of severe space weather phenomena, such as solar flares, on essential services. This was updated in 2022 and reflects the latest scientific and engineering knowledge, including appropriate historical data from the Carrington Event.
Met Office modelling suggests that the coronal mass ejection of 12 March 2023 erupted from the far-side of the Sun travelling away from the Earth, at a similar speed to the Carrington event of 1859.
Asked by: Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Post Office will be permitted to demand confidentiality in the Post Office Horizon Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In principle, Post Office will be permitted to demand confidentiality; however, this is a legal matter and will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the size of the compensation cost connected to the Post Office Horizon scandal, and (2) the extent to which the Post Office remains a going concern.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
BEIS Secretary of State is the 100% shareholder of Post Office and in this capacity he has agreed to help fund the Historical Shortfall Scheme and to fund the compensation for postmasters with overturned Horizon-related convictions.
An initial estimate of £233 million of maximum budget cover from the Government for Historical Shortfall Scheme compensation payments was published by BEIS, as is required, on the TCA subsidy website. This was an estimate of maximum budget cover potentially required from Government and is not an estimate of likely outturn in settlement costs. The £153 million provision included in the 2019/20 Post Office accounts provides the best estimate of likely overall compensation spend under the Historical Shortfall Scheme, some of which will be paid by Post Office and some of which will be paid by Government.
BEIS also published on the TCA subsidy website an estimate of maximum potential Government spend of £780 million to cover both the interim payments of up to £100k to be paid within 28 days of an overturned Horizon-related conviction and the final settlements for these postmasters. This is not, however, an estimate of the likely spend on these settlement costs. Actual compensation costs for postmasters with overturned criminal convictions will be determined by the total number of overturned convictions over time and the individual settlements reached. As was the case on the Historical Shortfall Scheme, I expect that Post Office will publish a more accurate estimate of these compensation costs as a provision in its forthcoming annual report and accounts.
Post Office Limited confirmed in its Annual Report and Accounts in March 2021 that it is a going concern. The next Annual Report and Accounts should be published before the end of March 2022