Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Crown Prosecution Service’s assertion that there is a “Global narrative attacking the rights of all protected characteristics” as stated in its Pride Month Hate Crime Roundtable report of 23 June, published on the Crown Prosecution Service website.
Answered by Lord Stewart of Dirleton - Advocate General for Scotland
The article in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) community newsletter published in June 2023 relates to a Pride month hate crime roundtable event. The roundtable was a local community engagement event held with members of the LGBT community affected by homophobic and transphobic hate crime. The quote represents reportage of discussion amongst external attendees at the event and was not intended to reflect organisational views of the CPS.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Crown Prosecution Service carried out an impact assessment with regards to (1) the protected characteristic of sex, and (2) belief in the immutability of sex, before the 2022 revision of its domestic abuse guidance; and if so, whether they will place a copy of this impact assessment in the Library of the House.
Answered by Lord Stewart of Dirleton - Advocate General for Scotland
In accordance with the Public Sector Equality Duty, under s.149 of the Equality Act 2010, a full Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) was conducted when the Domestic Abuse Prosecution Guidance 2022 was revised in order to appropriately identify and consider its potential impact in terms of equality. It gave due regard to equality considerations for protected characteristics as detailed within the body of s.149.
The EIA for the Domestic Abuse Prosecution Guidance remains under review and has been updated on several occasions since the guidance was published in 2022. The CPS do not intend to place a copy of the EIA in the Library as it is continuously reviewed and updated. A copy of the document as it appeared in 2022 has been provided.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) consulted individuals or organisations outside the CPS about its plans to revise its domestic abuse guidance in 2022; and, if so, which individuals or organisations.
Answered by Lord Stewart of Dirleton - Advocate General for Scotland
The Domestic Abuse Prosecution Guidance was revised in 2022 to reflect changes brought in by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (DA Act).
The new legislation created the need for an updated document that accurately reflects the law relating to domestic abuse and appropriately supports prosecutors in their application of it. The revision was necessary, and as such, no external organisations or individuals were consulted as to whether the CPS should revise the Guidance.
External stakeholders were consulted on later revisions of the guidance
The Solicitor General has answered a question regarding the organisations consulted when Annex D of the guidance was being developed (PQ 604).
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has taken to ensure that it operates an inclusive environment for employees with gender critical beliefs and those opposed to those beliefs; and whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of any CPS employee guidance or other documents that bear on this issue.
Answered by Lord Stewart of Dirleton - Advocate General for Scotland
All employees are expected to act in accordance with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Values which state, “We will treat everyone with respect. We will respect each other, our colleagues, and the public we serve, recognising that there are people behind every case.”
A member of the National D&I team is a member of the Sex Equality and Equity Network (SEEN) civil service network to ensure that a gender critical perspective is considered when commenting on policy and process change.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in formulating rules for the natural capital markets, farmers and landowners will be permitted to ‘stack’ trades, that is to sell credits in different markets from the same operation; if so, whether carbon credits will be included in the stacking system; and, if not, what effect they expect that to have on the viability of new broad-leaved woodland as compared with coniferous plantations.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to supporting farmers and other land managers to access revenue streams for ecosystem services, including carbon, from their land. As set out in the Nature Markets Framework, published in March this year, it is currently possible to ‘stack’ credits for different ecosystem services from the same land, in limited circumstances. Defra is funding research to enable consideration of whether a broader range of opportunities for stacking could be permitted in future without risking the environmental integrity of credits.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment he has made of the environmental claims printed on the paper cups now in use on the Committee Corridor; if no such assessment has been made, whether he will undertake to carry this out; and whether he will share the findings of any such assessment with the Environment and Climate Change Committee.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
All of the paper cups for the water coolers on the House of Lords Estate are sourced from a single supplier, WaterLogic. Some of the cups on the estate are simply labelled ‘Planet’, as per the manufacturer name, and others come with the supplier’s branding printed on. Both versions are the same product, which is advertised and sold as being recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. WaterLogic’s website confirms that the cup is plastic-free and made of paperboard which is fully recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. The cup’s material is heat resistant and can be reused multiple times.
There will be an internal review of how the cups are being collected across the House of Lords Estate by our cleaning partners, to ensure that they are continuing to be disposed of in the correct manner (i.e. not as part of the general refuse). This is an issue covered by the Services Committee who will be informed of the results of the review once it has been completed and whose agendas and minutes are published online.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the licence conditions of prisoners who have been released on licence are always held on the Police National Computer; and, if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Prisons are required to share licences with the Police National Computer Bureau at the point a prisoner is released. Police officers are alerted by the licence flag on the PNC to request the specific details of conditions from the Probation Service in individual cases.
In 2022, a new digital platform to manage licences was rolled out across Prisons and Probation called Create and Vary a Licence (CVL). This includes additional prompts to remind prison staff to share licence information with the PNC Bureau.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the article by the NHS Confederation Leading for all: supporting trans and non-binary healthcare staff, published in June; and what status that guidance has within the NHS.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. The guidance has not been issued by NHS England and it does not need to be followed by individual trusts. Whilst it is important we support staff working in the National Health Service, we also need to ensure that patients’ privacy and dignity is respected.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to sign off the proposed Natural History GCSE.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department announced the introduction of a new natural history GCSE last year. We are committed to developing the GCSE as quickly as possible, provided that it meets the rigorous requirements that apply to all GCSEs. The department is working closely with OCR and other exam boards, and independent experts to develop draft subject content for the GCSE.
The department aims to consult publicly on the draft subject content later this year. Any amendments to subject content will then be made in light of responses to the public consultation.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what research they are supporting into the options for introducing parasites and diseases of oak processionary moth into the UK as an alternative to the use of sprays that kill all lepidoptera larvae.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Government is actively supporting research into alternative control methods for Oak Processionary Moth (OPM). This research aims to minimise or avoid the use of chemical sprays that can have negative impacts on other species, and is exploring nature-based management solutions, mating disruption and biopesticides.
Research has shown that there are at least five species which parasitise OPM in its natural range abroad. One of these species, Carcelia iliaca, has been naturally established in the UK since 2015, and is found commonly associated with OPM here. Current research is looking at ways to manage habitats to increase populations of C. iliaca and other natural predators.