Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the CO2 emissions resulting from the mandatory incineration of fallen livestock; and what plans, if any, they have to allow livestock to be buried rather than incinerated.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No assessment has been made of the CO2 emissions from incineration of fallen livestock.
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by 13 percent since 1990 (as of 2019), with many farms using more efficient agricultural practices. Land use, land use change and forestry continue to provide benefits in carbon sequestration. The Government recognises the importance of reducing emissions further in these sectors. The Net Zero Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan set out the Government’s ambition for how this will be achieved.
Rules regarding the disposal of fallen livestock are in place to protect animal and public health by preventing dangerous pathogens spreading disease into the soil, groundwater, or air. Some pathogens can persist for many decades in the environment and only tiny quantities are needed to infect animals. Therefore, strict regulations are in place as to why fallen livestock cannot be buried but must be disposed of at one of the following: knackers’ yard, hunt kennel, maggot farm, incinerator, or a renderer. We have no plans to consider the option of burying.
Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reduce toxic landfill by encouraging the use of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) incineration of waste.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government's Resources and Waste Strategy, published in 2018, sets out how we will minimise the damage caused to our natural environment by reducing and managing waste safely and carefully. A key principle is to prevent waste in the first place, in keeping with the waste hierarchy, which ranks options for waste management according to their environmental impact. Where waste does occur, we need to manage it in the most efficient way possible. After waste prevention, priority goes to reuse, recycling, and then recovery. Disposal, for example in landfill, is generally regarded as the worst option.
We are therefore encouraging increased use of heat through Combined Heat and Power (CHP) from EfW as it almost doubles the fuel efficiency and can play a really valuable role in our transition to decarbonising the heating of homes and buildings. There is financial support from government for EfW plants and heat networks developers to do this in the form of the existing Heat Networks Investment Project and the upcoming Green Heat Network Fund. The Heat Network Investment Project is already funding CHP based EfW projects in Leeds, London and Cardiff that will supply low carbon heat to local homes and businesses.
Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of high-speed broadband in rural areas; what steps they are taking to ensure that such services provide the advertised performance; whether they will provide compensation for those who have been advised to replace their old service and install a new one where that service does not meet advertised standards; and what steps they intend to take to support customers experiencing ongoing issues.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Ofcom’s 2020 Connected Nations report shows that 99.4% of UK premises have access to decent broadband speeds (10 Mbps and over), and according to thinkbroadband.com (https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/uk) , 97% can get superfast speeds (24 Mbps and over). Ofcom’s 2021 report, UK Home Broadband Performance, which can be found here (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/telecoms-research/broadband-research/broadband-speeds/uk-home-broadband-performance-nov-2020) showed that the average superfast speeds in rural areas was 44.2 Mbps, compared to 48.6 Mbps in urban areas in 2020.
In order to protect consumers, Ofcom has put in place voluntary broadband speeds Codes of Practice with industry, which can be viewed here (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/information-for-industry/codes-of-practice). Signatories include BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk and Virgin Media. Those signed up to the Code of Practice are committed to having systems which can identify the cause of speed problems, and processes to ensure they are resolved. Furthermore, signatories must provide guaranteed minimum speeds to their customers, and if speeds drop below the promised levels, are required to improve performance within one month. If there is no improvement, consumers have the right to exit their contract without penalty. To ensure effectiveness of the code, Ofcom monitors compliance by the signatories, and where it finds issues, will engage with the provider to deliver prompt resolutions.
Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) quality, and (2) safety, of the suspension of the Azuma trains being used on the East Coast mainline; whether (a) they, or (b) LNER, have received reports of increased customer discomfort since the Azuma trains were introduced; and in light of any such assessment or reports, what plans they have to support the rectification of any operational problems identified with these trains.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Azuma trains were designed to modern standards for comfort and safety. Before the trains were delivered to London North Eastern Railway (LNER), a number of commissioning tests were carried out ensuring the quality of the ride was of an acceptable standard and safety specifications had been met. The comfort and safety of the trains in service and the rectification of any operational problems is the responsibility of the train operator, LNER, working in partnership with the train supplier and, if required, the Office of Rail and Road.
Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the lack of proof of a link between pigs being fed food waste and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease; and what plans they have to revoke legislation preventing food waste being fed to pigs in order to reduce the volume that ends up in landfill
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK legislation on Animal By-Products (ABPs) bans the feeding of all farmed animals with catering waste. This ban was introduced following the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in the UK in 2001, which is thought to have originated from the illegal feeding of pigs with untreated food waste. The outbreak resulted in the destruction of more than 10 million cattle and sheep and cost the UK economy billions of pounds.
Defra has undertaken studies which show that it might be possible for a range of food waste to be safely fed to livestock but that this is dependent on proper segregation of animal by-products from other material, meaning non-segregated material is an unacceptable disease risk. It is doubtful whether it would be economically viable for potential operators to comply with the controls we would consider necessary for the use of catering waste in feed for pigs.
The UK government has committed to working towards sending zero food waste to landfill by 2030 through its Clean Growth Strategy and Waste and Resources Strategy for England, published in 2018 - http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/resources-and-waste-strategy-for-england. The Environment Bill requires that food waste must be collected from households at least weekly. It should be sent for recycling or composting, ideally through anaerobic digestion which generates energy and produces fertiliser digestate. We will continue to discuss with industries and other stakeholders how we reduce waste and maximise recycling.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease belongs in the family of fatal brain diseases, Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). The family also includes BSE in cattle, scrapie in sheep and goats and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer. Scientific research indicates that new variant (nv) CJD is contracted via the consumption of products from cattle infected with BSE, the only TSE known to be transmissible to humans. There is no evidence that pigs and poultry can be affected by TSEs.
Legislation for the prevention and eradication of TSEs prohibits the feeding of protein of animal origin to farmed animals, with a few exceptions (e.g. milk). This is to prevent the transmission of TSEs through feeding. Processed animal protein (PAP) made from pig or poultry material is currently used as fertiliser or is exported but is not sent to landfill.
Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect the Batley Grammar School teacher who spoke about the Charlie Hebdo event from threats reportedly made by Islamists; and what steps they are taking to apprehend the individuals making such threats.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office has been in close contact with West Yorkshire Police, who worked with local partners to take swift action to protect the individual involved in recognition of the significant interest both locally, nationally and across various media outlets.
We expect the police to take appropriate and proportionate action in relation to any threats made, and we will continue to engage with them as appropriate in relation to this case.
We are committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, and must stand up to those who seek to undermine our fundamental values.
Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total cost to the UK of its participation in the Galileo satellite navigation system; and how much of this was recovered as an offset to the settlement cost of the UK leaving the European Union.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As an EU Member State and under the Transition Period, the UK did not contribute to individual programmes. The UK contributed to the EU Budget in entirety, as such it is not possible to attribute a financing share to any specific programme. For the EU Budget between the 2014 and 2019, the UK’s average financing share to the entire EU Budget was 12.3%. Further details of the UK contribution to the EU Budget are available in HM Treasury’s publication, European Union Finances Statement.
Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what level of priority the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has assigned to its review of the conviction of former trader Tom Hayes, on charges of manipulating the Libor rate; what plans they have to increase the grant-in-aid funding to the CCRC; and what plans they have, if any, to change the law relating to Libor.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
As an independent arm’s length body, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment on the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC)’s handling of an individual case. However, the CCRC Casework Policy on Priority of Cases, available on its website, assigns cases which have been under review for more than two years as ‘higher priority’.
Budget allocations for 2021/22 for Arm’s Length Bodies such as the CCRC are yet to be decided. However, the decision will take into account – in consultation with the CCRC – the amount of funding it feels it needs to achieve its strategic goals for the year.
There has been substantial reform to the regulation of benchmarks since the 2012 LIBOR manipulation scandal. In 2013 the administration of LIBOR become a regulated activity, overseen by the FCA, and the government created a new criminal offence of knowingly or deliberately making false or misleading statements in relation to benchmarks. In 2016, the EU Benchmarks Regulation was introduced, regulating the administration, calculation and use of benchmarks.
The Financial Services Bill, currently before Parliament, amends the Benchmarks Regulation, to provide the Financial Conduct Authority with new and enhanced powers to oversee the orderly wind-down of critical benchmarks, such as LIBOR. The Bill also increases the maximum sentence for all criminal market abuse offences from 7 to 10 years, and this includes the offence of making misleading statements in relation to benchmarks.
Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that a rapid and sustained rise in the value of the Pound could have on the UK’s economic recovery; and what assessment they have made of the need for intervention by the Bank of England in such cases.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The UK does not have an exchange rate target and the government does not have a desired level for sterling – the rate is set by the market.
Currency markets move up and down and it would not be appropriate for the Treasury to speculate on the impact of currency moves on the real economy. Any impact would necessarily adjust over time and be sensitive to the broader economic and financial context. The independent Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England has responsibility for monetary policy. Its primary objective, set out in law, is to maintain price stability, defined as a symmetric inflation target of 2 per cent, as measured by the twelve month increase in the Consumer Prices Index. The separation of fiscal and monetary policy is a key feature of the UK’s economic framework, so the Government does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.
The pound currently sits 12% and 10% below the 10-year average exchange rate against the dollar and euro respectively.
Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend British Summer Time; and what assessment they have made of the impact of any such extension on (1) energy consumption, and (2) business productivity.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government believes that the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. We do not believe there is sufficient evidence to support changing the current system of clock changes, including for energy usage. An exceptionally wide-ranging cost benefit analysis would need to be performed to inform a decision on changing the current system, especially given the uncertainty that many businesses are already facing as a result of COVID-19.