Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 18 November (HL9994), when they plan to implement the changes to strengthen and future proof transparency of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 highlighted in their response to the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act, published on 22 September.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 established the UK as the first country in the world to require businesses to report annually on steps taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. To comply with the requirement, statements must be:
The injunctive power in the legislation has not been used to date. The Government has committed to strengthening the legislation and our response to the transparency in supply chains consultation, published on 22 September 2020, announced an ambitious package of changes to section 54, including introducing mandatory reporting topics, a single reporting deadline and a central Government-run registry, to enable Government and others to continuously monitor compliance. These measures require primary legislation and will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.
In the meantime, we will be asking organisations to start preparing for the new requirements, including by publishing their statements on the new Government-run modern slavery registry, which is due to launch in 2021. The new registry will enhance transparency by making modern slavery statements available in one place for the first time. It will provide greater visibility of the steps organisations are taking to prevent modern slavery in their global supply chains and empower investors, consumers and civil society to scrutinise action and monitor progress.
The Government has also committed to considering enforcement options in line with the development of the Single Enforcement Body for employment rights, led by BEIS.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 18 November (HL9994), how many (1) complaints related to non-compliance of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 they have received, and (2) subsequent court injunctions the Home Secretary has applied for.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 established the UK as the first country in the world to require businesses to report annually on steps taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. To comply with the requirement, statements must be:
The injunctive power in the legislation has not been used to date. The Government has committed to strengthening the legislation and our response to the transparency in supply chains consultation, published on 22 September 2020, announced an ambitious package of changes to section 54, including introducing mandatory reporting topics, a single reporting deadline and a central Government-run registry, to enable Government and others to continuously monitor compliance. These measures require primary legislation and will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.
In the meantime, we will be asking organisations to start preparing for the new requirements, including by publishing their statements on the new Government-run modern slavery registry, which is due to launch in 2021. The new registry will enhance transparency by making modern slavery statements available in one place for the first time. It will provide greater visibility of the steps organisations are taking to prevent modern slavery in their global supply chains and empower investors, consumers and civil society to scrutinise action and monitor progress.
The Government has also committed to considering enforcement options in line with the development of the Single Enforcement Body for employment rights, led by BEIS.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Saint Helena Airport on the economy of St Helena since that airport opened, broken down by (1) year, and (2) economic sector.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
One of the primary objectives of the St Helena Airport was to develop the island's tourist industry leading to wider benefits for its economy. Since the commercial air service started in October 2017, tourist arrivals have increased by 52% in 2018 with a further increase of 19% on that in 2019 when compared to average leisure arrivals on the island between 2010 and 2017. Estimated spending by tourists and other visitors contributed around £4 million to the St Helena economy in 2018 and £5 million in 2019. However, because of the global Covid-19 pandemic, no tourists or other non-essential visitors have been able to visit St Helena since March 2020. The outlook for the resumption of tourist travel remains uncertain.
The full impact of air access on the economy will take some years to materialise and there is not yet enough data to assess the impact on other economic sectors. The airport has however brought other benefits such as quicker access to the island and allowed for life saving urgent medical evacuations. The UK Government will continue to work with the St Helena Government to support the island's economic development.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to increase the capacity, and (2) to reduce journey times, of rail services between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour stations.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was necessary to revise the timetable and services operated across the SWR network. The current mainline timetable provides 89% of the number of AM peak seats at Waterloo (0700-0959) compared with the timetable pre-COVID. SWR continue to monitor customer numbers closely and have plans in place to increase the level of capacity or service provision further as passenger demand returns. With current levels of demand, there remains spare socially-distanced capacity into Waterloo in the AM peak. Journey times on the Waterloo-Portsmouth service remain broadly unchanged.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential increase in capacity for commuter services on the West Coast Main Line south of Northampton after the introduction of HS2.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Once HS2 Phase 1 opens, HS2 services will run on dedicated infrastructure between London and the West Midlands, replacing long distance services that currently run on the West Coast Main Line. This will release capacity for additional services, which could include a mixture of commuter, semi-fast, regional and freight trains. No decisions have yet been made as to the train service that will operate on the West Coast Main Line once HS2 opens.
The Department for Transport has appointed West Coast Partnership Development to analyse passenger demand on the route and present options for train service patterns that best allow this demand to be met. The Secretary of State will decide on the preferred option, once it has been subject to consultation, nearer to the time that HS2 opens.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 6 November (HL9853), what outcomes they expect from their contribution to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment; and how any outcomes will be assessed.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK has committed up to £548 million for the COVAX Advance Market Commitment. The UK expects the contribution to support access to COVID-19 vaccines for up to 92 developing countries by contributing to the supply of 1 billion doses in 2021 (subject to vaccines successfully securing stringent regulatory approvals).
FCDO funding agreements with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, set out objectives for UK funding, and are subject to rigorous programme management procedures, including routine financial and results reporting, audits, and annual reviews. For multi-donor funded organisations, including Gavi, the UK is an active participant in governance boards and committees, and works with other donors to set objectives, monitor performance, and ensure strong financial management and reporting.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 6 November (HL9853), what outcomes they expect from their financial contribution to the Coalition for Epidemic Prepared Innovations; and how any outcomes will be assessed.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
This year, the UK has contributed up to £250 million of UK aid to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to develop vaccines against emerging epidemic diseases, including COVID-19. We expect this to deliver a portfolio of promising vaccine candidates that take into account the particular contexts, systems, and population needs of people in developing countries, and that people in ODA-eligible countries have access to them as soon as possible.
FCDO-funded programmes are subject to rigorous programme management procedures to monitor progress against expected outcomes, including routine financial and results reporting, audits, and annual reviews. For multi-donor funded organisations, including CEPI, the UK is an active participant in governance boards and committees, and works with other donors to set objectives, monitor performance, and ensure strong financial management and reporting.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the infrastructure investment needs of Ascension Island.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
A significant proportion of Ascension's infrastructure needs modernising. In 2018, £5 million from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund was earmarked over three years to address the very most critical safety issues. The UK Government is working with the Ascension Island Government and stakeholders to ensure that these issues are resolved as the Ascension Island is important to the United Kingdom
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the (1) capital, and (2) revenue, costs of Ascension Island are currently allocated between Government departments.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Ascension Island Government raises revenue from taxes on island. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office has used the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund to address issues with critical infrastructure on the island. The island also receives funding from the UK Government Blue Belt Programme (approximately £390,000 this financial year) to support its Marine Protected Area, which was designated in 2019.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The landmark transparency provisions contained in section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 established the UK as the first country in the world to require businesses to report annually on their work to prevent and address modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.
Under the current provisions, if a commercial organisation does not comply with the duty to provide a modern slavery statement, the Home Secretary can apply for a court injunction which mandates compliance. The Government has also committed to considering enforcement options in line with the ongoing development of the Single Enforcement Body for employment rights, led by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
However, if someone has concerns about an organisation’s modern slavery statement they could write to the Board of Directors (or equivalent) as the Act requires a modern slavery statement to be approved by the Board and signed by a Director (or equivalent) to ensure senior level accountability for modern slavery. The Government expects an organisation’s senior leadership to take responsibility for their company’s modern slavery statement to ensure they are a fair reflection of the circumstances and the action they are taking.
The Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act, which was commissioned in 2018 and delivered its final report in 2019, credited section 54 with making modern slavery “a business-critical issue” and increasing “board-level scrutiny and engagement.”
The Independent Review also made recommendations designed to improve the effectiveness of the Act’s transparency provisions. The Government accepted the majority of the Review’s recommendations and on 9 July 2019 the Home Office launched a public consultation seeking views on proposals to strengthen the Act’s transparency legislation.
Following widespread support from a broad coalition of business, civil society and public sector respondents, the Government response, published on 22 September 2020, committed to taking forwards an ambitious package of changes to strengthen and future-proof transparency, including:
Addressing modern slavery risks is a complex, long-term task, and the new measures are designed to incentivise organisations to demonstrate year-on-year progress in key areas and take targeted action based on where their risks are highest.