Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of UK citizens seeking to worship in Christian churches and Jewish synagogues in Turkey.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO routinely updates our travel advice, which provides guidance for British nationals on staying safe abroad, including in Turkey. Our travel advice notes that no travel can be guaranteed safe and in Turkey terrorists may target places visited by foreigners, including places of worship. The UK stands with Turkey against terrorism, and we welcome the Turkish authorities' swift response to security threats, such as the fatal shooting which took place at Santa Maria Church in Istanbul on 28 January. We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Christians and Jews.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many households in England are supplied with metered water; and what percentage of all households this represents.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There was a total of 24,009,150 household properties based on data reported by companies in England through their annual review of the Water Resources Management Plan for the year 2022/23.
Of this, the total number of metered household properties was 14,299,320 and a further 374,860 were metered household void properties.
As a result, for 2022/23 59.6% of household properties across English water companies were metered excluding void properties or 61.1% household properties were metered including void properties.
Note - a void household property is a household property that is connected to public water supply but not currently being billed by the water company as they have been classified as empty.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many households in England are supplied with private sources of water; and what percentage of all households this represents.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In England, in 2022, local authorities reported 34,904 private water supplies serving 956,429 people, approximately 1.7% of the population. These figures include commercial premises such as farms, bed and breakfast accommodation, hotels, sporting clubs, manufacturers and other businesses as well as shared supplies which could supply 2 properties or a hamlet. We do not have separate figures for domestic supplies to households and the figures only include private water supplies that local authorities are aware or have been made aware of. There is no requirement for private water supply owners or occupiers to report themselves to their local authority.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the purpose of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which that purpose has been achieved.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The purpose of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales is to provide the UK a Carrier Strike Group (CSG) capability. A CSG is a secure, versatile, agile and survivable, well-found sovereign operating base that exerts global influence through power projection, which, enabled by sea control and with minimal risk, delivers strike warfare against targets ashore.
The UK CSG has made steady progress towards becoming a fully operational force, with Initial Operating Capability (IOC) of Carrier Strike (CS) declared in 2021, and the milestones for Full Operating Capability (FOC) are being reviewed. With the IOC CS declaration, CS deployments continue to take place annually with preparations for an FOC scale deployment.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the performance and governance of the UK Statistics Authority.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) was established under the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. The Authority is an independent statutory body governed by the UKSA Board. It operates at arm’s length from the Government as a non-ministerial department and reports directly to the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
In June 2023 an independent review of UKSA by Professor Denise Lievesley CBE was announced by the Government. As part of the Public Bodies Review Programme the review has focused on governance, efficacy, accountability and efficiency. The review is currently in its final stages and the Government plans to publish it later this year.
Further information on the UKSA’s performance and governance arrangements are set out in their annual report and accounts, found here: https://uksa.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-report-and-accounts-2022-2023/
Additionally, a review of the UKSA, conducted by Professor Sir Charles Bean, was provided to the Government in 2016 which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-uk-economic-statistics-final-report. While that review primarily focused on UK Economic Statistics, it also covered governance.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions in the past year Royal Naval and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have visited Tunisian (1) ports, and (2) territorial waters.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have visited Tunisian ports or territorial waters during the past year.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government in which years since 1945 they estimate that 300,000 houses or more houses were built in England.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Housebuilding is a priority for this Government. The Government is on track to meet its manifesto commitment to deliver a million homes over this Parliament. Since April 2010, over 2.5 million additional homes have been delivered, and the four highest annual rates of housing supply in 30 years have all come since 2018. Last year for example we saw delivered 234,400 net additional homes, which is over 75% towards the Government’s aspiration to see 300,000 new homes a year. But we recognise there is more to do.
There are numerous measures that are being delivered as part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, the National Planning Policy Framework reforms, and future supporting policy and legislation to increase housebuilding. These measures aim to reduce planning delays, bureaucracy, slow build-out rates, and wider barriers to development. We have reformed rules around CPO and Hope Value. We are also introducing a new Infrastructure Levy which will reform the existing system of developer contributions, made up of Section 106 planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The Government is committed to the delivery of on-site affordable housing through this Levy, and to delivering at least as much, if not more, affordable housing than the current system does.
As the Secretary of State set out in his speech in December, putting plan making at the heart of the planning system will help drive a new wave of housebuilding, and the Government is working intensively to support densification in the hearts of our inner cities. A reformed planning system will help bring certainty to communities and developers, enabling them to take positive steps in building more housing, regenerating their local areas, and supporting economic growth.
Annual estimates of building control reported new build dwelling completions, in England, for the period from 1946 to 2022, show that 300,000 or more dwellings were built in each year from 1964 to 1969. In these years there was a mix of new private and social housing built, including by many SMEs builders.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much financial aid the United Kingdom has provided to Tunisia in each of the past five years, and on what it was spent.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK does not provide direct financial aid to Tunisia. We provide bilateral Overseas Development Aid (ODA) through Conflict Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) to support development projects in areas including economic development, gender equality, education, and marginalised regions in Tunisia. In 2023-24, the CSSF programme totalled £2 million. Over the past five years, the total cumulative ODA spend through CSSF is £32 million.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of relations between the United Kingdom and Tunisia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a positive partnership with Tunisia, covering shared priorities such as trade, education, security, and tackling irregular migration, all of which featured in the UK-Tunisia Ministerial Association Council meeting on 12 October 2023 in London. The Association Council was an opportunity for the UK to discuss the principles and values of an open and democratic society, of legitimate political opposition, the separation of powers, civil society and an inclusive political process.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of Tunisia in preventing movement across the Mediterranean of migrants seeking to reach Europe and potentially the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government of Tunisia is facing a challenging situation with regards to irregular migration flows into and from the country. More than 95,000 people crossed the Mediterranean Sea from Tunisia to Italy in 2023. Efforts to prevent crossings are improving, despite the scale of the challenge and the resources necessary to effectively do this. To support these efforts, the UK is working with the relevant authorities, and is funding an assisted voluntary returns programme in Tunisia, alongside likeminded partners, to support the safe return of migrants from Tunisia to their countries of origin.