Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Guatemala regarding reports of threats against the Indigenous human rights defender Lesbia Artola and other members of the Comité Campesino del Altiplano in Guatemala.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
When Minister Rutley visited Guatemala in April, he spoke with representatives from civil society groups about the need to protect space for environmental and human rights defenders including those from indigenous communities. These concerns are regularly reflected in bilateral discussions we have with the Guatemalan Government and in international fora, including in the UK's response to the 42nd Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights in Guatemala. We also regularly raise the issue of human rights defenders and land defenders in Guatemala via our Embassy in Guatemala City, working in conjunction with other international partners, with the aim of promoting full respect for human rights for all Guatemalans. FCDO Officials attended a roundtable with the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Guatemala on 18 October in order to discuss the findings of their report and consider their recommendations.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to (1) the remarks by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 10 May (HL Deb col 1922), and (2) the Supreme Court's decision on the government's Rwanda policy, what methodology they used in designating Rwanda as a safe country for the offshore processing of asylum claims.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
We undertook an analysis of a wide range of publicly available evidence from a variety of reliable sources about Rwanda’s asylum system and human rights situation. The information was carefully selected in accordance with internationally established country-of-origin information research methods.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the comprehensiveness of their current data in estimating total national fraud, and (2) the feasibility of reintroducing a government-led Annual Fraud Indicator.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Home Office and the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) publish datasets reflecting their respective responsibilities for fraud against individuals and businesses, and fraud against the public sector.
These include the Crime Survey of England and Wales (supplemented by data from Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau), the Economic Crime Survey of 2020 estimating fraud against businesses across seven sectors (due to be refreshed in 2024), and the PSFA’s annual report on the scale of fraud. There are also plans for a new Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Service in 2024.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have further to support the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina in light of recent actions by President Dodik and the Republika Srpska.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK fully supports the High Representative and the use of his executive powers, should the situation require it. We remain an active member of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board (PIC SB), through which we provide the High Representative with political guidance. Ambassadors of the PIC SB issued a statement on 22 September, urging Dodik to immediately stop his policy of non-recognition of and non-co-operation with the High Representative.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Goldie on 3 July (HL Deb col 987), what estimate they have made of the planned UK expenditure consequent on the AUKUS agreement.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
As announced in the Integrated Review Refresh, we are providing £2 billion this year and £2.95 billion next year to Defence. Of this new money, £3 billion will be invested across the defence nuclear enterprise, supporting areas such as the construction of industrial infrastructure, allowing us to continue to grow our graduate and apprentice nuclear skills programmes, and enhancing support to in-service submarines. This will support the overall delivery of AUKUS, while longer-term funding will be revisited at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the operational readiness and viability of the UK’s Warfighting 3rd Division.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Warfighting capability remains the cornerstone of deterrence and the bedrock of a world-class British Army. The 3rd (UK) Division is at the heart of this, able to manage a multi-domain battle in ever greater depth; designed to act with NATO and capable of providing a framework for Allies.
The Army constantly keeps its warfighting capability under review, and regularly assesses the adequacy of its readiness. It is embracing the ever-changing global landscape and ensuring that it will be more capable against peer adversaries and integrated with our NATO Allies and partners.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Penn on 14 November (HL Deb col 384), what assessment they have made of the availability of out-of-hours fraud and complaints teams within high street banks; and what consideration they have given to mandating a minimum level of out-of-hours provision.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime. Tackling fraud requires a unified and coordinated response from government, regulators, law enforcement and the private sector to better protect the public and businesses from fraud.
While specific decisions on the opening hours of high street banks and the out-of-hours services provided are commercial decisions for the firm, many of the major UK retail banks provide 24-hour helplines for customers who have been victims of fraud.
More broadly, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires banks and building societies to maintain effective systems and controls to prevent financial crime. The FCA’s rules also require firms to properly investigate all complaints, and, through ongoing supervision, it continues to monitor firms’ complaint handling processes.
If certain banks or building societies have more extensive out-of-hours fraud and complaints facilities, customers may choose to switch to an alternative provider using the Current Account Switch Service (CASS). The switch service is free to use and comes with a guarantee to protect customers from financial loss if something goes wrong. This means that customers are more able than ever to hold their banks or building society to account by voting with their feet, and that firms are incentivised to work hard to protect their existing customers from fraud and deal with complaints efficiently.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants have resigned from the team responsible for capital spending in the Department for Education in each year for the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The information is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of providing 30 hours of free childcare each week to children aged between 9 months and 4 years, with one or both parents in full-time education or training.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The department does not hold the data on the number of parents of children under four years of age that are in full time education or training.
In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
The announcement included the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer, through which eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school. The key objective of this measure is to support parental participation in the labour market, which is why the offer is conditional on work.
All students, who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage, and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, will be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3- and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.
The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education (HE) to support them with childcare.
Eligible undergraduate students attending full-time HE courses qualify for fee loans to meet the full costs of their tuition and partially means-tested loans as a contribution towards their living costs.
Additional support is provided for full-time students with dependent children. This support includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance which are based on a student’s household income.
The Childcare Grant is available for parents in HE undertaking a full-time undergraduate course and is paid to help with weekly childcare costs. The amount of childcare grant payable in 2023/24 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £188.90 per week for one child only or £323.85 per week for two or more children. The Parents’ Learning Allowance is for full-time undergraduate students with one or more dependent children. For the 2023/24 academic year, students could receive up to £1,915 a year depending on household income. Students whose household incomes are £39,796 or less qualify for the full Childcare Grant and Parents Learning Allowance applied for.
In addition to the standard student support package set out above, eligible nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students receive a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year. Eligible students with child dependants can also access a further £2,000 per academic year.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many parents of children under four years of age are in full time education or training.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The department does not hold the data on the number of parents of children under four years of age that are in full time education or training.
In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
The announcement included the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer, through which eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school. The key objective of this measure is to support parental participation in the labour market, which is why the offer is conditional on work.
All students, who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage, and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, will be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3- and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.
The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education (HE) to support them with childcare.
Eligible undergraduate students attending full-time HE courses qualify for fee loans to meet the full costs of their tuition and partially means-tested loans as a contribution towards their living costs.
Additional support is provided for full-time students with dependent children. This support includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance which are based on a student’s household income.
The Childcare Grant is available for parents in HE undertaking a full-time undergraduate course and is paid to help with weekly childcare costs. The amount of childcare grant payable in 2023/24 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £188.90 per week for one child only or £323.85 per week for two or more children. The Parents’ Learning Allowance is for full-time undergraduate students with one or more dependent children. For the 2023/24 academic year, students could receive up to £1,915 a year depending on household income. Students whose household incomes are £39,796 or less qualify for the full Childcare Grant and Parents Learning Allowance applied for.
In addition to the standard student support package set out above, eligible nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students receive a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year. Eligible students with child dependants can also access a further £2,000 per academic year.