Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether all residents of Knighton, regardless of whether they reside in the English or Welsh parts of the town, have access to the town’s job centre.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit operates on postcodes therefore when a claim is made, the individual will be automatically assigned to the Jobcentre which serves that postcode. Customers in Knighton are allocated to Llandrindod Wells Jobcentre Plus.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many benefit claimants with an address in Ludlow have been sanctioned for failing to keep appointments at the Jobcentre in Leominster in 2024.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Monthly Universal Credit sanction statistics showing the number of adverse sanction decisions made are published every three months on Stat-Xplore, and are available by Jobcentre Plus office and referral reason, and are currently available to October 2023. Statistics to January 2024 are scheduled to be published on 14 May 2024.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the numbers of (1) private, and (2) social housing buildings above 11 metres which are fitted with equipment to prevent voltage surges.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the Noble Member to the response provided to UIN HL8412 on 26 June 2023.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any evidence of voltage surges causing damage to domestic appliances in Grenfell Tower in the days prior to the fire on 14 June 2017.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The issue of electrical surges was considered in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 report, which focused on the causes of the fire. There were longstanding concerns raised by residents about electrical “surges” affecting appliances within the Tower. As stated in the report, RINA Consulting (RINA) were retained by the Metropolitan Police to assess the electrical supply and distribution infrastructure. RINA found no damage or significant degradation (other than that caused by the fire) nor any major defects in the electrical supply system. RINA found no evidence to suggest that the electrical infrastructure of the Tower was in any way responsible for the fire.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many benefit claimants with an address in Ludlow visited the Jobcentre in Leominster and were refused travel costs in 2024.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what precautions are in place to prevent voltage surges entering the electrical system serving the Palace of Westminster.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Within the Palace of Westminster there is surge protection by way of Surge Protection Devices on low voltage switchgear. This means that any surges from incoming high voltage supplies are suppressed. The Palace’s main low voltage switchgear was replaced in 2015 and has such surge suppressors installed.
Low Voltage Boards are a key part of the electrical infrastructure within the Palace of Westminster, providing localised power across the building. There have been two new local unit boards fitted in Elizabeth Tower and these have surge protection fitted, as stipulated by the Design Authority for new boards. Both boards tripped (as per design) when the tower was struck by lightning, showing the surge protection was successful. Surveys were undertaken of existing boards under the Mechanical, Electrical Public Health & Fabric Safety (MEPFS) programme and those ranked as high risk had faulty components replaced, thus reducing the risk of significant power outages across the Palace. Surge protection of these boards will be installed under the new Mechanical, Electrical, Public Health and Fire Safety (MEPF) programme which will be completed prior to the commencement of Restoration and Renewal.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 2 May 2023 (HL7168) whether the National Food Crime Unit of the Food Standards Agency now has the necessary powers to present cases to the courts.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) works to prevent, detect, and investigate fraud within our food system. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to grant food crime officers with access to powers, such as those under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act 1984. The laying of secondary legislation to grant these powers and bring the FSA under the necessary oversight of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is subject to a short delay from the original laying date of 14 March 2024. One of the statutory instruments (SI) is extremely detailed and requires further resourcing from the FSA and iteration with the IOPC to resolve key policy points. However, good progress is being made with the SI, and a revised laying date is to be requested from the Cabinet Office, which is expected to be this side of the summer recess.
While the FSA is in the process of agreeing a revised laying date, food crime officers in the NFCU are still able to continue with core business, and progressing food fraud investigations. However, having access to PACE powers will reduce reliance on policing partners and will better equip food crime officers with the powers they need to deal with food fraud more effectively and autonomously. Work to develop and implement mandatory training for food crime officers who will use PACE powers, and the development of an internal complaints process, remains on course to be delivered ahead of the SIs coming into force.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on (1) local government finances in England, and (2) the equality of taxation of council tax bands in England being based on property valuations from April 1991.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government has no plans to reform the council tax system in this Parliament. A council tax revaluation would be expensive to undertake and could result in increases in bills for many households as well as disrupting the operation of the local government funding system. Council Tax levels are set by local authorities who are required to put in place council tax reduction schemes to help those in financial hardship. When setting out the resources available to local authorities, the annual Local Government Finance Settlement takes account of their differing abilities to generate income through council tax.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Douglas-Miller on 12 February (HL1943), on which date in February they informed the WTO and EU of the proposed changes to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and the Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government and devolved administrations notified the World Trade Organization of planned legislative changes to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 on 9 February 2024 relating to the mandatory fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid. The EU Commission was notified under the Windsor Framework in respect of the same planned amendments in Northern Ireland on 8 February 2024.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely effect on economic growth and productivity of (1) revaluing council tax bands by reference to current market rates, and (2) abolishing stamp duty in favour of a reformed housing taxation arrangement.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has no current plans to revalue council tax bands by reference to current market rates or to abolish Stamp Duty Land Tax in favour of a reformed housing taxation arrangement. The government continues to keep all tax policy under review.