Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much HM Treasury has paid out to Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBL) lending banks under the state guarantee up to 31 January 2022; and what percentage of this figure was attributed to losses from fraud.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As of the end of December 2021, the British Business Bank, on behalf of government, has settled guarantee claims by lenders in relation to the Bounce Back Loan Scheme of £70m. Of this, less than 20% was flagged by lenders as suspected fraud. Figures for January 2022 are currently not available.
Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 19 January (HL5097), why they are unable to provide an answer as to when they expect to see the overall figure for benefit fraud reduce back to levels seen prior to March 2020.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The Department is determined to take decisive action and bring the collective weight of government to bear on this growing challenge
We stated in the recent Treasury Minutes (Government Response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-Second to the Twenty Sixth reports from Session 2021-22), that following confirmation from Her Majesty’s Treasury on the Department’s funding, we will be setting our Fraud and Error targets shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the overall figure for benefit fraud to reduce back to the levels seen prior to March 2020.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
We are developing the options for setting an overall fraud and error target. Targets will reflect the recent announcement of an additional £510m investment and the attendant initiatives we are developing to further reduce the fraud and error rate.
We will provide more information on this in our 2022 Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (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 Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group report Growing a Green Economy: The importance of ornamental horticulture and landscaping to the UK, published in August, and accompanying plan Unlocking green growth: A plan from the ornamental horticulture & landscaping industry.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra recognises the crucial role that the domestic ornamental horticulture industry plays both in promoting people’s well-being and to the economy. The Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group (OHRG) report and associated action plan identifies how barriers to the sector’s growth can be unlocked through a collaborative approach between Government and industry.
Whilst no specific assessment of this has been made, Defra has been working closely with the OHRG and the sector to build on good work already happening within the industry, and will ensure that where Government can help, it will support the opportunities outlined in the report and its associated action plan.
Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 April (HL7592), notwithstanding the British Nationality Act 1981, on what basis they are continuing to grant British citizenship to EU migrants who already possess citizenship of another EU member state.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
British Nationality legislation is set out in the British Nationality Act 1981, and so decisions to grant or refuse citizenship must be made in accordance with that legislation. The 1981 Act does not differentiate between nationals of EU and non-EU countries: citizenship is granted where a person fulfils the statutory requirements.
Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their rationale for continuing to offer British Citizenship to EU migrants.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The requirements for naturalisation are set out in the British Nationality Act 1981 and include a period of lawful residence, settled status, good character, and knowledge of language and life in the United Kingdom. These apply equally to EEA and non-EEA nationals.