Baroness Andrews Portrait

Baroness Andrews

Labour - Life peer

Became Member: 9th May 2000


3 APPG memberships (as of 24 Jan 2024)
Arts, Health and Wellbeing, Corporate Responsibility, Housing and Care for Older People
1 Former APPG membership
Civic Societies
Common Frameworks Scrutiny Committee
17th Sep 2020 - 31st Dec 2023
Adult Social Care Committee
19th Jan 2022 - 21st Nov 2022
Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee
15th May 2018 - 19th Jan 2022
Deputy Speaker (Lords)
5th Mar 2018 - 29th Apr 2021
Deputy Chairman of Committees (Lords)
29th Feb 2012 - 29th Apr 2021
Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee
12th Jun 2014 - 27th Apr 2017
Consolidation, &c., Bills (Joint Committee)
9th Jul 2015 - 27th Apr 2017
National Policy for the Built Environment Committee
11th Jun 2015 - 11th Feb 2016
Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee
9th Jun 2010 - 30th Mar 2015
Mental Capacity Act 2005 Committee
16th May 2013 - 25th Feb 2014
Draft Deregulation Bill (Joint Committee)
17th Jul 2013 - 11th Dec 2013
Draft House of Lords Reform Bill (Joint Committee)
6th Jul 2011 - 26th Mar 2012
Leader's Group on Working Practices
27th Jul 2010 - 26th Apr 2011
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Communities and Local Government)
5th May 2006 - 5th Jun 2009
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister)
10th May 2005 - 5th May 2006
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
1st Jan 2002 - 10th May 2005


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Baroness Andrews has voted in 307 divisions, and 4 times against the majority of their Party.

28 Sep 2020 - Coronavirus Act 2020: Temporary Provisions - View Vote Context
Baroness Andrews voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 3 Labour No votes vs 6 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 99 Noes - 198
15 Sep 2020 - Agriculture Bill - View Vote Context
Baroness Andrews voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 2 Labour No votes vs 4 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 130 Noes - 225
23 Jun 2020 - Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill - View Vote Context
Baroness Andrews voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 10 Labour Aye votes vs 104 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 155 Noes - 326
17 Jan 2022 - Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill - View Vote Context
Baroness Andrews voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 3 Labour Aye votes vs 93 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 154 Noes - 208
View All Baroness Andrews Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

View all Baroness Andrews's debates

Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Baroness Andrews, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


Baroness Andrews has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Baroness Andrews has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 21 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
28th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of items of legislation on the Retained EU Law Dashboard that will be retained, broken down by department numerically and as a percentage of the total to be retained; and if they are currently unable to provide this information, whether they plan to publish it before Report Stage of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill in the House of Lords.

Each Government Department is responsible for its own Retained EU Laws (REUL). They are currently in the process of assessing and developing proposals for whether they intend to revoke or reform each piece of legislation, or preserve it from the sunset, following normal policy-making procedures. This will include assessing whether the REUL is still needed, if it is operable and fit for purpose, working with relevant stakeholders as appropriate. Any resultant legislation will be laid before Parliament in the usual way. The Government plans to update the retained EU law dashboard to reflect the outcome of this process on a quarterly basis.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
28th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the criteria for determining which items on the Retained EU Law Dashboard are to be retained.

Each Government Department is responsible for its own Retained EU Laws (REUL). They are currently in the process of assessing and developing proposals for whether they intend to revoke or reform each piece of legislation, or preserve it from the sunset, following normal policy-making procedures. This will include assessing whether the REUL is still needed, if it is operable and fit for purpose, working with relevant stakeholders as appropriate. Any resultant legislation will be laid before Parliament in the usual way. The Government plans to update the retained EU law dashboard to reflect the outcome of this process on a quarterly basis.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
28th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Retained EU Law statutory instruments are relevant to Common Frameworks; and what proportion of all Retained EU Law statutory instruments this number represents.

It is too early to assess the number of statutory instruments (SIs) needed to amend retained EU law but all SIs will be publicly available once laid before Parliament.

The Retained EU Law Dashboard shows where retained EU law sits across departments, policy areas and sectors. It is updated quarterly to document the government's progress in identifying, amending, repealing or replacing retained EU law.

Common Framework documents set out the key Retained EU law that is relevant to those Frameworks. The Government is working to identify which Retained EU law is relevant to existing Common Frameworks and we are discussing this with the devolved governments through the Frameworks.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
9th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take if any relevant Retained EU Law that underpins the Common Frameworks programme is revoked; and what changes they will make to the dispute resolution process to ensure that it can be utilised to deal with issues arising from the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

Each Common Framework contains a review and amendment mechanism. This ensures the Framework can adapt to changing policy and governance environments in the future and provides for both periodic review and an exceptional review triggered by a significant issue. A significant issue is an issue that fundamentally impacts the operation or scope of the Framework. In many cases, reform of the retained EU law which a Common Framework covers will comprise this. Where retained EU law covered by a Framework is revoked, the parties to the Framework would be able to use this mechanism to review the Framework and make the required amendments.

Whilst there are minor differences between the dispute avoidance and resolution mechanisms set out within different Common Frameworks they all follow broadly the same structure and process, and can escalate into intergovernmental relations level mechanisms where necessary. The dispute avoidance and resolution mechanism in Frameworks are designed to deal with policy and governance disputes arising under the Framework. This is a broad category and as a result disputes about reform of retained EU laws would already fall within scope without change required.

Retained EU law itself forms a key part of the scope of individual Common Frameworks and retained EU law reform could necessitate changes to a Framework. This would include any changes to working groups.

For Common Frameworks that are not fully implemented, the amended provisional Common Framework will be published on the completion of legislature scrutiny and sign-off by relevant ministers. As this includes NI ministers this will take place when the NI Executive is restored.

For Common Frameworks that are fully implemented, the amended Framework would be published on GOV.UK once all parties had given their approval, as a matter of course. Again, this will depend on the functioning of the NI Executive.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
9th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many retained EU Law statutory instruments (SIs) are within the scope of the Common Frameworks programme; how many of these SIs are the responsibility of Scotland and Wales respectively; and when they plan to publish their scenario planning for the impact of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill on the operability of the Common Frameworks programme.

It is too early to state the volume of legislation needed to amend retained EU law as the number of SIs required will depend on a range of factors. All SIs will become publicly available once laid before Parliament, in the usual way.

The Retained EU Law Dashboard shows where retained EU law sits across departments, policy areas and sectors. It will be updated quarterly to document the government's progress of amending, repealing or replacing retained EU law that is not right for the UK.

The purpose of Common Frameworks is to manage divergence, and whilst the sunset date within the Bill may encourage a quicker pace of reform, there is nothing unique to REUL reform that places it beyond the ability of Common Frameworks to handle in the areas they cover. As such, no specific scenario planning is required. I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave her today to HL5580 and HL5581: the Review and Amendment mechanism within Frameworks is designed to allow a Framework to be updated should a relevant change, such a reform of a significant piece of retained EU law that in the scope of the framework, require it.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
18th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of recent cyberattacks on (1) UK computing infrastructure, and (2) any delays to COVID-19 research that such attacks may have caused. [T]

The UK remains resilient against cyber attacks and the government has invested heavily in developing the UK's cyber security capabilities, as set out in the National Cyber Security Strategy. The Government judges the overall level of cyber crime has remained stable, however there has been an increase in malicious ‘phishing’ emails attempting to capitalise on concern around Covid-19. The National Cyber Security Centre is supporting the NHS, health researchers and others in the health supply chain to ensure all the nation's resources can be focused on the public health response without disruption.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
28th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the rate of Virus Yellows in sugar beet.

The rate of incidence of YV may vary year-to-year, influenced by environmental conditions. The rate is not yet known at the time of planting sugar-beet, however. There is a means to predict the scale of threat. That is through the YV incidence prediction model developed and run by Rothamsted Research. This provides, a forecast of the level of YV infection that will be reached in August, in the absence of any plant protection intervention. Making the prediction on 1 March allows the model to take account of preceding winter temperatures, which are important in determining the likely incidence of YV. Forecast for Yellows Virus incidence from Rothamsted Research for 2023 is 67.5%.

Lord Benyon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
22nd Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government whether integrated care boards are able to spend a proportion of the £250 million, allocated by the Chancellor to accelerate hospital discharge, on social care projects (1) to increase capacity in the community, and (2) to fund extra care beds.

The £200 million announced on 9 January 2023 is specifically for funding short-term National Health Service step-down care packages and is being used to purchase a maximum of four weeks bedded care per patient. Integrated care boards, working closely with local authorities, are using this to purchase places in care homes and other settings, such as hospices, as well as to help fund wrap-around primary and community health services to support patients’ recovery. The £50 million capital, also announced on 9 January 2023, is targeted at projects that can make an immediate impact on reducing the winter crisis. This includes creating greater capacity in discharge lounges to improve patient discharge and hospital flow, as well as other options such as ambulance hubs.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
18th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to integrate the results of COVID-19 antibody testing with the results of the NHS contacting tracing app; and what consideration they have given to the implications of integrating these results for privacy protections.

There are currently no such plans. If we make any changes to how the app works over time, we will explain in plain English why those changes were made and what they mean for app users and will publish an updated Data Protection Impact Assessment and Privacy Notice.

18th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many laboratories in the UK are capable of processing the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test; and what is the distribution of these laboratories across the country.

The Government does not hold specific information on the instrumentation available in United Kingdom laboratories. Plans for the roll out of laboratory-based tests are being developed and, among other things, will consider the ability and capacity of National Health Service laboratories to process commercially available tests.

18th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how (1) assumptions about future immunity to COVID-19 from past infection, and (2) existing COVID-19 test results, are informing their strategy for antibody testing; and what plans they have to use antibody testing as an epidemiological survey tool to (a) evaluate past infection of particular individuals, or (b) inform future policy making.

A positive antibody test demonstrates that someone has COVID-19 antibodies. The presence of COVID-19 antibodies signals that the body has staged an immune response to COVID-19. COVID-19 is a new disease, and our understanding of the body’s immune response to it is limited. We do not know, for example, how long an antibody response lasts, nor whether having antibodies means a person cannot transmit the virus to others. Our understanding of the virus will grow as new scientific evidence and studies emerge.

We are conducting some of the biggest surveys in the world, using lab-based tests to find out what proportion of the population have already had the virus. This work includes four major surveillance studies with Public Health England, the Office for National Statistics, IPSOS MORI and UK Biobank, designed to understand the current and future prevalence of COVID-19 in the wider population. We will be able to share further details of the results of these studies in due course. Information on levels of infection will inform our future plans for rolling out antibody tests.

18th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of UK laboratories to (1) conduct, and (2) process Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests; what plans they have to use unpaid volunteers as swab testers as part of their testing strategy; and what steps they will take, if any, to prohibit the sale of antibody tests by private companies which have not been approved by Public Health England.

The Government does not hold specific information on the instrumentation available in United Kingdom laboratories. Plans for the roll out of laboratory-based tests are being developed and, among other things, will consider the ability and capacity of National Health Service laboratories to process commercially available tests.

The Chief Medical Officer discourages in the strongest terms organisations from buying their own unvalidated antibody tests. Professor John Newton has also warned that unapproved tests could be misleading, by providing inaccurate or inconsistent results, potentially putting those tested and those around them at risk. He has therefore advised organisations both in the public and private sector against the use of antibody tests that have not been verified in a laboratory setting.

A RT-PCR or ‘antigen’ test is used to find out if a person currently has the virus. These tests are different to antibody tests, which are used to detect antibodies to the COVID-19 virus as a marker of past infection.

The Department is working in partnership with several organisations to ensure the Lighthouse Laboratories, who are conducting antigen testing, have the workforce required to maintain capacity. Individuals can apply to work in the Lighthouse Laboratories directly through Reed recruitment agency or at an organisational level. During screening, individuals can determine whether they wish to be paid or volunteer.

12th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of NHS 111 call handlers are medically trained; whether the triaging system is reviewed regularly; and if not, what plans they have to implement regular reviews.

The NHS 111 service available across England is staffed by fully trained Health Advisors who are appropriately, safely and timely advised by the NHS Pathways triage tool. This tool assists NHS 111 Health Advisors in appropriately transferring patients to range of clinical professionals via the Clinical Assessment Service.

The licensing requirements for NHS Pathways specify that Health Advisors should receive 10 weeks of training, comprising a mixture of learning, supervised and consolidated practice, to ensure that staff have a strong understanding and experience of the types of calls they may receive. Additionally, licensing requirements outline that sufficient numbers of clinicians must be available to provide full supervision to the number of Health Advisors on a particular shift.

We are continuously looking for ways to improve NHS 111 services and are committed to providing the best possible care for those who need it. The most recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission of all NHS 111 providers found that the minimum levels of quality were attained across providers to provide effective treatment.

5th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prioritise different groups in society as the COVID-19 testing programme expands and the lockdown begins to be lifted and, in particular, whether ethnicity will be a factor in prioritisation.

We have rapidly expanded our testing capacity. Further increases are a top priority for the Government, and our overall ambition is to ensure that everyone who needs a test can get one.

As capacity continues to increase, we will consider when we are able to expand eligibility to other groups and the order of prioritisation both between and within groups. Our decisions will continue to be guided by the science and will take account of Public Sector Equality Duties.

5th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many home testing kits for COVID-19 have been (1) returned in an untestable state and (2) not returned.

The ratio of Home Test Kits being returned to the labs which are untestable is in line with the ratio of clinician-administered tests from other sources that are returned to the labs and untestable. The majority of Home Test Kits are returned, and the ratio of Kits being returned is on an upward trajectory.

5th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in relation to unregulated or unverified COVID-19 antibody tests being used in the UK; and what steps they are taking to ensure that polymerase chain reaction tests for COVID-19 being offered by private companies are being conducted in accordance with the relevant guidelines.

To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Testing – note for House of Lords which is attached, due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library

5th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of chemical reagents needed for polymerase chain reaction tests for COVID-19.

To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Testing – note for House of Lords which is attached, due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library

5th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of COVID-19 cases going undetected in (1) care homes, and (2) other community settings; and whether this is a result of a lack of testing capacity.

Understanding the number of cases of COVID-19 in care homes and other community settings requires access to testing in symptomatic and asymptomatic people. Public Health England (PHE) uses a variety of real-time data on results of testing in care homes and other community settings at both local and national level to detect and manage outbreaks and understand the number of infected individuals, both symptomatic and asymptomatic. This data is published in the weekly PHE surveillance report. The latest Weekly Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Surveillance Report is attached.

Regarding testing in care homes, the Minister of State for Care (Helen Whately MP) wrote to local health systems on 14 May to advise of the key messages from emerging evidence in the United Kingdom and internationally in relation to transmission of COVID-19 in care homes, as well as the steps being taken to mitigate this as part of the Government’s care homes support package. A copy of the letter is attached.

12th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards negotiating each of their intended financial service equivalence regimes with the EU. [T]

Equivalence assessments are unilateral processes and thus not part of the ongoing negotiations on the future UK/EU partnership. The UK and EU are currently conducting their own assessments in line with their internal processes, collecting information from the corresponding authorities.