Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with the Welsh Government or other interested parties concerning the operation of the Barnett formula with respect to Wales.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are currently no plans to modify the operation of the Barnett formula. The Barnett formula has stood the test of time because it is simple, efficient and provides a clear and certain outcome.
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is in regular contact with his devolved government counterparts on matters of devolved government funding and the Barnett formula. Officials are also in regular dialogue on the operation of devolved government funding arrangements, including the Barnett formula.
Overall, the Welsh Government currently receives at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK. That translates into over £4 billion more in 2025-26.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with the vaping industry on curbing underage vaping.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is of great concern that approximately 25% of children aged between 11 and 15 years old have tried vaping. Evidence suggests vaping products are regularly promoted in a way that appeals to children, despite the risks of nicotine addiction.
That is why we announced strong measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to ban the advertisement and sponsorship of all vapes and nicotine products. It will also stop vapes from being deliberately targeted at children, providing new powers to limit flavours and packaging, and changing how and where they are displayed in shops.
The Department ran a public consultation in October 2023 which received responses from the vaping industry. The consultation informed the development of the current Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The bill contains a statutory duty to consult on the use of regulation-making powers related to vaping and other measures. We will consult with the vaping industry at the appropriate time.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 11 November (HL2250), when they anticipate that they will set out their principles for professional regulation in relation to doctors and dentists.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is no confirmed timeframe for the Government to set out its approach to any future professional regulation reforms.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to have any discussions with the NHS regarding the provision of catering and rest facilities for NHS staff, including those working out of hours.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Good physical working environments are important for staff wellbeing and retention. Staff need to be given the time and space to rest and recover from their work, particularly when working on-call or overnight. This is recognised as a priority in the NHS People Promise, which sets out the importance of employers prioritising spaces for staff to rest and recuperate, and ensuring access to hot food and drinks.
In May 2024, NHS England and NHS Charities Together launched a £10 million Workforce Wellbeing Programme to support National Health Service staff in England. It will provide tailored health and wellbeing support to NHS staff, including grants to improve facilities. A three-year programme of work named Great Food, Good Health, led by NHS England, aims to improve the experience and quality of nutritious food that patients, staff, and visitors receive in hospital. As part of this, the NHS has made it clear that NHS organisations must be able to demonstrate they have suitable, around the clock food service provision.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation to repeal section 2(4) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948 to enable courts to take account of the existence of NHS care when awarding compensation.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government does not have any current plans to either review or repeal section 2(4) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948. However, the Department of Health and Social Care is currently reviewing a range of options around clinical negligence reform and will announce its position on this in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to use their powers under section 60 of the Health Act 1999 to enable doctors and dentists to reform their regulatory procedures.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is currently considering its priorities for professional regulation, and will set these out at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to sanctioning individuals involved in the issuing of the All-Serb Assembly joint declaration of June 2024 as part of their Bosnia and Herzegovina sanctions regime.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting the sovereignty, territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as set out in the Dayton Peace Agreement. We maintain a range of tools to tackle destabilising behaviour; our sanctions regime remains one of them. We do not speculate on future designations.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to lowering the legal alcohol limit for drivers as tested by a breathalyser.
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. The Department is currently considering policy options in this area.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to disaggregate data collection in Government Departments in relation to Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Office for Equality and Opportunity encourages the use of Government Statistical Service harmonised standards for ethnicity data collection across government departments and other public bodies.
The current ethnicity harmonised standard is based on the 2011 Census questions across the UK. The ethnicity questions were adjusted so they could be used in the 2021 censuses for England and Wales, and Northern Ireland; and the 2022 Census for Scotland.
The 2021 classification for England and Wales has 19 groups including the categories ‘Gypsy or Irish Traveller’ and ‘Roma’. (https://analysisfunction.civilservice.gov.uk/policy-store/ethnicity-harmonised-standard/).
Data collected by government departments for the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups is already published on the Office for Equality and Opportunity’s Ethnicity Facts and Figures website (https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/). It was the first of its kind in terms of scale, scope and transparency and has been welcomed as best practice internationally. It contains statistics covering topics such as health, education, employment and the criminal justice system.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the government of Serbia regarding the All-Serb Assembly joint declaration of June 2024.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has underlined with Serbia's leadership concerns about the "All Serb Assembly" in June and the subsequent Declaration. The UK consistently emphasises at senior levels the importance of Serbia's role in building and supporting regional stability; Minister of State Stephen Doughty did so most recently in October meetings with Foreign Minister Djuric and the Serbian Ambassador in London. We encourage Serbia to adhere to the commitments made by all Western Balkans leaders at the 2018 London Summit on good neighbourly relations.