Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the SS Richard Montgomery is in their National Risk Assessment; and what guidance has been offered to the relevant local resilience forums about the approach they should take to the risks associated with it.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Whilst the condition of the masts is not believed to have deteriorated seriously over time, the decision to explore reducing the height of the masts was informed by the regular surveys conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.
There is a dedicated page on Gov.uk for the SS Richard Montgomery where these surveys can be found.
The procurement process to appoint a contractor to remove the masts is still live and while commercial information on the tender cannot therefore be released, further updates on its progress will be given at the appropriate time. The work to remove these masts has not previously been put out to tender. Further details can be found online in the Official Journal of the EU.
The SS Richard Montgomery is not on the National Risk Register. The National Risk Register is managed by the Cabinet Office, who are currently updating this document.
The relevant local authorities and local resilience forums are aware of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery and routinely factor it into their regular planning work. We are in contact with these organisations regularly to ensure they have the information they need on risks to inform their planning.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of COVID-19 home tests which have been sent out have been (1) returned within three days, (2) returned but found to be unusable, (3) found to be positive, (4) found to be negative; and what assessment they have made of the proportion of such tests that deliver a (a) false positive, or (b) a false negative, result. [T]
Answered by Lord Bethell
To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Testing – note for House of Lords which is attached, due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Leader of the House why the question for Topical Written Answer HL4504, tabled on 14 May and due for answer on 21 May, has not yet been answered; what are the reasons for the delay in responding to that question; what steps have been taken to investigate those reasons; and what measures have been put in place to ensure that the written questions that are currently overdue for reply will receive timely answers that address the substance of the questions tabled. [T]
Answered by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
The Department of Health and Social Care has received 6240 written Parliamentary Questions between 1 January and 8 July, of which 4496 have been answered up to 8 July. My office regularly speaks with departments about late responses and I have raised lateness of written questions with my counterparts in the Department of Health and Social Care. This has resulted in Ministers asking teams to redouble their efforts in making sure that written parliamentary questions are answered as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the average quantity of personal protective equipment required on a daily basis by (1) the NHS, and (2) the social care sector, broken down by type of equipment; and if they have not made such an assessment, why not.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government published Coronavirus (COVID-19): personal protective equipment (PPE) plan on 10 April. It incorporates guidance on who needs PPE and when they need it, routes to ensure those who need it can get it at the right time and sets out actions to secure enough PPE to last through the crisis. A copy is attached.
We have built models which forecast demand. These models cover a range of possible scenarios and have developed over time as additional information on the prevalence and impact of COVID-19 became available and as guidance on PPE has been updated. We work closely with the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies to ensure they are underpinned by the latest science.
We are working around the clock to give the social care sector and wider National Health Service the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bethell on 14 May (HL3016) and 28 May (HL4613), what assessment they have made of how the answers given “answer all aspects of the question”.
Answered by Lord Bethell
I can only reiterate that Written Answers are drafted by teams who are experienced in their area of work and provide the best available information.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 2 June (HL4611), whether they will now answer the question put, namely what assessment they have made of the average quantity of personal protective equipment required on a daily basis by the police service; and if they have not made such an assessment, why not.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government recognises the importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all of those on the frontline, including police.
The Home Secretary and Minister for Policing have regular conversations with police forces about a range of matters including supply of PPE, ensuring a sufficient daily supply is available. The National Police Co-ordination Centre is co-ordinating police PPE procurement and distribution across the whole country and confirm that police currently have a good supply of PPE.
The amount of PPE in stock and used by each force is not held centrally. That is an operational matter for forces.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether talks relating to future international trade agreements will include possible reductions of current requirements for clear labelling of food to support people in making healthy choices in respect of the sugar, salt and fat content of foods.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Whilst food labelling is a devolved matter, the same labelling rules currently apply across the UK. Under Article 30 of our Food Information to Consumers Regulations it is a requirement to provide a nutritional declaration on the label of pre-packed foods placed on the UK market. This declaration must include a range of information including details of sugar, fat and salt content. These regulations and requirements will continue to apply across the UK when the Transition Period ends on 31 December 2020. After the Transition Period we will work with the devolved administrations to ensure consumers remain well informed about their food.
We have been clear that in all of our trade negotiations we will not compromise on our high environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards. In trade negotiations we will ensure our right to regulate in this area is preserved, including the ability to set our own mandatory labelling requirements to be met for both food produced domestically and food which is imported. Of course, our rules will also continue to be in line with our international obligations. The Government has committed to a rapid review and consultation on the role of labelling to promote high standards and animal welfare, and remains committed to delivering informative food and drink labelling and marketing standards to protect consumer interests, ensuring that consumers can have confidence in the food and drink they buy.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether talks relating to future international trade agreements will include possible reductions of current requirements for animal welfare and environmental standards.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government is committed to upholding our manifesto commitment that in all of our trade negotiations we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards. We remain firmly committed to upholding our standards outside the EU, and at the end of the Transition Period the EU Withdrawal Act will transfer all existing EU provisions on environmental protection, animal welfare, and food safety, including existing import requirements, onto the UK statute book.
We have also been clear in our approach to negotiating new trade deals that the UK will decide how we set and maintain our own standards and regulations and operate our own autonomous sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regime. Any future trade deal must work for consumers, farmers, and businesses in the UK, and as with all negotiations, we will be prepared to walk away if that is in the national interest.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question
The Leader of the House, further to her Written Answer on 2 June (HL4609), when she last reminded Lord Bethell of his responsibility to adhere to paragraph 6.14 of the Companion to the Standing Orders and Guide to the Proceedings in the House of Lords; and what assessment she has made of whether the Written Answers by Lord Bethell on 14 May (HL3016) and on 28 May (HL4613) were consistent with that responsibility.
Answered by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
Since I gave my answer to HL4609 all Ministers have been reminded of their obligations to the House in respect of written questions. Individual Ministers are responsible to the House for the answers they provide.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether talks relating to future international trade agreements will include possible reductions of the current food safety regulations; and whether chlorine-washing of chicken will continue to be contrary to UK food safety standards.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government has made it clear that any future trade deals must work for British consumers, farmers and companies. We are proud of our high standards in food safety and these will not be weakened.?High standards and high quality are what our domestic and global customers demand, and that is what we?will?provide.
It is vital that we explore new trading opportunities, but these should not mean a dilution of the standards for which British food is world-renowned. The EU Withdrawal Act transfers all existing EU food safety provisions on to the statute book and we remain firmly committed to upholding our high food safety standards.