House of Lords

Session 2019-21 Monday No. 29 2 March 2020

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD)

HOUSE OF LORDS

WRITTEN STATEMENTS AND WRITTEN ANSWERS

Written Statements ...... 1 Written Answers ...... 3

[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, Cabinet Office and Treasury Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development Lord Ashton of Hyde Chief Whip Baroness Barran Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Baroness Berridge Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Department for International Trade Lord Bethell Whip 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 Gardiner of Kimble Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Baroness Goldie Minister of State, Ministry of Defence Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development Lord Keen of Elie Advocate-General for Scotland and Ministry of Justice Spokesperson Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay Whip Baroness Scott of Byfleet Whip Baroness Stedman-Scott Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions Baroness Sugg Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development 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 Viscount Younger of Leckie Whip

Written Statements 2 March 2020 Page 1

the Scheme’ which sets out further information on Written Statements proposals for engaging communities. Monday, 2 March 2020 Health and Disability Assessment Services Contracts for Difference [HLWS131] [HLWS132] Baroness Stedman-Scott: My honourable Friend, the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work Lord Callanan: My Rt honourable Friend, the (Justin Tomlinson MP) has made the following Written Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Statement. Strategy, made the following Statement today: I would like to update the House on the Department’s I am today confirming details of the next round of the plans, under the Health Transformation Programme, to Contracts for Difference scheme, which opens in 2021. reform assessment services for Employment and Support The latest round will be open to renewable technologies Allowance, Universal Credit (UC) and Personal including onshore wind and solar, with proposals to Independence Payment (PIP). In March 2019, we introduce floating offshore wind. This could see millions announced that we would transition towards an integrated more homes powered by clean energy by the end of the assessment service, with a single digital platform decade, and a boost for the supply chain, adding to the developed by DWP. Today I am pleased to announce the 20,600 jobs and the £628million of exports each year next steps in these plans, which are a key part of this already supported by the renewables industry. Government’s commitment to transform how we support Today my Department is publishing a consultation on disabled people. proposed changes to the Contracts for Difference scheme. Our claimants include some of the most vulnerable in We have made huge strides to decarbonise our energy society and so our approach is based on delivering this system, moving the power sector away from its reliance complex and important transformation safely and on fossil fuels towards a cleaner, greener future. In 2018 carefully. To that end, we will initially develop the new the collective share of UK electricity generation from service on a small scale in a defined part of the country, a renewable sources was 33%. Our target of reaching net Transformation Area . zero emissions by 2050 requires the UK to bring all For claimants in this Transformation Area, assessments greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. will be conducted by the DWP, rather than outsourced to Delivering net zero will require change across the providers. This will give us the flexibility to explore new whole of society, and I am therefore more mindful than ideas including: ever of the importance of meaningful engagement with • trialling better ways of carrying out face-to-face local communities on the measures in this transition that assessments; affect them the most. Local communities will have a more • how to triage more effectively so that only those effective voice on developments that impact them, people who need a face-to-face assessment will have to through proposals for tough new guidance on community undergo one; engagement for developers of onshore wind across Great • how to make it easier for claimants to understand the Britain, also announced today. They will have a definitive evidence they need to provide and why; say on whether projects are allowed to proceed. It will remain the case that no English onshore wind project can • how to remove the need for claimants to give the same proceed without the consent of the local community. information twice; • how to ensure that claimants are aware of the whole This challenge means we will need to make the most of range of support available to them both from DWP and multiple technologies available. 2020 is the Year of more widely. Climate Action and this decision is a crucial part of the government’s plans to go further and faster in tackling Our ambition in developing the new service is that it climate change. In the same manner I will be encouraging captures the experience and insights of those who use the other countries to increase their own ambition ahead of service or who represent users of the service. We have COP26 later this year. already acted on this and will continue to drive forward engagement on the future of the health and disability Today’s consultation outlines proposals to ensure the agenda through our upcoming Green Paper. Contracts for Difference scheme can support the I can also inform the House that today we will be increased ambition required, including proposals to build issuing two Prior Information Notices to advise the on our world-leading position on offshore wind by market that the Department is seeking to procure contracts introducing floating offshore wind into the scheme as well to deliver PIP and WCA assessments from 1 August 2021 as proposals to support our renewable supply chain to to ensure continuity of service when the current contracts enhance productivity and increase competitiveness. end on 31 July. The Transformation Area will start in I will place in the Libraries of the House, copies of the Autumn 2021 and operate alongside these contracts. We ‘Contracts for Difference for Low Carbon Electricity will work with the successful providers to ensure Generation – Consultation on Proposed Amendments to continuous improvement in their service, including how Page 2 2 March 2020 Written Statements developments in the Transformation Area can benefit • Car Fuel Benefit Charge multiplier will uprate from delivery by contracted providers. £24,100 to £24,500 • Van Fuel Benefit Charge will uprate from £655 to Van Benefit and Car and Van Fuel Benefit £666 Order 2020 This measure is being announced outside of the normal [HLWS130] fiscal process to ensure employers and HMRC are given Lord Agnew of Oulton: My right honourable friend enough time to prepare for the uprate, ahead of the 2020- the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Jesse Norman) 21 tax year. has today made the following Written Ministerial The Government will lay the statutory instrument to Statement. uprate these charges before the House today. A tax The van benefit charge and fuel benefit charges for cars information and impact note (TIIN) will be published at and vans will be uprated by the Consumer Price Index www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-information- from 6 April 2020. The uprate will take effect as follows: and-impact-notes-tiins. • Van Benefit Charge will uprate from £3,430 to £3,490

Written Answers 2 March 2020 Page 3

Written Answers Local Government Finance Asked by The Earl of Shrewsbury Monday, 2 March 2020 To ask Her Majesty's Government what funds from central Government are available currently to local authorities in relation to (1) the integrated supported India: Demonstrations living model of adult care, and (2) Housing Benefit. [HL1686] Asked by Lord Hylton Baroness Stedman-Scott: 1) In 2020-21, the To ask Her Majesty's Government what Government has given local authorities access to almost representations they have made to the government of £6 billion of dedicated funding across adult and children’s India to establish independent inquiries into the (1) social care. This includes: repression of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of a) £1 billion of new grant funding for adults and Citizens, (2) attacks by police on students in the Jami children’s social care; Millia University and the Aligarh Muslim University on b) Consulting on a 2% council tax precept for adult 15 December 2019, and (3) killing of at least 28 social care, which will enable councils to access a further protesters. [HL1754] £500 million; Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The British High c) The continuation of existing social care grant funding Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy worth £2.5 billion, through the improved Better Care High Commissions across India are following reports on Fund (iBCF) and Social Care Grant. the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act 2) The total national funding available to local (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens, as well as authorities in order to administer Housing Benefit for this the Government of India's response. We raise our year (2019/20) is £256.1 million. concerns with the Government of India where we have them. Most recently, I discussed the CAA with India's Rights of Way: Registration Ministry of External Affairs on 25 February. The British High Commission in New Delhi also raised our concerns Asked by Lord Greaves about the Act, and the police response to protests, with the To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have State Government of Uttar Pradesh on 7 February. made any decisions about extending the 2026 deadline The UK has long regarded protest as a key part of for registering historic rights of way; and if not, when democratic society. Democratic governments must have they expect to make such a decision. [HL1735] the power to enforce law and order when a protest crosses Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government the line into illegality; yet we encourage all states to recognises the need for sufficient time to register public ensure their domestic laws are enforced in line with rights of way before the cut-off date. Stakeholder views international standards. Any allegation of human rights on whether there is a need to extend the deadline are abuses is deeply concerning and must be investigated mixed and will be taken into account, although no thoroughly, promptly, and transparently. decision has yet been taken. We intend to consult the Stakeholder Working Group on rights of way reform before we make a decision.

Index to Statements and Answers

Written Statements ...... 1 Contracts for Difference ...... 1 Health and Disability Assessment Services ...... 1 Van Benefit and Car and Van Fuel Benefit Order 2020 ...... 2 Written Answers ...... 3 India: Demonstrations ...... 3 Local Government Finance ...... 3 Rights of Way: Registration ...... 3