Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on climate change goals of the cancellation of the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The cancellation of HS2 between the West Midlands and Manchester does not change our ambition to achieve the Government’s stated climate targets and objectives, and the Government remains committed to achieving Net Zero by 2050.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with Royal Mail about ways of addressing its labour shortages.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Operational decisions, including staffing and recruitment policies, are a matter for Royal Mail as a private business. The Government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s operational or commercial decisions.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many successful prosecutions of people-smugglers there have been in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the sharing of best practice in the provision of NHS services, including between (1) services in England, and (2) services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the governments of other G7 members or EU countries regarding bringing people-smugglers to justice.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Royal Mail concerning increases to the price of postage stamps; and whether the matter of delivery target failures was raised during those discussions.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As a private business, Royal Mail’s management sets the prices for its services and in doing so must work within the regulatory framework set by Ofcom, the independent regulator. The Government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s day-to-day commercial decisions.
It is for Ofcom to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards. Ofcom has powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.
Ofcom is currently undertaking an investigation into Royal Mail’s failure to meet its quality of service performance targets for 2022-23.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect a decision to be announced regarding the closure of railway ticket offices.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The consultation on ticket offices closed on 1 September. We are now in a period where the independent passenger bodies (Transport Focus and London TravelWatch) are engaging with train operators on the basis of the consultation responses they have received and the criteria they have set out. We expect train operators to work collaboratively with the passenger bodies in the coming weeks, to listen to the concerns raised and to refine their proposals accordingly.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what reassurances regarding employment they are providing to railway station staff in advance of a decision about the closure of railway ticket offices.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Whilst it is our expectation that no currently staffed station should be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, it is for train operators to decide on their staffing arrangements at each of the stations from which they operate services, so they can best meet the needs of passengers. As part of this train operators will discuss employment matters with trade unions as part of their own collective bargaining processes.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the uptake of the learning of foreign languages in schools.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government remains committed to increasing the proportion of pupils who choose to study a language up to GCSE and beyond, as well as to improving the quality of language teaching at both primary and secondary schools.
In March 2023, the department announced a new £14.9 million Language Hubs programme, including a distinct German Promotion Project. The programme will be comprised of up to 25 lead hub schools, all of which will work with partner schools to improve standards of language teaching across the country, in line with recommendations of the Teaching Schools Council’s 2016 modern foreign languages pedagogy review.
Since 2016, the department has funded the £20 million Mandarin Excellence Programme, which supports schools and teachers to deliver intensive Mandarin study to increase the quality of Mandarin lessons and to increase uptake in the subject. The programme provides professional development and teaching resources for teachers in participating schools across England.
From September 2024, teaching of the revised subject content for French, German, and Spanish GCSEs will begin. The new content is intended to encourage more students to take up these important subjects, making them more accessible to all pupils.
To ensure high standards of modern foreign language teaching, language curriculum materials and associated resources will be developed by Oak National Academy, as part of its second tranche of procurement. The first materials will be available from autumn 2024, and full curriculum packages by autumn 2025. This will ensure that high quality, optional lessons are available nationwide, benefitting both teachers and pupils.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the danger of Asian hornets becoming established in England; and what steps they are taking, if any, in response.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In 2011, the GB Non-Native Invasive Species Team conducted a pest risk assessment (copy attached) to assess the dangers of Asian hornets establishing in the UK, following the spread of Asian hornet across Europe and the associated impacts reported on pollinators. The risk of the pest entering the UK and establishing was assessed as very likely and it was suggested that the impacts on honey bees and wild pollinators could be significant.
Following this assessment Defra and the Welsh Government developed the Asian hornet contingency plan (copy attached) which outlines what actions will be taken when incursions occur. This Plan has been regularly updated with the most recent version published in January 2023.
We have taken contingency action against all credible sightings of Asian hornet that have been reported in the UK since the first occurrence in 2016. Contingency action is delivered on the ground by the National Bee Unit (NBU) – part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency. As of 6th September 2023, the NBU have located 37 Asian hornet nests which have been destroyed.
Genetic analyses of hornet and nest samples are done to determine relatedness and assess whether Asian hornets are established in England. Evidence from previous years suggested that all 13 Asian hornet nests found in the UK between 2016 and 2022 were separate incursions and there is nothing to suggest that Asian hornets are established in the UK. We have not seen any evidence which demonstrates that Asian hornets discovered in England this year were produced by queens that overwintered. More detailed analysis will be done over winter to assess this.
Raising awareness is a key aspect of the response. We ask anyone who thinks they may have spotted an Asian hornet to report it through the Asian hornet app or online. By ensuring we are alerted to possible sightings as early as possible, we can take swift and effective action to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets.