Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of any extension of the Central London Congestion Charge to Sundays on (1) the ability of people to attend places of worship in the zone, and (2) the financial sustainability of Churches in the zone.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have been made of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of people living with HIV across the UK; and what support is being provided to those individuals.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Building Safety Fund applies only to buildings over 18 metres in height but not to those which are six stories high.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to promote press freedom and the safety of journalists globally.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, declaring my interest as deputy chair of the Telegraph Media Group and my other interests listed in the register.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer, but across the world—from Mexico to Hungary to Beijing—attacks on journalists and publishers are reaching unprecedented levels. In many cases these are inspired by the disgraceful actions of the White House, which have led to attacks on journalists in the US. Some 64 other countries, according to Reporters Without Borders, are using...
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I declare my interest as chairman of the Royal College of Music. At the end of the transition period, new customs requirements will come into force which mean that musicians will be required to purchase an ATA carnet, costing up to £700. For many musicians who struggle financially at the best of times, let alone after the disaster of Covid, that is a big cost which many will not be...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure employers follow their guidance that atypical workers on PAYE, including agency workers, individuals on zero-hours contracts, and casual workers, are eligible to be furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme; and whether they intend to send communications to employers encouraging them to do so.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have prohibited furloughed employees to continue working or volunteering for the organisation they have been furloughed from under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme; and what assessment they have made of the potential merits of financial measures adopted by governments in other countries, including the (1) Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, and (2)...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential negative impact on graduates, and individuals who have been on sick leave or maternity leave, caused by the policy of offering self-employed individuals a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme based on the average monthly self-employed profit from the last three tax; and whether they will...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the justification for the cap on trading profits in order to access the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to be set at £50,000 when there is no cap on earnings in the eligibility criteria for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the economic incentive for employers and agencies to furlough casual workers in cases where (1) employers and agencies do not have any contractual obligations to provide workers with work and no correlative duty to pay, and (2) employers may have potential future liability to pay casual workers with redundancy pay after undertaking a...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the policy that allows employees and workers paid via PAYE to be furloughed by more than one employer under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, why they have required 50 per cent of an individual’s income to be from self-employment in order to be able to access 80 per cent profits under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme; and what...
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I declare my interests as a trustee of a number of charities. This virus is making us all appreciate what is really important to us. One thing that unites many of us is our love of our pets, which are especially important for many lonely and vulnerable people. The main point I want to make is that our pets, along with the animal charities that care for them, have been impacted by...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of COVID-19 on (1) the United Kingdom music sector, and (2) the creative economy. The Question was considered in a Virtual Proceeding via video call.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, and in doing so I declare my interest as chairman of the Royal College of Music.
Lord Black of Brentwood: I thank my noble friend for that Answer. Music, the bedrock of our creative economy, is in deep trouble. The virus has had a terrible impact on the sector, because music cannot exist without audiences and human contact, and both have disappeared along with the livelihoods of thousands of musicians. Is my noble friend aware that four in 10 creative organisations, where many hourly-paid...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government why any reference to the creative industries was omitted from the proposals contained in The Future Relationship with the EU: The UK’s Approach to Negotiations (CP211), published in February.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Bethell on 24 February (HL Deb, cols 2–3), what the expected increase in the preventative health budget will be; how much of that will directly benefit sexual health services; what steps they are taking to put innovation at the centre of the sexual health strategy; and what assessment they have made of the pressures on the...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 8 August 2019 (HL17509), whether any funding has been made available to the Metropolitan Police to continue Operation Grange beyond March 2020; and if so, for (1) how long, and (2) what reasons.