Lords questions government in oral questions on 28 April

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Questions on Tuesday 28 April:

• Lord Moynihan asked the government what plans it has to extend funding to ensure the continuation of existing training and racing programmes for potential Olympic and Paralympic athletes until the 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
  
  Topics discussed include the impact of Covid-19 on the sport sector; offering certainty of future funding to sports bodies; the process for reopening sport in the UK; and the resumption of training for athletes and access to specialist equipment.

• Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town asked the government what progress has been made in the negotiations on the future relationship with the European Union.
  
  Topics discussed include publishing of negotiation documents; extending the transition period; future access to EU security databases; preparing businesses for future border and customs controls; and the government's objectives for negotiations.

• Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked the government what plans it has to use Overseas Development Assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the protection and safeguarding of girls and women from gender-based violence.
  
  Topics discussed include maintaining funding in light of a retracting economy; ringfencing of funding; funding for programmes on reproductive health; funding for non-governmental organisations on the frontline of delivery; increasing aid to small organisations offering support to victims of gender-based violence; supporting older women and widows; the secondary impact of Covid-19 such as access to education; and organisations pivoting their activities to support those affected by Covid-19.

• The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked the government what assessment it has made of the impact of changing dairy prices on farmers.
  
  Topics discussed included the difficulty for dairy producers to change contracts or access business support grants; a suggestion for the government to set a national minimum price for milk; financial support for farmers to ensure their readiness once lockdown restrictions are lifted; welcoming the move to lift the sale restrictions on liquid milk in supermarkets; helping small specialist businesses to find new routes to market; and what guarantees struggling dairies farmers will have from the government that they will be protected.

• A Private Notice Question (urgent question) was also granted to Baroness Thornton. Baroness Thornton asked the government whether it will publish details of the membership and attendees of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) that have been advising the Government during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  
  Topics discussed include the publication of SAGE members willing to be named; the number of participants in meetings; transparency of processes and decisions; rapid publication of meeting notes; membership from specific scientific disciplines; recommendations regarding facemasks; and the presence of special advisors at meetings.

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