Asked by: Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC); what plans they have, if any, to improve the performance of the IOPC; and to what timescale any such improvements will be made.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is an independent organisation. Operational decisions, including the qualifications and professional experience needed by staff to carry out investigations, are a matter for them.
Since the reforms introduced by the Government to create the IOPC in January 2018, the organisation has seen substantial improvement in their operational performance. A summary of their performance for 2018/19 (the last full year for which figures are available) can be found in their Annual Report & Accounts. https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/Who-we-are/accountability-performance/IOPC_annual_report_and_accounts_2018-19.pdf
Furthermore, the IOPC’s business plan https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/Who-we-are/accountability-performance/IOPC_Business_plan_2019-20.pdf sets out how they plan to build on these improvements in 2019/20.
The IOPC’s performance is scrutinised by their unitary Board and the organisation is accountable to Parliament.
Asked by: Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what qualifications and professional experience they consider should be required of staff, apart from administrators, who work for the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is an independent organisation. Operational decisions, including the qualifications and professional experience needed by staff to carry out investigations, are a matter for them.
Since the reforms introduced by the Government to create the IOPC in January 2018, the organisation has seen substantial improvement in their operational performance. A summary of their performance for 2018/19 (the last full year for which figures are available) can be found in their Annual Report & Accounts. https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/Who-we-are/accountability-performance/IOPC_annual_report_and_accounts_2018-19.pdf
Furthermore, the IOPC’s business plan https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/Who-we-are/accountability-performance/IOPC_Business_plan_2019-20.pdf sets out how they plan to build on these improvements in 2019/20.
The IOPC’s performance is scrutinised by their unitary Board and the organisation is accountable to Parliament.
Asked by: Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to use the apprenticeship levy funds made available by the fall in apprenticeship starts to reinstate the contracts which were removed from experienced small training providers.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Any unspent apprenticeship funds in levy payer accounts are used to support levy-paying employers who spend more than the funds available in their accounts and to fund apprenticeship training for non-levy payers.
The procurement for apprenticeship training for non-levy payers was managed in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. We did not remove contracts from training providers, but as with any procurement, some bidders were not successful. We are not able to revisit the decisions made at that time, nor are we able to award funding to bidders that were not successful, as the procurement is now closed.
Asked by: Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to update the definition of unhealthy food products that are high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) in relation to the regulation of HFSS advertising on television.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care as the lead department on the development of the updated Nutrient Profile Model, which is currently out for public consultation.
The adoption of the model is a matter for Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority.
Asked by: Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the advertising of unhealthy foods to children (1) online, and (2) on television.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
There is a clear need to address childhood obesity on health and social justice grounds and this government is committed to tackling the issue and supporting people in making healthy choices.
The UK currently places strong restrictions on the advertising of foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) in media. New rules came into effect in July 2017 banning the advertising of HFSS food or drink products in children’s media. These restrictions complement similar measures already in place for broadcast media where advertising of HFSS products is prohibited, during, before and after programmes directed to or likely to appeal to children. This is in addition to rules that apply across broadcast media that adverts must not be used to condone or encourage poor nutritional habits or unhealthy lifestyles in children, prohibiting for example the use of character/celebrity endorsements.
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with his ministers and Cabinet colleagues on a number of issues pertaining to broadcasting, including advertising regulation, and our public health priorities are kept under review as we remain committed to ensuring that the UK has a robust approach.
Asked by: Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to extend the powers of the Information Commissioner to investigate companies which harvest large quantities of data from individuals.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The government wants a 'gold standard' data and privacy regulator that can enforce data protection laws. We are committed to ensuring the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has sufficient powers to meet this ambition. The government's Data Protection Bill will strengthen legislation around data protection and give the ICO tougher powers to ensure organisations comply.
At every amending stage we have listened and amended the Bill where a strong case has been made (such as the new provision to protect children's data rights inserted at Lords Report; and the provision to ensure that data is shared for safeguarding purposes inserted at Commons Committee). We are currently considering whether amendments are needed to further strengthen the Information Commissioner's powers.
Asked by: Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they have given to the head and governors at St Stephen's School in Newham; and what assessment they have made of whether the head and governors have been harassed and threatened in their attempts to help integrate primary school children into British society.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department has been in contact with St Stephen’s Primary School and offered to discuss the intimidation faced by staff, and provide support as appropriate. In addition, the police have also provided support to the school.
Intimidation or bullying of any kind toward school staff is completely unacceptable and anyone who feels they are facing such behaviour should report it to their employer and the police, if necessary.
Asked by: Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the responses submitted to their 2016 consultation, Out-of-school education settings: registration and inspection, which closed on 11 January 2016.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The government is committed to safeguarding all children and protecting them from harm, including in out-of-school settings.
Following the publication of the government’s Counter Extremism Strategy in 2015, which set out plans to introduce a new system of oversight for out-of-school settings, we undertook a call for evidence to learn more about these settings and to determine the potential scope and impact of introducing a regulatory system.
As well as considering the views of those that responded to the call for evidence, we have been working with a range of stakeholders to strengthen our understanding of these settings, which vary considerably in their characteristics and the activities and education they offer.
The government has also announced that it intends to consult on revised guidance on local authorities’ home education powers, and we shall be publishing that in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to implement the UK Statement Sustainable production of palm oil, published on 30 October 2012, and to reduce the amount of palm oil in food and bathroom products purchased by consumers, in order to prevent further loss of tropical habitats and species from deforestation.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The 2012 Commitment on Sustainable Palm Oil has been a success. Nearly all palm oil imported to the UK is now certified sustainable.
This Government is building on that success by continuing to support zero-deforestation supply chains for key commodities, including palm oil. The UK is a signatory to the Amsterdam Declarations, has endorsed the New York Declaration on Forests and is a member of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020, all of which support action to prevent deforestation and encourage the production of sustainable palm oil.
Through our international climate finance, the Government is supporting a number of programmes focused on sustainable palm oil production. Those programmes are designed to strengthen governance, promote market-based solutions and put in place incentives, policies and actions that support sustainable production alongside forest protection.