Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of Incinerator Bottom Ash Aggregate as a sustainable aggregate.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency considers incinerator bottom ash aggregate (IBAA) to be a waste. The Environment Agency considered issues such as IBAA being used in place of virgin aggregate, and its use avoiding the need to landfill, along with economic impacts, when deciding whether to have a regulatory position statement (RPS). The Environment Agency has carried out a pollution risk assessment of the use of IBAA, and is satisfied that it does not pose a significant risk to people or the environment when it is used under the conditions of the RPS.
The RPS is still active, and can be viewed here. A copy is attached to this answer.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 8 January (HL1364), how many GPs adopted those medical record markers since (1) the guidance on firearm digital markers was produced, and (2) the memorandum of understanding was signed.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The digital firearms marker was rolled out to all general practices in England in May 2023 and NHS England is exploring the most effective way to report on its use. Information is currently not available in a format to be able to provide this detail. The memorandum of understanding was signed in 2019, and therefore predates the digital marker and we do not hold data from that time.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish data on how many doctors have adopted the software for markers on the medical notes of firearm certificate holders.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A digital version of the firearms marker has been rolled out to all general practices in England, and this was completed in May 2023.
When the police inform the general practitioner (GP) that the patient has been granted a firearms licence, the GP adds the appropriate clinical code to a patient’s medical record. The marker is used throughout the five-year validity of the firearm certificate and automatically highlights to the GP when patients recorded as firearms certificate holders or applicants are diagnosed with relevant medical conditions, such as depression or dementia.
The British Medical Association has produced guidance for GPs about firearm digital marker use and signed a memorandum of understanding in 2019 with the National Police Chiefs Council and the Home Office which encouraged GPs to place a firearms flag on patient records when requested.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had with the Home Office concerning the rollout of markers on the medical notes of firearm certificate holders.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the publication of new Home Office statutory guidance for chief officers of police on firearms licensing, which came into effect on 1 November 2021, the Department and NHS England, formerly NHS Digital, worked with the Home Office, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and other stakeholders to design and roll out the new digital firearms marker.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether properties acquired as part of the cancelled Northern Phase of HS2 will be offered back to their original owners at the cost of acquisition, or placed for sale on the open market; and in the case of the former, whether the costs of such transactions for both parties will be borne by the HS2 budget.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are currently developing the programme for selling land and property acquired for the HS2 project that is no longer needed and will set out more details in due course. We will take time to develop this programme carefully to ensure that it delivers value for money to the taxpayer and does not disrupt local property markets.
Under what is known as Crichel Down rules, land and property which was acquired through compulsory purchase, or the threat of compulsion, and which is no longer required and not materially changed, should in certain circumstances be offered back first to its former owner at its current market value before being offered on the open market. Any future purchaser will be responsible for their own costs.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the cancellation of the Northern Phase of HS2, whether any damage caused to the countryside and environment by the workings of contractors will be remedied at the expense of the HS2 budget.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As part of ensuring an orderly and respectful close-down of the northern phase of HS2, HS2 Ltd will be reviewing those works that have already taken place and considering the best course of action to take on a case-by-case basis. This may mean restoring some sites to their former condition; it may also mean leaving some early environmental enhancement works in place. No sites will be left incomplete, and all close-down activities will be funded from the HS2 budget.