House of Lords
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Session 2017-19 Monday No. 290 24 June 2019 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 Minister of State, Ministry of Defence and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords Lord Agnew of Oulton Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Lord Ashton of Hyde Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Baroness Barran Whip Baroness Blackwood of North Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care Oxford Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Wales Office Baroness Buscombe Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions Lord Callanan Minister of State, Department for Exiting the European Union Earl of Courtown Deputy Chief Whip Lord Duncan of Springbank Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office and Scotland Office Lord Gardiner of Kimble Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Baroness Goldie Whip Lord Henley Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Lord Keen of Elie Advocate-General for Scotland and Ministry of Justice Spokesperson Baroness Stedman-Scott Whip Baroness Sugg Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development Lord Taylor of Holbeach Chief Whip Baroness Vere of Norbiton Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport, Whip Baroness Williams of Trafford Minister of State, Home Office and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development Lord Young of Cookham Cabinet Office Spokesperson, Treasury Spokesperson and Whip Viscount Younger of Leckie Whip © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2019 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 24 June 2019 Page 1 Non-performing loans Written Statements Under any other business, the Commission provided an Monday, 24 June 2019 update on the implementation of the Action Plan to tackle non-performing loans in Europe. ECOFIN EU Environment Council [HLWS1610] [HLWS1608] Lord Young of Cookham: My right honourable friend Lord Gardiner of Kimble: My Hon Friend the the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Philip Hammond) has Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the today made the following Written Ministerial Statement. Environment (Dr Thérèse Coffey), has today made the A meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs following statement. Council (ECOFIN) was held in Luxembourg on 14 June The next EU Environment Council will take place on 2019. 26 June, in Luxembourg. I will be attending to represent ECOFIN was preceded by meeting of the European the UK. Investment Bank (EIB) Board of Governors: On environment items, the main legislative focus will Annual EIB Board of Governors meeting be a general approach on the Regulation on water–reuse. In addition, there will also be an exchange of views on the The meeting included: statements from the Chairman, Environment Implementation Review (EIR), as well as President and Chairman of the Audit Committee; a the adoption of Council Conclusions on a sustainable EU Governors discussion; a presentation on the annual report Chemicals Policy. of the Audit Committee; and a vote for partial renewal of the Audit Committee. The UK was represented by Mark Any other business (AOB) will include information Bowman (Director General, International Finance, HM from the Commission and the Presidency on four items: Treasury) during the EIB meeting. • Clean Planet for all: Strategic long-term vision for a Following this, EU Finance Ministers discussed the climate neutral economy (information from the following at ECOFIN: Presidency). Early Morning Session • A discussion on current legislative proposals (information from the Presidency): The Eurogroup President briefed the Council on the outcomes of the 13 June meeting of the Eurogroup, and a discussion on Regulation on LIFE; and the European Commission provided an update on the a discussion on Shipping monitoring, reporting and current economic situation in the EU. verification. Banking Union • Reports on main recent international meetings The Council endorsed the progress report on the (information from the Presidency and the Commission): Banking Union. triple Conference of the Parties to the Basel (COP Financial Transaction Tax 14), Rotterdam (COP 9) and Stockholm (COP 9) Conventions (Geneva, 29 April – 10 May 2019); and The Council received a progress update in relation to the enhanced co-operation on financial transaction tax. fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) (Nairobi, 11 - 15 March 2019). G20 follow-up • Communication on the draft integrated national The Romanian Presidency and Commission presented energy and climate plans (presentation by the the main outcomes of the G20 meeting of Finance Commission). Ministers and Central Bank Governors, which took place on 8-9 June in Fukuoka, Japan. There are currently five member state led AOBs: European Semester • Workshop on the “Future Environment Action Programme” (information from the Austrian The Council discussed a horizontal note on the draft delegation); 2019 Country Specific Recommendations, and progress towards the Europe 2020 targets. • Possible European measures to support clean mobility and in particular, electromobility (information from the Stability and Growth Pact Bulgarian delegation); The Council adopted Council decisions and • Conference on carbon pricing and aviation taxes recommendations on the implementation of the Stability (information from the Netherlands delegation); and Growth Pact. • G7 Environment Ministers meeting (information from Clean Planet the French delegation); and The Council held an exchange of views on a strategic • Work programme of the incoming Presidency long-term vision for a climate-neutral economy. (information from the Finnish delegation). Page 2 24 June 2019 Written Statements High Speed Rail (West Midlands to Crewe) Midlands to Crewe) Bill. This document summarises the Bill work that has already been done to assess, control and mitigate the environmental impacts of HS2 Phase 2a, and [HLWS1609] explains why the government continues to take the view Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Honourable Friend, that the HS2 Phase 2a project is worthy of its support. the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Transport (Nusrat Copies of the Statement of Reasons will be made Ghani) has made the following Ministerial Statement. available in the libraries of both Houses. I am today publishing the Statement of Reasons The Statement includes the following attached material: Command Paper for the High Speed Rail (West Midlands to Crewe) Bill. The Command Paper is titled the HS2 [190624 HS2.pdf] ‘Government overview of the case for HS2 Phase 2a and its environmental impacts’. This is required by The material can be viewed online at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions- Parliamentary Standing Order 224A to assist the House answers-statements/written-statement/Lords/2019-06-24/HLWS1609/ during the third reading of the High Speed Rail (West Written Answers 24 June 2019 Page 3 connection with a successful Company Voluntary Written Answers Arrangement, worth significantly more than would be received if the Company Voluntary Arrangement is not Monday, 24 June 2019 successful and Arcadia Group Ltd becomes insolvent. This represents appropriate protection, in challenging Africa: Visas circumstances, and is equitable in the context of the wider Company Voluntary Arrangements process. Asked by Lord Judd In assessing the turnaround plan presented by Arcadia, To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment The Pensions Regulator has been informed by the analysis they made of the letter, published in The Observer on 9 carried out by professional advisers to the trustees. The June, from 70 senior leaders from universities and Pensions Regulator has considerable expertise in research institutes across the UK warning that “visa restructuring situations and this includes people in its refusals for African cultural, development and academic regulatory teams with a background working in big leaders ... [are] undermining 'Global Britain’s' chartered accountancy firms and restructuring operations reputation as well