Asked by: Baroness Rawlings (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the vehicle emissions produced by ministers travelling short distances in Range Rovers; and what plans they have to reduce such emissions by reducing the number of (1) short car journeys taken by ministers, and (2) Range Rovers used by ministers.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Range Rover Cars on the Government Car Service (GCS) fleet are plug in hybrid electric vehicles.
(1) Short car journeys taken by ministers will be on electric power only with zero emissions.
(2) These same Range Rover Cars were classified as Ultra Low Emission Vehicles at time of procurement in 2018.
The GCS is continually reviewing fit for purpose vehicles for Ministerial use, and with support from the Department for Transport to meet emission targets for government fleets, the GCS will be replacing cars as they become due for renewal with a continuing focus on replacement vehicles being more environmentally friendly and where possible, using fully electric alternatives.
Asked by: Baroness Rawlings (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances patients are charged for the first two months of the prescription of new drugs; whether decisions on charging for new drugs are determined by (1) the NHS, or (2) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; whether the circumstances in which patients are charged for new drugs has changed in the last five years; and if so, (a) when, and (b) for what reasons.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Decisions on whether medicines are funded by the National Health Service are taken by clinical commissioning groups and there is a requirement to fund drugs recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Where a drug is funded by the NHS there is no charge to the patient other than the prescription charge, from 1 April 2021 £9.35 per prescription item in England, that applies to medicines dispensed in the community. Around 89% of prescriptions are dispensed free of charge due to the extensive list of prescription charge exemptions. Since 1968, the only change to the list of medical exemption criteria was the introduction of the exemption for people undergoing cancer treatment in 2009, including the effects of cancer, or the effects of current or previous cancer treatment.
Asked by: Baroness Rawlings (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which (1) County Courts, (2) Family Courts, (3) magistrates' courts, and (4) youth courts, have been closed since 2015; and for each such closure, how many (a) have been sold, and (b) stand empty.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
The table below provides the status of all courts closed since 2015, shown by the jurisdictions as requested.
Name | Jurisdiction Closed | Date of Closure | Disposal Status |
2015 | |||
Chesterfield County Court | County | 31/10/2015 | Disposed |
Harrogate County Court | County/Family | 30/09/2015 | Disposed |
Hereford County Court | County/Family | 31/12/2015 | Disposed |
2016 | |||
Accrington County Court | County | 31/03/2016 | Disposed |
Accrington Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/03/2016 | Disposed |
Aldershot & Farnham County Court | County/Family | 31/01/2016 | Disposed |
Aylesbury Magistrates and County Court | Combined | 30/09/2016 | Building retained as Aylesbury Crown Court |
Barnstaple Magistrates' and County Court (Crown part only) | Crown part only | 30/06/2016 | Building retained as Barnstable Magistrates, County and Family Court |
Brecon Law Courts | Combined | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Bridgend Law Courts | Combined | 29/07/2016 | Disposed |
Burton upon Trent Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Bury St Edmunds Crown & Magistrates' Court | Combined | 07/10/2016 | Disposed |
Buxton Magistrates' & County Court | Combined | 30/06/2016 | Disposed |
Caerphilly Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/05/2016 | Disposed |
Carmarthen Law Courts (The Guildhall) | Combined | 27/05/2016 | Disposed |
Consett Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 29/07/2016 | Disposed |
Corby Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 01/07/2016 | Disposed |
Dartford Magistrates' Court | Magistrate/Family | 03/05/2016 | Disposed |
Dolgellau Crown & Magistrates' Court | Combined | 25/08/2016 | Disposed |
Doncaster County Court | County/Family | 03/05/2016 | Disposed |
Dorchester Crown Court (Weymouth & Dorchester Combined) | Combined | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Fareham Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Feltham Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Gloucester Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 09/12/2016 | Disposed |
Grantham Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/06/2016 | Disposed |
Greenwich Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 27/05/2016 | Disposed |
Halifax County Court | County | 02/12/2016 | Disposed |
Halifax Magistrates' Court (Calderdale) | Magistrate/Family | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Hammersmith Magistrates' and County Court (County Court Only) | County part only | 24/06/2016 | Disposed |
Hinckley Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/07/2016 | Disposed |
Kettering Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/06/2016 | Disposed |
King's Lynn County Court | County | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Lowestoft Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Macclesfield County Court | County | 29/07/2016 | Disposed |
Macclesfield Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Morpeth & Berwick County Court | County | 30/05/2016 | Disposed |
Neath and Port Talbot Civil and Family Court | Combined | 29/07/2016 | Disposed |
Oldham Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Ormskirk Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 28/06/2016 | Disposed |
Pontypridd Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 29/07/2016 | Disposed |
Prestatyn Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 15/08/2016 | Building retained as Prestatyn Justice Centre |
Rhyl County Court | County | 04/11/2016 | Disposed |
Richmond Upon Thames Magistrates’ Court | Magistrate | 18/03/2016 | Disposed |
Rotherham Magistrates' & County Court | Combined | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Sandwell Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Shrewsbury Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/03/2016 | Building retained as Shrewsbury Crown Court |
Skegness Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Solihull Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/03/2016 | Disposed |
St Helens Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 24/06/2016 | Building retained as St Helens County and Family Court |
Stroud Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Swansea Crown Court (Guildhall) | Crown | 27/05/2016 | Disposed |
Tameside Magistrates' & County Court (County Part Only) | County part only | 30/06/2016 | Building retained as Tameside Magistrates’ Court |
Trafford Magistrates' Court & Altrincham County Court | Combined | 30/06/2016 | Disposed |
Tunbridge Wells County Court | County/Family | 09/12/2016 | Disposed |
Wakefield & Pontefract Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 26/09/2016 | Disposed |
Waltham Forest Magistrates’ Court | Magistrate | 30/03/2016 | Disposed |
Warrington Combined Court (County Part Only) | County part only | 30/09/2016 | Building retained as Warrington Crown Court |
West Berkshire Magistrates' Court (Newbury) | Magistrate | 24/06/2016 | Disposed |
Weymouth & Dorchester Combined Court (Westwey House) | Combined | 25/04/2016 | Disposed |
Worksop Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/03/2016 | Disposed |
Yate Magistrates' Court (North Avon) | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Yeovil County Court | County | 25/11/2016 | Disposed |
2017 | |||
Bicester Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 19/05/2017 | Disposed |
Bolton Combined Court Centre (County Part Only) | County part only | 09/06/2017 | Building retained as Bolton Law Courts |
Bolton Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/11/2017 | Disposed |
Bournemouth Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 27/01/2017 | Disposed |
Bow County Court | County/Family | 30/06/2017 | Disposed |
Bury Magistrates' & County Court | Combined | 09/06/2017 | Disposed |
Caernarfon Civil and Family Court | County/Family | 18/08/2017 | Disposed |
Chichester Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 02/06/2017 | Awaiting disposal |
Dover Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 26/05/2017 | Disposed |
Eastbourne Magistrates' & County Court | Magistrates/Family | 29/09/2017 | Disposed |
Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court | Magistrate | 31/12/2017 | Disposed |
Hartlepool Magistrates' & County Court | Combined/Family | 30/01/2017 | Awaiting disposal |
Holyhead Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 28/04/2017 | Disposed |
Kendal Magistrates' & County Court | Combined | 30/06/2017 | Disposed |
Kettering County Court | County | 07/07/2017 | Disposed |
Lambeth County Court | County/Family | 22/12/2017 | Disposed |
Lancaster County Court | County/Family | 01/12/2017 | Disposed |
Llangefni Civil and Family Court | County/Family | 18/08/2017 | Disposed |
Oldham County Court | County/Family | 14/07/2017 | Disposed |
Redhill Magistrates' & Reigate County Court | Combined | 31/03/2017 | Disposed |
Runcorn (Halton) Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 13/01/2017 | Disposed |
Scunthorpe Magistrates' & County Court | Combined | 13/01/2017 | Awaiting disposal |
St Albans Crown & County Court (County Part Only) | County part only | 28/07/2017 | Building retained as St Albans Crown Court |
Stafford Magistrates' Court | Magistrate/Family | 28/04/2017 | Disposed |
Telford County Court | County/Family | 29/09/2017 | Currently being used as a temporary Nightingale Court |
Torquay Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 01/09/2017 | Awaiting disposal |
Tottenham Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 10/02/2017 | Disposed |
Warrington Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 13/01/2017 | Disposed |
Watford Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 28/07/2017 | Disposed |
Woolwich County Court | County/Family | 30/06/2017 | Disposed |
2018 | |||
Birmingham Magistrates' Youth Court | Magistrate/Youth | 31/01/2018 | Disposed |
Chichester Combined Court | Combined | 28/12/2018 | Awaiting disposal |
Chippenham Magistrates' & Civil Court | Combined/Family | 27/07/2018 | Disposed |
Maidenhead Magistrates’ Court | Magistrate | 31/12/2018 | Awaiting disposal |
Sunderland County Court | County/Family | 07/09/2018 | Awaiting disposal |
2019 | |||
Banbury Magistrates’ and County Court | Combined | 31/03/2019 | Disposed |
Blackfriars Crown Court | Crown | 20/12/2019 | Disposed |
Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/01/2020 | Disposed |
Chorley Magistrates’ Court | Magistrate | 29/03/2019 | Awaiting disposal |
Colchester County Court | County/Family | 30/04/2019 | Disposed |
Fleetwood Magistrates’ Court (currently sitting as a Family Hearing Centre) | Magistrate/Family | 26/04/2019 | Currently being used as a temporary Nightingale Court |
Harlow Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/04/2019 | Awaiting disposal |
Northallerton Magistrates' Court | Magistrate/Family | 30/04/2019 | Disposed |
Shrewsbury Crown Court | Crown | 08/03/2019 | Disposed |
Southend County Court | County/Family | 06/09/2019 | Disposed |
Disposed = The property has either been sold, or our tenancy has ended. The property is no longer part of the HMCTS estate.
Awaiting disposal = The property is closed and disposal is pending.
Ensuring that we can operate safely during the Covid-19 pandemic is our top priority. We have put in place measures in our court rooms so that they can hold Covid-19 secure trials, moved to virtual hearings where possible and opened additional court rooms in Nightingale courts as part of a package to increase available capacity.
We have now opened Nightingale courts at 21 locations, including the use of former court buildings, bringing the total number of temporary court rooms set up nationwide to 40. These additional temporary courtrooms have allowed us to increase capacity, particularly for jury trials, in locations where there is an operational requirement and hold additional hearings within a safe environment.
Asked by: Baroness Rawlings (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the British Art Collection in the European Parliament will be repatriated when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Government Art Collection has not yet made a decision on the return of works; however it will consider these matters carefully in the context of preparations and negotiations for the UK's Exit from the EU.
Asked by: Baroness Rawlings (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 21 April (HL7637), whether the new settlement for the UK in the EU negotiated by the Prime Minister included a provision for the British Art Collection in the European Parliament to be repatriated in the event that the UK votes to leave the EU.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness Rawlings (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contingency plans they have to repatriate the British Art Collection from the European Parliament in the event that the UK votes to leave the EU.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.