Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
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
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livermore on 29 October (HL1753), whether they will place a copy of the accounts of the Duchy of Cornwall and the Duchy of Lancaster for the last 10 years in the Library of the House.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
As required by the Duchy of Lancaster and Cornwall Accounts Act 1838, the Annual Accounts of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall are laid before Parliament every year. Copies are accessible through the Vote Office and Printed Paper Office. Copies of the accounts for recent years from both Duchies are also available on their respective websites.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission research on the economic value of ferries, as proposed at the fourth Islands Forum in May.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The previous administration initiated an Islands Connectivity Project to investigate transport barriers faced by islands across the UK, which was to be funded with underspend identified elsewhere in the department. The project was paused due to the election and, as part of the recent savings exercise, the Treasury requested the return of underspends from this financial year, including those earmarked for this project.
As funding cannot be extended beyond this financial year, we cannot guarantee the viability of continuing the project. My department is working closely with the Cabinet Office and Department for Transport to establish certainty over the future of the Islands Forum and the projects associated with it.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received, in each of the past 10 years, accounts for the Duchy of Cornwall and the Duchy of Lancaster, as required under the Duchy of Lancaster and Cornwall Accounts Act 1838.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
All the requirements contained in the Duchy of Lancaster and Cornwall Accounts Act 1838 have been met in each of the past ten years, with one exception. The exception was the Duchy of Cornwall Accounts for 2023-24, which could not be presented to Parliament by the 30 June 2024 deadline, due to Parliament having been dissolved ahead of the 2024 General Election. Those accounts were instead presented to the new Parliament on 23 July 2024.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are providing the Council of the Isles of Scilly with additional funding in the financial year 2024–25 for the purposes of the travel and accommodation of students to the mainland for post-16 education and, if so, how much.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The government recognises the challenges faced by Isles of Scilly students and their families in the transition to post-16 education and has contributed over £300,000 (£6,365 per student) in the 2024/5 academic year to support the Council of the Isles of Scilly, as it seeks to help families meet the cost of travel and accommodation on the mainland.
The department keeps all its student financial support policies under review, including through the ongoing Spending Review process. This will consider funding arrangements for all post-16 students in England from 2025 to 2026.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government which regions were invited to attend the Council of the Nations and Regions meeting on 11 October.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Council of the Nations and Regions on 11 October brought together the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of Combined Authorities and County Combined Authorities in England.
The following Mayors from English regions are invited to attend the Council of Nations and Regions: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the East Midlands, Greater London, Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region, the North East, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, the West Midlands, the West of England, West Yorkshire, and York and North Yorkshire.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many passenger trains were cancelled due to the failure of staff to work on rest days for each of the last four weekends for which data are available, broken down by train operating company.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Train cancellations including those caused by a lack of available train crew are recorded by Network Rail and published by the Office of Rail and Road. However, the reason for the crew’s absence is not recorded. The Department works closely with its operators to secure improvements where they are not meeting expectations but does not routinely record cancellation data by day and cause.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by PA News Agency that 27,837 British drivers were convicted of drink-driving multiple times in the 11 years to 20 July; and what steps they are taking to address drink-driving.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority. That is why we have announced our intention to publish a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. We will set out next steps on this in due course.
There is strict enforcement and tough penalties are in place for those who choose to put lives at risk by drink driving, with repeat offenders placed on a High-Risk Offender (HRO) scheme. If you are a HRO, you will not get your new licence after a driving ban until you can prove you are fit to drive again. You will need to pass a medical examination with one of DVLA’s appointed doctors.
The Department for Transport’s THINK! campaign aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads in England and Wales by changing attitudes and behaviours among those at highest risk. This includes regular THINK! campaigns to tackle drink driving, primarily targeting male drivers aged 17-24 who are overrepresented in drink-drive casualties.