Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the latest estimate of the cost of the work currently underway at Peers' Entrance; by whom this expenditure was authorised; and what was the cost of the works that required the temporary closure of Peers' Entrance in August and September 2022.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The work at Peers’ Entrance during August and September 2022 was part of the same project as the work currently underway at Peers’ Entrance. For security reasons the Houses do not publish capital expenditure on security mitigating projects as providing this level of detail could enable an individual to infer the extent and nature of the works, and thus the vulnerabilities which they were intended to mitigate.
The Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the House, as Accounting and Corporate Officers, have responsibility for approving final business cases for security projects across the Parliamentary Estate, subject to advice from the Finance Directors and other relevant officials. The Clerk of the Parliaments’ decisions on security projects are informed by consultation with the House of Lords Commission, which ensures that the impact on Members is taken into account, and by the Finance Committee which receives regular reports regarding security expenditure. The Clerk of the House is informed by the equivalent groups and individuals in the House of Commons. Ultimately it is not the House that makes the final decision because security is a bicameral issue, and legal responsibility for safety sits with the Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the House.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 20 February (HL5518), why revealing only the cost of (1) a car and driver, and (2) security protection, will affect the security arrangements; and whether they will now reconsider and answer the question put.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Across successive governments, it has been long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on the security arrangements for protected individuals. To do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.
Whilst the requested information in isolation may seem innocuous, granular information on spending – especially if mixed with other information - could allow specific individuals perceived to have lower levels of protection to be targeted by hostile actors.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the forecasted annual cost of the provision to former Prime Minister Rt Hon Liz Truss MP of (1) a car and driver, and (2) security protection.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It has been the practice of successive Administrations not to comment on the security arrangements of protected individuals.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the impact of UK development aid on local NGOs working in East Africa in 2021, and (2) whether the current model, which channels the majority of foreign aid to the United Nations, is compatible with their commitment to localising humanitarian aid.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) play a central role in delivering UK funded humanitarian support in East Africa. For example, in 2021 the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund, supported by the UK, reached 3.2 million people with life-saving aid with more than 30 national and international NGOs involved in delivery. More broadly, the FCDO supports a number of Country based Pooled Funds (CBPF) and in 2022, 21.7% of funding allocated by CBPFs went directly to national NGOs. The UK also uses its voice on multilateral boards to ensure decisions align with UK priorities such as the International Development Strategy's commitment to locally-led decision-making.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the opposition movement in Belarus; and what plans they have, if any, to meet with the opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya last visited the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 9 March 2022, where she met the Rt. Hon. James Cleverly, then Minister for Europe. Although there are currently no firm plans in place for a future visit, the UK remains in regular contact with Mrs Tsikanouskaya and other prominent Belarusian civil society figures.
The UK Government continues to urge the Belarusian authorities to end their repression of their own citizens, enter into an inclusive dialogue with the democratic opposition and civil society, and offer the Belarusian people the genuine choice of government that they both want and deserve.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of social media platforms accessible in the UK, such as Telegram, for disseminating Russian propaganda; and what plans they have, if any, to ask those companies to remove material which may be in breach of sanctions.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The DCMS-led Counter Disinformation Unit works to identify and counter Russian disinformation targeted at UK audiences. The Counter Disinformation Unit works closely with the major social media platforms to encourage them to take appropriate action on disinformation and co-ordinated inauthentic or manipulated behaviour, as per their terms of service.
We are also strengthening our new internet safety protections in the Online Safety Bill to make sure that social media firms identify and root out state-backed disinformation. Along with the National Security Bill, this Bill provides the legislative tools to ensure that service providers are forced to take proactive action against attempts by foreign actors to manipulate the online environment to interfere in our society and democracy.
Following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, His Majesty’s Government quickly announced sanctions against Russian state media organisations, targeting the Kremlin-funded TV-Novosti which owns RT (formerly Russia Today), and Rossiya Segodnya which controls the news agency Sputnik.
More broadly, we are countering Russian disinformation through our unprecedented package of sanctions against Russia: we have already targeted peddlers of Russian disinformation, including President Putin’s key political allies, regime spokespeople including Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov and Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, and Kremlin-backed disinformation agencies.
We have also taken specific action to ban Russian propaganda online, on social media platforms, and on app stores. Our regulator, Ofcom, oversees the obligation on all UK-based entities to prevent access to propaganda services provided under the umbrella of state owned entities Rossiya Segodnya and ANO TV Novosti.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the International Longevity Centre UK The Mayhew Review – Future-proofing retirement living: Easing the care and housing crises, published on 1 November; and in particular the recommendation that His Majesty’s Government should aim to build 50,000 new homes for older people each year to address issues in the (1) housing, and (2) social care, sectors.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Ensuring older people have access to the right homes that suit their needs can help them to live independently for longer and feel more connected to their communities.
We announced in the Levelling Up White Paper an older people’s housing taskforce, to explore how we can improve the choice of and access to housing options for older people.
We are continually increasing our understanding of this market, and note the recommendations in Professor Mayhew's recent review alongside contributions from other stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the task force on housing for older people will be launched as promised in the White Paper, Levelling up the United Kingdom, published on 2 February.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Ensuring older people have access to the right homes that suit their needs can help them to live independently for longer and feel more connected to their communities.
We announced in the Levelling Up White Paper an older people’s housing taskforce, to explore how we can improve the choice of and access to housing options for older people.
We are continually increasing our understanding of this market, and note the recommendations in Professor Mayhew's recent review alongside contributions from other stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the governance of the British Virgin Islands.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government agreed earlier this year with the conclusions of the Commission of Inquiry that identified poor governance in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). The new BVI Government and Premier Wheatley also agreed change was needed and committed to a substantial reform plan. Legislative changes have been made, policy reviews begun and several criminal investigations and audits are under way, with the UK Government providing some funding and expertise. The Governor and UK Government will assess progress quarterly with the first assessment at the end of September.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Cabinet Office received any declaration of interests by Baroness Mone or Doug Barrowman regarding their links to PPE Medpro during the COVID-19 PPE procurement process.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment further while the National Crime Agency investigation is ongoing.