Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Supreme Court judgment [2018] UKSC 48, what assessment have they made of the impact on family finances of not providing retrospective Bereavement Support Payment to families where the date of death of a family member was prior to 30 August 2018.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The Supreme Court and the High Court have declared the legislation governing Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) and Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) respectively to be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in that surviving cohabitees with children cannot access these benefits.
The draft proposal for a Bereavement Benefits (2021) Remedial Order was laid before Parliament on 15th July 2021 and proposes to extend eligibility for Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) and Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) to surviving cohabitees with dependent children.
The changes proposed by the draft Order have effect from 30th August 2018, as this was the date of the Supreme Court judgment in the McLaughlin case. Where a death occurred before 30th August 2018, there can be eligibility for both WPA and BSP, but awards can only be made in respect of entitlement arising from that date.
The proposals in the draft Order are subject to a 60-day laying period during which comments are invited from parliamentarians and stakeholders about the proposals. These comments will then be reviewed and next steps considered.
An assessment of the impact on family finances of not providing BSP to families where the death of a family member occurred prior to 30th August 2018 has not been made.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Supreme Court judgment [2018] UKSC 48, what consideration they have given to providing retrospective Bereavement Support Payment to families where the date of death of a family member was prior to 30 August 2018.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The draft Bereavement Benefits (Remedial Order) 2021 was laid before Parliament on 15 July 2021 and proposes to extend eligibility to Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) and Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) to cohabitees with dependent children.
The changes proposed by the draft Order have effect from 30 August 2018, as this was the date of the Supreme Court judgment in the McLaughlin case and from when we became aware of an incompatibility. Where a death occurred before 30 August 2018, there can be eligibility for either WPA or BSP, but awards can only be made in respect of entitlement arising from that date.
The proposals in the draft Order are subject to a 60-day laying period during which comments are invited from parliamentarians and stakeholders about the proposals. These comments will then be reviewed and next steps considered.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the prevalence of the Beta variant of COVID-19 in (1) mainland France, and (2) French overseas territories, when deciding to require British citizens to quarantine when returning to the UK from France.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) produces risk assessments of countries and territories. This risk is based on factors such as the level of community transmission of variants of concern or variant under investigation, levels of testing, genomic sequencing and reporting. The JBC assessed that France is a high-risk COVID-19 destination due to the circulation of variants of concern, most notably the beta variant, which is the variant that presents the greatest risk for vaccine escape. As of 19 July, GISAID data shows there have been to date 2,959 cases of beta in France (5.2% of all cases uploaded) compared to 1,052 cases of beta in the United Kingdom (0.2% of all cases uploaded), 44 cases in Greece (0.5% of all cases uploaded) and 621 cases in Spain (1.4% of all cases uploaded), from the start of the pandemic. GISAID is a live repository and the number of sequences attributed to a specific lineage, country or region may be revised upwards or downwards as new lineages are identified and countries update and amend their data. The quarantine rules and testing for travellers into the United Kingdom from France will significantly decrease the risk of importing beta cases, which could then grow rapidly into community clusters or outbreaks.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they made an assessment of the effects on the travel industry of their decision to require British citizens to quarantine when returning to the UK from France; and if so, what were the conclusions of that assessment.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has always been clear that we will not hesitate to act immediately should the data show that countries risk ratings have changed. The decision on France was taken following the persistent presence of cases in France of the Beta variant, which was first identified in South Africa.
The Government recognises the challenging circumstances businesses in the travel industry face as a result of Covid-19, which is why we have provided an unprecedented package of support to protect jobs and businesses totalling over £350 billion. This includes support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, support for businesses through grants and loans, business rates and VAT relief. We continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK citizens who are exempt from the requirement for a Schengen visa are also exempt from the requirement for an attestation d’acceuil to stay in France with friends or family; and if not, what steps they intend to take to negotiate a waiver with the government of France for any such requirement.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The EU has legislated such that British Citizens can travel visa-free in the Schengen area for short-stays, such as for tourism, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The EU's Schengen Borders Code governs the rules for entry and exit in the Schengen area. EU Member State authorities are responsible for the implementation of these rules. At border control, British Citizens visiting the Schengen area will need to meet the third-country national requirements under the Schengen Borders Code. They should be prepared to show proof of their return or onward travel and proof of accommodation, which is defined in law by the relevant Member State. In France this is the 'attestation d'accueil' certificate if staying with friends or family, or a booking confirmation. In the absence of this, they should be prepared to show they have enough money for their stay. Such a requirement is in line with the treatment of third-country nationals under the Schengen Borders Code. Information, including on entry requirements, for British Citizens planning to travel to EU Member States is available on the country-specific Travel Advice pages published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when UK citizens in EU Member States with whom reciprocal arrangements on driving licences have not been signed will lose their right to drive in those countries.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK has secured either permanent or interim arrangements with all EU Member States so that valid UK licence holders resident in the EU can continue to drive. The vast majority of the interim arrangements do not have an expiry date, pending finalisation of a permanent agreement. In EU Member States where there is an expiry date to the interim arrangements, the Department for Transport and our diplomatic Posts are working hard to reach a swift agreement.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why a reciprocal agreement on driving licences between the UK and France has not yet been signed.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Transport has successfully agreed arrangements with France for the mutual recognition of photocard licences. As such, visitors with UK photocard licences will not need to carry an additional International Driving Permit when driving in France. We have also secured interim arrangements with the French authorities which will allow UK licence holders resident in France, to continue to use their valid UK licence until 1 January 2022. We are working with the French Government to finalise a permanent licence exchange agreement as soon as possible.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when an agreement on driving licences will be signed with the government of Spain given UK citizens in that country will lose their right to drive on 30 June.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Department for Transport officials are making every effort to reach a swift understanding with Spain regarding long-term arrangements for licence exchange, without the need for a practical test, for UK licence holders resident in Spain. The British Embassy in Madrid is also working with the Spanish Government to secure an extension to the current interim arrangements, to allow UK licence holders to continue to use their UK licence while discussions on the agreement conclude.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government with which EU Member States they have (1) reached, and (2) signed, reciprocal agreements on driving licences.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Transport has successfully agreed arrangements with all EU/EEA Member States for the mutual recognition of photocard licences. As such, visitors with UK photocard licences will not need to carry an additional International Driving Permit (IDP) when driving in any EU/EEA Member State.
The UK has secured permanent or long-term reciprocal arrangements for the exchange of licences with: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia Switzerland, Bulgaria, Iceland, Lithuania, Hungary, Netherlands, Sweden, Latvia and Belgium. The UK is working to conclude the formal agreements where required.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a UK citizen who is resident in France can nominate an individual in the UK to buy an International Driving Permit on their behalf.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
A person must be resident in the UK and have a full UK driving licence to be able to obtain an International Driving Permit in the UK. An individual who is not resident in the UK is unable to nominate someone to buy one on their behalf.