Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when Ministers last met the Scout Association; and which subjects were discussed.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to invite the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation to report to the Home Secretary upon the options and possible solutions for dealing with cases of minors who wish to return to the UK from territories formerly held by Daesh, and who may hold nationality of both the UK and another country, where (1) a country refuses to admit the individual concerned, and (2) such a minor is at risk of capital punishment, torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government is aware that there are British national minors in Internally Displaced Persons camps in Syria, and we continue to work at pace with our international partners on these issues. The Government has no current plans to ask the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation to report on this topic.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the rail service between Heathrow Central and Terminal 4; and what plans they have to ensure that the service meets requirements.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and delivered by Transport for London. Rail services between Heathrow Central and Terminal 4 are the responsibility of Transport for London.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the limitation in London on the use of bus lanes to black cabs and include badged private hire vehicles.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London through the Greater London Authority Act 1999. It is the responsibility of the Mayor, and delivered by Transport for London. Decisions on how bus lanes are used are therefore a matter for the Mayor.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what changes, if any, they plan to make to disclosure procedures operated by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that (1) trials are not disrupted by late or inadequate disclosure, and (2) incursions into the privacy of complainants and witnesses are material and proportionate.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
There has been unprecedented joint commitment and focus from the police and the CPS to finding solutions to the problem of getting disclosure right.
Proper disclosure of unused material is vital if there is to be a fair trial. That is why in 2018 the Attorney General published his review, looking at the efficiency and effectiveness of the current disclosure system, including how sensitive data is handled. We are now working hard to implement the recommendations made in the review, and extensive action has already been undertaken to bring about necessary changes. The government remains committed to ensuring that errors in the disclosure process are driven down to their absolute minimum.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the structure of the territorial police forces in England and Wales, in particular regard to (1) the standard of performance, (2) public satisfaction, and (3) ensuring that the full range of expert services, subject to a proportionate and necessary senior command structure, is available throughout the country.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government has no current plans to review the structure of territorial police forces in England and Wales.
More can be done within the current organisational and leadership structures to improve police performance and ensure services meet public expectations.
The Government supports HMICFRS’ ongoing assessments of forces, measuring performance and identifying areas to improve. Through the Police Transformation Fund we have also supported collaboration arrangements, for example, via the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Specialist Capabilities Programme which is developing new approaches for the provision of specialist capabilities across police force boundaries to tackle a range of criminality.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to announce who will be conducting the independent review of the Prevent counter-extremism programme; and what will be the review’s (1) terms of reference, and (2) timescale for reporting.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Work is underway to appoint the Independent Reviewer of the Prevent Strategy, define the Terms of Reference for the Review, and to recruit a secretariat to support this work.
The aim is to inform the House of the arrangements for the Review, including the Reviewer and the Terms of Reference, by 12 August 2019, as required by the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. The final report, recommendations and the Government response are due by August 2020.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the franchise arrangements concerning the shuttle service between Heathrow Central and Terminal 4.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The rail network at Heathrow is privately owned and is exempt from the franchising requirements of the Railways Act 1993. This means that the Secretary of State cannot designate services on that network for franchising. Train services operating on the Heathrow rail network are not provided under franchise agreements.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the performance, endurance and range of Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters by the introduction of (1) tactical data links, and (2) in-flight refuelling equipment.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The requirement for a Wildcat tactical data link, as well as options for extending fuel ranges, remain under review by the Royal Navy. I cannot comment further on matters relating to the future capability of our assets as it is likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the performance of Transport for London in relation to the frequency and reliability of the shuttle service between Heathrow Central and Terminal 4 to ensure a regular service every 10 minutes in each direction every day.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Transport for London Rail operates shuttle services between Heathrow’s terminals. The scheduling and performance of these services is a matter for Transport for London.