Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many countries have diplomatic representation in the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office publishes details of foreign embassies, high commissions and consulates in the UK on GOV.UK at www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk.
This page includes the London Diplomatic List (LDL), which contains details of all embassies and high commissions, as well as the names of heads of mission and other diplomatic agents appointed in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The LDL lists 171 diplomatic missions with their permanent seat in the UK; and 17 non-resident diplomatic missions.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support new tram lines extensions or new tram lines in the East and West Midlands.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Responsibility for promoting new mass transit schemes, or extensions to existing networks, is devolved to local transport authorities (LTAs) in England. LTAs are best placed to bring forward new mass transit proposals, which could include light rail or tram technology, based on local transport challenges and opportunities.
Currently, the principal way LTAs can access Government funding for mass transit schemes which they wish to prioritise is through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) for eligible Mayoral Combined Authorities. West Midlands Combined Authority has been allocated a Settlement of £1.05 billion between 2022/23 and 2026/27.
In the East Midlands, Nottingham Express Transit is financed under a private finance initiative structure. The current contract, which was signed in 2011, expanded the tram network, doubling the previous size. The cost of this expansion will be met over the 23-year life of the contract, and the Department for Transport makes an annual contribution of £24.95 million per annum, alongside a contribution from Nottingham City Council to pay for this scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the level of overcrowding in the social housing sector.
Answered by Lord Evans of Rainow - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Data on the levels of overcrowding can be found in the English Housing Survey 2021 to 2022: social rented sector report
We are committed to reducing overcrowding and the length of social housing waiting lists, by increasing the supply of affordable housing and enabling councils and other social landlords to make better use of their existing stock.
That is why since 2010, we have delivered over 659,500 new affordable homes, including over 468,700 affordable homes for rent, of which over 166,300 homes for social rent. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country, and we have also recently launched our £750 million Local Authority Housing Fund.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many freeports they have established in the past three years; and where they are.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Excellent progress has been made with Freeport delivery - all English Freeports are open for business and seven out of eight have final government approval. We have also announced two new Green Freeports in Scotland as well as two new Freeports in Wales. The location of each Freeport can be found on the Freeports page on GOV.UK .
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in buildings other than schools.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the noble Lady to the response given to Question UIN 197493 on 11 September 2023.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many countries in the world the UK has a diplomatic representative present in.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a diplomatic representative present in 160 countries recognised by the UK Government. This number periodically changes for political and operational reasons. It excludes countries in which we have closed or temporarily suspended a Post in country, which operates elsewhere. The UK also has a representative present in 15 territories, which includes 12 UK Overseas Territories.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) publishes a full list of locations in which the UK has a diplomatic presence on GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-foreign-office-posts). This list is regularly updated.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government with how many countries the UK has visa-free travel arrangements for UK citizens.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
UK passport holders can travel visa free to 153 countries and territories. Information on entry requirements for each country can be found at Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the ease of UK-based artists' and musicians' ability to travel to work in the EU.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government recognises the cultural and economic value of the creative industries to the UK-EU relationship. The UK Government has worked closely with industry to help UK artists adapt to this new regulatory environment and continues to engage with stakeholders to understand their priorities.
The Government has engaged with EU Member States on their entry requirements for touring artists. The vast majority of Member States (24 out of 27) have confirmed that UK musicians and performers do not need visas or work permits for some short-term touring. This includes Greece, who announced a visa exemption for touring artists this June. We continue to call on the remaining Member States to make their arrangements as generous as the UK's.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the levels of radon in Northern Ireland; and what steps they are taking to protect the public's health.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely on radon matters with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Civil Service. This includes coordination on the production of radon potential maps. These maps are produced from radon measurements in homes that have been combined with the underlying geology to estimate the probability that a property in a particular location will exceed the Action Level for homes. Radon potential is also a good indicator for most workplaces and informs health and safety and building regulations.
The radon measurements that contribute to radon potential maps are from those conducted by private householders and landlords through UKHSA’s radon measurement service. The most recent radon potential map for Northern Ireland was published in 2015. This indicated that 155,000 homes (about one in five in Northern Ireland) are now in ‘Affected Areas’. These are places where some households are exposed to radon at a level where we recommend protective action.
A revised radon potential map for Great Britain was published in December 2022. This was prompted by significant increases in the number of results available, a major revision of the geological data from British Geological Survey and an updated statistical method. The Northern Ireland map from 2015 already used the revised statistical method, the geological data have not changed and the increase in radon results in homes has not been sufficient to justify re-mapping.
Numerous Government organisations in Northern Ireland are closely involved in the production of the second edition of the National Radon Action Plan (NRAP). This ensures that any territorial differences in the arrangements for radon control, regulations and messaging are considered. The Environmental Public Health Protection Network also provides a forum for UKHSA and public health in Northern Ireland to ensure that radon is included in campaigns such as indoor air quality.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the effectiveness of Combined Authorities in delivering strategic planning objectives.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Although the Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of how Combined Authorities are meeting their strategic planning objectives, officials from the Department work closely with the Combined Authorities. There is regular and ongoing engagement with those Combined Authorities that have specific planning powers and functions.