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Session 2021-22 Thursday
No. 95 6 January 2022
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES
(HANSARD)
HOUSE OF LORDS
WRITTEN STATEMENTS AND
WRITTEN ANSWERS
Written Statements ................................................ 3
Written Answers ..................................................... 9[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 Education
Lord Benyon Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs
Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Whip
Waldrist
Lord Caine Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office
Lord Callanan Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy
Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen Whip
Earl of Courtown Deputy Chief Whip
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 Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Lord Grimstone of Boscobel Minister of State, Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department
for International Trade
Lord Kamall Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care
Lord Offord of Garvel Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scotland Office
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Baroness Penn Whip
Baroness Scott of Bybrook Whip
Lord Sharpe of Epsom Whip
Baroness Stedman-Scott Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
and 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 2022
This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence,
which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/Written Answers 6 January 2022 Page 3
On exchanges of quota with the EU, the UK and EU
Written Statements agreed to the continuation of the interim exchange
mechanism which has operated successfully since July
Thursday, 6 January 2022
2021, enabling voluntary exchanges between the UK and
Member States. This will continue until the Specialised
Annual Fisheries Negotiations Committee on Fisheries (SCF) can agree a permanent
[HLWS507] mechanism, as required by the TCA. The UK and EU
agreed to hold a final round of exchanges on 21 January
Lord Benyon: My Hon Friend the Minister of State
2022 to allow for the wrapping up of this year’s
(Victoria Prentis) has today made the following
exchanges.
statement:
The UK and EU have now reached an agreement on On non-quota stocks (NQS), the UK and EU resolved
fishing opportunities for the 2022 fishing year. This is the the outstanding provisional historic baseline tonnage
second time the UK has entered into bilateral negotiations figures, this includes the removal of catches from Crown
with the EU as an independent coastal State, following the Dependency waters. The revised baseline figures are
signing of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) 12,365 tonnes for UK vessels in EU waters, and 33,023
between the UK and EU in 2020. tonnes for EU vessels in UK waters. It was also agreed to
hold further technical discussions from January 2022 to
In its second year negotiating as a coastal State, the UK ensure that future data exchanges on NQS uptake are
has also successfully concluded the UK-EU-Norway robust and accurate.
trilateral negotiations and UK-Norway bilateral
negotiations. Both agreements mark the start of new Exceptionally, the UK and EU agreed not to apply the
fisheries arrangements in the North Sea and a strong NQS tonnage limits provided for in the TCA for 2022.
willingness from all Parties to collaborate closely in the We will closely monitor uptake data and in the event
future. either Party reaches 80% of their total, a discussion will
be held in the SCF to consider next steps.
The UK Government has worked closely with Scottish
Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland The UK and EU also committed to work at pace to
Executive, and the outcomes secured by the UK will develop multi-year strategies for shared NQS as set out
enable us to improve the sustainable management of our under the TCA, with the aim of developing the first of
fish stocks in support of the whole of the UK fishing these by 31 July 2022. Both Parties confirmed our shared
industry in the short and long term. priority to ensure the sustainable management of NQS
stocks from 2023 onwards.
Collectively from the EU-UK bilateral, EU-UK-
Norway trilateral, and Coastal States negotiations, the UK The UK and EU agreed to roll forward the previously
has secured agreement on the Total Allowable Catches agreed measures for seabass. In addition, it was agreed
(TACs) for 86 stocks. that further adjustments would be introduced in 2022.
UK-EU Agreement These include an increase in the annual limits for landings
of bass from hook and lines and fixed gillnets, as well as
The agreement we have reached with the EU covers 69 an amendment to the commercial trawl/seine flexibility.
UK-EU TACs, resulting in a total value of fishing
opportunities for the UK in 2022 of approximately Finally, the UK and EU agreed to prioritise and handle
140,000 tonnes, worth around £313 million, based on NQS, seabass (including the ICES assessment tool), stock
historic landing prices. without ICES advice, inter-annual quota flexibility and
other topics through the Specialised Committee on
Guided by best available scientific advice as part of
Fisheries.
sustainable fisheries management, the UK and EU agreed
reductions across a number of TACs, meaning that overall UK-EU-Norway Trilateral Negotiations
the UK will have around 12,000 tonnes less quota The UK reached an agreement with Norway and the
compared to 2021 from these negotiations. However, European Union on catch limits for 2022 for six jointly
even with this reduction, the UK has around 28,000 managed stocks in the North Sea. The catch limits agreed
tonnes more quota from these negotiations than it would for 2022 are worth over £184 million to the UK fishing
have received with its previous shares as an EU Member industry.
State. This is estimated to be worth around £45 million
The agreement demonstrates the Parties’ continued
based on historic landing prices.
commitment to the sustainable management and long-
As in previous years, the UK negotiated this year’s term viability of cod, haddock, plaice, whiting, herring,
TACs taking account of sustainability principles. A full and saithe stocks in the North Sea. Alongside the total
assessment of the number of individual TACs set allowable catches (TACs) for 2022, the agreement puts in
consistent with International Council for the Exploration place a process to review the distribution and
of the Sea (ICES) advice on catch opportunities will be management of shared stocks which are important for the
published shortly and after the conclusion of all the UK’s whole UK catch sector.
annual fisheries negotiations and the setting of
consultative TACs.Page 4 6 January 2022 Written Answers
UK-Norway Bilateral Negotiations objectives for RFMOs both in terms of fishing
The agreement reached with Norway includes opportunities where appropriate, and furthering our
reciprocal access to each other’s waters. The UK will gain marine conservation priorities.
access to 30,000 tonnes of whitefish stocks such as cod, Multilateral ‘coastal State’ negotiations
haddock and hake. There will also be access to fish
The UK and other coastal States (the parties responsible
pelagic stock: the UK industry will be able to fish its full
for a stock’s management due to it being distributed in
quota of Atlanto-scandian herring in Norwegian waters, their waters) for mackerel, blue whiting and Atlanto-
and up to 17,000 tonnes should it swap in additional quota Scandian herring agreed to set the global TACs for 2022
from the EU in 2022. In return, Norway will be able to
in line with the advice provided by ICES.
fish up to 17,000 tonnes of North Sea herring in UK
waters. This is less than a third of the level of access for We have also agreed to discuss sharing arrangements
North Sea herring enjoyed by Norway while the UK was for each stock in 2022. The UK will chair discussions on
a member of the European Union. We also agreed some mackerel and Atlanto-Scandian herring.
quota exchange, estimated to be worth just over £5m.
This includes bringing in stocks such as North Sea Departmental Contingent Liability
whiting, hake and anglerfish, and arctic cod. Notification: Energy Supply Company
The agreement puts in place a process which ensures Special Administration Regime
that the fishing arrangements do not have detrimental
[HLWS509]
consequences for fish stocks and the wider marine
environment. The mutual access will also allow respective Lord Callanan: My Right Honourable friend the
fleets more flexibility to target the stocks in the best Minister of State for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate
condition throughout the fishing year, supporting a more Change (Greg Hands) has today made the following
sustainable and economically viable fishing industry. statement:
In parallel to the conclusion of these negotiations, Today I will lay before Parliament a Departmental
Norway has allocated to the UK 6,550 tonnes of cod Minute describing a contingent liability arising from the
around Svalbard. This means the UK can fish over 7,000 issuance of a letter of credit for the Energy Administrators
tonnes of cod in the arctic in 2022, estimated to be worth acting in the Special Administration Regime for Bulb
around £16 million, and 1,500 tonnes more than in 2021. Energy Limited (‘Bulb’).
UK-Faroe Island Negotiations It is normal practice when a Government Department
Bilateral fisheries negotiations between the UK and proposes to undertake a contingent liability of £300,000
Faroes are ongoing. Both parties are pursuing a pragmatic and above, for which there is no specific statutory
and well-balanced agreement. The UK’s overriding authority, for the Department concerned to present
priority is to ensure that the deal is in the best interests of Parliament with a minute giving particulars of the liability
the UK industry and protects the marine environment, created and explaining the circumstances.
promoting sustainable stock management. I regret that, due to recess, I have not been able to
Regional Fisheries Management Organisations follow the usual notification timelines to allow
(RFMOs) consideration of these issues in advance of issuing the
letter of credit.
The UK is a Contracting Party to five RFMOs and
played a central role in negotiations in 2021 in securing a Bulb entered the Energy Supply Company Special
number of important new RFMO measures for 2022 and Administration Regime on 24 November 2021. Energy
beyond. These include a new rebuilding plan for North Administrators were appointed by court to achieve the
Atlantic shortfin mako shark in the International statutory objective of continuing energy supplies at the
Commission for the Conservation for Atlantic Tunas lowest reasonable practicable cost until such time as it
(ICCAT), a new management measure for yellowfin tuna becomes unnecessary for the special administration to
in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), an interim remain in force for that purpose.
measure for the Greenland salmon fishery in the North My Department has agreed to provide a facility to the
Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), Energy Administrators, with a letter of credit issued, with
new ‘area closures’ to protect vulnerable marine my approval, to guarantee such contract, code, licence, or
ecosystems in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries other document obligations of the company consistent
Organisation (NAFO), and a measure to protect juvenile with the special administration’s statutory objective. I will
haddock at the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission update the House if any letters of credit are drawn against.
(NEAFC). The UK also confirmed its 2022 shares in the The legal basis for a letter of credit is section 165
four ICCAT stocks negotiated with the EU under the Energy Act 2004, as applied and modified by section 96
TCA. Energy Act 2011.
The UK will build on these successes in 2022 and HM Treasury has approved the arrangements in
beyond, working to achieve rapid progress on our priority principle.Written Answers 6 January 2022 Page 5
Investigatory Powers Commissioner: Annual Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy for
Report England was published on 23 December 2021. This sets
out our ambitions and next steps for women’s health,
[HLWS511] mapped against what we have been told through the
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: My Rt Hon Friend Women’s Health Strategy Call for Evidence. It reflects
the Prime Minister has made the following statement: the commitment this government is making to women’s
I have today laid before both Houses a copy of the health and will set the direction of future work.
annual report of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, The Vision is informed by the evidence we received in
Rt. Hon. Sir Brian Leveson. our Call for Evidence. This was announced in March this
Overall, this report demonstrates that the security and year on International Women’s Day, to support the
intelligence agencies, law enforcement agencies and other development of the Women’s Health Strategy. It ran for
relevant public authorities' use of investigatory powers 14 weeks to 13th June 2021 and comprised three
shows extremely high levels of operational competence components:
combined with respect for the law. The report also sets 1) A public survey
out the breadth and complexity of the powers covered by We received nearly 100,000 responses from individuals
the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 and other legislation in England who wanted to share their own experiences,
and offers constructive criticism on the practical the experiences of a female family member, friend or
framework and individual instances of how these are partner, or their reflections as a healthcare professional.
used. Where the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s
Office (IPCO) has identified problems, departments and 2) Written submissions
agencies have worked hard to address these. We received over 400 written responses from
This year the Commissioner has decided not to include organisations with expertise in women’s health which
a confidential annex to the Report, as allowed under were used to inform the Vision document.
Section 234 of the 2016 Act, as all relevant issues have 3) Focus groups
been covered in this report. This has been subject to
We also commissioned focus groups with women to
consultation with relevant government departments and
acquire depth of insight. The resulting independent
agencies and I am content it is not prejudicial to national
academic report has recently been published on the
security.
University of York website and can be found here:
I would like to add that this Report demonstrates the https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/health-
high quality of the oversight of our intelligence and policy/research/health-policy-projects/prepare/reports/.
security agencies’ use of the most intrusive powers. I am
I would like to extend my thanks to every person and
satisfied that our arrangements are amongst the strongest
organisation who took the time to share their experiences
and most effective in the world. Despite the unique
through the Call for Evidence and spread the word about
challenges which COVID-19 created, the Commissioner
the consultation. It is thanks to these participants that we
notes their oversight has been no less rigorous than in
were able to acquire such rich insights into views on
previous years and his report details the changes they
women’s health.
made to their inspection practice to ensure this.
Recent progress on women’s health
I would like to place on record my thanks to the current
and previous Commissioners and their staff for their Whilst we have been working to analyse the huge
work, as well as echoing the Commissioner’s thanks to number of responses for the Call for Evidence, we have
the agencies and departments and civil society not waited to take action. In July we published the
organisations which have helped with the establishment government response to the Cumberlege report which
of IPCO over the past few years. I join him in extending focussed on how the system listens to women when they
my particular thanks to all those who took on the raise concerns about their health and safety.
responsibility of serving as temporary Judicial In October, I announced several measures designed to
Commissioners under Section 22 of the Coronavirus Act improve menopause care. This included amendments to
2020 during the lockdown period, who ensured the work the charging regulations to reduce the cost burden of HRT
of IPCO was able to continue uninterrupted. for menopausal women and a new UK-wide menopause
I commend this report to the House. taskforce which will hold its inaugural meeting shortly.
Earlier this year, we committed to ban the abhorrent
Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy practice of virginity testing in our strategy for Tackling
for England Violence Against Women and Girls as part of our
commitment to safeguard women and girls. In November
[HLWS510] 2021, the government delivered on this commitment by
Lord Kamall: My Hon. Friend the Parliamentary bringing forward a government amendment to the Health
Under State (Minister for Patient Safety and Primary and Care Bill to ban Virginity Testing, which was passed
Care) (Maria Caulfield) has made the following unopposed in the House.
statement:Page 6 6 January 2022 Written Answers
This activity marks a significant improvement in many The Vision
areas which touch upon women’s health. However, there Alongside the analysis of the Call for Evidence, we also
is clearly much more to be done. published Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy
Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy and for England which sets out our ambitions for women and
Analytical Report of the Call for Evidence girls’ health in England.
On 23 December 2021, the government published the The phenomenal volume of responses to the Call for
analytical report of the Call for Evidence and Our Vision Evidence has meant that analysis has taken longer than
for the Women’s Health Strategy for England. anticipated. It was essential that we gave the analysis the
The analytical report of the Call for Evidence sets out level of rigour it deserved, in order to understand fully
the findings from the public survey. This has provided what we have been told by the public.
rich insight into women’s experiences and priorities for It was also important to me to share the analysis with
their health and care, and at times makes for sobering parliament and the public as soon as possible and show
reading. the clear direction it has given us. As such, we are
For example publishing our Vision now and will follow up with the
full Women’s Health Strategy in Spring 2022.
• 84% of respondents said there have been instances
when they were not listened to by healthcare The Vision document first sets out our life course
professionals. approach to women’s health, and our thematic priorities
which cut across all stages of the life course.
• Nearly 2 in 3 respondents with a health condition or
disability said they do not feel supported by the services On women’s voices, our ambition is for all women to
available for individuals with their condition or feel comfortable talking about their health and to no
longer face taboos when they do talk about their health.
disability.
We will also work to better understand the causes of
• 58% of respondents said they felt uncomfortable women not feeling listened to make sure any interventions
talking about health issues with their workplace and 7% address the root cause.
were not sure how they felt. These issues do not affect
On healthcare policies and services, our ambition is that
all women equally. White respondents felt the most
women can access services that meet their needs across
comfortable discussing health issues at work (37%),
throughout their lives. We want to support local systems
while the Asian and Other ethnic group felt the least
to deliver models of care that work for women. We will
comfortable (30% and 29% respectively).
also work to explore improvements in care for specific
There are no quick and easy solutions to some of the conditions where disparities are greatest.
entrenched problems within the system. However, I am
On information and education, our ambition is to make
determined to make sure that we act on the concerns that
sure that all women will have access to high quality
women have shared with us. This government and our
information and education from childhood through to
stakeholders across the system are committed to doing
adulthood, in school and beyond. Further, clinicians must
better for women.
feel confident to deliver information and high-quality care
Priority topics more broadly to women. To do this, clinicians need to
Respondents were also given the opportunity to share have high quality, relevant training on women’s health.
the conditions which were most important to them. Their On health in the workplace, our ambition is that all
responses give us the mandate to look carefully at women feel supported in the workplace and can reach
women’s health across the life course and make their full potential at work. We are conducting work
meaningful change. relating to the menopause in the workplace which we
The priority topics for women varied by age, broadly hope will act as best practice for other conditions.
aligning with the stage of their life. However, the overall On research, evidence and data, our ambition is to
top five topics respondents want to see prioritised for embed routine collection of demographic data of
inclusion in the Women's Health Strategy are: participants in research trials to make sure that our
• gynaecological conditions; research reflects the society we serve. We are also
committed to looking into the gender data gaps further
• fertility, pregnancy, pregnancy loss and post-natal
and identifying where there are differences in conditions
support;
between genders.
• the menopause;
Priority areas
• menstrual health; and In addition to these themes, the Vision sets out our
• mental health. ambitions on priority conditions where the call for
Insight from the written submissions has also informed evidence highlighted particular issues or opportunities.
the development of the Vision. We will publish a separate These include but are not limited to:
report, based on the written evidence submitted by • menstrual health and gynaecological conditions;
organisations and individuals with expertise in this field, • fertility, pregnancy, pregnancy loss and postnatal
in early 2022. support;Written Answers 6 January 2022 Page 7
• the menopause; I am excited about the coming months and what we will
• healthy ageing and long-term conditions; be able to achieve in the long-term. The publication of
Our Vision for Women’s Health and the analytical
• mental health; and
publication of the Call for Evidence marks a key
• the health impacts of violence against women and milestone in women’s health.
girls.
I am confident that based on the evidence and a clear
On this last point on violence against women and girls, vision, we will be able to make progress on the issues that
I was pleased to be able to announce on the 23 December matter most to women, in developing the Strategy for
2021 the immediate action that this government is taking Spring 2022.
to protect women and girls from harm.
When the government published the tackling violence Outdoor Marriages and Civil Partnerships
against women and girls strategy earlier this year, we
committed to establishing an expert panel to review [HLWS508]
whether we should ban hymenoplasty. This is a procedure Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: My honourable friend the
to reconstruct the hymen, with the intended purpose of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Tom
causing bleeding during sexual intercourse. Pursglove) has made the following Written Statement:
We established the independent panel due to concerns 'On 20 December, the Government launched a public
that the uptake for the procedure, which although it is consultation on outdoor weddings and civil partnerships.
regulated, is intrinsically linked to virginity testing, and This consultation sets out, and seeks views on, the
stems from the same repressive attitudes towards a Government’s proposals to continue to permit outdoor
women’s sexuality and the concept of virginity. civil marriages and civil partnerships on approved
In December, the Panel recommended to Government premises, and to permit outdoor religious marriages in the
that hymenoplasty should be banned. grounds of places of worship.
As announced before Christmas, the Government Since 1 July 2021, couples have been able to have their
agreed with this recommendation and will introduce civil marriage and civil partnership proceedings in the
legislation ban hymenoplasty as soon as parliamentary open air, in the grounds of buildings such as stately
time allows. homes and hotels which are approved or became
approved for these civil ceremonies. Previously, these
Next Steps for developing the Women’s Health Strategy proceedings could only take place indoors or otherwise
In Spring 2022 we will publish the full Women's Health within permanently immovable structures. These outdoor
Strategy, building on our Vision and ambition, and set out ceremonies were made possible because the Government
in detail our plans for meeting the specific health needs of laid a statutory instrument (‘SI’) putting in place these
women throughout the different stages of their lives. flexibilities, in order to give couples more choice of
To support this, we will appoint the first ever Women’s setting, and to support the wedding and civil partnership
Health Ambassador for England. sector. However, that SI has effect only until the end of 5
This person will focus on raising the profile for April 2022.
women’s heath, increasing awareness of taboo topics, and We are now proposing to lay a further SI so that these
bringing in a range of collaborative voices to develop the outdoor civil marriage and civil partnership proceedings
Women’s Health Strategy. can continue beyond 5 April 2022 indefinitely, and to
The Ambassador will develop networks across and extend the policy of permitting outdoor ceremonies to
outside of government to champion women’s health and religious marriages using a separate legislative reform
break down stigmas which surround particular areas of order. Together, these proposals would ensure that the
women’s health. provision for outdoor marriages and civil partnerships on
approved premises continues indefinitely and would
I am pleased to announce that we will shortly be extend similar arrangements to religious weddings in the
launching an expression of interest for this role. I would grounds of places of worship. The proposals would enable
encourage applications from candidates who have couples to have a greater choice in relation to the location
experience in the sector and a passion for women’s health. of their ceremonies, and for approved premises and
I look forward to working with the post-holder to drive religious bodies to have more flexibility in the locations
forward this agenda even further as we develop the for ceremonies, should they choose to offer it. No
Strategy. religious group would be obliged to provide outdoor
This Vision speaks to the commitment of this ceremonies, and existing protections to safeguard
government to women’s health. It sets the direction for religious freedoms would remain in place.
the strategy we are developing over the coming months. The consultation can be found here:
In Spring 2022, we will publish the full Women's Health https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-
Strategy building on our Vision and ambition and set out communications/outdoor-marriages-civil-partnerships. A
in detail our plans for specific health needs that women copy of the consultation paper will be deposited in the
experience throughout their lives. Libraries of the House.'Page 8 6 January 2022 Written Answers
Protecting the Integrity of our Elections Absent Vote Applications
[HLWS512] The Government will be introducing a further
amendment to the Bill to require identity verification for
Lord Greenhalgh: My Hon. Friend, the Minister of absent vote applications, as is already the case for
State for Equalities and Levelling Up Communities (Kemi Northern Ireland. This will ensure that applications are
Badenoch) has today made the following statement: legitimate, protecting the system from fraud.
I am pleased to update Parliament today on A further amendment will provide for an online absent
amendments the Government will shortly be bringing vote application service, making this process more
forward to the Elections Bill which will help to ensure we efficient for both citizens and electoral administrators and
fully deliver on our commitment to protecting our placing both integrity and elector participation at the heart
democracy. of our democracy. The new online application service, as
The changes brought forward by the Bill are vital to well as existing paper applications, will require electors to
ensure our democracy remains secure, fair, modern and have their identity verified as part of the process, ensuring
transparent and I am therefore pleased to also update that the system is as streamlined as possible for users. As
Parliament today with further information on their we legislate to update our electoral system we are
implementation. It is our expectation that all the measures therefore also ensuring public confidence that our
will be in place within the lifetime of this Parliament and elections will remain secure well into the future.
implementation will be staged over a sensible and In order to ensure efficiency of electoral administrative
pragmatic timetable; it is imperative that this is done processes, it is our ambition to align the new online
properly and with sufficient time for the elections sector application process with other changes to absent vote
and for voters to prepare for the new requirements. arrangements and the delivery of overseas electors’ voting
Voter identification and the Voter Card rights. Rollout of the online service will be conditional on
the identity verification processes being in place and the
I am today publishing a policy statement, ‘Protecting
timing of rollout in Northern Ireland will be dependent
the integrity of our elections: voter identification at
upon meeting the particular safeguards required in
polling stations and the new Voter Card,’ which sets out
Northern Ireland. This is in order to reduce any
more detail on the Government's proposals for the voter
opportunity for individuals to exploit the processes and
identification policy.
steal votes.
The statement includes details of the rationale for the Technical amendments to the Elections Bill
list of accepted photographic identifications in the
Elections Bill and further information around our plans The Bill will be amended to reflect that responsibility
for the application process for Voter Cards. for elections has moved from the Cabinet Office to the
new Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
A Voter Card will be available free of charge to ensure Communities. In addition, an amendment will be made to
that all electors have access to an accepted form of provisions in the Political Parties, Elections and
identification. The Government is clear that the process Referendums Act 2000 regarding membership of the
for applying for this card must be accessible for all those Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, to
who need it. There will therefore be a range of application allow for the most relevant minister to be appointed by
routes, Voter Cards will be valid across all of Great the Prime Minister to be able to deputise for the Secretary
Britain - not just in the issuing area - and the Government of State on the Committee as and when needed. These
will shortly be tabling amendments to adjust some of the changes will not increase the Government’s allocated
current drafting of the Bill to increase the accessibility representation on the Committee.
and security of the Voter Card and ensure the Voter Card Several amendments will also be made to the clauses in
system works for all eligible voters. the Bill relating to the new digital imprints regime. These
Voters in Northern Ireland have been required to show amendments include clarifying the enforcement
identification when voting at polling stations since 1985, responsibilities of the Electoral Commission and the
and the photographic voter identification system has been police, and improving consistency between the clauses
in place there for almost 20 years since it was brought in that relate to ‘paid material’ and those that relate to ‘other
by the last Labour Government in 2003. Since its electronic material’ (or unpaid material). They will also
introduction, this requirement has successfully helped to clarify that the imprint rules will only apply to unpaid
tackle electoral fraud and has been operating with ease. In electronic material wholly or mainly related to
their 2021 Public Opinion tracker, the Electoral referendums, when published during the referendum
Commission recorded not a single Northern Ireland period. Further, these amendments will ensure that the
respondent reporting ‘I don’t have any identification / I regime covers all relevant elections, including all City of
would not be able to vote’. London elections. These amendments will help ensure
It is our expectation that voter identification will be in transparency and empower voters to make informed
place in Great Britain in time for polls taking place in decisions about the material they see online.
spring 2023, with the Voter Card system in operation in The associated document has been placed in the
good time ahead of this. libraries of both Houses and amendments to the Elections
Bill will be tabled in due course.Written Answers 6 January 2022 Page 9
Improvement, the UK Health Security Agency and the
Written Answers devolved administrations to ensure that, when available,
these treatments will be accessible to those who are most
Thursday, 6 January 2022
at risk of developing severe disease. Further details will
be announced in due course.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: EU Accession
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Asked by The Earl of Dundee
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they
intend to take, if any, to progress the candidacy of To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they
Bosnia and Herzegovina towards full European Union have to introduce compulsory COVID-19 vaccine
membership in 2022. [HL5010] certificates in order to help reduce the spread of the
Omicron variant. [HL4813]
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Decisions on EU
enlargement are for EU Member States to make. We will Lord Kamall: Certification based on vaccination or
continue to support all countries of the Western Balkans testing is now mandatory in certain settings. Visitors to
in their sovereign choice to pursue Euro-Atlantic these settings are required to have completed a full-course
integration. of COVID-19 vaccination with two doses of an approved
vaccine or one of the single-dose Janssen vaccine; or be
exempt from requirements to be vaccinated; or have taken
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and a lateral flow device test or polymerase chain reaction test
Government which has returned a negative result within 48 hours
before visiting the venue or event.
Asked by The Earl of Dundee
Asked by Lord Jordan
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their
position on Dayton Accords (1) revisions, and (2) To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they
international actions, including negotiations with the have to provide COVID-19 vaccines to (1) the Republic
Bosnian Serbs, in order to strengthen Bosnia and of Barbados, and (2) other small island states which
Herzegovina's central government. [HL5005] may currently be experiencing COVID-19 vaccine
shortages; and whether they intend to support the
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The importance
proposal of the governments of India and South Africa
of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia
to suspend parts of the Agreement on Trade-Related
and Herzegovina (BiH), which brought an end to the
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights as they relate to
1990s conflicts, cannot be overstated. However, it was
COVID-19 vaccines. [HL5015]
worded to enable local actors to make changes in the
future. As Lord Ashdown said, "Dayton is the floor, not Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to
the ceiling". The United Kingdom remains committed to help bring the acute phase of the pandemic to an end as
BiH's security, democracy and prosperity. The soon as possible and strongly supports the COVAX
international community will offer support, but it is Facility as a key mechanism to deliver this. The majority
essential that the authorities in BiH themselves make of the UK's doses are being donated via COVAX. We are
reforms based on broad consensus and for the greater donating a smaller quantity to bilateral partners and
good of all citizens. countries facing their own health emergencies, to further
support the global response to Covid-19. We are only
Coronavirus: Drugs donating vaccines to countries which are eligible for
Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). The FCDO
Asked by Lord Mendelsohn has responded to the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC)
which includes a breakdown of where doses have been
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the
sent to as of the end of November.
(1) planned order quantities, and (2) delivery dates, for
the COVID-19 antibody drugs Molnupiravir and Throughout the pandemic our top priority has been to
Ritonavir; and what is the (a) current, and (b) planned, save lives. We firmly believe the best way to do this is to
geographic distribution of Molnupiravir and Ritonavir support the world's leading scientists to develop our most
across England. [HL3500] important weapon in the fight against COVID-19:
vaccines. Our robust international intellectual property
Lord Kamall: The Government has secured 480,000 framework protects the ability of these pioneering minds
patient courses of molnupiravir and 250,000 patient to come up with new ideas and innovations. It has and
courses of PF-07321332 in combination with ritonavir. will continue to allow us to develop vaccines and
Information on delivery and distribution of these items is treatments at unprecedented pace and meet our ultimate
dependent on the companies’ supply chains and receipt of goal of saving lives. There is no evidence that an IP
the appropriate marketing authorisations from the waiver would help us to meet this goal. The reality is that
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. the proposal for a TRIPS waiver would dismantle the very
We are working with NHS England and NHS framework that helped to produce COVID-19 vaccines atPage 10 6 January 2022 Written Answers
an unprecedented pace. More worryingly, the waiver Lord Kamall: The National Institute for Health and
proposal could lead to a dangerous reduction in the Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is
quality of products being manufactured and in the already responsible for determining the methods and processes
limited supply of key raw materials. This risks used in the development of its recommendations.
compromising vaccine efficacy and patient safety. Therefore, the Department has made no such assessment.
Whilst the UK Government has not seen evidence that NICE’s recent consultation, Review of methods for
Intellectual Property is a barrier to the production or health technology evaluation programmes: proposals for
supply of COVID-19 goods, including vaccines, the change, issued as part of the ongoing review of its
Government will continue to engage constructively in methods and processes for health technology assessments,
debates at the World Trade Organisation Trade-Related states that the proposed severity modifier is intended to
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Council and other “to put more weight on treatments for people with severe
international institutions to promote affordable and diseases across all types of disease” reflecting evidence
equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines for all. “that society values health gains from treatments for very
The UK affirmed this commitment in the 22 October G7 severe diseases over other treatments”. The consultation
Trade Ministers' communique, which notes our also states that: “With the proposed approach, there are
determination to achieve an impactful outcome on trade very few topics … which met the end-of-life criteria
and health, including how the international Intellectual previously, but which would not receive an additional
Property framework can best support the WTO's weighting with the severity modifier.” A copy of Review
pandemic response. The UK remains open to all of methods for health technology evaluation programmes:
initiatives that will have a demonstrable impact on proposals for change is attached.
vaccine production and distribution. We will continue to NICE will consider the consultation responses in
engage constructively in discussions at the WTO to that developing the final changes to its methods.
end. To end this pandemic sooner, we must focus efforts The Answer includes the following attached material:
on the things that will make a real difference. That
includes the promotion of voluntary licensing and Review of methods for health technology evaluation [NICE
technology transfer agreements - several of which have Review of Methods - Proposals for Change.pdf]
already proven to be successful.
The material can be viewed online at:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-
Eastern Europe: NATO answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2021-10-27/HL3496
Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assurances, NHS Trusts: Military Aid
to which they were a party, were given to (1) Mikhail Asked by Lord Coaker
Gorbachev, or (2) other representatives of the
government of the Soviet Union, on NATO expansion To ask Her Majesty's Government how many NHS
into Eastern Europe at the time of German trusts have requested support from the UK armed forces
reunification; whether any such assurances remain in every month of 2021 so far; which NHS trusts made
valid; and what assessment they have made of whether such requests; and of those that made such requests,
those assurances are being met. [HL5004] which ones were (1) successful, and (2) rejected.
[HL4539]
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: During the 1990
discussions on German reunification, no written Asked by Lord Coaker
assurances about the further enlargement of NATO To ask Her Majesty's Government which (1) NHS
beyond Germany were made to Mr Gorbachev or other trusts, and (2) ambulance trusts, currently have UK
representatives of the Government of the Soviet Union. armed forces deployed to them; and how many
Despite consistent assertion, Russian leaders have been personnel are deployed to each trust. [HL4540]
unable to produce any written evidence that such
assurances were made. Lord Kamall: The information on National Health
Service trusts which have requested and received support
Medical Treatments from the armed forces is not held in the format requested.
However, the following table shows the number of
Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton Military Aid to Civilian Authorities applications made by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment NHS England and the number of rejected applications in
they have made of the effect of the National Institute each month in 2021. Data for December 2021 is not yet
for Health and Care Excellence’s proposed severity available therefore we are unable to provide the
modifier being introduced in an “opportunity cost information requested on the number of personnel
neutral” package. [HL3496] currently deployed to all NHS trusts.Written Answers 6 January 2022 Page 11
Military Aid to Civilian Number of rejected Russia: Ukraine
Authorities applications
applications from NHS Asked by Lord Truscott
England
To ask Her Majesty's Government what diplomatic
January 32 2 effort they are making to revive the Minsk Agreements.
[HL5068]
February 14 0
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: As G7 Foreign
March 2 0 Ministers made clear in their 12 December statement, we
April 1 0 support the efforts of France and Germany in the
Normandy Format to achieve full implementation of the
May 1 0 Minsk agreements in order to resolve the conflict in
eastern Ukraine. The Prime Minister underlined to
June 1 0
President Putin on 13 December that Russia had to
July 1 0 respect the terms of the Minsk agreements. The Foreign
Secretary reiterated the UK's support for the Minsk
August 3 0
agreements in her 2 December meeting with Russian
September 0 0 Foreign Minister Lavrov and in her 8 December talks
with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba. The UK
October 0 0 regularly calls on Russia to end the conflict by
November 2 0
immediately ceasing its support for the armed formations
it backs, withdrawing its military personnel and weapons
from the territory of Ukraine and fulfilling its obligations
under the Minsk agreements.Index to Statements and Answers Written Statements ................................................. 3 Annual Fisheries Negotiations ............................. 3 Departmental Contingent Liability Notification: Energy Supply Company Special Administration Regime.................................................................. 4 Investigatory Powers Commissioner: Annual Report ................................................................... 5 Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy for England................................................................. 5 Outdoor Marriages and Civil Partnerships ........... 7 Protecting the Integrity of our Elections............... 8 Written Answers ..................................................... 9 Bosnia and Herzegovina: EU Accession .............. 9 Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government .......................................................... 9 Coronavirus: Drugs .............................................. 9 Coronavirus: Vaccination ..................................... 9 Eastern Europe: NATO ...................................... 10 Medical Treatments ............................................ 10 NHS Trusts: Military Aid ................................... 10 Russia: Ukraine .................................................. 11
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