House of Lords Written Answers and Statements
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Session 2021-22 Thursday No. 31 8 July 2021 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS WRITTEN STATEMENTS AND WRITTEN ANSWERS Press F9 key to generate Table of Contents here [I] indicates that the member concerned has a relevant registered interest. The full register of interests can be found at http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/standards-and-interests/register-of-lords-interests/ Members who want a printed copy of Written Answers and Written Statements should notify the Printed Paper Office. This printed edition is a reproduction of the original text of Answers and Statements, which can be found on the internet at http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/. 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 Responsibilities Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal Earl Howe Deputy Leader of the House of Lords Lord Agnew of Oulton Minister of State, Treasury and Cabinet Office Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Lord Ashton of Hyde Chief Whip Baroness Barran Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lord Benyon Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Baroness Berridge Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Department for International Trade Lord Bethell Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Whip Waldrist Lord Callanan Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Earl of Courtown Deputy Chief Whip Lord Frost Minister of State, Cabinet Office Baroness Goldie Minister of State, Ministry of Defence Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Lord Greenhalgh Minister of State, Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Lord Grimstone of Boscobel Minister of State, Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department for International Trade Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay Whip Baroness Penn Whip Baroness Scott of Bybrook Whip Baroness Stedman-Scott Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions Lord Stewart of Dirleton Advocate-General for Scotland Lord True Minister of State, Cabinet Office Baroness Vere of Norbiton Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport Baroness Williams of Trafford Minister of State, Home Office Lord Wolfson of Tredegar Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice Viscount Younger of Leckie Whip © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2021 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/ Written Statements 8 July 2021 Page 1 • the Communications Act 2003; Written Statements • the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006; Thursday, 8 July 2021 • the Office of Communications Act 2002; and • the Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996. Annual Human Rights and Democracy This rectifies a historic oversight in discharging this Report 2020 statutory duty since the ninth report was laid in February [HLWS152] 2014. Notwithstanding this oversight, the government has been fully transparent because each time a power has Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: My Right Honourable been used, the relevant parliamentary procedure has been Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth followed and/or a public/parliamentary announcement has and Development Affairs (Dominic Raab), has made the been made. A retrospective report to cover the period to following Written Ministerial Statement: 28 December 2020 is now, however, being laid to correct I have today laid before Parliament a copy of the 2020 this. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Department accepts full responsibility and (FCDO) Report on Human Rights and Democracy (CP apologises. Action has been taken to ensure the number 458). Department fulfils this statutory duty on an annual basis. The report analyses human rights developments The report will be published on GOV.UK and a copy of overseas in 2020 and illustrates how the government the report will be placed in the libraries of both Houses. works to promote and defend human rights globally. The report assesses the situation in 31 countries, which Crossrail: Annual Update the FCDO has designated as its Human Rights Priority Countries. These are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, [HLWS153] Belarus, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In October 2020, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic governance of Crossrail transferred over to Transport for Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Israel and London (TfL). the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Libya, Mali, As part of the governance transition, the Crossrail Myanmar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sponsor Board were stood down and the Mayor of Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, London, who chairs the TfL Board, established a new Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen, and Special Purpose Committee of the TfL Board, called the Zimbabwe. Elizabeth Line Committee (ELC). The ELC is chaired by This is the first human rights report published by the the Deputy Mayor for Transport and provides high-level new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It oversight of the Crossrail project. therefore reflects the importance and strength of The TfL Transport Commissioner is now responsible diplomacy and development working side-by-side to for the successful delivery of the project and realising the defend human rights and democracy. The report required benefits. The Commissioner chairs the Elizabeth highlights our leadership on promoting media freedom, Line Delivery Group (ELDG), which was also established gender equality, girls’ education and LGBT+ rights, our as part of the governance transition, to bring together the work to eradicate modern slavery, our partnerships with key TfL executives responsible for bringing the Elizabeth human rights defenders, and our commitment to deliver Line into operation. The TfL Transport Commissioner change for those who are abused, targeted, or killed for reports to the ELC. their religion or beliefs. The transition of governance moves the Crossrail programme closer to TfL as future operator of the Communications Act 2003: 10th Report on Elizabeth Line, allowing it to bring management focus Secretary of State’s Functions and effort, to “pull” the Elizabeth Line into operation. These changes were a positive and essential step as we [HLWS154] move closer to delivering the full operational railway. Baroness Barran: My Right Honourable Friend the Major construction work on the project is now Minister of State for Media and Data, John Whittingdale completed and Trial running began on 10 May. MP, has made the following Statement: Given the commencement of trial running and the The Government has today laid a report before transfer of Governance to Transport for London, this will Parliament to fulfil its statutory duty under section 390 of be the last annual written ministerial statement on the Communications Act 2003. Section 390 of the Crossrail. Communications Act 2003 requires the Secretary of State to prepare and lay before Parliament reports about the Further details on CRL’s funding and finances in the performance of the Secretary of State’s functions under period to 29 May 2021 are set out in the table below. The the following legislation: relevant information is as follows: Page 2 8 July 2021 Written Statements Total funding amounts provided to Crossrail £14,893,427,506 also piloting a more coordinated approach to treatment Limited by the Department for Transport and TfL and recovery support in some high areas of need. in relation to the construction of Crossrail to the In January 2021, we announced £148 million of new end of the period (22 July 2008 to 29 May 2021) money to cut crime and protect people from the harms Expenditure incurred (including committed land £813,125,000 caused by illegal drugs. This has delivered the largest and property spend not yet paid out) by Crossrail increase in drug treatment funding for 15 years. The Limited in relation to the construction of funding means that we are delivering more interventions Crossrail in the period (30 May 2020 to 29 May 2021) (excluding recoverable VAT on Land and to reduce the number of drug-related deaths and we are Property purchases) making sure that more drugs users in contact with the criminal justice system get the treatment they need to Total expenditure incurred (including committed £15,785,802,000 reduce the amount of offending associated with drug land and property spend not yet paid out) by Crossrail Limited in relation to the construction dependency. It also ensured £40 million of dedicated of Crossrail to the end of the period (22 July funding is invested in tackling drugs supply and county 2008 to 29 May 2021) (excluding recoverable lines. This has allowed us to expand and build upon the VAT on Land and Property purchases) successful results of our county lines programme. This The amounts realised by the disposal of any land NIL has seen over 780 lines closed, 5,000 arrests and 1,220 or property for the purposes of the construction safeguards since it was launched in November 2019. of Crossrail by the Secretary of State, TfL or Crossrail Limited in the period covered by the It is my honour to announce that today Part 2 of Dame statement Carol’s review has been published, providing this Government with concrete evidence-based The numbers above are drawn from CRL’s books of recommendations for how we can reduce the demand for accounts and have been prepared on a consistent basis illegal drugs, turn the tide on drug related deaths and get with the update provided last year. The figure for more people into higher quality services.