Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in view of the judgment in Lindsey Smith, R (on the application of) v The Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, they intend to review the rules that allow civil servants to display political symbols.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government notes the judgment in Lindsey Smith, R (on the application of) v The Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, and is considering any wider implications for the Civil Service.
Civil servants are expected to carry out their roles serving the government of the day in accordance with the core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality and the standards of behaviour set out in the Civil Service Code.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) police officers of the rank of constable up to chief inspector, and (2) police civilian employees, have been made redundant in the last year from each police force.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officers, police community support officers, police staff, designated officers and special constables leaving the police force as at 31 March each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. However, this does not include a specific category for redundancies, and that information is not centrally held by the Home Office.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each year following the coming into force of section 496 of the Education Act 1996, how many parental appeals have been made to the Secretary of State under that section, and how many such appeals have (1) been granted and (2) resulted in a request that the local authority reconsider the case.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department’s School Complaints Compliance Unit (SCCU) considers how maintained schools and academies handle complaints on behalf of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. For maintained schools, SCCU considers whether a school has dealt with a complaint in line with education legislation and any relevant statutory policies. If they find a maintained school has not acted reasonably under education law, and identify a practical action to take, they can instruct the school accordingly. These actions are usually a technical or procedural change in a school’s policy, to ensure they carry out their duties in line with education legislation. If the school does not make the required changes, sections 496 and 497 of the Education Act 1996 allow my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to intervene and issue a direction to the school.
The department does not hold data in relation to complaints about maintained schools prior to 2013. The table below shows the number of in scope complaints received by the SCCU about maintained schools. From 2013 to 31 August 2023, the SCCU did not record if complaints were from parents, but from 1 September 2023 onwards this has been recorded. No directions have been issued in relation to a complaint about a maintained school.
Calendar year | Number of in-scope maintained school complaints | Number of complaints partially upheld/upheld* |
2013 | 12 | 6 |
2014 | 209 | 81 |
2015 | 273 | 44 |
2016 | 302 | 28 |
2017 | 340 | 23 |
2018 | 447 | 23 |
2019 | 354 | 35 |
2020 | 268 | 15 |
2021 | 259 | 20 |
2022 | 343 | 39 |
1 January to 31 August 2023 | 192 | 2 |
1 September to 31 December 2023 | 91 | 7 |
2024 | 330 | 53 |
Total | 3420 | 376 |
*Outcome data split under sections 496 and 497 is not recorded.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each year following the coming into force of section 437 of the Education Act 1996, how many parental appeals have been made to the Secretary of State under that section, and how many such appeals have (1) been granted and (2) resulted in a request that the local authority reconsider the case.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
It is important that parents have a right of appeal when they disagree with a local authority’s decision to not revoke a School Attendance Order. Section 442 of the Education Act 1996 gives parents this right of appeal to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. If a person is convicted under section 443 of the Education Act, they may be able to appeal the decision of the magistrate through the criminal courts in the usual way. Section 437 does not provide for a specific parental appeal process, but the parent could apply for the School Attendance Order to be revoked under section 442.
The government is committed to ensuring that the section 442 process is as robust and transparent as possible for those parents who make use of it. However, we are unable to publish the requested information as it could potentially lead to the identification of individuals and the outcomes of these requests, which would go against the intentions behind the revocation process.
This potential for identification and outcomes is due to the low number of individuals who have requested the revocation of a School Attendance Order within the specified timeframe.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each year following the coming into force of section 443 of the Education Act 1996, how many parental appeals have been made to the Secretary of State under that section, and how many such appeals have (1) been granted and (2) resulted in a request that the local authority reconsider the case.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
It is important that parents have a right of appeal when they disagree with a local authority’s decision to not revoke a School Attendance Order. Section 442 of the Education Act 1996 gives parents this right of appeal to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. If a person is convicted under section 443 of the Education Act, they may be able to appeal the decision of the magistrate through the criminal courts in the usual way. Section 437 does not provide for a specific parental appeal process, but the parent could apply for the School Attendance Order to be revoked under section 442.
The government is committed to ensuring that the section 442 process is as robust and transparent as possible for those parents who make use of it. However, we are unable to publish the requested information as it could potentially lead to the identification of individuals and the outcomes of these requests, which would go against the intentions behind the revocation process.
This potential for identification and outcomes is due to the low number of individuals who have requested the revocation of a School Attendance Order within the specified timeframe.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each year following the coming into force of section 497 of the Education Act 1996, how many parental appeals have been made to the Secretary of State under that section, and how many such appeals have (1) been granted and (2) resulted in a request that the local authority reconsider the case.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department’s School Complaints Compliance Unit (SCCU) considers how maintained schools and academies handle complaints on behalf of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. For maintained schools, SCCU considers whether a school has dealt with a complaint in line with education legislation and any relevant statutory policies. If they find a maintained school has not acted reasonably under education law, and identify a practical action to take, they can instruct the school accordingly. These actions are usually a technical or procedural change in a school’s policy, to ensure they carry out their duties in line with education legislation. If the school does not make the required changes, sections 496 and 497 of the Education Act 1996 allow my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to intervene and issue a direction to the school.
The department does not hold data in relation to complaints about maintained schools prior to 2013. The table below shows the number of in scope complaints received by the SCCU about maintained schools. From 2013 to 31 August 2023, the SCCU did not record if complaints were from parents, but from 1 September 2023 onwards this has been recorded. No directions have been issued in relation to a complaint about a maintained school.
Calendar year | Number of in-scope maintained school complaints | Number of complaints partially upheld/upheld* |
2013 | 12 | 6 |
2014 | 209 | 81 |
2015 | 273 | 44 |
2016 | 302 | 28 |
2017 | 340 | 23 |
2018 | 447 | 23 |
2019 | 354 | 35 |
2020 | 268 | 15 |
2021 | 259 | 20 |
2022 | 343 | 39 |
1 January to 31 August 2023 | 192 | 2 |
1 September to 31 December 2023 | 91 | 7 |
2024 | 330 | 53 |
Total | 3420 | 376 |
*Outcome data split under sections 496 and 497 is not recorded.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the potential increase in annual revenue of online marketplaces collecting VAT on all sales to UK residents, regardless of the identity of the seller; and what, if any, are their objections to so doing.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Since 1 January 2021, online marketplaces are required to register and account for VAT for supplies of low value imports of £135 or less facilitated by their platforms. Where an overseas seller sells goods located in the UK at the point of sale via an online marketplace, the online marketplace is liable for the VAT for goods of any value.
The Government is aware that some compliance challenges still persist and therefore recently announced it will explore the merits of reform to online marketplace liability. If any policy decisions are taken, their impact will be considered in the normal way.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data they hold to support the conclusion in the impact assessment of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that the proposed environmental measures will have a positive economic and social impact.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Nature Restoration Fund proposed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill would take a strategic approach to assessing environmental impacts and supporting nature recovery. This will reduce the need for costly project-level assessments while ensuring that every pound spent helps deliver our environmental goals as effectively as possible.
Through the Fund, developers will be able to discharge their environmental obligations at an earlier stage and through a simpler process, which will help to facilitate the earlier delivery of housing and other socially valuable development.
The impact assessment for the Bill contains the relevant data and sources that were used to support the conclusions in respect of the economic and social impact of the Nature Restoration Fund.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to adding (1) a company number field to the Gov.uk VAT checker service, and (2) a VAT number field to the Companies House online register, with the aim of reducing corporate fraud and VAT evasion.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Companies House (CH) are committed to preventing fraud and tax evasion by identifying and holding accountable corporate entities that attempt to evade their responsibilities and tax liabilities. The departments have strong relations, further strengthened by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (2023) and have developed a collective programme of activities to facilitate closer cooperation on company registrations and de-registrations, accounting and filing, and sharing risk intelligence and data.
There are no plans to add a Company Number field to the UK VAT Registration checker service, or a VAT Registration Number field to the Companies House online register. However, HMRC and CH will continue to work together to develop and implement further improvements to the way that businesses register as a company and register for corporation tax and VAT to reduce tax evasion and corporate fraud.
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to requiring each major food retailer to publish on their website a convenient way to report cases of food poisoning that are likely to have been caused by their products, and to take specified action upon such reports.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to implement this. Food poisoning cases and other food safety or hygiene issues should be reported directly via the Food Standards Agency website, or directly to local authority food safety teams who are responsible for all types of food businesses in the area.