Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of (1) number of trees felled, and (2) metres of hedgerow removed, on all sites related to the building of Sizewell C and the associated infrastructure.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Sizewell C was granted development consent following the Planning Inspectorate’s examination of Sizewell C’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application and all works are fully in line with DCO permissions.
Sizewell C report that the project has carried out advanced planting of 4,000 more trees than it has removed, and when the power station is complete, 42 hectares of woodland will have been created, amounting to between 50,000 and 100,000 trees and shrubs, plus additional hedgerows. Sizewell C has also created three nature reserves around the site – and three further nature reserves are being created locally to further mitigate for any land take.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to replace trees and hedgerows removed during the construction of Sizewell C and the associated infrastructure.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Sizewell C was granted development consent following the Planning Inspectorate’s examination of Sizewell C’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application and all works are fully in line with DCO permissions.
Sizewell C report that the project has carried out advanced planting of 4,000 more trees than it has removed, and when the power station is complete, 42 hectares of woodland will have been created, amounting to between 50,000 and 100,000 trees and shrubs, plus additional hedgerows. Sizewell C has also created three nature reserves around the site – and three further nature reserves are being created locally to further mitigate for any land take.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether British citizens are legally required to use a British passport on entering and exiting the UK; whether there has been a change in legal requirements for dual citizens since the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation; and in what circumstances dual citizens may use a certificate of entitlement in a foreign passport to enter the UK.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has published guidance on Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) for dual British citizens, accessible via Gov.UK. Our communication and support offer is updated in line with feedback from users.
There is no single specific legal requirement that a British Citizen must travel on a British passport. However, primary legislation is clear that evidence of right of abode in the UK can only be demonstrated at the UK border through the production of either a British passport or other passport endorsed with a certificate of entitlement to the right of above (CoE). This is the means by which British citizens demonstrate their right to enter the UK.
The introduction of ETAs makes no change to legal requirements for dual British citizens.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review and update the guidance for dual citizens in the light of the rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation; and what steps they are taking to ensure that such guidance is easily accessible to British citizens resident overseas.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has published guidance on Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) for dual British citizens, accessible via Gov.UK. Our communication and support offer is updated in line with feedback from users.
There is no single specific legal requirement that a British Citizen must travel on a British passport. However, primary legislation is clear that evidence of right of abode in the UK can only be demonstrated at the UK border through the production of either a British passport or other passport endorsed with a certificate of entitlement to the right of above (CoE). This is the means by which British citizens demonstrate their right to enter the UK.
The introduction of ETAs makes no change to legal requirements for dual British citizens.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve adherence by gambling operators to self-exclusion schemes.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Self-exclusion is an important tool to support customers at risk of gambling harms. As set out in the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, all remote and non-remote operators must have self-exclusion arrangements in place and participate in a multi-operator self-exclusion scheme. Compliance is a condition of licences and any breach may lead the Gambling Commission to review an operator’s licence.
Compliance with self-exclusion schemes, such as GAMSTOP, is very high amongst remote gambling operators. In addition, a new, voluntary exclusion scheme, GamProtect, was launched by four of the largest operators last year and is being rolled out across the remote industry. This tool provides a single customer view of the most vulnerable customers across participating operators, ensuring they can be quickly and effectively excluded from harmful gambling without self referral.
We are aware that there are concerns about adherence to self-exclusion requirements in the adult gaming centre sector. We are seeking further assurance on how the sector is addressing these concerns. We will continue to work with our stakeholders, including the Gambling Commission and the gambling sector, to strengthen player protections.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the number of gambling venues operating with bingo licences but effectively operating as adult gaming centres.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We recognise that, as noted in the Gambling Commission’s 2023 advice to the Gambling Act Review, there are gambling premises which are licensed solely as bingo venues, where gaming machines take up most of the floor space and which can give the appearance to consumers of being adult gaming centres.
As set out in the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, in licensed bingo premises, gaming machines may only be made available for use where there are also substantive facilities for non-remote bingo available in the premises. Non-remote bingo licensees must also ensure that the function and presentation of their premises are such that a customer can reasonably be expected to recognise that it is a premises licensed for the purposes of providing bingo facilities. These are conditions of non-remote bingo licences. We are reviewing the current licensing regime for bingo venues, and we intend to consult on changes in due course.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a publicity campaign to reduce the stigma of suicide.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
While there are no specific plans to establish a publicity campaign to reduce the stigma of suicide, the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England 2023 – 2028 highlights the importance of reducing the stigma surrounding suicide. The strategy aims to destigmatise help-seeking for those who are at risk of suicide.
The Government believes that suicide prevention is everyone’s business. Every person, organisation, and service up and down the country has a role to play. In recent years, good progress has been made in tackling the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 7 January (HL3653), what estimate they have made of the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions that will be saved through the ‘future policies or those currently under development’ referred to in that Answer.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We will publish estimates of the emissions savings from future and developing policies by October 2025. These will cover all sectors of the economy out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions that will have been saved by 2030 by (1) the removal of the ban on onshore wind turbines, (2) the increase in offshore wind generation, (3) the increase in solar power generation, and (4) Great British Energy.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
According to the National Energy System Operator's independent analysis, plans to achieve Clean Power by 2030 will reduce emissions by over 31MtCO2 per year by 2030, compared to 2023 levels. It is not possible to disaggregate emissions savings by technology or policy as their impacts are interconnected. As such, figures tend to cover the power sector as a whole, in line with the reporting approach taken by the Climate Change Committee.
Source: https://www.neso.energy/document/346806/download
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 21 May (HL7312), what sources of evidence they are consulting to gain a comprehensive and impartial understanding of the impacts of gambling advertising.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to consulting the best available evidence on the impact of advertising from a wide range of sources when assessing best next steps in this space. Additionally, developing quality evidence is a key priority for the statutory levy, and up to 20% of funding will be directed towards high-quality, independent research to fill gaps in the evidence base, including on the impacts of gambling advertising. We will continue to monitor developments in the evidence and take action where appropriate.
The Government currently has no plans to conduct an independent review on the impacts of gambling advertising. As part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Review of the Gambling Act 2005, an extensive call for evidence was conducted which included a range of questions on evidence on gambling advertising and its impacts.