Asked by: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he is satisfied that the present arrangements in the Chamber and Committee Rooms meet the needs of those with hearing or visual impairments.
Answered by Lord McFall of Alcluith
The House of Lords provides support for Members, staff and visitors to Parliament affected by hearing loss through the use of audio loop and infrared systems that help to amplify sound for hearing aid users. Loop systems are installed in the Chamber and all Committee rooms, with infrared systems additionally available within Committee rooms 1 to 4, 2A, 3A and the Moses Room. Handheld radio transmitters are also available to hearing-aid users when in the Chamber, to reduce interference from electrical equipment and improve the quality of sound provided by the audio loop.
We are currently exploring options to provide an audio description service for Chamber and Committee proceedings. This will provide blind and partially sighted members, committee witnesses and members of the public with a voiced description of which member or witness is currently speaking, transmitted directly via an audio service. A feasibility study was commissioned in January 2019 and will report back later this year.
Further microphones are due to be added to the Chamber this year, which will improve the quality of service provided to hearing aid users. A greater number of microphones situated closer to the people speaking minimises background noise and gives a cleaner sound on the audio which is sent directly to hearing aids via the loop system. The large number of microphones used in Committee meetings, whether automated or operated by an engineer, help to keep the sound clear and maximise the quality of sound experienced by hearing aid users.
For those with hearing impairments which do not require the use of a hearing aid, overall audibility in Committee Rooms 2A, 3A and 4A is generally good. In Committee rooms 1 to 4, however, factors such as high ceilings and furniture arrangements mean that the current acoustic set-up is sub-optimal. A facilities upgrade is currently being trialled in House of Commons Committee Room 6 and, subject to approval, House of Lords Committee rooms will also benefit from these improvements in due course. There are also plans to replace the speakers embedded in the benches within the Chamber next year, which should deliver improvements to general levels of audibility.
The business of the House is of course dependent upon Members, staff and visitors such as committee witnesses being able to hear and be heard, although the capacity to deliver improvements can sometimes be limited by the nature of operations in a building with heritage restrictions. Equality Impact Assessments will be carried out as part of the Restoration and Renewal process, during which extensive works are likely to offer the potential for further improvements to facilities. In the interim, the Director of Facilities would be happy to speak to any member with specific suggestions for improvement.
Asked by: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker when the restoration works on the two large Maclise paintings in the Royal Gallery will be completed.
Answered by Lord Laming
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chairman of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The conservation of the wall paintings ‘Trafalgar’ and ‘Waterloo’ will be completed this year. Phase 3 of the programme is currently underway (4-22 Feb inclusive), and subject to permissions, Phase 4 (final phase) will be booked for October 2019 and will complete the conservation treatment. Discussions are ongoing regarding possible future work on adjustments to the lighting of the wall paintings to further improve their presentation.
Asked by: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many River-class minesweepers, if any, remain in service with the Royal Navy or the Royal Naval Reserve.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
No River Class Minesweepers remain in service with the Royal Navy (RN) or the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR).
Twelve River Class Minesweepers were built in the 1980s. Eleven were assigned to the RNR units around the UK, and a twelfth ship was operated by the RN's Fishery Protection Squadron. All 12 ships were decommissioned and sold during the 1990s.
Today, the RN operates a fleet of 13 Mine Counter Measure Vessels (six Hunt Class and seven Sandown Class).
Asked by: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have for the disposal of agricultural plastic waste, following restrictions on the import of plastic waste put in place by China.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government published an ambitious new Resources and Waste strategy in December last year, which sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution and our commitment to eliminate avoidable plastic waste. This includes avoidable plastic waste from agriculture. While this material is recyclable, it can often be contaminated, making the recycling process uneconomic. Our proposals in the strategy will incentivise the production and use of plastic packaging which is readily recyclable, and we are providing funding for innovation in plastic waste treatment. We are also exploring how Government policy can further address this issue in partnership with the Waste and Resources Action Programme.
Asked by: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances Ministers may order the release of prisoners serving indefinite sentences for public protection without reference to the Parole Board; and how many prisoners have been so released during the last two years.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
Prisoners serving indeterminate sentences, including those serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP), may be considered for release on compassionate grounds, in exceptional circumstances, specifically where the prisoner is terminally ill, or bedbound or similarly incapacitated. Public protection is the priority, and a prisoner will not be released on compassionate grounds unless the risk of re-offending is minimal.
One prisoner, serving an IPP sentence, has been released on compassionate grounds during the last two years.
This figure has been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Asked by: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment he has made of the progress of works being carried out on Elizabeth Tower, including Big Ben; and when he expects those works to be completed.
Answered by Lord McFall of Alcluith
The Elizabeth Tower refurbishment project, with a budget of £61 million jointly funded by the two Houses, is intended to conserve and prevent further deterioration of the Elizabeth Tower, including the Great Clock; ensure its fire safety compliance; improve the health and safety of the Elizabeth Tower for Members, staff and the public; improve the security and the efficiency of emergency evacuations; and improve the efficiency of the tours in the Elizabeth Tower. No works are required to be undertaken on the Great Bell (“Big Ben”) itself. The project is due for completion in 2021.
Work on the project is progressing well. For instance, all elements of the Great Clock, and all cast iron roof components, have been removed from the Tower for conservation work and glazing, gilding and paint stripping work are continuing. Work on restoring the original colour scheme for the clock dials is well advanced. Arrangements have been made to ensure the Great Bell is sounded to mark Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, and to ring in the New Year on New Year’s Eve.
The Finance Committee receives regular updates on the progress of the project.
Asked by: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their General Aviation Strategy, published in March 2015, what steps they have taken to achieve general aviation use of military airfields; and whether they consider their commitments to general aviation in this regard to have been met.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The commitments set out in the 2015 General Aviation Strategy have been met. Ministry of Defence policy remains to encourage General Aviation to have access to military airfields wherever possible. In addition, the RAF Flying Clubs Association provide General Aviation training and scholarships for RAF personnel at fourteen flying clubs based on RAF Stations.
In the Strategy we undertook to update the guidance and increase publicity around General Aviation access to military airfields. Consequently, the RAF website has been updated and now contains consistency of published contact details and Defence Aerodrome Manuals for each Station.
Asked by: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish their aviation strategy Green Paper.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government is intending to publish the Aviation Strategy Green Paper before the end of this year. The green paper publication will begin a 16 week period of consultation.
Asked by: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection and who continue to protest their innocence are denied access to rehabilitative courses which may lead to their release.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
Maintaining innocence is not a barrier to progression, and there are a number of offending behaviour programmes available to prisoners who maintain their innocence, including those serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection.
It is not mandatory for prisoners to complete offending behaviour programmes in order to achieve release. It should also be borne in mind that completion of a programme is no guarantee that risk has been reduced.
The independent Parole Board consider all the available evidence when assessing prisoners’ risks and their suitability for release.
Asked by: Lord Trefgarne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the numerical strength of (1) the Royal Air Force, and (2) the Royal Air Force Reserve.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The following table contains the numerical strength of the Regular and Reserve Forces at July 2018.
| Full Time Trained and Trade Trained Strength | Trained Future Reserves 2020 |
Royal Navy/Royal Marines | 29,154 | 2,774 |
Army | 76,877 | 26,789 |
RAF | 30,276 | 2,557 |
Full Time Trained and Trade Trained includes UK Regulars, Gurkhas and elements of Full Time Reserve Service Personnel.
The figures are published in the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics at the following link: