Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment he has made of whether the microphones and audio system in the Moses Room are fit for purpose.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The sound system in the Moses room is due to be replaced as part of a project upgrading the facilities across Committee Rooms. This work was recently delayed to ensure that related asbestos works could be undertaken safely. The work on the sound system is now scheduled to be completed in Summer 2026.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether all the microphones in the Chamber work; and, if not, what plans there are to repair them.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The microphones in the Chamber are tested each day in advance of the sitting of the House and are in full working order.
If any Member wishes to identify any particular audio matters in the Chamber, I would be very happy to take this up with the Director of Facilities.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what consideration he has given to commissioning a review by independent consultants to determine whether the microphones and audio systems in the House of Lords are of a satisfactory standard.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
A project led by an independent consultant is currently underway to upgrade the sound systems in both Houses. The suspended microphones in the Lords Chamber were replaced in 2017 and are professional studio quality models. The four main table microphones are to be replaced this summer with similar quality models.
The loudspeakers installed in the backs of all bench seating were replaced last summer with modern models designed for high speech intelligibility. Some deep structural cabling issues with a small number of the speakers are currently being investigated and it is intended that these issues will be resolved over the summer recess.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker when the microphones and audio systems in the Committee Corridor were last inspected; and whether their quality was judged satisfactory.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The sound systems are inspected and tested every day the Committee Rooms are in use. The reported issues with the volume of remote contributions in some Committee Rooms has been identified and remedial works will be completed during the Summer recess.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will reply to Lord Lamont of Lerwick's letter about the Urology Trade Association's concerns over changes to Part 1X of the Drug Tariff, sent to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health, Baroness Merron, on 17 December 2024.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have no record of receiving the Noble Lord's correspondence. My Private Office has reached out to the Noble Lord for a copy and, when received, we will respond to that as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Livermore on 3 February (HL Deb cols 488–90), what is the statistical basis for stating that Brexit had reduced the gross domestic product of the United Kingdom by four per cent.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The statement was based on independent analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). In 2020 the OBR forecast that GDP will be 4% lower than it would have been had the UK not withdrawn from the EU. The OBR noted that around two-fifths of the 4% impact had already occurred by the time the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) came into force. The OBR publishes its findings as part of the Economic and Fiscal Outlook which can be found on its website.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livermore on the 27 September (HL1042), whether they will now provide a substantive answer to Written Question HL1042.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%. This will include fees paid by CEA.
A small minority of diplomatic officials and service personnel are posted abroad for extended periods. In such circumstances, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provide the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to ensure this does not interfere with their children's education.
The government will monitor closely the impact of these policy changes on affected military and diplomatic families with any changes to this scheme being considered as part of the ongoing Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total cost of school fees paid in the last year by the Government for UK private education for the children of military personnel serving overseas.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The cost of Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) overall for FY 2023/24 for the Ministry of Defence was £88.35 million. Of the total contributed in FY 2023/24, £13.9 million was to Service Personnel serving overseas; this equates to 16% of MOD's total spend of the allowance.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether VAT will be levied on school fees paid by the Government for UK private education for the children of foreign office officials serving overseas.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the education system.
The Government has set out the details of this policy in the technical note Applying VAT to Private School Fees and Removing the Business Rates Charitable Rates Relief for Private Schools which can be found at the below link. A technical consultation on the technical note and draft VAT legislation will be open until 15 September 2024.
Asked by: Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what are the responsibilities of the House of Lords Management Board; to whom it reports; and what relationship it has to the House of Lords Commission.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The House of Lords Management Board supports the Clerk of the Parliaments in the discharge of his functions as Accounting Officer, Corporate Officer and employer of House staff. The Board takes strategic and corporate decisions for the House of Lords Administration within the framework set by the House of Lords Commission. The Commission provides high-level strategic and political direction for the House of Lords Administration on behalf of the House. The Commission works with the Management Board to develop, set and approve the strategic business plan, the annual business and financial plans for the Administration and monitor the performance of the Administration against agreed targets.
The responsibilities of the Management Board are set out in more detail in its terms of reference, and include:
· Preparing the strategic plan, business plans, financial plans, annual estimates and annual reports for approval by the House of Lords Commission;
· Managing the resources agreed by the House of Lords Commission;
· Assessing and managing each of the House of Lords Administration’s corporate risks, and maintain a system of prudent and effective controls;
· Monitoring the House of Lords Administration’s performance in achieving its objectives, as set out in the strategy approved by the House of Lords Commission; and
· Managing change in the House of Lords to increase, protect and drive value for money, improve performance and reduce costs so that the House operates and delivers services more efficiently and effectively.
By statute, the Clerk of the Parliaments is accountable to the House of Lords as a whole, but in practice this is primarily channelled through the Commission. The Clerk of the Parliaments regularly reports to the House of Lords Commission on the work of the Administration, and the Commission, Services, Finance, and Audit and Risk Assurance Committees scrutinise the work of the House of Lords Administration.
The full Terms of Reference are set out in the Management Board Handbook and Operating Framework, which is available on ParliNet.