Asked by: Lord Bishop of Bristol (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the need to regulate or license the private drone market in the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Commercial drone operations already require permissions from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Operators must satisfy the CAA that they can operate safely and are aware of all relevant legislation. Last year the CAA granted approximately 1100 permissions for light-weight, low risk operations. There are charges for new permissions and processing renewals.
There are also existing regulations in place that require users of drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle and to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK.
The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones. We have also completed a series of public dialogues ahead of a public consultation which will help to inform a government strategy to be published this year. The consultation will look at a range of options including regulation, registration and licensing options, and the potential for restrictions on purchase and use.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Bristol (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the appointment of Saudi Arabia to head a panel at the UN Human Rights Council.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The appointment of the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the UN Consultative Group as Chair was an internal decision of the Consultative Group, which is comprised of five Ambassadors, one from each of the five regional groups of the UN. The Saudi Arabian Ambassador is the Asian Group representative in the Consultative Group, to which appointment lasts for one year.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Bristol (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, and in particular its commitment to freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Saudi Arabia is a Foreign & Commonwealth Office priority country because of the human rights situation, particularly on the death penalty, access to justice, women’s rights, restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief. The British Government strongly supports the right to freedom of religion or belief. Islamic law is strictly enforced in Saudi Arabia and the public practice of any form of religion other than Islam is illegal. The Saudi authorities do accept foreign workers privately practising religions other than Islam.
We believe that the key to increasing freedom in this area is to focus on tolerance. We have worked with Saudi Arabia to identify areas where different faiths could work together and foster trust.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Bristol (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 23 June (HL Deb, col 1471), what steps they are taking to ensure (1) that NHS England continues to commission adequate healthcare chaplaincy services, and (2) that, as stated by the Minster of State for Community and Social Care on 17 December 2013 (HC180621), local NHS trusts continue to be "responsible for determining, delivering and funding religious and spiritual care in a way that meets the needs of their patients, carers and staff."
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
We value the important role chaplaincy services play in delivering compassionate, personalised care, including at the end of life. The five Priorities for Care of the Dying Person, which the Government introduced in June 2014 and is attached, set out the importance of sensitive communication and the spiritual care of dying people and those important to them. As a member of the Leadership Alliance for the Care of Dying People, the College of Health Care Chaplains was integral to the development, dissemination and implementation of the Priorities for Care.
It remains the case that local National Health Service trusts are responsible for determining, delivering and funding religious and spiritual care in a way that meets the needs of their patients, carers and staff. NHS England is not involved in commissioning chaplaincy services locally. However, NHS England maintains a dialogue with chaplaincy associations through the NHS Chaplaincy programme and the Chaplaincy Leaders Forum as part of NHS England’s work on improving patient care, promoting equality and reducing inequalities in health outcomes.
As health is a devolved issue, the commissioning and provision of chaplaincy services in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should be addressed to the relevant devolved administrations.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Bristol (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 23 June (HL Deb, col 1471), what steps they are taking to ensure that the ministry of chaplains in United Kingdom hospitals and hospices remains a part of end-of-life care.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
We value the important role chaplaincy services play in delivering compassionate, personalised care, including at the end of life. The five Priorities for Care of the Dying Person, which the Government introduced in June 2014 and is attached, set out the importance of sensitive communication and the spiritual care of dying people and those important to them. As a member of the Leadership Alliance for the Care of Dying People, the College of Health Care Chaplains was integral to the development, dissemination and implementation of the Priorities for Care.
It remains the case that local National Health Service trusts are responsible for determining, delivering and funding religious and spiritual care in a way that meets the needs of their patients, carers and staff. NHS England is not involved in commissioning chaplaincy services locally. However, NHS England maintains a dialogue with chaplaincy associations through the NHS Chaplaincy programme and the Chaplaincy Leaders Forum as part of NHS England’s work on improving patient care, promoting equality and reducing inequalities in health outcomes.
As health is a devolved issue, the commissioning and provision of chaplaincy services in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should be addressed to the relevant devolved administrations.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Bristol (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many places of safety have been provided under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983; and what assessment they have made of the geographic spread of such places.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Care Quality Commission has created an interactive web-based map showing the location of designated health-based places of safety in England for people detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983:
http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/map-health-based-places-safety-0
The current version shows 167 places of safety in England.