Children with learning disabilities and combatting HIV in Lords questions
2 December 2020
At the start of business each day in the House of Lords, members question government activities and decisions in Lords Questions.
This week, from Monday 30 November to Thursday 3 December, members question the government on private investment in the hydrogen sector, tackling HIV, climate change and access to Child Trust Funds for children with learning disabilities.
Catch up: Wednesday 2 December
Catch up: Monday 30 December
Baroness Meacher (Crossbench) quizzed the government on supporting private investment in the hydrogen sector in the UK. Members discussed developing training programmes for highly skilled workers in the UK hydrogen economy and setting targets for the UK’s green hydrogen capacity.
Lord Caine (Conservative) questioned the government on the number of jobs saved in Northern Ireland as a result of measures to deal with the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Members discussed topics including the constitutional benefits of all four UK nations working together and whether the budget of £920 million will be sufficient in helping Northern Ireland to cope with both Brexit and COVID-19.
Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench) asked the government about using the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights to guarantee access to affordable drugs. Members discussed topics including training for administering the vaccine and ensuring developing countries are offered a fair price for any COVID-19 vaccine developed.
Baroness D'Souza (Crossbench) asked the government about organising a summit of the governments from the 10 leading democracies in spring 2021. Members discussed topics including assembling a network of influential democracies to present a common front in upholding the rule of law, and maintaining the UK’s global influence post-Brexit.
Lords questions: 12pm on Tuesday 1 December
Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat) quizzed the government about ending HIV transmissions by 2030. Members discussed methods to improve the uptake of HIV testing, introducing a system of opt-out testing and increasing the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS.
Lord Cashman (Non-affiliated) questioned the government on the impact pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is having on new HIV transmissions and what steps are being taken to ensure that there is sufficient access to that treatment. Members discussed expanding access to PrEP in other healthcare settings such as gender clinics and maternity units, ensuring all local authorities have access and increasing the awareness of PrEP amongst women and the BAME community.
Baroness Gale (Labour) pressed the government about support for older people at risk from domestic abuse while restrictions are in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Members discussed topics including recognising the needs of older domestic abuse victims in the Domestic Abuse Bill and plans to remove the age limit when collecting domestic abuse data.
Baroness Donaghy (Labour) asked the government about the impact on families of not maintaining the £1000 uplift of Universal Credit. Members discussed topics including the Department for Work and Pensions and its plans to support people back into work, plus current pressures on foodbanks and the NHS.
Catch up: Wednesday 2 December
Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated) questioned the government on support for Belfast International Airport. Members discussed access to duty-free goods from Belfast International Airport and the importance of regional airports in supporting businesses.
Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat) pressed the government on the protection of children groomed into filming their own abuse online. Members discussed topics including the impact of lockdown on children, discussions with social media companies to take down images of abuse and a publish date for the Online Harms Bill.
Lord Dubs (Labour) asked the government about the future of European security cooperation from January 2021. Members discussed the UK’s access to databases such as Europol and the ability of UK companies to participate in and supply to European defence projects after Brexit.
Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench) questioned the government about the situation in the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia. Members discussed topics including access to Tigray for UK diplomats and UK discussions with the UN, the African Union and the EU to neutralise further conflict in the region.
Catch up: Thursday 3 December
Lord Lexden (Conservative) questioned the government on its plans to review the National Trust Acts. Members discussed topics including the Black Lives Matter movement, approaches to equality and producing better explanatory texts for historic statues and artefacts.
Lord Whitty (Labour) quizzed the government on the alignment of National Planning Policy Statements with UK commitments to Paris Climate Agreement and Climate Change Act 2008. Members discussed topics including the energy efficiency of newly built homes and discussing planning guidelines with local communities.
Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative) asked the government about access to Child Trust Funds by children with learning disabilities. Members discussed families unable to access their Child Trust Fund having to use legal trusts or the Court of Protection, plus time spent on legal processes for young people with life-limiting conditions.
Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative) questioned government plans for GCSE and A-level exams in 2021 and beyond. Members discussed topics including making university and college admissions fair for those who did not have adequate access to online learning during the pandemic, and adjusting the grades of students depending on the amount of education they have missed.