Asked by: Lord Hanningfield (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to ban hunting with bows and arrows, and crossbows.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The management of wildlife is a devolved matter. In England and Wales, the use of a bow or crossbow to kill or take any wild animal is currently prohibited under section 11(b) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. There are no plans to allow bow hunting in England or amend the Act in this respect.
Asked by: Lord Hanningfield (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to acknowledge and celebrate Her Majesty the Queen becoming the longest-serving monarch on 9 September.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Her Majesty’s Government congratulates Her Majesty the Queen on this historic milestone and wishes her many more happy years as Head of State. In line with Her Majesty the Queen’s wishes, there were no official events to mark the occasion.
Asked by: Lord Hanningfield (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent any plans for the Norwich–Liverpool line, particularly in the Chelmsford area, have been affected by recent changes to Network Rail.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not envisage any changes to plans for the Norwich – Liverpool line.
Asked by: Lord Hanningfield (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made regarding the new Lower Thames Crossing.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In July 2014, the Secretary of State for Transport announced the next steps for delivering a new Lower Thames crossing. It is vital that the right location is chosen, which is why the final two options, Options A and C, are being assessed in detail. Work led by Highways England is currently underway to determine where and how best to tie in a new crossing to the existing road network. This work is expected to lead to public consultation on a proposed solution in late 2015 or early 2016.
Asked by: Lord Hanningfield (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, if any, to encourage the elderly to adopt or interact with pets, in the light of research regarding the positive impact they can have on people who suffer depression or loneliness.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Loneliness is a complex problem and affects people in many different ways and it can have a severe impact on people’s mental wellbeing. The reasons why people become socially isolated are diverse and a range of approaches may be needed to address these. In providing advice or support to people who are lonely or depressed local authorities could suggest interaction with pets but this will depend on the individual and the reasons behind their condition.
Asked by: Lord Hanningfield (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage commuters to give up their seats to the elderly and differently able.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This remains an operational matter for public transport operators to decide on. There are already good practice examples within the industry such as Southern’s Priority Seat Card which can be shown to fellow passengers who are sitting in a priority seat. This will indicate that the passenger using the card has been recognised by Southern as needing a priority seat. The Government is keen to encourage further uptake of these schemes. It remains the responsibility of train operators and their staff to assist priority passengers to obtain a seat and direct other passengers occupying seats accordingly.