Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Duchy of Cornwall is liable to inheritance tax.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Duchy of Cornwall is not liable to pay inheritance tax as it is a Crown body subject to Crown exemption.

The Prince of Wales receives the annual income generated by the Duchy of Cornwall, but is not entitled to the capital of the Duchy. While the Crown exemption applies to income received from the Duchy, the Prince of Wales pays tax voluntarily on his income received from the Duchy of Cornwall to the extent that is not used to meet official expenditure. The Prince of Wales is otherwise subject to taxation in the normal way. These arrangements are set out in The Memorandum of Understanding on Royal Taxation, which is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/memorandum-of-understanding-on-royal-taxation-2023

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the risk assessment by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service which led to their decision to ban electric bikes from their premises.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

A preventative and risk-based decision to not allow the internal storage of e-bikes and their batteries on HMCTS premises was made in early 2024 pending further assessment of the risks and mitigations available.

This decision took into consideration emerging national fire service data and a serious fire incident that had occurred in the Royal Courts of Justice related to an e-bike battery.

A survey is being undertaken to establish where e-bikes may be safely stored within interior areas of HMCTS buildings. If a site has the physical capacity to store the e-bikes internally, building fire risk assessments are being reviewed to consider whether e-bikes can be safely stored.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Gower on 15 December 2023 (HL801), what are their latest estimates of journey times for passengers arriving at the planned new station at Old Oak Common by HS2 travelling to Bond Street station via (1) HS2 to Euston and then the Northern Line, and (2) the Elizabeth Line directly, including allowances for transfer between platforms, train or underground frequency, and access to street level.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

I (Lord Peter Hendy) previously highlighted that the previous Government wrote to you on journey times from Old Oak Common to central London and, after a correction, provided you with the below response for travel to Bond Street.

The estimated ‘in vehicle’ and ‘walk’ times quoted are outputs from the Station Choice Model. This forms part of the Planet Framework Model, which is used to assess the impacts of HS2.

The breakdown of in-vehicle time for passengers travelling to Bond Street via HS2 to Euston is as follows: 6 minutes between Old Oak Common and Euston on HS2 and 6.6 minutes on the London Underground. It is not possible to further break down the walk time in the journey without commissioning further work.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many trains per hour will be affected, diverted or cancelled between Reading and London Paddington as a result of the construction of the new HS2 station at Old Oak Common; how these figures compare to the current number of trains per hour from (1) the South West, (2) South Wales, (3) Bristol, and (4) Bath; and for how long are any disruptions expected.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Construction of Old Oak Common Station temporarily blocks access to London Paddington during planned blockades including between 27 and 29 December 2024. Plans are in place to enable passengers to continue their journey by rail as far as possible. On other occasions, 2 out of 4 lines will be closed for engineering work, reducing the number of services able to operate. The future construction programme for Old Oak Common Station is currently under review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many passengers they expect to use the new station at Old Oak Common travelling between Reading and Birmingham using HS2.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Old Oak Common is expected to become one of the busiest stations in the country, with HS2 Ltd forecasts showing it will serve up to 250,000 passengers each day, and provide journey opportunities from the Southwest to Birmingham, Heathrow, the North and North West. Demand for specific routes will be based on the finalised service pattern, but we want to give passengers as much choice as possible to complete their journeys.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many platforms are being built at the new HS2 station at Old Oak Common for Great Western trains.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

At Old Oak Common, there will be 8 platforms constructed for use by Great Western trains, the Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express and an additional 6 platforms for high-speed services.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to remove the word Empire from honours awarded.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

There are no plans to amend the name of the Order of the British Empire.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their expected timescale for drivers with 12 or more points on their licence to be brought to court to be disqualified from driving, or to be disqualified in their absence.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Section 127 of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 requires that court proceedings must commence within six months from the time when the offence was committed.

Endorsement and disqualification are always at the court's discretion and it remains open to the court not to disqualify or to disqualify for a shorter period than that specified, if it considers there are special circumstances.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government who is the Chair of the Euston Partnership; who are the members of the Board; when it last met; and whether it publishes its minutes of meetings.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The interim chair of the Euston Partnership Board is John Reed, Managing Director of the Euston Partnership. A new chair will be announced in due course.

Details of the Board membership are published in the minutes from each meeting. The Euston Partnership Board last met on 14th November 2024.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current status of the Euston Partnership; which government department it reports to; and what are its terms of reference.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The status of the Euston Partnership Board remains unchanged and reports to the Department for Transport. A new chair will be announced in due course. The Board’s purpose and meeting minutes are published on GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to increasing the penalties for motorists who watch films or make video calls whilst driving.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are currently considering policy options in this area.

Since the general election, the Department has also begun work on a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. The Department will share more details in due course.

Found: LORD BERKELEY 74_ Clause 6, page 3, line 38, at end insert— “(1A) The Secretary of State must

Found: LORD BERKELEY ★_ Clause 6, page 3, line 38, at end insert— “(1A) The Secretary of State must

Found: Letter from Lord Livermore to Lord Berkeley concerning the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.