Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are considering implementing to (1) monitor, and (2) evaluate the progress of the post-Brexit border strategy, and what steps they are taking to share new information with affected companies and organisations across the UK.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Progress against delivery of the 2025 UK Border Strategy can be seen through publication and subsequent implementation of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM). This has enabled us to bring together policy and process improvements through better use of technology and data, most notably with the development of a Single Trade Window.
We have continued to explore innovation at the border through our Ecosystem of Trust Pilots. The BTOM also outlines our plans for improving border processes for exporters. The Government will continue to monitor progress on specific BTOM policies in line with Magenta Book guidance on evaluation.
The Government worked extensively with traders to ensure current and future changes at the border are clear and that they have ample time to prepare. Engagement with businesses has been extensive, including: 10,000 participants registering for Government-led events before final BTOM publication; regular contact with around 30,000 importers to provide up-to-date information; the delivery of over 50 webinars to thousands of businesses; engagement with major supermarkets and their suppliers to provide training, and communication to 150k businesses in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support businesses in understanding and navigating the changes to visa eligibility rules, particularly in sectors heavily reliant on international talent.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office regularly engages with a range of stakeholders across the labour, education and legal sector to ensure they understand any changes that the department are making to the immigration system.
The Government is encouraging all sectors to adapt and make employment more attractive to UK domestic workers through offering training, career options, wage increases and to invest in increased automation technology.
We keep all our immigration policies under constant review to ensure they best serve the UK and reflect the public’s priorities, including filling skills gaps and growing the economy.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the proposed new police powers concerning protests (1) maintain public order and, (2) protect the right to peaceful protest; and what steps they are taking to address concerns of potential misuse of those new powers against specific groups or causes.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Due to the announcement of a general election by the Prime Minister on 22nd May 2024 and the prospective dissolution of Parliament, the Criminal Justice Bill will not be progressed in this Parliamentary session.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to reports of a discrepancy between wage growth and pay settlements, what steps they are taking to (1) ensure fair compensation for workers, and (2) address income disparities across different sectors of the economy.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel
The National Living Wage is part of our wider commitment to ensuring a labour market that works for everyone, both in terms of fair pay and fair working conditions.
On 1 April 2024, the Government increased the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 years to £11.44 an hour. We are pleased to confirm that this record cash increase of £1.02 per hour means we will hit the target for the National Living Wage to equal two-thirds of median earnings for those aged 21 and over in 2024. This will end low hourly pay for this group.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) address, and (2) mitigate, the potential implications of the recent High Court ruling in Northern Ireland which ordered the disapplication of some provisions of the Illegal Migration Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is considering the judgment carefully before deciding on next steps.
The Government has consistently made clear that the provisions in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement referred to in the Windsor Framework were developed specifically against the background of Northern Ireland's unique circumstances. They do not concern and should not be brought into the complex legal debate concerning illegal migration. The Government will take all steps to defend that position, including through appeal.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that fewer Londoners are looking for houses outside London, and of the impact on (1) housing supply, and (2) affordability, in the capital; and what steps they are taking to ensure a balanced housing market.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne
The primary responsibility for building homes in the capital lies with the Mayor of London. Due to insufficient numbers being delivered, the Secretary of State has directed the London Mayor to conduct a partial review of the London Plan, on industrial land and Opportunity areas, to reflect on what more can be done to accelerate residential development on these sites. We will continue to assess the rate of delivery to ensure that London has the homes it needs.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that the median gender pay gap narrowed to 9 per cent in 2023–24, what assessment they have made of the impact of wage pressures in different industries on the gender pay gap.
Answered by Baroness Barran
Under this government the gender pay gap has fallen significantly, having fallen from 19.8% to 14.3% over the last decade. In 2017, we introduced world-leading regulations requiring large employers to publish the differences in average salaries and bonuses for men and women every year. This has ensured that employers are aware of their gaps and are taking steps to close them.
We know that reporting is just the first step, but do not believe that setting arbitrary targets or a timetable will help to drive the changes that we all want to see. The causes of the gender pay gap are complex, and the wider societal shifts required to close it will take time.
Detailed gender pay gap information is published annually by the ONS, and this includes sector-specific data and analysis. ONS data shows that the gender pay gap has decreased across all major occupational groups between 2022 and 2023.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent cyber-attack targeting the personal details of UK military personnel, what steps they are taking, if any, to review their current data security protocols and cyber defence strategies.
Answered by Earl of Minto
The Cyber Resilience Strategy for Defence is already driving forward a programme of work to improve Defence’s cyber security. The Cyber Resilience Strategy was reviewed recently and remains valid. This includes adopting a Secure by Design approach to ensure security is built into our programmes from the outset and managed effectively on a through life basis.
With regards to the recent cyber incident specifically, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has commissioned an independent review into what happened and lessons that can be learned. This will include examining Data and Information Security, the involvement with the contractor and the wider use of systems which process personal data. In addition the MOD are conducting a full review of the Information Security measures that were in place in this contract. Should the independent review suggest that further measures are necessary, the MOD will review these recommendations and implement such changes as are necessary to ensure the continued security of all MOD's data.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index, published on 7 May, which showed that construction activity grew at its fastest pace in April for more than a year, what steps they are taking to ensure continued growth in commercial and civil engineering activities within the construction sector.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel
The UK Government continues to work closely with the construction sector and its clients to support growth. We have published a revised National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline in the March Budget setting out the planned pipeline of investment over the next decade, and are currently working with the industry to update the Government’s Construction Playbook. Total construction new orders also increased by £1,436 million, or 15.9% in Quarter 1 2024, compared with Quarter 4 2023, which will support future growth.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to strengthen the resilience of the UK's food supply chain, and (2) to enhance food security, in the face of external disruptions and challenges.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain and is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.
Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.
UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.
Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.
Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was produced in 2021 and the next will be published by December 2024. This report serves as an evidence base for policy work.
Starting this year, the government is also strengthening our food security monitoring by introducing the annual Food Security Index in addition to the three-yearly UKFSR.
Published to coincide with the second UK Farm to Fork Summit on 14 May 2024, the 2024 Food Security Index sets out how Government will track UK-wide food security on an annual basis, monitoring domestic food production, land use, input costs, and farmer productivity.
The Index looks at shorter-term trends that change year on year, complementing the UKFSR’s comprehensive assessment and attention to longer-term trends. The 2024 Index shows that the UK farming sector is at its most productive since records began.
A further package of measures to support farmers and grow the UK’s farming and food sector was announced by the government at the Farm to Fork Summit on 14th May 2024.
This includes a new Blueprint for Growing the UK Fruit and Vegetable Sector (see attached), setting out how industry and government can work together to increase domestic production and drive investment into this valuable sector. The plan involves ensuring the sector has access to affordable and sustainable energy and water, cutting planning red tape to make it easier and quicker to build glasshouses, and looking to double to £80 million the amount of funding given to horticulture businesses when compared to the EU legacy Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme which will be replaced from 2026 onwards.