Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many national public inquiries there have been since 2004; and what was the average (1) cost, (2) length, and (3) fee paid to the lawyers involved.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Since 2004, His Majesty’s Government has established 21 non-statutory inquiries, 24 statutory inquiries under the Inquiries Act 2005, and one inquiry under other legislation, on a broad range of subject matters. 30 of the total 46 inquiries have formally completed. Several of these statutory inquiries had previously been established as non-statutory inquiries or inquests.

The length of completed inquiries in this period ranges from 1 to 99 months, and published costs vary significantly from between £0.2m and £194m. The Cabinet Office does not centrally hold data on legal costs. Further information can be found on inquiry and departmental websites and in the National Archives.

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 19 December 2024 (HL3442), how many small fire outbreaks in the Palace of Westminster there were in each year from 2014 to 2024.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The number of small fire outbreaks in the Palace of Westminster each year from 2014 to 2024 are as follows:

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment has been made of the extent of asbestos in the Palace of Westminster; and the danger of anybody working in or visiting the Palace contracting asbestosis.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Ensuring Parliament is safe is a key priority for the administrations of both Houses. Parliament has comprehensive procedures in place to ensure it discharges its duties under The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, mitigating the risks arising from asbestos and ensuring these are effectively controlled. It has a detailed asbestos management plan setting out competencies of duty holders and articulating how asbestos risks are mitigated on the estate.

There is a programme of management surveys conducted by experts who identify the presence of asbestos and update the Parliamentary asbestos register. These surveys inform the asbestos risk assessment which determines how asbestos containing materials are managed or removed where necessary. Detailed processes are in place to support safe invasive works including support from an asbestos analytical consultant and removal of asbestos containing materials via a licenced asbestos removal contractor.

Parliament appoints competent internal duty holders to advise on risks, and actions required to make the estate safe, and provides appropriate training and awareness to employees on risks related to asbestos.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have consulted Alan Bates about the convictions of sub-postmasters due to the Post Office's Capture project.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

On 17 December, the Government published its response to the independent report into Capture, committing to offer redress to affected postmasters. We will develop our proposals through engagement with postmasters and key stakeholders.

The Kroll report does not make conclusions on whether Capture led to unsafe convictions The scale of convictions relating to Capture is so far unknown and no convictions have been overturned by the courts to date. The Criminal Cases Review Commission and its Scottish equivalent are actively reviewing cases which have been submitted, and the Government expects Post Office Ltd to fully engage with any ongoing or future investigations into Capture.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to pardon and compensate sub-postmasters convicted as a result of the Post Office's Capture project.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

On 17 December, the Government published its response to the independent report into Capture, committing to offer redress to affected postmasters. We will develop our proposals through engagement with postmasters and key stakeholders.

The Kroll report does not make conclusions on whether Capture led to unsafe convictions The scale of convictions relating to Capture is so far unknown and no convictions have been overturned by the courts to date. The Criminal Cases Review Commission and its Scottish equivalent are actively reviewing cases which have been submitted, and the Government expects Post Office Ltd to fully engage with any ongoing or future investigations into Capture.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the problems common to the Post Office's Capture and Horizon projects.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

On 17 December, the Government published its response to the independent report into Capture, committing to offer redress to affected postmasters. We will develop our proposals through engagement with postmasters and key stakeholders.

The Kroll report does not make conclusions on whether Capture led to unsafe convictions The scale of convictions relating to Capture is so far unknown and no convictions have been overturned by the courts to date. The Criminal Cases Review Commission and its Scottish equivalent are actively reviewing cases which have been submitted, and the Government expects Post Office Ltd to fully engage with any ongoing or future investigations into Capture.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest figures for antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes for the (1) Metropolitan Police, (2) Greater Manchester Police, and (3) West Midlands Police, compared with the figures for September 2023; and what is the average figure for all police forces over the same period.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects information on the number of religious hate crimes by targeted religion on a monthly basis from police forces in England and Wales. However, information is only available for 31 police forces, including the Metropolitan and Greater Manchester Police, for the time period asked about. The available data broken down by month from September 2023 to March 2024 are given in the table below:

Found: responsible for providing advice on conditions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was tabled by Lord Hain

Found: responsible for providing advice on conditions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was tabled by Lord Hain