Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why relations with Latin America is not listed on the printed list of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office ministerial responsibilities; and why relations with Latin America is not the responsibility of a Minister of State.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Latin America is an important partner for the UK's global ambitions, with many countries aligned with our values, and we maintain a strong diplomatic relationship with countries around the region. The latest list of Ministerial responsibilities was published in November 2021, and lists Wendy Morton MP as FCDO Parliamentary Undersecretary of State (Minister for Europe and the Americas). Responsibilities included the Americas, the Caribbean, and Small Island Developing States. In December 2021, Minister Ford took over responsibility for Latin America. The current page on www.Gov.uk/government/ministers lists this as FCDO Parliamentary Undersecretary of State (Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean). I am already engaging with Ambassadors from the region, and plan to visit next month.
Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on religious gatherings of the provisions relating to public order offences in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
A policy equality statement for the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was published in September 2021 which covers the public order measures introduced in the Bill. This can be found on GOV.UK.
The public order measures in the Bill will improve the police’s ability to manage highly-disruptive protests, enable the police to balance the rights of protesters and the rights of others to go about their daily business, and to dedicate their resources to keeping the public safe.
Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of COVID-19 in the Galapagos Islands; and what plans they have, if any, to review its rating as a red list country for travel purposes.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Decisions to designate countries as either ‘red’, ‘amber’ or ‘green’ on the international traffic light system are taken by the Government to protect public health. They are informed by evidence including the Joint Biosecurity Centre’s risks assessment methodology alongside wider public health factors. We are unable to provide the advice and evidence which informs these decisions as it relates to the ongoing development of Government policy.
Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to expand their Industrial Clusters Mission to other regions; and what consideration they have given to the Liverpool City Region being a suitable cluster.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Industrial clusters account for just over half of the emissions by industry, which is why we committed in the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy to delivering four low-carbon clusters by 2030 and at least one fully net zero cluster by 2040. The North West cluster already covers the Liverpool City region. The cluster’s decarbonisation plans will provide over £4bn in investment, delivering at least 33,000 jobs and abating 10m tonnes of carbon across the North West.
We have already invested over £45 million into the Hynet Project in the region, through the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge and BEIS Hydrogen Supply and Industrial Fuel Switching competitions, to help kickstart hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.
Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to support the economic role of UK English Language Schools accredited by the British Council following the reduction in their income during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government will continue to support the UK English Language Training (ELT) sector, working closely with English UK - which manages the Accreditation UK quality assurance scheme for UK ELT centres in partnership with the British Council - and others to co-ordinate efforts to boost UK education exports. The Government also continues to support the UK ELT sector more broadly through the global 'Education is GREAT' campaign. The Chancellor confirmed the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will be extended until 30 September 2021 in the 2021 Budget announced on 3 March 2021. A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as language schools, has also been made available.
The FCDO has provided significant support to the British Council to help mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic on their operations.
Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the proposed reform of procurement by the NHS in England will (1) prevent, and (2) address, conflicts of interest within integrated care systems in which providers and commissioners are working together.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England is currently consulting on the proposal for a new provider selection regime. The central requirement of the proposed new regime is that arrangements for the delivery of healthcare services must be made in a transparent way, in the best interests of patients, taxpayers and the population. All other procurement will continue to be subject to Cabinet Office procurement processes.
The proposed new provider selection regime will set out overarching requirements in relation to the competitive tender exercise - for example, that it must be transparent and fair. NHS England’s consultation seeks views on the proposed key criteria to be considered when decision makers are running a competitive tender to ensure that services are arranged in the best interest of patients, taxpayers and the population. The proposal will include steps that decision-making bodies can take to manage conflicts of interest when arranging services. We will also develop a broader conflict of interest policy in relation to integrated care systems to address this issue specifically.
Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to amend their proposals for the reform of NHS procurement in England so that, once a decision in principle to proceed to a competitive tender has been made, the procurement rules are the same as those applicable to the rest of the public sector.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England is currently consulting on the proposal for a new provider selection regime. The central requirement of the proposed new regime is that arrangements for the delivery of healthcare services must be made in a transparent way, in the best interests of patients, taxpayers and the population. All other procurement will continue to be subject to Cabinet Office procurement processes.
The proposed new provider selection regime will set out overarching requirements in relation to the competitive tender exercise - for example, that it must be transparent and fair. NHS England’s consultation seeks views on the proposed key criteria to be considered when decision makers are running a competitive tender to ensure that services are arranged in the best interest of patients, taxpayers and the population. The proposal will include steps that decision-making bodies can take to manage conflicts of interest when arranging services. We will also develop a broader conflict of interest policy in relation to integrated care systems to address this issue specifically.
Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on the principles of (1) transparency, and (2) accountability, of their proposed changes to NHS Procurement in England.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England is currently consulting on the proposal for a new provider selection regime. The central requirement of the proposed new regime is that arrangements for the delivery of healthcare services must be made in a transparent way, in the best interests of patients, taxpayers and the population. All other procurement will continue to be subject to Cabinet Office procurement processes.
The proposed new provider selection regime will set out overarching requirements in relation to the competitive tender exercise - for example, that it must be transparent and fair. NHS England’s consultation seeks views on the proposed key criteria to be considered when decision makers are running a competitive tender to ensure that services are arranged in the best interest of patients, taxpayers and the population. The proposal will include steps that decision-making bodies can take to manage conflicts of interest when arranging services. We will also develop a broader conflict of interest policy in relation to integrated care systems to address this issue specifically.
Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many, and which, countries in Latin America are subject to UK sanctions; and how such sanctions and any possible infringements are monitored, in particular in any country where there is no UK Embassy.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Currently there are 42 individuals designated under the UK's Nicaragua and Venezuela sanctions regimes, as well as three Venezuelan nationals designated under the Global Human Rights regime. These individuals are subject to asset freezes and travel bans. The Venezuela sanctions regime also includes trade restrictions on specified goods and technology, such as military goods (e.g. arms) or goods and technology which may be used to repress the civilian population of Venezuela or to intercept and monitor communications. Under UK autonomous regimes, travel ban measures apply solely in the UK, and financial sanctions are only binding on UK nationals, UK registered companies and their subsidiaries.
Various HMG departments and offices hold responsibility for monitoring sanctions compliance and enforcing action against non-compliance, and individuals and companies themselves can also report information on suspected breaches to the relevant enforcement bodies. The Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) takes civil action for breaches of financial sanctions, and can work with the National Crime Agency (NCA) if criminal action is appropriate. The Home Office implement and enforce travel bans.
Asked by: Baroness Hooper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement that the terms of an Enhanced Trade Partnership have been agreed with the government of India, what steps they are taking to ensure that Gibraltar can benefit from the provisions of that Partnership.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
In all trade deals, HM Government is seeking trade outcomes that support British Overseas Territories' economic interests, and which reflect their unique characteristics.
Trade and investment between the United Kingdom and India was worth £48 billion in 2019 and we are developing an even more ambitious relationship. We have committed to launching an Enhanced Trade Partnership with India later this year and are in the process of cementing the terms of this. Through the Enhanced Trade Partnership both sides are working to bring down trade barriers, open up opportunities for trade and investment, and chart the roadmap towards a potential Free Trade Agreement.