Asked by: Lord Higgins (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the effect on air pollution of the construction and use of bicycle lanes, particularly in London.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Department for Transport has not completed any estimates specifically on the effect of construction and use of bicycle lanes on air pollution. But we recognise that encouraging car users to switch to alternative, more sustainable, forms of transport like cycling can generally have both health and carbon reduction benefits as well as improving local air quality.
When we appraise cycle schemes for funding, we apply WebTAG unit A5-1. This appraisal looks at outcomes only and does not consider impacts during the construction phase of a scheme. Where a scheme includes shifts away from mechanised modes and changes in congestion levels, we use marginal external costs, including air pollution. This is done at an individual scheme level and reported in the appraisal of each case; therefore no holistic study has been undertaken. This appraisal does not take account of potentially complex changes to motorists behaviour (such as speed and route choice) resulting from the introduction of cycle lanes.
Transport for London state that during the construction phase some localised short-term slight impacts on local air quality can be expected from the use of plant and vehicles. However, contractors are required to minimise dust and emissions to air and comply with the Greater London Authority and London Councils’ Control of Dust and Emissions from Construction and Demolition Best Practice Guidance.
Transport for London undertake air quality modelling to ascertain the impacts during operation. Schemes such as the East-West Cycle Superhighway show that the likely impact of the introduction of cycle lanes and changes to the road layout on air quality ranges from adverse to beneficial. The study shows that changes in traffic will redistribute emissions across the study area but will not increase overall emission levels.
Asked by: Lord Higgins (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Royal Navy's decision to instruct migrants rescued from the Mediterranean to disembark from the ships inside rather than outside the European Union is consistent with their policy of discouraging people trafficking.
Answered by Lord Bates
Under international law the UK has a duty not to return people who are rescued at sea to countries where they would be at risk of serious harm. That is why people rescued at sea are taken to Italy as this is considered the nearest safe country.
However, we need to break the link between getting on a boat and automatically achieving residence in Europe. The UK is playing a leading role in pushing for action through the EU and the UN to tackle the causes of illegal immigration to discourage people from making the perilous journey in the first place. The UK is also pursuing and disrupting the organised crime groups profiting from the people smuggling trade, including through the creation of an Organised Immigration Crime Task Force.
If migrants do reach the EU they need to be stopped, processed and screened when they arrive to control their movement and to distinguish between genuine refugees and economic migrants. The UK fully supports the EU’s ‘hotspots’ initiative which will help give effect to this.
Asked by: Lord Higgins (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to take steps to ensure that the United Kingdom can decide where to land migrants rescued from the Mediterranean by the Royal Navy, so as to ensure that they are not landed in the European Union.
Answered by Lord Bates
Under international law the UK has a duty not to return people who are rescued at sea to countries where they would be at risk of serious harm. That is why migrants rescued at sea are taken to Italy as this is considered the nearest safe country.
But we are pushing for the swift establishment of 'hot spot' screening centres and action to return those who do not need our protection to their countries of origin.
Asked by: Lord Higgins (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost to the public purse of (1) arrangements made, and (2) proposed arrangements, to deal with the Greek financial crisis.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
The Government has secured a deal that protects UK taxpayers from any risk from financing euro area bailouts now and in the future. This deal gives legal force to the commitment secured in 2010 that UK taxpayers would not be drawn into a euro area bailout. Under the European Financial Stability Mechanism (EFSM) short term financing agreement concluded on Friday 17 July, Greece’s IMF arrears have also been cleared.
Asked by: Lord Higgins (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the compensation limit under the Deposit Guarantee Scheme has been reduced in line with a European directive that sets a limit in euros, despite the fact that the United Kingdom is not in the Eurozone; and whether they will take steps to ensure that United Kingdom citizens do not suffer as a result, if necessary by introducing a separate United Kingdom compensation scheme.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
The Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive (DGSD) updates existing legislation designed to harmonise the level of deposit protection provided across the European Economic Area (EEA), of which the UK is a part.
This is a single market measure to ensure that depositors are entitled to the same level of protection (equivalent to €100,000 per regulated firm, regardless of currency) wherever in the EEA they deposit their money; and that UK firms are not competitively disadvantaged in relation to firms in other EEA jurisdictions.
As a result of the current strength of the pound in relation to the euro, it has been necessary for the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to revise the sterling coverage limit provided by the UK’s deposit guarantee scheme, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). However, the Government has taken action to ensure that UK depositors are not exposed to a sudden reduction in the level of protection they receive.
HM Treasury has laid a statutory instrument to ensure that depositors who are currently entitled to £85,000 of protection from the FSCS will continue to be until 31 December 2015, after which the new deposit coverage limit of £75,000 will come into effect.
This will ensure that there is sufficient time available for depositors to be made aware of the changes, and to take any necessary steps to manage their financial affairs appropriately in light of this change. It is estimated that 5 per cent of retail depositors are affected by this change.
Asked by: Lord Higgins (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to the Deposit Guarantee Scheme, whether the principle of uberrima fides applies to state insurers within the European Union, as well as private insurers.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
The principle of uberrima fides does not apply to the UK’s Deposit Guarantee Scheme. Uberrima fides is a principle that applies to insurers and insurance contracts, but the Deposit Guarantee Scheme is not an insurance scheme and is not contractual. The duties of the Deposit Guarantee Scheme are set out in the EU Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive and the relevant UK legislation.
Asked by: Lord Higgins (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what orders are given to British naval vessels that have rescued migrants in danger at sea regarding where the migrants should be disembarked.
Answered by Earl Howe
Under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, the government responsible for the Search and Rescue Region in which assistance to those in distress at sea has occurred has the primary responsibility for ensuring that survivors are disembarked at the most convenient place of safety, with minimum deviation for the rescuing vessel.
The Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (IMRCC) manages all rescues in the Central Mediterranean area of operations. At present, those rescued in the Central Mediterranean are brought to shore in Italy, in ports determined by the IMRCC.
Asked by: Lord Higgins (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the operation of the Eurozone has had a positive effect on the United Kingdom economy.
Answered by Lord Deighton
As the Chancellor said at the Autumn Statement, Britain – as one of the most open trading economies in the world, with a large financial sector – is not immune to the risks of the global economy. This is particularly true of the euro area, the UK’s largest trading partner, which accounts for 40 percent of exports.
While significant steps have been taken by the euro area to place itself on a more sustainable footing, its economy weakened in the second half of 2014, with inflation extremely low and unemployment stubbornly high.
Asked by: Lord Higgins (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Newby on 17 June (HL Deb, col 788), by what authority HM Treasury imposes fines on other departments; for what reasons such fines may be imposed; what the effect of such fines are on the Government's overall resources; and whether any disciplinary action is taken against officials found to be responsible for incurring such fines.
Answered by Lord Deighton
The Treasury is responsible for ensuring there is proper accountability to Parliament for the use of public money. It is responsible for setting the ground rules for the administration of public money and is accountable to Parliament for doing so.
The guidelines for managing public expenditure have been set out in a number of documents published by the Treasury, including Managing Public Money[1], the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance[2] and Improving Spending Control[3]. They set out the circumstances where the Treasury may impose fines or penalties on departments. In all cases, the Treasury retains the right to apply whatever penalties are appropriate to incentivise good financial management and value for money.
Fines imposed on departments have had a minimal impact on the Government's overall resources.
Accounting Officers are responsible for ensuring that their departments meet specific standards, as set out in Managing Public Money. The Chief Secretary will write to the Secretaries of State and the Head of the Civil Service where he is concerned that Accounting Officers may fall short in fulfilling their responsibilities for managing public money. Should an Accounting Officer fall short of the standards required he or she may have their designation as Accounting Officer withdrawn, which may lead to termination of employment.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/managing-public-money
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consolidated-budgeting-guidance
[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-spending-control