Vol. 793 Monday No. 202 5 November 2018 PARLIAMENTARYDEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDEROFBUSINESS Deaths of Members..........................................................................................................1527 Questions Devolution: Sheffield City Region................................................................................1527 Ex-Offenders: Training and Employment.....................................................................1530 Pornographic Websites: Age Verification......................................................................1532 Design Engineer Construct Programme .......................................................................1534 Knife Crime Private Notice Question ................................................................................................1537 Further Education Bodies (Insolvency) Regulations 2018 Motion to Approve ........................................................................................................1540 Armistice Day: Centenary Motion to Take Note.....................................................................................................1540 Brexit: Arrangements for EU Citizens Statement......................................................................................................................1568 Universal Credit Statement......................................................................................................................1571 Armistice Day: Centenary Motion to Take Note (Continued) ................................................................................1583 Grand Committee Tenant Fees Bill Committee (1st Day) ..............................................................................................GC 167 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. 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This issue of the Official Report is also available on the Internet at https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2018-11-05 The first time a Member speaks to a new piece of parliamentary business, the following abbreviations are used to show their party affiliation: Abbreviation Party/Group CB Cross Bench Con Conservative DUP Democratic Unionist Party GP Green Party Ind Lab Independent Labour Ind LD Independent Liberal Democrat Ind SD Independent Social Democrat Ind UU Independent Ulster Unionist Lab Labour LD Liberal Democrat LD Ind Liberal Democrat Independent Non-afl Non-affiliated PC Plaid Cymru UKIP UK Independence Party UUP Ulster Unionist Party No party affiliation is given for Members serving the House in a formal capacity, the Lords spiritual, Members on leave of absence or Members who are otherwise disqualified from sitting in the House. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2018, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1527 Deaths of Members [5 NOVEMBER 2018] Devolution: Sheffield City Region 1528 House of Lords My right honourable friend the Secretary of State has indicated to the Select Committee that he will be Monday 5 November 2018 making a Statement on devolution in general during 2.30 pm the autumn. I do not think that he has any specific plans to meet the four city leaders as the way forward Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Coventry. is quite clear regarding the statutory requirements. Deaths of Members Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op): My Lords, Announcement I draw the House’s attention to my relevant interest as a vice-president of the Local Government Association. 2.37 pm As the noble Lord, Lord Scriven, said, we are at an The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler): My Lords, I impasse. When is the Minister going to do something regret to inform the House of the death of the noble about it? Lord, Lord Skelmersdale, on 2 November. On behalf of the House, I extend our sincere condolences to the Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord’s family and friends. noble Lord for the very brief question. As I have indicated, and in fairness to the city mayor, he is trying I also regret to inform the House of the death on to ensure that the consultation takes place, because 4 November of Lord Heywood of Whitehall, who had that is the necessary next statutory step according to not yet had the opportunity to take his seat. On behalf the legal advice that he and we have received. The of the House, I pay tribute to his outstanding record legislation has gone through both Houses. The way of public service, and I extend our condolences to forward is for that to happen. More widely, it is worth Lord Heywood’s family and friends. remembering that a third of England is now covered by devolution deals, including London. As I have Devolution: Sheffield City Region indicated, the Secretary of State will be making a Question statement shortly, during the autumn. 2.37 pm Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate (Con): My Lords, surely Asked by Lord Scriven it is important to note that the local authorities concerned To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action in South Yorkshire were very keen on having devolution. they are taking to ensure that the Sheffield City They were the ones who pressed for it, and the Region Devolution Deal comes to fruition. Government responded, as the Government will always do. Is it not now for those authorities and the elected The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry mayor to work with the Government to get that devolution of Housing, Communities and Local Government and concluded? Wales Office (Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth) (Con): My Lords, the Government’s priority remains completing Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: My Lords, I thank my the Sheffield City Region devolution deal, which would noble friend for that. It is true to say that the four local bring £900 million of investment to that region. To authorities came forward with proposals—we progress achieve this, the next step is for the Sheffield City these deals only if there is consent among local authorities. Region to undertake the statutory consultation on the As I said, the mayor is seeking to progress the deal, as, powers to be devolved and we will continue to support in fairness, are two of the local authorities, Sheffield the city region mayor in his commitment to implement and Rotherham. The other two, Doncaster and Barnsley, this deal. are not doing so at the moment, but they need to do so for us to progress it. It has been through both Houses Lord Scriven (LD): I thank the Minister for that of Parliament; considerable time and energy have Answer and I bring to the House’s attention my interest been invested on it. declared in the register as a member of Sheffield City Council. It is clear that there is stalemate: the four Lord Newby (LD): My Lords, can the Minister tell local authority leaders in South Yorkshire cannot us the timetable for the consultation to be undertaken agree a way forward. Despite the fact that the order and concluded? for the election has been through this House, the order for the powers and the money have not. In the light of Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: My Lords, as I said, that, when will the Secretary of State meet the four we have not yet progressed the consultation because leaders and the elected mayor of the Sheffield City two of the local authorities are unwilling to do so. Region, as he has not done so since he became the Once they have agreed to it, I think the consultation Secretary of State six months ago? If the leaders will be straightforward; it is about the precise shape of cannot find a way forward in this stalemate, will a the deal. I do not have the precise time limits, but I will timescale be put on before the deal is withdrawn? write to the noble Lord and copy the letter to the Library. Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: My Lords, I pay tribute to the noble Lord’s service to Sheffield City Baroness Pinnock (LD): My Lords, the Minister Council—indeed, as leader at one stage. Regarding said in a previous reply that a third of the population the deal, the best legal advice given both to the mayor of England has a devolution deal, yet Yorkshire, with and to us is that consultation is necessary, so that is the a 5 million population, has no deal at all, although next statutory step and it is what we are pressing for. there is a desire from both South Yorkshire and the 1529 Devolution: Sheffield City Region[LORDS] Ex-Offenders: Training and Employment 1530 [BARONESS PINNOCK] Lord Lexden (Con): My Lords, are there any other whole of Yorkshire for a deal. When will the Government examples of deadlock elsewhere in the country blocking open the dam to allow a deal to occur, because there is progress towards city deals? real desire in Yorkshire to take on the responsibilities that the Government could devolve to it? Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: My Lords, the only other example until recently was in relation to Tyneside, where south Tyneside, Gateshead and the Durham Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: My Lords, Sheffield is authorities, including Sunderland, could not agree certainly in Yorkshire, and there is a deal there that we with north Tyneside; but we moved forward