Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to commission an official history of Northern Ireland from 1968 to 1998; and if they have any such plans, whether they plan to appoint a panel of historians to oversee the project.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As announced alongside the introduction of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill on 17 May 2022, the Government intends to commission an Official History relating to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
This will be conducted by independent historians with access to all relevant material in Government records, and with the purpose of providing an examination of the Government’s policy towards Northern Ireland during this time.
The project will be steered by experts, who will make recommendations on scope and other important details. Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 7 April (HL Deb col 2185), whether the legally qualified chair of the misconduct hearing against Mike Veale has extended the time-limit on starting the proceedings; and, if so, (1) why, and (2) for how long.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Independent Legally Qualified Chairs of police misconduct hearings have the discretion to extend the period of time in which the respective case is heard where they decide it is in the interests of justice to do so.
The misconduct hearing arising from the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s investigation into alleged misconduct by former Chief Constable Mike Veale is a matter for the Police & Crime Commissioner for Cleveland (PCC). It is for the PCC to manage any actions arising from it.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 7 April (HL Deb col 2185), whether the 100-day limit on starting a misconduct hearing against Mike Veale has expired; and, if so, when it expired.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Independent Legally Qualified Chairs of police misconduct hearings have the discretion to extend the period of time in which the respective case is heard where they decide it is in the interests of justice to do so.
The misconduct hearing arising from the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s investigation into alleged misconduct by former Chief Constable Mike Veale is a matter for the Police & Crime Commissioner for Cleveland (PCC). It is for the PCC to manage any actions arising from it.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 7 April (HL Deb col 2185), what information they have sought from the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland about a date for starting the misconduct hearing against Mike Veale.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Independent Legally Qualified Chairs of police misconduct hearings have the discretion to extend the period of time in which the respective case is heard where they decide it is in the interests of justice to do so.
The misconduct hearing arising from the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s investigation into alleged misconduct by former Chief Constable Mike Veale is a matter for the Police & Crime Commissioner for Cleveland (PCC). It is for the PCC to manage any actions arising from it.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many inquiries into allegations of police misconduct have been conducted in the last 12 months; and how many such investigations are under way now.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office does not currently hold misconduct data concerning the last 12 months, however we are currently developing a new stand-alone publication on police misconduct statistics. An initial statistical publication is due to be published in May 2022 and will include high level analysis of allegations of police misconduct recorded under the reformed disciplinary system and subsequent outcomes in the financial year 2020/21. A further publication containing 2021/2022 data is scheduled for later in the year. Exact publication dates will be preannounced in the Home Office Statistical release calender.
Police Misconduct data from previous years can be found in the Police Workforce Statistics, which are available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Berridge on 15 September 2020 (HL7666), how many school playing fields were sold in the years (1) 2020, and (2) 2021.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The number of school playing fields disposed of in 2020, either by way of sale or grant of a long lease was 21. The number of playing fields disposed of in 2021, either by way of sale or grant of a long lease was 14.
Further disposals that meet specific criteria can be made under a General Consent Order (GCO). GCOs can be used for transactions that represent no net loss of playing field land to the school estate or where the loss is temporary. Disposals made under a GCO are not published by the department and are not included in the figures above.
In instances of schools wishing to sell playing fields, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, requires applicants to demonstrate a sporting and/or playing benefit as part of any mitigation measures, and that any loss has been minimised both in quantum and quality of the land disposed of. No open school has been allowed to sell all its playing fields.
The Secretary of State for Education is keen to protect school playing fields. Schools are only able to sell or otherwise dispose of playing fields when they can demonstrate to the Secretary of State that they have explored all possible alternatives to the disposal, and that the disposal does not adversely impact upon the school’s curriculum.
The department periodically updates a playing field disposal list, accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-land-decisions-about-disposals.
The next update to this will be in May 2022. The list was last updated in July 2021. The department is currently collating data for this update.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the success of Festival UK 2022 will be assessed.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The evaluation of the UNBOXED programme (formerly known as Festival UK* 2022) is led and managed by the company Festival 2022 Ltd. Festival 2022 Ltd has commissioned KPMG (in collaboration with Sound Diplomacy) to oversee, project-manage, and lead the evaluation of UNBOXED.
As part of this evaluation, KPMG will consider seven major outcomes. These include the creation of engagement opportunities and shared experiences, increasing social cohesion across the four nations of the UK, and supporting international collaboration as well as enhancing our reputation abroad.
KPMG will evaluate each UNBOXED project against these outcomes. Preliminary findings from this evaluation will be published in early 2023.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they maintain a central register of cities and towns in England with international twinning arrangements; if so, whether it shows which cities and towns are twinned with cities and towns in Ukraine; and what discussions they have had, if any, with local authorities in England about encouraging twinning arrangements with cities and towns in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government does not maintain a central register of cities and towns in England with international twinning arrangements. Whilst twinning is a matter for councils themselves, the Government has recently used the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities’ daily local government bulletin to highlight the Cities4Cities initiative; an on-line platform, sponsored by the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, that matches the demands and needs of Ukrainian cities with the capacity and know-how of local authorities across Europe, including those in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 7 March (HL Deb col 1118), whether there is a time limit on the start of misconduct hearings announced by Police and Crime Commissioners; and if not, what plans they have to introduce one.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Police misconduct hearings are dealt with under The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020
This sets out that the Chair of the hearing must ensure that the hearing commences within 100 working days of the date an officer is served with a notice informing them their case is being referred to disciplinary proceedings
This period can be extended at the discretion of the independent Legally Qualified Chair (LQC), where it decides it is in the interests of justice to do so.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring forward legislation to provide for the rescinding of the peerage held by Lord Ahmed.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Nazir Ahmed retired from the House of Lords as a result of a complaint before the House of Lords Conduct Committee in 2020, which recommended he be expelled from the House. He is therefore no longer a member of the House of Lords, retains no privileges and may not return.
Whilst Peers may voluntarily stop using their titles, there is currently no formal mechanism for revoking their titles, which would require bespoke primary legislation. The Government currently has no plans to bring forward such legislation.
The Government is firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse, whether it takes place online or in families, institutions or communities, here in this country or overseas.