House of Lords Written Answers and Statements

Tuesday
2 June 2015
Vol. 763
No. 3
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES
(HANSARD)
HOUSE OF LORDS
WRITTEN STATEMENTS AND
WRITTEN ANSWERS
Written Statement ..................................................1
Written Answers .....................................................2
[I] indicates that the member concerned has a relevant registered interest. The full register of interests can be found at
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review.
Ministers and others who make Statements or answer Questions are referred to only by name, not their ministerial or
other title. The current list of ministerial and other responsibilities is as follows.
Minister
Baroness Stowell of Beeston
Earl Howe
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Baroness Altmann
Lord Ashton of Hyde
Lord Bates
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
Earl of Courtown
Lord Dunlop
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
Lord Faulks
Lord Freud
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Lord Maude of Horsham
Lord Nash
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
Baroness Shields
Lord Taylor of Holbeach
Baroness Verma
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Viscount Younger of Leckie
Responsibilities
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Minister of State, Ministry of Defence and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office and Department for
Transport
Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions
Whip
Minister of State, Home Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate
Change, Wales Office and Whip
Whip
Whip
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scotland Office
Whip
Minister of State, Ministry of Justice
Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions
Deputy Chief Whip and Spokesman for Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs
Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Foreign
and Commonwealth Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills and Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Commercial Secretary to the Treasury
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture Media and
Sport
Chief Whip
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International
Development
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local
Government
Whip
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which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/
Written Statements
2 June 2015
Page 1
National Express East Anglia Trains Limited
Written Statements
* (Joint Venture: Abellio Transport Group Ltd 60% Stagecoach
Transport Holdings Ltd 40%)
Tuesday, 2 June 2015
Rail Franchising (East Anglia)
[HLWS8]
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: My Honourable Friend,
the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport
(Claire Perry) has made the following Ministerial
Statement:
Today the Department for Transport has announced that
the following companies have successfully pre-qualified
to bid for the East Anglia Franchise competition:
Abellio East Anglia Limited*
First East Anglia Limited
In order to pass the pre-qualification evaluation each of
the bidders had to demonstrate that they have the financial
strength, legal, safety and operational experience to run
this important franchise. This announcement marks
another key milestone in the rail franchising programme
and is the next step in delivering real change to the
passengers in the East Anglia region.
The department plans to deliver an Invitation to Tender
to the short listed bidders in August 2015. The bidders
will be required to submit plans by December 2015 to
demonstrate how they will deliver transformation and
growth to passengers across the East Anglia region. The
successful franchisee will commence their operation of
the franchise in October 2016.
Page 2
2 June 2015
Written Answers
Tuesday, 2 June 2015
European Rail Traffic Management System
Asked by Lord Bradshaw
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the impact of the European Rail
Traffic Management System on the development of the
Digital Railway. [HL49]
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Digital Railway
initiative is still under development by Network Rail and
the industry. The full impact on the European Rail Traffic
Management System (ERTMS) is being assessed as part
of the development.
Written Answers
(Mr Hammond), raised the importance of reopening the
Rafah crossing when he spoke with the Egyptian Foreign
Minister on 14 January. We continue to raise this issue in
our contacts with the Egyptian government.
Asked by Baroness Tonge
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions
they have had with European partners regarding
stationing a UN force within Gaza, including NATO
coast patrols. [HL12]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not had any
discussions with European partners regarding stationing a
UN force within Gaza, including North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation coast patrols.
Israel
Asked by Baroness Tonge
Gaza
Asked by Baroness Tonge
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the case for lifting the blockade of
Gaza; and what plans, if any, they have to achieve this.
[HL10]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Israeli restrictions
damage the economy and living standards of ordinary
people in Gaza. There remains an urgent need for all the
parties to reach an agreement that addresses the
underlying causes of the conflict in Gaza. This should
ensure that Hamas and other militant groups permanently
end rocket fire and other attacks against Israel and that
Israel lifts its restrictions to allow the Gazan economy to
grow. We welcome the recent positive steps that Israel
has taken to ease some restrictions. However, we want to
see Israel go much further, and we are continuing to call
on Israel to do so.
Asked by Baroness Tonge
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions
they have had with the government of Egypt regarding
free passage of goods and people via the Rafah
crossing. [HL11]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are concerned about
the closure of the Rafah Pedestrian Crossing and the
impact that has, particularly on urgent medical and other
priority cases in Gaza. The crossing has been mostly
closed since the start of the year while the Egyptian
government construct a buffer zone, though we
understand the crossing has been opened in recent days
for entry into Gaza.
We have encouraged the Egyptian authorities to ease
the movement of bona fide travellers through Rafah, and
in the longer term to consider expanding Rafah to
passenger transit and humanitarian goods transit, which
will help to ease humanitarian pressures. The Secretary of
State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right
hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what
representations they are making to the government of
Israel regarding that country's co-operation with the
International Criminal Court concerning charges of war
crimes. [HL8]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Israel is not a party to
the Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Nonetheless we have encouraged the Israelis, as we do all
countries, to cooperate with the preliminary examination
currently being conducted by the Office of the Prosecutor
of the Court.
Israel: Palestinians
Asked by Baroness Tonge
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the
statement by Prime Minister Netanyahu that
"circumstances have to change" for a two-state solution
with Palestine to be achievable, what assessment they
have made of the possibility of peace negotiations
resuming. [HL13]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Making progress
towards the two state solution remains a foreign policy
priority for the UK. We note Prime Minister’s
Netanyahu’s statements after the election that Israel is
committed to the Middle East Peace Process and
achieving a two state solution. We continue to urge all
parties, including Israel, to show through policies and
actions that this commitment is genuine.
Libya: Politics and Government
Asked by Lord Empey
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whom they now
recognise as the legitimate government of Libya.
[HL62]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Libyan people
exercised their democratic right and elected the interim
House of Representatives in the June 2014 Libyan
Written Answers
2 June 2015
parliamentary elections. The UK is deeply concerned by
the subsequent violence and political polarisation in
Libya, and its impact on the Libyan people and the
stability of the wider region. We support a fully inclusive
national dialogue and reconciliation to complete the next
stage of Libya’s political transition. We call on all Libyan
parties to engage in the UN-led dialogue process to agree
an inclusive Government of National Accord which meets
the Libyan people’s needs for security, and promotes
stability and prosperity for all Libyans.
Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning
Asked by Lord Wigley
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment
they have made of the recently announced reduction in
the number of employees working on the
decommissioning of nuclear power stations and the
possible safety implications for those locations. [HL73]
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: This is a commercial
matter for Cavendish Fluor Partnership who were last
year appointed by the Nuclear Decommissioning
Authority (NDA) as the Magnox Parent Body
Organisation to deliver greater effectiveness and
efficiency in the decommissioning of the 12 Magnox
sites. The Magnox programme is a closure programme
and, inevitably, this means that workforce numbers will
reduce as the sites are decommissioned.
The Government sympathises with those directly
affected and is assured by the NDA, which has been fully
involved in discussions with Magnox on its new
organisational structure, that the company will implement
its plans in line with industry best practice in order to
mitigate the impact of job losses, and with fairness and
respect for its staff.
Nothing will be done to compromise safety and
security. The independent regulator, the Office for
Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is also content with the
programme.
Planning Permission
Asked by Lord Berkeley
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Planning
Inspectorate invited comments from the applicant and
interested parties regarding the Swansea Bay Lagoon
Application (EN010049), including the consideration of
alternatives to the proposed lagoon project, but did not
do so in respect of the Thames Tideway Tunnel. [HL36]
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Each application is
examined in the context of relevant designated National
Policy Statements. For the Thames Tideway Tunnel
application the relevant national policy is contained in the
Waste Water National Policy Statement (paragraph
2.6.34), which states:
Page 3
"The examining authority and the decision maker
should undertake any assessment of an application for the
development of the Thames Tunnel on the basis that the
national need for this infrastructure has been
demonstrated".
"It would be for Thames Water to justify in its
application the specific design and route of the project
that it is proposing, including any other options it has
considered and ruled out."
The Examining Authority (Panel) appointed to examine
the Thames Tideway Tunnel did ask written questions and
hold hearings about alternatives to the applicant’s above
ground site selection process and tunnel drive /
construction strategy, but as directed by the National
Policy Statements, the Panel did not consider alternatives
to a tunnel.
In the case of the Swansea Tidal Lagoon application the
Secretary of State is due to issue his decision on 10 June
2015. It would not be appropriate to comment in any
detail on the examination of this application in advance of
the Secretary of State’s decision. However, suffice to say
that there are no designated National Policy Statements
for tidal range power generating schemes.
Social Security
Asked by Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to
consult publicly on the proposed scale of reductions in
social security budgets and the form in which those
reductions may be delivered. [HL52]
Lord Freud: The Government’s commitment to save
£12bn from welfare spending was set out in its election
manifesto. Further details will be given in due course.
Terrorism: British Nationals Abroad
Asked by Lord Blencathra
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many United
Kingdom nationals who have returned from fighting for
Islamic State in either Iraq, Syria, or both, or are
currently believed to be fighting for Islamic State in
those countries, were or are in receipt of state benefits
whilst abroad. [HL19]
Lord Freud: The information is not available. In order
to be eligible to receive state benefits, eligibility
conditions usually require a claimant to be resident in the
United Kingdom. We have strict rules that are designed to
prevent people taking inappropriate advantage of our
benefit system to protect the taxpayer and the benefit
system from possible abuse.
Claimants are required to tell DWP if they leave the
country to travel abroad. If they move overseas without
informing the Department then we investigate and can
stop benefit payments.
Page 4
2 June 2015
Yemen
Asked by The Marquess of Lothian
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions
they have had with the government of Saudi Arabia
concerning the present situation in Yemen. [HL110]
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Secretary of State
for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon.
Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr
Hammond), and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
Written Answers
State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon.
Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood),
are both in regular contact with the Government of Saudi
Arabia about the situation in Yemen, particularly to
emphasise the importance of ensuring sustained
humanitarian access and moving to a durable political
solution. We work closely with Saudi Arabia across a
range of shared foreign policy priorities and interests and
Yemen is clearly a top priority for both countries. We
continue to work with all parties to bring an end to the
conflict.
Index to Statements and Answers
Written Statements................................................. 1
Rail Franchising – East Anglia ............................. 1
Written Answers ..................................................... 2
European Rail Traffic Management System ........ 2
Gaza ...................................................................... 2
Israel ..................................................................... 2
Israel: Palestinians ................................................ 2
Libya: Politics and Government ........................... 2
Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning ......... 3
Planning Permission ............................................. 3
Social Security ...................................................... 3
Terrorism: British Nationals Abroad .................... 3
Yemen .................................................................. 4