Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many policy reviews and consultations the Department for Transport has launched since the General Election on 4 July 2024; what the subject of each review is; and what the anticipated timescales are for their completion.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department keeps all of its policies under review, to ensure they are aligned to the Government’s priorities and delivering the best possible outcomes for the public.
It is standard practice for any new administration to review the policies of its predecessors.
Where appropriate, we publish details of our reviews on gov.uk. This includes information on the independent reviews, public consultations and taskforces that have been launched, completed and published between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 10 February (HL4433), what assessment they have made of the impact of their funding under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme; what initiatives under that programme are aimed specifically at promoting and protecting freedom of religion or belief; and when they expect credible independent data on incidents of religious violence in Bangladesh to emerge from the work of the United Nations resident coordinator’s office.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK-funded Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme works to protect and promote freedom of religion or belief. A local peace building organisation The Hunger Project has organised a range of initiatives to foster inter-ethnic and religious peace. This has included peace events, consultation meetings with local authorities and quarterly meetings with local conflict mediation. As a result, local peace forum groups have been created to take steps to protect Hindus and other minority communities during their religious festivals. The UN Human Rights Office have now published their report; this provides credible independent data on events last year.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent case of Gary Mond, what steps they are taking to ensure that the Charity Commission is respecting the right to free speech.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Charity Commission’s role as the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales is to ensure that charity trustees comply with their duties as set out in charity law. The Charity Commission has published guidance for trustees on the use of social media and managing the risks for charities.
The Charity Commission notes the Tribunal’s judgment in this recent case, and is considering what lessons can be applied to future casework.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many trustees of charities have been disqualified by the Charity Commission on account of social media posts in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In the last five years, the Charity Commission has disqualified six individuals in cases that relate to the usage of social media. An individual’s use of social media was the sole basis for disqualification in three cases, while in the other three it was one of several grounds.
The Commission’s decisions to disqualify are subject to robust oversight and can be appealed through review by an independent member of Commission staff, and subsequently to the First Tier Tribunal.
The Charity Commission is independent from the Government in its regulatory decision making.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether XC Trains Limited were in default of their contract regarding any of their contractual performance indicators in (1) October 2024 (2) November 2024 and (3) December 2024; and, if so, whether they were given relief from such defaults through an extended remedial agreement.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
All operators are required to meet their contractual obligations as set out in their National Rail Contract, including contractual performance indicators. Failure to comply with those contractual obligations, once Force Majeure claims have been taken into account, leaves operators open to enforcement action.
The Department is currently assessing if XC Trains Limited exceeded the default threshold, for any of the relevant indicators in these periods, once Force Majeure claims have been taken into account.
The current Remedial Agreement with XC Trains Limited that was agreed in August 2024 runs until March 2025. There has been no amendment to the existing Remedial Agreement.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to extend the current remedial agreement or agree a new remedial agreement with XC Trains Limited beyond March 2025.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The current Remedial Agreement with XC Trains Limited that was agreed in August 2024 runs until March 2025. The Department is considering what further actions might be appropriate, if any.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the remedial agreement letter between the Secretary of State and XC Trains Limited, whether they will release in full the redacted ‘Annex – 1: Remedial Commitments’ to ensure transparency as to what XC Trains is contracted to do and by when.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Remedial Agreement letter has been published on the .gov website. Redactions have been made using the exemptions permitted under both section 40(2) (personal information) and 43(2) (commercially prejudicial information) of the Freedom of Information Act. A public interest test was conducted as part of the consideration process. The Remedial Agreement runs until March 2025.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they expect XC Trains Limited to meet its contractual commitments to deliver the May 2025 timetable uplift or whether they have requested any alterations to the CrossCountry timetable from May 2025; and, if so, whether any such requests have been agreed.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
All operators are required to meet their contractual obligations as set out in their National Rail Contract. Failure to comply with those contractual obligations leaves operators open to enforcement action.
It is public knowledge that CrossCountry is both reinstating services on some routes and amending the times of some services from May 2025. The Department has not agreed any alterations to the CrossCountry May 2025 timetable.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria regarding the abduction of Fr Cornelius Manzak Damulak in Abuja on 6 February; and what assessment they have made of the wider impact of kidnappings on religious communities in Nigeria.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
While the UK Government condemns all violence, including kidnaps, across Nigeria we do not routinely engage on instances of non-UK citizens being kidnapped as this is a matter for the Nigerian authorities. Kidnapping for ransom is sadly a widespread practice in Nigeria, particularly in the North-West where banditry is prevalent. Kidnappings often have financial rather than religious motives and communities of all religions and beliefs are vulnerable. With assistance from the UK National Crime Agency, a Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell (MAKFC) has been established to support cooperation between Nigeria's security and justice agencies. This will both reduce the harm to victims and hold those responsible to account.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they intend to make to the government of Bangladesh concerning the increase of freedom of religion violations experienced by minority groups.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). In November 2024, The Minister for the Indo-Pacific visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities with Chief Adviser Yunus who has been vocal about support for minorities. We are providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to any violence. We are supporting the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, who are working with Bangladesh's Interim Government to produce credible independent data on incidents of religious violence.