Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) level, and (2) geographical distribution, of drug shortages in pharmacies.

Answered by Lord Markham

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply issues at a national level, so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. We receive notifications of supply issues from United Kingdom medicine license holders. In 2022 and 2023, the number of notifications of supply issues remained broadly stable, at approximately 1,600 per year.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that slingshots are being used to cause damage to vehicles and local wildlife in rural areas.

Answered by Lord Benyon

The Government has not made an assessment of reports that slingshots are being used to cause damage to vehicles and local wildlife in rural areas. We have been made aware by the National Wildlife Crime Unit of a perceived increase in the use of catapults against animals. The Government takes wildlife crime seriously and it is a matter of concern. Under provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006, there are a range of offences around deliberate attempts to kill, injure or inflict harm on wildlife. We expect all crime to be reported to police and investigated appropriately.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Resolution Foundation report Firm foundations: Understanding why employers use flexible contracts, published on 25 April; and what steps they will take to improve situations for zero-hours contract workers.

Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel

Flexible contracts are an important part of the UK’s labour market, for both employers with fluctuations in demand, and for individuals who need to balance work around other commitments such as childcare and study.

2022 research from the CIPD found that 62% of zero hours contract workers are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs, only a slightly lower fraction than the 66% for other employees.

The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 will give workers – including those on zero hours contracts - the right to make a request to their employer for a more predictable working pattern.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index which indicated that British women are sadder and more stressed than their European counterparts, what steps they are taking to improve women's health and wellbeing.

Answered by Lord Markham

The Women’s Health Strategy sets out the Government’s plans for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls, and for improving how the health and care system engages and listens to all women.

Achievements since the launch of the strategy include: appointing the first Women’s Health Ambassador for England; investing £25 million of funding into the expansion of women’s health hubs to improve women’s access to services and to create efficiencies for the National Health Service; reducing the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) through the launch of the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate; and creating a women’s health area on the NHS website, to bring together women’s health content and create a first port of call for women seeking information.

We are focused on delivering our priorities for 2024, which include improving care for menstrual problems, including endometriosis, and maternity care, expanding women’s health hubs, tackling disparities and supporting the most vulnerable groups, and boosting research. Recent progress includes launching baby loss certificates to support patients who have experienced a loss of pregnancy before 24 weeks, continuing to roll out women’s health hubs across the country, and running a national media campaign on periods and menopause to encourage women to contact their general practice, if symptoms are affecting their life.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent oil spills by the Russian shadow fleet in the English Channel.

Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Secretary of State for Wales

The Government is working with likeminded partners, including the G7+ Coalition, to respond to violations of the Oil Price Cap and to disrupt Russia’s shadow fleet. This includes imposing additional sanctions measures on those engaged in deceptive practices while transporting Russian oil. The UK has already imposed sanctions on individuals and entities involved in Russia’s shadow fleet and we are preparing to bolster our existing powers to target individual shadow fleet vessels.

We are also enhancing monitoring and enforcement and supporting industry with sanctions compliance by updating rules and regulations as necessary. This includes the Oil Price Cap Compliance and Enforcement Alert issued by the G7+ Coalition on 1st February this year. The alert sets out the shadow fleet’s methods of oil price cap evasion to support stakeholders with identifying evasion and reporting it, so that enforcement action can be taken.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce regulations to require vessels travelling through the Strait of Dover to provide proof of adequate insurance.

Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Secretary of State for Wales

It is not possible as a matter of both international and domestic law to introduce regulations of this nature.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 18 December 2023 (HL838), whether they have had any discussions with the government of Kenya regarding the eviction and destruction of property of the Ogiek people in the Mau forest of that country.

Answered by Lord Benyon

The British High Commission in Nairobi is closely monitoring events in the Mau Forest. I have not raised this issue with the Kenyan authorities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to tighten restrictions on the sale of slingshots following reports of them being used to cause damage to vehicles and wildlife.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government is clear that slingshots should not be used for illegal purposes, whether against wildlife, people or property.

Under provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, The Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and Animal Welfare Act 2006, there are a range of offences around injuring and inflicting unnecessary suffering on wildlife. These measures give the police broad powers to deal with cases where wildlife is attacked, including cases involving the misuse of slingshots.

It is an offence to carry an offensive weapon in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, under provisions in the Prevention of Crime Act 1953. If a slingshot is carried in a public place with the intention of causing injury it is likely to engage the legislation. The maximum penalty for having an offensive weapon in a public place is 4 years imprisonment. Where a slingshot is misused as a weapon, and a person is injured, there are a number of offences which may apply, such as causing actual bodily harm, which carry significant sentences.

The Criminal Damage Act 1971 creates offences around destroying or damaging property and possessing anything with intent to destroy or damage property. The maximum penalty for offences under the Act is 10 years imprisonment.

Slingshots do however have legitimate uses, for example within competitions and fishing and at present we consider that existing legislation provides the correct balance between protecting the public from the small number of individuals who misuse slingshots, while also allowing the public to enjoy legitimate pastimes. We have no plans to ban the sale of slingshots or slingshot ammunition at this time.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to tackle image-based sexual abuse among teenagers.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government is committed to intervening as early as possible to prevent vulnerable children and young people from experiencing all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This includes education and awareness raising initiatives and equipping frontline professionals and safeguarding partners with the tools and training to identify child sexual abuse and provide support to children and young people.

We are working to implement the groundbreaking Online Safety Act, which places clear legal duties on tech companies to identify, report and remove child sexual abuse material and proactively combat the threat on their platforms. Alongside this, it is crucial that all sectors, including tech, step up their efforts in going further and faster in keeping children safe online.

We are also working to tackle the rise in harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people. This includes supporting the Shore website, run by the Lucy Faithful Foundation, which provides resources and a helpline that provides confidential help, support and information to young people concerned about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts and behaviour to prevent abuse and victimisation Children. Young people are also able to access the Report Remove tool, run by the IWF and NSPCC, that enables children whose images have been shared online to remove those images from public platforms.

We are committed to using all available levers to us and call on all sectors to work to keep children safe online and across our communities in the UK and around the world.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to their counterparts in Sudan about ending the civil war and ethnic cleansing campaign in Darfur.

Answered by Lord Benyon

The UK condemns in the strongest terms atrocities being committed across Sudan, including in Darfur. Reports of ongoing attacks on innocent civilians including by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are abhorrent and must stop immediately. As part of our diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in Sudan, we speak to all parties. We have used our exchanges with the warring parties to strongly condemn atrocities they have perpetrated and to urge them to commit to a permanent ceasefire and meaningful peace process.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce sanctions on vessels that are part of the Russian shadow fleet and on the international shipping companies that own and operate them.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK has sanctioned over 2000 individuals and entities under the Russia sanctions regime, including those who support Russia's efforts to circumvent UK and G7 oil sanctions. We will build on this action by enhancing our power to sanction individual vessels under the Russia sanctions regime. The enhanced power will allow us to be even more targeted and will increase Russia's costs further, including where Russia uses the shadow fleet to export its oil by sea.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing level of hunger and disease in Latin America due to extreme climate conditions.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK remains alert to increasing health risks in Latin America due to exposure to heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and severe flooding, as well as rising food insecurity and malnutrition. These extreme conditions are affecting the geographical distribution of infectious diseases, with climate suitability for dengue transmission reaching its highest level in recent years. The FCDO helps countries in the region address these challenges by exchanging knowledge and expertise and through our contributions to the Start Fund for humanitarian response.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Human Rights Watch report "The Boot on my Neck": Iranian Authorities' Crime of Persecution Against Baha'is in Iran, published on 1 April.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

We welcome the work of Human Rights Watch to highlight how Iran continues to deny Baha'is their fundamental rights in their report, "The Boot on my Neck". At the 55th Human Rights Council, we issued a statement highlighting the scale and severity of freedom of religion or belief abuses globally, including against Baha'is in Iran. We co-sponsored the Iran Human Rights Resolution at UNGA 78, which called on Iran to eliminate, in law and practice, all forms of discrimination, on the basis of religion or belief. We are committed to promoting religious freedom and will continue to work with partners, and the UK Baha'i community, to promote the rights of Baha'is in Iran.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 29 April (HL3804), (1) when the feasibility report on prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage will be published, and (2) when they will publish their response to those findings.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office commissioned the University of Birmingham in 2023 to conduct a feasibility study on the possibility of developing prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage.

We have now received the final report on the feasibility study. We are currently considering the findings of the report carefully and engaging with the police and other partners. We will confirm our next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many women in England were rough sleeping in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.

Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The annual Rough Sleeping Snapshot includes the number of women estimated to be sleeping rough in England on a single night in autumn between 2019 and 2023.

The annual autumn snapshot statistics remain our official and most robust measure of rough sleeping on a single night given they are independently verified and are published in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

We recognise that women sleeping rough may experience rough sleeping differently and may be less likely to be seen during the annual snapshot count. DLUHC is supporting the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census – developed by Solace Women’s Aid, SHP and London Councils - which aims to collect more comprehensive data on women experiencing rough sleeping and trial different methods of data collection.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact that withdrawing funding for the Air Quality Grant Scheme will have on public health.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller

An impact assessment on public health was not carried out before withdrawing the Air Quality Grant Scheme for 2023-2024. The Minister used his discretion not to fund the Local Air Quality Grant Scheme for the 2023-2024 financial year. He has asked Defra officials to consider the future of the scheme and how it might be redesigned to better deliver positive outcomes for local air quality and public health and therefore enhanced value for money for taxpayers.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect the use of cash in the purchasing of everyday goods and services.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton

In recognition that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable circumstances, the government legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. This establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provides it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities.

Following this legislation, the government published a Cash Access Policy Statement. This set out that the vast majority of people should be no further than 1 mile from access to cash deposit and withdrawal services in predominately urban areas, and no further than 3 miles in predominately rural areas. The FCA is required to have regard to this statement when exercising its access to cash powers.

The government believes it should remain the choice of individual businesses as to whether to accept or decline any form of payment, including cash or card, based on their consideration of factors such as customer preference and cost. However, the government considers that its legislation will indirectly support cash acceptance in the wider economy, enabling businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they have reasonable access to deposit facilities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the state of disaster declared due to the drought and resultant food shortages in Malawi, and whether they plan to provide additional aid to Malawi.

Answered by Lord Benyon

Malawi, like its Southern African neighbours, faces particularly high food shortages this year partly because of the El Nino drought. The UK has just made a £3 million contribution to the World Food Programme, primarily to import and distribute around 3,000 tonnes of food and provide cash transfers, reaching around 300,000 of the least food secure. This contribution compliments on-going efforts by the UK Government to strengthen the resilience of the Malawian people, to future climate shocks, including through contributing to sovereign drought insurance.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental impact of pollution in Lake Windermere.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller

A thorough investigation by the Environment Agency (EA) into the pollution incident at Lake Windermere earlier this year remains ongoing, which involves examining further evidence from United Utilities (UU). If the EA determines a permit breach has taken place, it will not hesitate to take enforcement action up to and including a criminal prosecution.

Windermere is affected by pollution from a range of different sources, including sewage discharges from water company assets, private septic tanks/sewage works and road and agricultural run-off, as well as physical modifications. Climate change has also altered temperature, precipitation and weather patterns which can affect the lake's water quality, by altering nutrient cycles, water chemistry and aquatic habitats, and affect the amount of water resulting in droughts and floods.

The last Water Framework Directive full water body classification results in 2019 assessed that Lake Windermere achieved moderate ecologic status and is impacted by excessive nutrients, leading to algal growth and cyanobacterial blooms.

Recent data shows a 30% reduction in phosphorus – which can lead to algal blooms – entering the lake since 2020 and this reduction is predominantly due to EA-driven improvements to UU Wastewater Treatment Works.

Water quality modelling continues to quantify the different sources of pollution in Windermere and the impact that it is having in different parts of the lake. The EA is also working with the Love Windermere partnership to improve the overall health of the lake through behavioural and societal change.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the University of Copenhagen Lifetime exposure to air pollution and academic achievement: A nationwide cohort study in Denmark, published in March, particularly the finding that high levels of air pollution may negatively impact children’s cognitive development; and whether in light of this they will consider reinstating funding for the Air Quality Grant Scheme.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller

The Government keeps new studies on health impacts of air pollution under review and is advised by the Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP).

The Minister used his discretion not to fund the Local Air Quality Grant Scheme for the 2023-2024 financial year. He has asked Defra officials to consider the future of the scheme and how it might be redesigned to better deliver positive outcomes for local air quality and public health and therefore enhanced value for money for taxpayers.

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