Asked by: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will place in the Library a list of public consultations, White Papers and other documents her Department plans to publish to assist the UK in making effective the Government's plans for the UK to leave the EU within the two year timetable from the triggering of Article 50.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra is planning to publish two Green Papers, one on our 25 year plan for the environment, and one on our 25 year plan for food, farming and fisheries. The Department is considering options for legislative and non-legislative measures to achieve a smooth and orderly exit from the EU, including through the Great Repeal Bill. We will confirm plans in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library a list of public consultations, White Papers and other documents her Department plans to publish to assist the UK in making effective the Government's plans for the UK to leave the EU within the two year timetable from the triggering of Article 50.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Government has always been committed to parliamentary scrutiny of our withdrawal from the EU, balanced against the need to avoid undermining our negotiating position, as agreed by the House of Commons on 12 October 2016. The Government will put the final deal that is agreed between the UK and the EU to a vote in both Houses of Parliament, before it comes into force.
Asked by: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library a list of public consultations, White Papers and other documents his Department plans to publish to assist the UK in making effective the Government's plans for the UK to leave the EU within the two year timetable from the triggering of Article 50.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
My Department is supporting the Department for Exiting the EU to deliver the Government’s overall plan for the UK to exit the EU. At present, my Department does not have any planned public consultations, White Papers or other documents to assist the UK in making effective the Government's plans for the UK to leave the EU. However, should this become necessary within the 2 year timetable for triggering Article 50, this will be reviewed.
Asked by: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will place in the Library a list of public consultations, White Papers and other documents her Department plans to publish to assist the UK in making effective the Government's plans for the UK to leave the EU within the two year timetable from the triggering of Article 50.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
Yes, but currently none have been published.
Asked by: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a list of public consultations, White Papers and other documents his Department plans to publish to assist the UK in making effective the Government's plans for the UK to leave the EU within the two year timetable from the triggering of Article 50.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Ministry of Defence continues to work with the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) on understanding the implications of withdrawal from the EU for Defence. This includes work to support the various work streams that DExEU have established to support negotiations and other preparations for leaving the EU.
Asked by: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has (a) collected in Libor fines since May 2015 and (b) expects to collect in Libor fines in each of the next three years.
Answered by Simon Kirby
In this Parliament the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has transferred £511 million of LIBOR fines to the Treasury. The Treasury is unaware of any potential future receipts, which are a matter for the FCA.
Asked by: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether people rescued by (a) Royal Fleet Auxiliary and (b) Royal Navy vessels are able to claim for asylum in the UK if flagged in international waters.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The UK complies with all of its international obligations. The UK is not obliged to consider any asylum claim made on UK flagged vessels, including those of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Royal Navy, outside of the UK's territorial waters.
Asked by: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken, subsequent to its accepting recommendation 274 of the Francis report on the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Enquiry, published on 6 February 2013, to (a) issue guidance to NHS Trusts and their legal advisers and (b) monitor implementation of that guidance on disclosure of information to coroners, patients and families.
Answered by Ben Gummer
Recommendation 274 was in line with the government’s commitment to greater openness and transparency across the National Health Service, particularly when things go wrong.
The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 gives coroners powers to require a person or organisation in England and Wales to provide evidence and to require a witness in England and Wales to give evidence at an inquest. The 2009 Act makes it, “an offence for a person to do anything that is intended to have the effect of (a) distorting or otherwise altering any evidence, document or other things that is given, produced or provided for the purpose of an investigation…. (b) preventing any evidence, document or other thing from being given produced or provided for the purposes of such an investigation or to do anything that the person knows or believes is likely to have that effect.” This offence is limited to actions where there is “intention” to distort or alter evidence, and is punishable by a fine and / or imprisonment. The Ministry of Justice is currently conducting a post-implementation review of the 2013 coroner reforms in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, which includes the reforms’ provisions on disclosure of information. The call for evidence and survey element of the review finished at the end of 2015, and the Ministry of Justice is now considering the responses received. The Department of Health understands that it hopes to publish a response document in the spring.
In response to the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry the Government introduced a statutory duty of candour which came into force on 27 November 2014 for NHS Trusts, Foundation Trusts and some special health authorities that provide care and treatment to people that is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and for all other providers registered with CQC on 1 April 2015. The statutory duty of candour applies to organisations, rather than to individual members of staff. However, it is designed to foster an open culture throughout the organisation, and providers are accountable to CQC for meeting the duty of candour. CQC are able to take enforcement action against the provider, and in certain circumstances its board and senior management, where breaches of the duty of candour have been found. Providers of care will therefore be expected to implement the new duty of candour through staff across their organisations - including educating, training and, if needs be, disciplining their staff appropriately.
In addition, The NHS Serious Incident Framework published in 2015 provides advice on provision of information regarding serious incidents to coroners, patients and their families. It is available at
https://www.england.nhs.uk/patientsafety/serious-incident/
CQC will look at how safe care is for patients as part of the inspection of NHS Trusts.
Asked by: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has carried out an assessment of the resilience of food supply chains to cities.
Answered by George Eustice
Food supply is part of our Critical National Infrastructure. Defra produces an annual Sector Resilience Plan which sets out the resilience of the sector to all relevant risks. A public summary of Sector Resilience Plans is published on GOV.UK.
The UK food industry has a highly effective and resilient supply chain owing to the size, geographic diversity and competitiveness. There is recognised dependency on other critical sectors such as fuel, energy, transport and communications however the food supply sector has demonstrated resilience in response to potentially disruptive challenges in recent years. Defra works closely with the food industry to ensure the continued resilience of food supply.
Asked by: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how he plans for the views of viewers and listeners to be represented on the BBC Charter Renewal advisory board he has appointed.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The role of the BBC Charter Review Advisory Group will be offer expert insights and experience on the range of issues involved in the Charter Review process. This will include taking account of the extensive public consultation exercise that I initiated on 16 July in publishing the BBC Charter Review Public Consultation. Members of the public, viewers and listeners are invited to respond to the consultation by 8 October 2015.