Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether there are any lessons to be learned by Parliament’s Restoration and Renewal programme from the HS2 programme.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The R&R Client Team, the R&R Delivery Authority and independent reviewers undertaking work on R&R have reflected on the lessons learned from HS2 set out in published reports and reviews. The recently published Stewart Review on HS2 is being carefully considered and its findings, in areas such as governance, the need for time and space for proper planning and development, and cost and schedule, will inform the development of the R&R costed proposals which are expected to be published later this year. Reports by the Public Accounts Committee, National Audit Office, the Institution of Civil Engineers, and the Office for Value for Money will also continue to be embedded within the R&R Programme as the programme evolves.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will be permitting new development licences for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recently consulted on the implementation of its commitment not to issue new licences to explore new fields, and we will publish a response in due course. We are committed to accelerating the transition to the North Sea’s clean energy future to harness the power of the North Sea, boost Britain’s energy security and ensure good, long-term jobs.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have estimated the cost to the NHS of implementing the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill impact assessment considered the impacts of the bill at the end of Committee Stage in the House of Commons and, where possible, provided indicative cost ranges to the National Health Service for illustrative purposes.
If the will of Parliament is to pass the bill, detailed work on a delivery model and its cost implications would need to be developed.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 3 June (HL7863), what action has been taken by police and local authorities under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 against exhausts and silencers that have been deliberately modified or not kept in good working order.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, including noise offences, as part of its annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release.
In 2023, the latest year for which published data are available, excluding offences that were subsequently cancelled, there were 1,073 noise offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Of these, 973 resulted in a fixed penalty notice.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 3 June (HL7863), how many times the police have taken action under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 in the past year; and how many stops, fines and arrests have been made as a result of excessive vehicle noise.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, including noise offences, as part of its annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release.
In 2023, the latest year for which published data are available, excluding offences that were subsequently cancelled, there were 1,073 noise offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Of these, 973 resulted in a fixed penalty notice.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce digital identity documents.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Digital identities already exist. The digital verification services provisions in the Data (Use and Access) Act look to enable people and organisations to use secure digital identities with greater confidence, they don’t create new digital identity documents.
The government plans to introduce digital versions of existing government-issued documents through the GOV.UK Wallet, a secure digital service for storing government-issued credentials on users’ smartphones. People will be able to use these documents to help prove things about themselves, such as eligibility to access services within government and more widely. The rollout begins this summer with the Veterans Card, followed by driving licences later in the year. All central government credentials are expected to be available by 2027. The GOV.UK Wallet is not, however, creating new identity documents.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - 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 Hendy of Richmond Hill on 3 June (HL7863), what plans they have to introduce legislation to counter environmental noise nuisance and support local enforcement.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Statutory Nuisance Regime under Section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) is designed to provide protection from nuisances including noise, odour, smoke, fumes, artificial light, infestations and accumulations.
Local authorities are responsible for investigating nuisance problems brought to their attention under the EPA. If they agree that a statutory nuisance is happening, has happened or will happen in the future, councils must serve an abatement notice (usually on the person responsible). This could result in an unlimited fine if the recipient does not follow the rules of the abatement notice. It could also result in prosecution and an additional fine if found guilty in a Magistrates Court.
Local Authority Environmental Health Officers are qualified to make decisions on what can be considered a statutory nuisance within the local context and issue an abatement notice immediately. At this present time, there are no plans to change the regime.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to launch a review into the planning decisions and financial mismanagement of the HS2 project.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We recognise the scale of the challenges highlighted by James Stewart and we accept his findings on HS2 in full. This Government is committed to implementing these recommendations and applying the lessons learned to improve its approach to infrastructure delivery, including on HS2. In addition, the Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to consider the implications for the Civil Service and wider public sector of the issues raised in the report, including whether further action of investigation is warranted.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the purposes of the solar radiation modification projects funded by the Advanced Research and Innovation Agency, and what assessment has been been made of any possible negative effects.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme, backed by £56.8 million, has been designed to build an evidence base which will enable scientists to better understand and properly assess whether or not Earth cooling approaches could help to mitigate climate change safely.
ARIA is an independent research body, and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of the risks and impacts of Solar Radiation Modification. This will produce important information for decisions around the world.
ARIA have put in place an independent oversight committee, made up of international experts, to support effective governance of outdoor experiments and communication of their findings. Projects with field trial components will be subjected to risk and impact assessment by an independent team of experts and subjected to a degree of co-design with local communities; the results of both exercises will be publicly available prior to any outdoor experiment taking place. An independent assessment will also take place on completion of any outdoor experiment, also to be made publicly available.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking against noise pollution caused by motorbikes.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport takes the impact of excessive noise on health, wellbeing and the natural environment seriously. Strict noise regulations for motorbikes are harmonised at an international level and require vehicles to demonstrate compliance before being placed on the market. Replacement silencers that are to be used on the road must also meet strict noise limits that are aligned with those of the original vehicle.
The Department published the results of roadside trials of noise camera technology last year and continues to keep a keen interest in this technology. However, it is ultimately for local authorities and the police to consider what the most appropriate enforcement routes may be within their area, based on their knowledge of the issue locally. The Department has limited means for influencing local decision making on enforcement priorities.
The police have powers to deal with noisy vehicles on a continuing basis. Under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 they can take action if they suspect a vehicle is being driven in a manner that makes excessive noise which is avoidable through reasonable driver care. In the same Regulations, exhausts and silencers are required to be maintained in good working order and not modified so as to increase noise.