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Afghanistan: Education
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the high number of girls dropping out of education in Afghanistan.
Baroness Verma: The latest data from Afghanistan's Ministry of Education for 2010-11 show that boys and girls are dropping out of education on a permanent basis in nearly equal proportions (15 per cent for boys and 14 per cent for girls).
In 2010-11, 5.7 million children attended school regularly. 2.1 million were girls (up from virtually none under the Taliban).
The UK Government have placed the empowerment of girls and women at the heart of UK development policy; education is vital to this empowerment.
Afghanistan: Education
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the low numbers of female teachers on the number of girls attending school in Afghanistan.
Baroness Verma: Research by the Government of Afghanistan shows that the availability of female teachers is one of several factors-including security and access to education facilities-that impact on the number of girls attending school. The Government of Afghanistan's new National Priority Programme on Education for All includes commitments to build 200 secondary schools for girls; to construct school facilities with special features needed for girls (boundary walls and separate toilet facilities); and to expand community-based education activities to remote and un-served populations.
The latest figures from the Afghan Ministry of Education for 2010-11 show that there were nearly 50,000 female teachers in general education, up from virtually none under the Taliban, representing 31 per cent of the total number of teachers.
Afghanistan: Explosive Devices
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to improve the way in which the United Kingdom deals with improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan.
Lord Astor of Hever: Success in Afghanistan is the highest priority in defence and countering the improvised explosive device (IED) threat is critical to making military progress in the campaign. We are completely focused on taking action to defeat this threat. We have deployed a counter-IED (C-IED) task force with the capability to detect, disable and exploit these devices and prevent them being laid. All troops receive comprehensive C-IED-specific training before they deploy to Afghanistan. A range of technologically advanced equipment is in service to counter the threat, including protected vehicles, remote control vehicles, ground surveillance, detectors and body armour. Enhancements to other critical capabilities-including military working dog capability-are being introduced. In addition, unmanned aircraft system capability has been significantly enhanced, and will be enhanced further, providing real time intelligence to track and target those who manufacture and plant IEDs.
The range of C-IED skills, equipment, training and other capabilities employed by our Armed Forces in Afghanistan are widely recognised as being better than ever before; they are improving the safety of our forces-always our first concern-and improving their operational effectiveness. We will continue to invest in this area.
Africa: Police
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to police forces in African countries.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Reform and modernisation of police forces across Africa is a key element of our efforts to deliver this Government's security and consular priorities abroad. An effective police force is crucial in post-conflict environments and in countries at risk of instability.
The Government support police forces across Africa in a number of wide-ranging projects. They include training to combat terrorism, detect fraud, promote human rights, and provide policing equipment (eg radios and vehicles). Specific projects include: £20.6 million over a four year period to increase the effectiveness of the police and justice systems in Sudan; £60 million over five years for security sector accountability and police reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and £60,000 to support the development of a new community policing capability in Ghana.
Agriculture: Cattle Disease
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the prevalence of blood sweating disease in cattle.
Lord Henley: Bovine neonatal pancytopenia (BNP) is a novel haemorrhagic disease of young calves which has emerged in a number of European countries in recent years. This disease is also known as bleeding calf syndrome or blood sweating disease. The first British case of BNP was confirmed in a calf in Scotland in April 2009.
Although it is possible to provide a very crude estimate of the prevalence of BNP in the British calf population, it is important to note that the true prevalence of this disease in British calves is unknown. There is no legal requirement for farmers to notify suspected cases of BNP to government veterinary authorities.
Since early 2009, farmers have been encouraged to submit suspected cases of BNP to their local Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) or Scottish Agricultural College Veterinary Services (SAC VS) laboratory for investigation and diagnosis. Up until the end of July 2010, in order to provide farmers with an incentive to submit suspected cases for diagnosis, AHVLA and SAC VS carried out these investigations free of charge.
As at 17 May 2011, AHVLA and SAC VS have confirmed 380 calf cases of BNP in Great Britain. In order to place this figure in context, the average number of calves in the at-risk age category (0 to 4-weeks-old) on British cattle farms during 2010 was 196,177 (Source: Rapid Analysis and Detection of Animal-related Risks Cattle Tracing System Database). These figures suggest that the prevalence of BNP in the British calf population is very low. However, it must be borne in mind that there may have been significant under-reporting of cases to AHVLA and SAC VS and its also possible that there are unrecognised subclinical cases (calves that are affected but do not show any obvious signs of disease) of BNP on British cattle farms.
Agriculture: Brassicas
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the cold weather in the United Kingdom on the production of brassicas.
Lord Henley: Defra officials are in regular communication with the industry, especially during difficult times, such as now, following the past winter's cold weather. Brassica growers are based across the country and grow a variety of different brassica crops. Consequently, the cold weather effects varied based on location, crop and where they were in their cropping cycle.
Agriculture: Fruit and Vegetables
Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action plans they have to increase fruit and vegetable production.
Lord Henley: In August 2010, the Fruit and Vegetable Task Force published its report on increasing fruit and vegetable production and consumption and in October followed this with an action plan for industry, growers, retailers, wholesalers, NGOs and Government to take forward, working together to reduce barriers and find innovative solutions. We are continuing to take a close and positive interest in progress on the action plan. In May 2011, the Task Force on Farming Regulation reported on reducing the regulatory barriers facing farmers, including fruit and vegetable growers. The Government will respond later this year.
The Government also provided funding of up to £7 million on research and development last year on horticultural crops.
The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is the UK's national innovation agency, with a goal of accelerating economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. The TSB's new Innovation Programme on Agri-Food is now the key vehicle for collaborative funding in this area and is an exciting opportunity for the industry. The programme has up to £90 million over the next five years to encourage industry innovation, including up to £30 million from Defra for joint funding with industry. The first call has already been launched on the issue of crop protection.
We are also encouraging increased consumption of fruit and vegetables with the 5 A Day Campaign, the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme and supporting projects to reconnect children and schools with farms and food production.
Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in making contingency plans for the introduction of genetically modified organisms into use in agriculture in the United Kingdom, they intend to provide for zoning and other measures to allay public concerns about biodiversity.
Lord Henley: Under the European Union control regime, genetically modified crops will be authorised for commercial cultivation only if a robust assessment indicates that human health and the environment will not be compromised. We do not therefore expect that zoning or other measures would be required because crops which might have an adverse impact on biodiversity would not receive approval in the first instance.
Apprenticeships
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many employers in Greater London have offered apprenticeships in each year since 1992 until the last year figures are available.
Baroness Wilcox: Data from the published 2009 National Employer Skills Survey1 (NESS) show that in London Government Office Region, 5 per cent of employers2 offer apprenticeships. Based on weighted information using the NESS database3, it is estimated that this would approximate to between 11,000 and 12,000 establishments currently offering apprenticeships within the London region.
The NESS report suggests that this at least in part reflects the fact that London has a lower share of industries that traditionally employ apprenticeships.
1 Figure 8.7, P. 215 in https://ness.ukces.org.uk/Hidden%20 Library/NESS09/FINAL%20NESS%20Main%20report%20 for%20the%20web.pdf accessed on 13 May 2011.
2 Employers in this survey are based at the establishment level and not at the enterprise level
3 Figures are based on weighted information using the NESS 2009 database on the 24 May http://nessdata.ukces.org.uk/ness/KMS/News.aspx
Table 1 below shows apprenticeship programme starts for London Government Office Region and England from 2003-04, the earliest year for which we have comparable data to 2009-10, the latest year for which we have final data.
Table 1: Apprenticeship Programme Starts by Government Office Region, 2003-04 to 2009-10
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-103
London 11,900 12,400 11.000 11.100 14,500 17,200 20,300
England Total 193,600 189,000 175,000 184,400 224,800 239,900 279,700
Source: Individualised Learner Record
Notes
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Geographic information is based on the home postcode of the learner.
3. Figures for 2009-10 are based on the geographic boundaries of regions as of May 2010. Figures for 2003-04 to 2008-09 based on earlier geographic boundaries are available in the SFR Archive, but these cannot be directly compared with new figures due to boundary changes.
Information on apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 31st March 2011 http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
Arctic Council
Lord Jay of Ewelme: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the results of the recent Arctic Council ministerial meeting.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK, in its capacity as a state observer, attended the Arctic Council's biennial ministerial meeting that took place in Nuuk, Greenland on 12 May 2011 with representation from all eight Arctic states.
The key outcomes from the meeting included Arctic Ministers agreeing structural changes to the council, including a permanent secretariat (to be based in Tromso, Norway), an agreed budget, new communication/outreach arrangements and an intention to enhance the council's agenda. The Arctic Ministers also signed a search and rescue agreement which is intended to improve co-ordination between the Arctic states, and is the first legally-binding agreement negotiated by the council, and which provides the council with another approach to doing business in the future.
Arctic Ministers also agreed a set of criteria for future applications for observers at the Arctic Council. This does not currently affect the UK's confirmed status as a state observer to the council, but the criteria will now be applied to new states seeking such status, including the outstanding applications from China, European Community, Italy, Japan and Korea.
Armed Forces: Accommodation
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the rooms at RAF Buchan are en-suite for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
Lord Astor of Hever: There is no en-suite accommodation at RAF Buchan for any ranks.
Armed Forces: Accommodation
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the rooms at RAF Barkston Heath are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the rooms at RAF Benbecula are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the rooms at RAF Boulmer are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the rooms at RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the rooms at RAF Church Fenton are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the rooms at RAF Cottesmore are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many rooms at RAF Digby are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many rooms at RAF Donna Nook are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many rooms at RAF Fylingdales are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many rooms at RAF Halton are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many rooms at RAF Holbeach are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many rooms at RAF Honington are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many rooms at RAF Kirton in Lindsey are en-suite and how many are not for (a) officers, (b) warrant officers and sergeants, and (c) other ranks.
Lord Astor of Hever: There is no accommodation, either en-suite or non en-suite, at RAF Barkston Heath.
In view of the noble Lord's interest in this issue, I will place in the Library of the House a copy of the information drawn from the annual audit of RAF accommodation prepared in October last year which detail the en-suite and non en-suite accommodation available at all RAF stations.
Bahrain
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what communications they have had with the Government of Bahrain since the beginning of public protests there; what communications they intend to have with that Government in the near future; whether they are emphasising the importance of due process for all persons arrested; and whether they have received information about allegations of disappearances and the outcomes of relevant cases.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have had regular communications with the Government of Bahrain since the beginning of public protests, and these communications are ongoing.
My right honourable friend the Prime Minister spoke by phone to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on 15 March 2011 and met the Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in London on 19 May 2011. On both occasions the Prime Minister expressed our concerns about the situation in Bahrain and stressed the importance of the Bahrain Government moving to a policy of reform rather than repression.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), spoke to the Bahraini Foreign Minister on 17 February, 16 April and 25 May and raised the UK's concern about the human rights situation. He made clear our concerns about arrests, deaths in detention and moves to investigate prominent licensed, political opposition parties. He made clear that the civil rights of peaceful opposition figures, the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly should be respected.
The Secretary of State for Defence, my right honourable friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), spoke to the Crown Prince on 22 February 2011 and met the King and Crown Prince in Bahrain on 3 April 2011 and spoke to the King again on 16 May 2011, urging the Bahrain Government to create the environment in which dialogue can take place.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my right honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), spoke to the Bahraini ambassador by phone on 1 April 2011 and raised our concerns about human rights. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my noble friend Lord Astor of Hever, met the Crown Prince in Bahrain on 23 February 2011 and urged all sides, including opposition groupings, to engage in dialogue.
Our ambassador has also regularly raised the UK's human rights concerns with Ministers across the Bahraini Government, including most recently with the Ministers of Justice, Interior and the Deputy Prime Minister. These include highlighting our concerns that due process should be followed and that those accused should have access to legal counsel and be tried before independent and impartial courts. The Defence Senior Adviser Middle East, Lieutenant General Simon Mayall, raised human rights with the Commander in Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force on 11 May 2011.
We will continue to make our concerns clear to the Bahraini authorities.
Banking: Gender
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of the World Bank's gender mainstreaming policy.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the International Development Association to the United Kingdom's development objectives with regard to gender.
Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development (DFID) has been supporting and reviewing the progress of the World Bank's Gender Action Plan (GAP 2007-10), the aim of which is to mainstream gender into the bank's operations, with a particular focus on women's economic empowerment.
Our assessments have found that progress has been made in mainstreaming work on women's empowerment at the World Bank with, for example, a rise of approximately 20 per cent in the proportion of gender-informed projects, and significant public commitment has been made by President Zoellick with respect to gender equality. However, the multilateral aid review carried out by the Department for International Development (DfID) also highlighted the challenge of translating policy into results, and the need for the bank's performance to improve.
At the last replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA 16) gender was chosen as a cross-cutting theme. Specific gender targets were established to ensure that IDA delivers concrete benefits to girls and women. And the World Bank's next world development report will focus on gender.
At the World Bank spring meetings the Secretary of State sent a clear message to the bank that the report must demonstrate to policy makers and donors how to do things differently and deliver results for girls and women. DfID will follow up with the bank- both through engagement on the MAR and through monitoring the implementation of IDA 16-to ensure the bank delivers these important improvements.
British Tomato Week
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask the Chairman of Committees what the House of Lords Catering and Retail Services Department did to support British Tomato Week.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: Catering and Retail Services (CRS) did not run any special events to support British Tomato Week in 2011. However, CRS does support British Apple Week in October and will be supporting British Food Fortnight in September.
Burma
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings they have held with United Nations humanitarian agencies regarding the potential humanitarian crisis in Burma following the breakdown of the ceasefire agreement.
Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development (DfID) has ongoing discussions with the United Nation Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs over the impacts that might arise from an increase in conflict in Burma. We are also in touch with local non-government organisations and community based organisations on both sides of the Thailand-Burma border.
DfID has significantly increased its aid to Burmese refugees in Thailand and internally displaced people inside Burma in recent years to approximately £1.9 million in 2010.
Burma
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with fellow members of the European Union regarding the intensified conflict in Shan State, Burma, and the risk of the conflict escalating.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We regularly discuss developments in Burma (including human rights and ethnic issues) with EU partners in Brussels, with EU head of missions on the ground in Rangoon, and with EU member states who follow the situation in Burma from Bangkok. Our embassy in Rangoon specifically discussed the ongoing conflict in Shan State with EU colleagues on 19 May. The UK also raised our deep concern about the situation in Shan State during a meeting of the Asia-Oceania Working Party on 25 May. The UK underlined the importance of the EU following the situation closely and standing ready to urge constraint.
Burma
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports they have received that the Burmese Army is launching military attacks against civilians in Shan State, Burma; and what is their response to the reports.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government are deeply concerned that the reported breakdown of a ceasefire agreement with the Shan State Army North has led to renewed conflict in Shan State. We have received reports which allege that the Burmese army has attacked local communities, whom they suspect of assisting the armed groups, and perpetuated human rights abuses. We understand that the fighting is taking place in the north-central area of Shan State, which is difficult to access and as such the information is hard to verify. In a Security Council debate on 10 May we called upon all armed actors, including the Burmese army and ethnic militia, to protect the civilian population. The Government secured a strongly worded human rights resolution at the March UN Human Rights Council which called on the Burmese Government to end continuing grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including the targeting of civilians in conflict areas. The UK also highlighted our serious concern during a meeting with other EU member states on 25 May.
Burma
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, either on their own or in collaboration with other states and international organisations, to secure the release of 250 Buddhist monks detained in Burma.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The unconditional release of Burma's over 2,000 political prisoners, including at least 200 Buddhist monks, is an important benchmark by which the UK judges the Burmese Government. We raise our concerns at their continued detention and press for their release with Burma's leaders at every opportunity. In their meeting with the new Burmese ambassador to the United Kingdom on 5 May 2011, senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials urged Burma to release all political prisoners. Our ambassador to Rangoon reiterated this message during meetings with Burmese Ministers on 10 May 2011.
Buses
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost to date of the Competition Commission's Local Bus Services Inquiry; and what is their estimate of the cost to (a) the industry, and (b) local authorities, in responding to this inquiry.
Baroness Wilcox: The costs to date incurred by the Competition Commission (CC) on the bus market inquiry are approximately £2 million. These are direct cost only.
The CC has no estimates for the costs of (a) and (b) in responding to this inquiry.
Care Homes
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether vulnerable elderly people occupying their care homes under a licence can be required to leave at four weeks notice; and whether it is permissible for an individual to be required to leave a care home on account of their personal beliefs.
Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to the response I gave him on 12 May (Official Report, cols. WA231-2).
China
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Government of China about the detention of the artist Ai Weiwei.
Lord Howell of Guildford: On 4 April 2011 the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a public statement outlining our concerns (http://ukinegyptSco.gov.ulden/news/?view-News&id=579056182). His statement called on the Chinese Government to clarify Mr Ai's situation and expressed the hope that he would be released immediately.
On 11 April 2011 my right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister raised Mr Ai's case when he met Shanghai Party Secretary and Politburo Standing Committee member, Yu Zhengsheng. The Minister of State, my right honourable friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne), wrote to the Chinese ambassador regarding Ai's case and other human rights issues on 3 May 2011. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and Minister of State, my right honourable friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne), also raised Mr Ai's case with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying when she visited London on 12 May 2011. We will continue to monitor closely developments in Mr Ai's case and look for further opportunities to raise our concerns.
China: Human Rights
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the transparency of the United Kingdom-China human rights dialogue; and what impact they attribute to transparency in promoting the effectiveness of the dialogue.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office values the experience and expertise of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and other civil society organisations and the input they can provide to our human rights work. The Minister of State, my honourable friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne), met a group of NGOs specialising in China human rights issues in October 2010 and he has agreed to hold these meetings on a more regular basis, particularly in advance of future UK-China human rights dialogues. The meetings will provide the NGOs with a forum to raise suggestions and concerns in the context of the dialogue.
China: Human Rights
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to broaden the United Kingdom-China human rights dialogue to involve expert non-governmental organisations, representatives from civil society in the United Kingdom and representatives of the Tibetan and Uyghur communities in exile.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office values the experience and expertise of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other civil society organisations and the input they provide to our human rights work. The UK delegation to the most recent round of the dialogue in January 2011 included representatives from UK civil society and academia, who participated in both the expert workshop and the main plenary.
The Minister of State, my honourable friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne), met a group of NGOs specialising in China human rights issues in October 2010 and he has agreed to hold these meetings on a more regular basis, particularly in advance of future UK-China Human Rights dialogues. The meetings will provide NGOs with a forum to feed in ideas and raise concerns in the context of the dialogue.
China: Human Rights
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what benchmarks they use to assess progress in the United Kingdom-China human rights dialogue; whether such benchmarks and the details of subjects discussed are published; and, if not, why not.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK-China Human Rights dialogue is a key part of our engagement with China on human rights. The dialogue focuses on building long-term momentum for change. In each round of the UK-China Human Rights dialogue we aim to build on the key principles which underpin respect for human rights, and on the areas China will need to address in order to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This includes the rights of detainees, migrant rights, capital punishment, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, the situation in Tibet and Xinjiang, and co-operation with international human rights mechanisms.
We seek to be as transparent as possible in our human rights work. However, the effective conduct of the UK's international relations depends upon maintaining the trust and confidence of other governments. Our aim in the UK-China Human Rights dialogue is to achieve a free and frank exchange of information between the two governments and their experts. These exchanges are based on the understanding that they will be treated in confidence.
China: Human Rights
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the next round of United Kingdom-China Human Rights dialogue will take place; and what issues and cases they intend to raise.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We have not yet agreed dates for the next round of the UK-China Human Rights dialogue with China.
Although topics for the dialogue have not yet been decided, we aim in each round to build on the key principles which underpin respect for human rights, and on the areas China will need to address in order to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). We also raise individual cases of concern.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to put in place safeguards to protect people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis who are unable to work from being pressurised into unsuitable work or work-related activity prematurely when such a return to activity could be detrimental to their health.
Lord Freud: We recognise chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis can be severely disabling. Where a disability or health condition makes it unreasonable for a person to work we commit to support them. The right benefit in such cases is employment and support allowance (ESA). Those with the most severe functional limitations will be placed in the support group, with no conditionality/work related activity requirements.
People with limited capability for work will be placed in the work-related activity group. These individuals may be required to undertake work-related activity, which an adviser will discuss with them and will be detailed in their action plan. Work-related activity (WRA) may include work focused interviews (WFI) and other activities-for example, undertaking a training course or preparing a CV. Any activity the claimant is required to undertake must be reasonable in their circumstances. Advisers have the discretion to not impose work-related activity as they see fit. The purpose of work-related activity is to be of help to a claimant. Through these flexibilities we empowered advisers to support a wide variety of people, many of whom may have fluctuating conditions. At no time can an ESA customer be directed to seek, apply for or do work, nor to undertake medical treatment.
Safeguards are important for all ESA claimants rather than being condition specific. ESA customers have the right to ask for an activity to be reconsidered if they feel it is unreasonable. The reconsideration is undertaken by a Jobcentre Plus decision-maker. Customers also have the right of appeal, which is dealt with by an appeals tribunal.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the disruption to specialist services for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis patients resulting from changes to the distribution of funding from primary care trusts' baseline budgets to the NHS bundle.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will designate chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis as a reportable health condition in order to obtain robust collection of data on (a) the number of children, young people and adults with the condition, (b) the degrees of severity of the condition, (c) demographic data, and (d) hereditability.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will commission research into the advice given to patients suffering significant viral or bacterial infections in order to prevent the incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Earl Howe: Specialist services for those with chronic fatigue syndrome/ myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) are funded from primary care trust budgets. There are no plans to fund these services from the National Health Service bundle.
The department's position remains that the administrative burden on clinicians and others of the notification system means that it should be used only for a relatively small number of infectious diseases where monitoring is clinically necessary to identify sources of infection and control the spread, rather than be imposed as a means of collecting statistical information on the incidence and prevalence of specific conditions.
The Government have no plans to commission such research. The cause of CFS/ME is unknown, and it is therefore unknown what factors are responsible for the incidence of this medical condition.
The Medical Research Council has recently confirmed a commitment of up to £1.5 million to support research into the causes of CFS/ME. The new funding call will focus on six priority areas which have been identified by leading experts in the research community.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 22 May 2011 (WA 372), how treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis patients will be protected in the event of closure of a National Health Service hospital providing healthcare facilities to patients with CFS/ME from all parts of the United Kingdom; and who is responsible for safeguarding the treatment.
Earl Howe: It is the responsibility of individual primary care trusts to commission appropriate services to meet the needs of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Civil Partnerships
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have registered a civil partnership in each year in each local authority area up until the last year for which records are available.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Kennedy of Southwark, dated June 2011.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people have registered a civil partnership in each year in each local authority area up until the last year for which records are available. [HL9614]
The attached table shows the number of civil partnerships taking place in the UK by area of formation between 2005, the year the Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force, and 2009, the latest year for which figures are available. Figures are presented by regions, counties, London boroughs, metropolitan districts and unitary authorities for England; unitary authorities within Wales; council areas within Scotland; and health trusts within Northern Ireland. Figures are not available for non-metropolitan districts in England.
Background Notes:
1. Figures are presented using area of formation and not area of usual residence and relate only to civil partnerships taking place in the constituent countries of the UK.
2. Civil partnership statistics do not include civil partnerships of UK residents taking place abroad, but do include non-UK residents who form a partnership in the UK.
3. Figures for England and Wales are based on date of formation-the date on which the civil partnership took place. Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are based on date of registration -the date the civil partnership was entered onto the registration system. This date may be the same as the date of formation or a later date.
4. Figures are not available for non-metropolitan districts in England because this information is not available from the formation authority field used to compile civil partnership statistics by area.
5. The figures in the table are published for 2007 to 2009 at http://www.statistics.qov.uk/statbase/Product.asp? vInk=14675 and available upon request for 2005 and 2006.
Civil Partnerships by area of formation, year and sex
United Kingdom, 2005-2009
United Kingdom by Countries and, Within England, Regions, Counties, London Boroughs, Metropolitan Districts and Unitary Authorities; Unitary Authorities Within Wales; Council Areas Within Scotland; and Health Trusts Within Northern Ireland 20051 2006 2007 2008 20092
Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female
United Kingdom 1,953 1,287 666 16,106 9,648 6458 8,728 4,770 3,958 7,169 3,824 3,345 6,281 3,227 3,054
England 1,790 1,195 595 14,383 8,718 5665 7,635 4,242 3,393 6,276 3,399 2,877 5,443 2,850 2,593
North East 67 36 31 448 232 216 256 113 143 197 82 115 183 68 115
County Durham UA3 .. .. .. 79 48 31 46 22 24 40 19 21 24 9 15
Darlington UA .. .. .. 26 13 13 9 2 7 13 5 8 11 3 8
Hartlepool UA .. .. .. 8 2 6 4 2 2 5 2 3 3 - 3
Middlesbrough UA .. .. .. 35 14 21 18 6 12 12 3 9 10 3 7
Northumberland UA4 .. .. .. 44 17 27 25 12 13 21 9 12 30 11 19
Redcar and Cleveland UA .. .. .. 17 8 9 6 2 4 6 1 5 13 4 9
Stockton-On-Tees UA .. .. .. 21 10 11 10 7 3 8 2 6 5 4 1
Tyne and Wear (Met County) .. .. .. 218 120 98 138 60 78 92 41 51 87 34 53
Gateshead .. .. .. 45 30 15 29 13 16 19 7 12 12 5 7
Newcastle Upon Tyne .. .. .. 107 61 46 64 26 38 45 24 21 43 22 21
North Tyneside .. .. .. 36 12 24 19 8 11 9 5 4 10 - 10
South Tyneside .. .. .. 8 4 4 6 2 4 5 2 3 10 4 6
Sunderland .. .. .. 22 13 9 20 11 9 14 3 11 12 3 9
North West 160 95 65 1,565 838 727 874 447 427 704 332 372 597 283 314
Blackburn With Darwen UA .. .. .. 26 12 14 22 7 15 9 2 7 9 1 8
Blackpool UA .. .. .. 155 95 60 77 44 33 56 32 24 49 26 23
Cheshire East UA5 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 32 12 20
Cheshire West and Chester UA6 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 25 13 12
Halton UA .. .. .. 17 2 15 6 1 5 9 6 3 9 5 4
Warrington UA .. .. .. 28 10 18 14 5 9 5 1 4 5 2 3
Cumbria .. .. .. 104 48 56 78 29 49 69 26 43 52 24 28
Greater Manchester (Met County) .. .. .. 680 396 284 352 196 156 317 159 158 244 119 125
Bolton .. .. .. 45 19 26 19 6 13 25 10 15 20 9 11
Bury .. .. .. 30 16 14 17 7 10 16 6 10 10 2 8
Manchester .. .. .. 319 192 127 168 114 54 159 94 65 117 69 48
Oldham .. .. .. 23 13 10 18 6 12 15 7 8 10 6 4
Rochdale .. .. .. 40 20 20 18 4 14 13 1 12 13 4 9
Salford .. .. .. 64 42 22 22 8 14 25 14 11 17 8 9
Stockport .. .. .. 50 32 18 28 13 15 25 10 15 13 7 6
Tameside .. .. .. 26 10 16 19 14 5 10 4 6 7 1 6
Trafford .. .. .. 55 35 20 26 14 12 12 7 5 14 5 9
Wigan .. .. .. 28 17 11 17 10 7 17 6 11 23 8 15
Lancashire .. .. .. 196 90 106 122 52 70 86 31 55 76 33 43
Merseyside (Met County) .. .. .. 229 116 113 128 68 60 82 44 38 96 48 48
Knowsley .. .. .. 10 4 6 10 5 5 6 2 4 2 1 1
Liverpool .. .. .. 108 59 49 58 35 23 40 24 16 53 23 30
Sefton .. .. .. 48 25 23 19 13 6 8 7 1 17 10 7
St.Helens .. .. .. 18 6 12 11 3 8 8 2 6 10 3 7
Wirral .. .. .. 45 22 23 30 12 18 20 9 11 14 11 3
Former County of Cheshire7 .. .. .. 130 69 61 75 45 30 71 31 40 .. .. ..
Yorkshire and the Humber 146 79 67 1,111 531 580 605 250 355 496 211 285 400 146 254
East Riding of Yorkshire UA .. .. .. 48 22 26 26 12 14 30 14 16 23 8 15
Kingston Upon Hull, City of UA .. .. .. 52 34 18 21 7 14 24 8 16 18 7 11
North East Lincolnshire UA .. .. .. 24 10 14 12 4 8 18 6 12 7 3 4
North Lincolnshire UA .. .. .. 18 7 11 11 2 9 16 7 9 5 3 2
York UA .. .. .. 111 50 61 48 16 32 36 19 17 27 5 22
North Yorkshire .. .. .. 153 81 72 87 39 48 68 32 36 53 20 33
South Yorkshire (Met County) .. .. .. 234 100 134 150 61 89 120 45 75 108 31 77
Barnsley .. .. .. 25 9 16 23 11 12 28 9 19 23 5 18
Doncaster .. .. .. 47 20 27 35 5 30 21 7 14 26 8 18
Rotherham .. .. .. 32 13 19 24 7 17 10 3 7 11 4 7
Sheffield .. .. .. 130 58 72 68 38 30 61 26 35 48 14 34
West Yorkshire (Met County) .. .. .. 471 227 244 250 109 141 184 80 104 159 69 90
Bradford .. .. .. 65 27 38 33 14 19 35 11 24 29 9 20
Calderdale .. .. .. 64 28 36 36 11 25 19 11 8 25 8 17
Kirklees .. .. .. 77 49 28 42 21 21 25 9 16 23 11 12
Leeds .. .. .. 187 89 98 104 46 58 77 39 38 61 31 30
Wakefield .. .. .. 78 34 44 35 17 18 28 10 18 21 10 11
East Midlands 133 66 67 877 429 448 450 203 247 405 179 226 356 134 222
Derby UA .. .. .. 61 34 27 25 11 14 33 16 17 19 4 15
Leicester UA .. .. .. 63 32 31 37 20 17 35 22 13 19 6 13
Nottingham UA .. .. .. 115 68 47 43 18 25 29 15 14 37 15 22
Rutland UA .. .. .. 14 9 5 5 2 3 14 3 11 3 - 3
Derbyshire .. .. .. 127 49 78 71 19 52 62 24 38 56 24 32
Leicestershire .. .. .. 108 47 61 51 22 29 53 22 31 39 10 29
Lincolnshire .. .. .. 103 57 46 68 38 30 59 25 34 58 24 34
Northamptonshire .. .. .. 143 68 75 69 37 32 55 29 26 46 22 24
Nottinghamshire .. .. .. 143 65 78 81 36 45 65 23 42 79 29 50
West Midlands 119 79 40 957 526 431 520 262 258 444 212 232 363 169 194
Herefordshire, County of UA .. .. .. 38 26 12 22 12 10 21 12 9 14 6 8
Shropshire UA8 .. .. .. 62 33 29 39 17 22 35 15 20 20 8 12
Stoke-on-Trent UA .. .. .. 34 16 18 14 8 6 21 10 11 14 4 10
Telford and Wrekin UA .. .. .. 38 15 23 18 6 12 18 6 12 14 6 8
Staffordshire .. .. .. 138 66 72 95 39 56 65 25 40 62 24 38
Warwickshire .. .. .. 107 56 51 57 31 26 62 35 27 49 23 26
West Midlands (Met County) .. .. .. 426 247 179 224 128 96 179 95 84 167 84 83
Birmingham .. .. .. 239 147 92 129 73 56 86 48 38 103 60 43
Coventry .. .. .. 52 28 24 25 17 8 27 16 11 16 9 7
Dudley .. .. .. 36 17 19 20 9 11 19 8 11 17 3 14
Sandwell .. .. .. 27 14 13 12 9 3 11 5 6 6 1 5
Solihull .. .. .. 25 12 13 6 3 3 11 5 6 7 2 5
Walsall .. .. .. 13 7 6 16 8 8 10 4 6 9 5 4
Wolverhampton .. .. .. 34 22 12 16 9 7 15 9 6 9 4 5
Worcestershire .. .. .. 114 67 47 51 21 30 43 14 29 23 14 9
East 142 93 49 1,191 650 541 639 313 326 518 234 284 465 212 253
Bedford UA9 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 5 9
Central Bedfordshire UA10 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 16 7 9
Luton UA .. .. .. 24 13 11 14 5 9 18 9 9 7 5 2
Peterborough UA .. .. .. 39 20 19 18 7 11 22 6 16 10 4 6
Southend-On-Sea UA .. .. .. 62 33 29 27 19 8 15 5 10 17 9 8
Thurrock UA .. .. .. 13 8 5 7 2 5 7 3 4 9 3 6
Cambridgeshire .. .. .. 164 87 77 78 37 41 72 37 35 70 30 40
Essex .. .. .. 210 106 104 110 49 61 103 51 52 98 48 50
Hertfordshire .. .. .. 204 105 99 116 60 56 92 35 57 74 41 33
Norfolk .. .. .. 242 139 103 145 76 69 87 37 50 81 36 45
Suffolk .. .. .. 166 95 71 92 46 46 66 35 31 69 24 45
Former County of Bedfordshire11 .. .. .. 67 44 23 32 12 20 36 16 20 .. .. ..
London 469 371 98 4,019 3,058 961 2,110 1,545 565 1,729 1,271 458 1,545 1,134 411
Inner London .. .. .. 2,804 2,207 597 1,484 1,139 345 1,229 948 281 1,143 882 261
Camden .. .. .. 222 177 45 106 80 26 97 75 22 95 77 18
City of London .. .. .. 15 12 3 9 8 1 7 5 2 4 3 1
Hackney .. .. .. 122 69 53 68 38 30 67 37 30 52 36 16
Hammersmith and Fulham .. .. .. 125 102 23 55 44 11 39 29 10 51 43 8
Haringey .. .. .. 94 60 34 40 32 8 38 31 7 35 26 9
Islington .. .. .. 320 226 94 189 129 60 140 96 44 133 98 35
Kensington and Chelsea .. .. .. 409 346 63 195 162 33 147 120 27 140 107 33
Lambeth .. .. .. 208 162 46 98 77 21 92 77 15 92 75 17
Lewisham .. .. .. 114 79 35 51 34 17 57 39 18 42 32 10
Newham .. .. .. 53 38 15 39 30 9 23 18 5 19 13 6
Southwark .. .. .. 208 161 47 119 88 31 96 78 18 93 71 22
Tower Hamlets .. .. .. 136 123 13 74 62 12 62 53 9 52 49 3
Wandsworth .. .. .. 212 174 38 100 64 36 82 56 26 93 70 23
Westminster .. .. .. 566 478 88 341 291 50 282 234 48 242 182 60
Outer London .. .. .. 1,215 851 364 626 406 220 500 323 177 402 252 150
Barking and Dagenham .. .. .. 12 6 6 10 6 4 6 3 3 8 3 5
Barnet .. .. .. 70 49 21 42 25 17 31 19 12 23 14 9
Bexley .. .. .. 28 17 11 20 9 11 24 5 19 14 5 9
Brent .. .. .. 59 39 20 22 17 5 19 15 4 25 22 3
Bromley .. .. .. 56 36 20 35 19 16 22 10 12 25 17 8
Croydon .. .. .. 97 68 29 34 22 12 32 27 5 32 14 18
Ealing .. .. .. 107 84 23 69 47 22 40 32 8 29 20 9
Enfield .. .. .. 46 30 16 27 15 12 30 22 8 11 5 6
Greenwich .. .. .. 82 61 21 53 37 16 44 30 14 35 25 10
Harrow .. .. .. 48 31 17 12 10 2 17 8 9 7 5 2
Havering .. .. .. 28 12 16 18 7 11 12 5 7 14 6 8
Hillingdon .. .. .. 50 34 16 23 12 11 15 11 4 9 5 4
Hounslow .. .. .. 66 53 13 30 24 6 18 13 5 20 12 8
Kingston Upon Thames .. .. .. 56 43 13 29 21 8 23 16 7 23 15 8
Merton .. .. .. 87 70 17 33 22 11 34 27 7 32 23 9
Redbridge .. .. .. 42 31 11 13 8 5 14 10 4 13 9 4
Richmond Upon Thames .. .. .. 157 116 41 85 61 24 73 51 22 45 27 18
Sutton .. .. .. 34 18 16 18 11 7 8 3 5 11 5 6
Waltham Forest .. .. .. 90 53 37 53 33 20 38 16 22 26 20 6
South East 331 213 118 2,708 1,602 1106 1,419 738 681 1,147 588 559 1,004 471 533
Bracknell Forest UA .. .. .. 23 14 9 3 2 1 10 6 4 8 6 2
Brighton and Hove UA .. .. .. 636 416 220 321 199 122 274 158 116 232 123 109
Isle of Wight UA .. .. .. 42 24 18 17 6 11 8 3 5 11 4 7
Medway UA .. .. .. 22 14 8 34 12 22 21 11 10 17 6 11
Milton Keynes UA .. .. .. 57 31 26 21 9 12 36 21 15 14 7 7
Portsmouth UA .. .. .. 85 42 43 53 27 26 46 22 24 49 18 31
Reading UA .. .. .. 53 29 24 27 17 10 29 19 10 16 9 7
Slough UA .. .. .. 15 11 4 10 6 4 6 4 2 4 3 1
Southampton UA .. .. .. 81 52 29 47 26 21 33 16 17 34 16 18
West Berkshire UA .. .. .. 26 13 13 10 3 7 14 6 8 14 4 10
Windsor and Maidenhead UA .. .. .. 64 45 19 39 24 15 27 18 9 20 14 6
Wokingham UA .. .. .. 29 16 13 12 7 5 11 5 6 10 5 5
Buckinghamshire .. .. .. 67 34 33 41 18 23 31 12 19 30 9 21
East Sussex .. .. .. 212 117 95 124 68 56 73 38 35 83 39 44
Hampshire .. .. .. 260 141 119 136 46 90 119 44 75 90 33 57
Kent .. .. .. 343 207 136 194 93 101 167 86 81 129 53 76
Oxfordshire .. .. .. 198 109 89 91 42 49 68 34 34 84 40 44
Surrey .. .. .. 267 154 113 142 77 65 80 42 38 86 43 43
West Sussex .. .. .. 228 133 95 97 56 41 94 43 51 73 39 34
South West 223 163 60 1,507 852 655 762 371 391 636 290 346 530 233 297
Bath and North East Somerset UA .. .. .. 86 50 36 35 17 18 34 18 16 36 24 12
Bournemouth UA .. .. .. 163 129 34 60 41 19 49 31 18 34 20 14
Bristol, City of UA .. .. .. 178 108 70 85 44 41 73 42 31 60 33 27
Cornwall UA and Isles of Scilly UA12 .. .. .. 160 74 86 85 30 55 62 17 45 69 25 44
North Somerset UA .. .. .. 45 30 15 18 10 8 24 8 16 16 8 8
Plymouth UA .. .. .. 60 25 35 42 22 20 40 13 27 22 10 12
Poole UA .. .. .. 69 46 23 27 14 13 19 16 3 19 9 10
South Gloucestershire UA .. .. .. 34 17 17 17 7 10 18 9 9 17 3 14
Swindon UA .. .. .. 43 18 25 23 13 10 19 7 12 14 3 11
Torbay UA .. .. .. 72 51 21 38 22 16 31 15 16 21 10 11
Wiltshire UA13 .. .. .. 88 43 45 55 30 25 40 21 19 34 9 25
Devon .. .. .. 191 100 91 93 47 46 85 41 44 65 26 39
Dorset .. .. .. 88 42 46 55 16 39 29 14 15 24 8 16
Gloucestershire .. .. .. 141 73 68 88 46 42 72 24 48 59 20 39
Somerset .. .. .. 89 46 43 41 12 29 41 14 27 40 25 15
Wales 67 33 34 560 285 275 294 129 165 282 137 145 244 112 132
Isle of Anglesey .. .. .. 4 - 4 4 1 3 3 2 1 2 - 2
Gwynedd .. .. .. 23 14 9 12 6 6 17 9 8 11 7 4
Conwy .. .. .. 29 15 14 15 8 7 18 9 9 10 7 3
Denbighshire .. .. .. 16 5 11 7 3 4 14 3 11 7 2 5
Flintshire .. .. .. 20 6 14 7 3 4 11 6 5 10 5 5
Wrexham .. .. .. 21 12 9 13 8 5 7 2 5 8 3 5
Powys .. .. .. 38 26 12 13 3 10 10 5 5 13 4 9
Ceredigion .. .. .. 18 5 13 5 1 4 4 2 2 5 2 3
Pembrokeshire .. .. .. 25 13 12 6 3 3 8 5 3 8 1 7
Carmarthenshire .. .. .. 19 9 10 11 5 6 10 6 4 21 8 13
Swansea .. .. .. 60 27 33 27 10 17 21 12 9 23 9 14
Neath Port Talbot .. .. .. 14 3 11 8 5 3 10 5 5 8 3 5
Bridgend .. .. .. 18 7 11 10 5 5 13 6 7 11 3 8
Vale of Glamorgan .. .. .. 29 18 11 18 5 13 16 7 9 12 5 7
Cardiff .. .. .. 118 74 44 62 35 27 66 30 36 49 30 19
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff .. .. .. 23 9 14 12 2 10 9 5 4 10 5 5
Merthyr Tydfil .. .. .. 6 5 1 5 4 1 3 - 3 2 - 2
Caerphilly .. .. .. 21 6 15 15 3 12 7 3 4 8 5 3
Blaenau Gwent .. .. .. 5 4 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 - 1
Torfaen .. .. .. 7 4 3 6 1 5 2 - 2 4 3 1
Monmouthshire .. .. .. 18 8 10 13 7 6 13 8 5 9 3 6
Newport .. .. .. 28 15 13 23 10 13 18 11 7 12 7 5
Scotland 84 53 31 1,047 580 467 688 339 349 525 245 280 498 219 279
Aberdeen City .. .. .. 36 22 14 26 8 18 11 6 5 14 7 7
Aberdeenshire .. .. .. 25 16 9 16 9 7 9 2 7 8 5 3
Angus .. .. .. 8 3 5 8 5 3 7 3 4 2 1 1
Argyll & Bute .. .. .. 30 12 18 14 9 5 11 3 8 16 6 10
Clackmannanshire .. .. .. 4 2 2 - - - 5 2 3 - - -
Dumfries & Galloway .. .. .. 47 17 30 49 15 34 65 17 48 43 7 36
Dundee City .. .. .. 22 13 9 15 7 8 11 6 5 9 2 7
East Ayrshire .. .. .. 8 4 4 2 1 1 3 - 3 5 2 3
East Dunbartonshire .. .. .. 8 5 3 9 5 4 6 3 3 1 - 1
East Lothian .. .. .. 21 13 8 10 5 5 7 3 4 10 5 5
East Renfrewshire .. .. .. 8 4 4 4 1 3 6 2 4 7 5 2
Edinburgh, City of .. .. .. 310 174 136 190 105 85 134 74 60 122 57 65
Eilean Siar .. .. .. - - - - - - - - - 1 1 -
Falkirk .. .. .. 7 3 4 6 4 2 14 5 9 8 2 6
Fife .. .. .. 50 30 20 38 14 24 18 9 9 22 11 11
Glasgow City .. .. .. 226 144 82 152 88 64 119 72 47 111 63 48
Highland .. .. .. 54 25 29 18 3 15 14 8 6 23 9 14
Inverclyde .. .. .. 5 3 2 4 1 3 1 - 1 6 1 5
Midlothian .. .. .. 7 2 5 7 4 3 4 - 4 4 2 2
Moray .. .. .. 9 6 3 6 5 1 5 2 3 3 - 3
North Ayrshire .. .. .. 19 12 7 13 5 8 7 6 1 10 5 5
North Lanarkshire .. .. .. 19 8 11 4 2 2 4 1 3 7 2 5
Orkney Islands .. .. .. 1 1 - - - - 2 - 2 - - -
Perth & Kinross .. .. .. 28 15 13 14 6 8 13 3 10 10 5 5
Renfrewshire .. .. .. 6 3 3 7 4 3 2 1 1 4 4 -
Scottish Borders .. .. .. 17 12 5 17 7 10 11 6 5 13 4 9
Shetland .. .. .. - - - - - - 1 1 - - - -
South Ayrshire .. .. .. 17 7 10 15 8 7 7 1 6 3 1 2
South Lanarkshire .. .. .. 10 6 4 13 4 9 10 4 6 16 6 10
Stirling .. .. .. 20 11 9 13 5 8 8 3 5 10 3 7
West Dunbartonshire .. .. .. 7 2 5 8 6 2 4 - 4 5 1 4
West Lothian .. .. .. 18 5 13 10 3 7 6 2 4 5 2 3
Northern Ireland 12 6 6 116 65 51 111 60 51 86 43 43 96 46 50
Belfast14 .. .. .. .. .. .. 72 42 30 48 24 24 63 37 26
Northern15 .. .. .. 9 2 7 4 2 2 6 2 4 7 2 5
South Eastern16 .. .. .. .. .. .. 9 5 4 9 8 1 9 4 5
Southern17 .. .. .. 8 5 3 11 4 7 10 4 6 4 - 4
Western18 .. .. .. 14 7 7 15 7 8 13 5 8 13 3 10
Former Eastern Health Board19 .. .. .. 85 51 34 81 47 34 57 32 25 72 41 31
Note
In this table
- Denotes nil, and
.. Denotes not available
1. The Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force on 5 December 2005 in the UK, the first day couples could give notice of their intention to form a civil partnership. The first day that couples could normally form a partnership was 19 December 2005 in Northern Ireland, 20 December 2005 in Scotland and 21 December 2005 in England and Wales. Due to the small numbers in 2005 a further breakdown by area for is not available.
2. Figures for Northern Ireland and the UK for 2009 are provisional.
3. County Durham UA comprises the former Durham county.
4. Northumberland UA comprises the former Northumberland county.
5. Cheshire East UA comprises the former districts of Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich and Macclesfield (abolished 2009).
6. Cheshire West and Chester UA comprise the former districts of Chester, Ellesmere Port & Neston and Vale Royal (abolished 2009).
7. The former county of Cheshire is the area covered by the current unitary authorities of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester created on 1 April 2009.
8. Shropshire UA comprises the former Shropshire county.
9. Bedford UA comprises the former district of Bedford (abolished 2009).
10. Central Bedfordshire UA comprises the former districts of Mid Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire (abolished 2009).
11. The former county of Bedfordshire is the area covered by the unitary authorities of Bedford and Central Bedfordshire created on 1 April 2009.
12. Cornwall UA and the Isles of Scilly UA comprise the former Cornwall and Isles of Scilly county. The Isles of Scilly were recoded on 1 April 2009. They are separately administered by an Isles of Scilly council and do not form part of Cornwall UA but, for the purposes of the presentation of statistical data, they have been combined with Cornwall UA.
13. Wiltshire UA comprises the former county of Wiltshire.
14. Belfast health trust comprises the council areas of Belfast and Castlereagh.
15. Northern health trust comprises the Northern health board.
16. South Eastern health trust comprises the council areas of Ards, Down, Lisburn and North Down.
17. Southern health trust comprises the Southern health board.
18. Western health trust comprises the Western health board.
19. The Eastern health board is the area covered by the current Belfast and South Eastern health trusts.
Sources: Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Cornwall: Stannary Law
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 11 May (WA 213), whether stannary law can still be used in appropriate courts in Cornwall.
Lord McNally: There is no special status for legislation which applies to Cornwall or to Cornish localities. There were provisions in 19th century primary legislation relating to the stannaries, but these have largely been repealed. Stannary customary law was formerly enforced through the Stannaries Court, but that court was abolished and its jurisdiction transferred to the county courts of Cornwall in consequence of the Stannaries Court (Abolition) Act 1896. That body of customary law has not been systematically repealed but it is likely that such law has been superseded by modern legislation.
Crown Prosecution Service
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Verma on 12 May, what parliamentary scrutiny has taken place over the decision to transfer responsibility for charging from the Crown Prosecution Service back to the police for some offences.
Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The chief executive of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) explained the transfer of responsibility to the police, for charging in certain further offences, when he gave evidence to the House of Commons Justice Select Committee in January 2011. The issue of statutory charging has also been raised in a number of Parliamentary Questions during recent years.
Under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, the CPS was given the power to charge, although the police retained the responsibility to charge in the more minor cases, which made up around two-thirds of the overall casework. The detailed division of responsibility for charging is set out in the Director of Public Prosecutions' Guidance on Charging, which is regularly updated. Since implementation, the issue of statutory charging has been the subject of review, most recently in the reports on police bureaucracy from Sir Ronnie Flanagan and Jan Berry. The Association of Chief Police Officers and the CPS agreed a programme of work in response and this included piloting the return of certain further offences to the police in 2010. The pilots were subject to a careful evaluation process that concluded in agreement to a national rollout, which will be completed at the end of June this year. The Home Secretary recently announced that further cases are to be returned to the police to charge following agreement between the CPS and ACPO. This will be the subject of a further pilot and evaluation. It is important to note that the CPS will remain responsible for the charging decision in the most serious and complex cases, and all cases charged by the police will be reviewed by the CPS following charge in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the incidence of violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The situation for women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains a serious concern and we monitor the situation closely. Women continue to face unacceptably high levels of sexual violence with limited access to justice and healthcare as reported by non-governmental organisations and UN agencies. The UK has published its National Action Plan to address women, peace and security issues in the DRC. We continue to urge the Government of the DRC to implement fully President Kabila's zero tolerance policy on perpetrators of sexual violence. The most recent quarterly update to Human Rights and Democracy: The 2010 FCO Report notes a welcome increase in convictions for perpetrators of human rights violations in the DRC, but it remains on our list of human rights countries of concern.
Diplomatic Missions: Unpaid Parking Fines
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much is owed by each diplomatic delegation in London in unpaid parking fines and congestion charge payments.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), is to table information on unpaid parking fines and congestion charge payments in June 2011, as part of the annual Written Ministerial Statement on offences and debts.
Disabled People
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure wide consultation with disabled people and their organisations on the report on implementation in the United Kingdom of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People; and what other action they are considering.
Lord Freud: The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) co-ordinates the Government's progress report on implementation of the convention, from regular meetings with a group of disabled people's organisations, chaired by the UK Disabled People's Council (UKDPC), and from a virtual network of other disabled people's organisations. ODI has worked with government departments and the devolved Administrations to consider the issues that these organisations raised when preparing their contributions to the draft report, and in their future work.
On 16 May a draft report was placed on ODI's website for public comment, and informed disabled people's organisations and other stakeholders about it. Government departments and the devolved Administrations will review their contributions to the report in the light of the views expressed.
Drugs: Orphan Medicines
Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the proposed national strategy for rare diseases will address the need for the research and development of orphan medicines.
Earl Howe: The Government welcome the opportunity that the 2009 European Council recommendation on a European action in the field of rare diseases presents for gathering expertise, exchanging information and best practice between member states. The department is working with the devolved Administrations and key stakeholders in developing the United Kingdom's plan for rare disease, and will ensure that the area of research and development is adequately addressed in the plan. The plan will be finalised by 2013 in line with the European Council recommendation.
The European Union Orphan Medicine Scheme already provides incentives for the development of treatments for patients with rare diseases.
Education: Careers Advice
Lord Cotter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what careers support is provided to young people who are also seeking apprenticeships.
Lord Hill of Oareford: Subject to the passage of the Education Bill, schools will be under a duty to secure access to independent careers guidance for all pupils in years 9 to 11 from September 2012. All guidance must be presented in an impartial manner and in the best interests of the pupils concerned. This summer, we will consult on extending the duty to young people up to the age of 18 studying in schools and further education institutions.
Schools will be free to determine how best to fulfil this duty based on the needs of their pupils but the careers guidance must include information on apprenticeships alongside all other 16-18 education or training options. A range of high quality sources of information on apprenticeships are widely available including those produced by the National Apprenticeship Service.
Education: Careers Advice
Lord Cotter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what careers guidance is given to those seeking employment through Job Centre Plus.
Lord Freud: Jobcentre Plus provides careers guidance as part of work focused interviews and by arranging for claimants to obtain additional advice from delivery partners. Those seeking employment are given advice on careers in the local and wider labour market, and may make use of a skills check to help them identify a suitable career. Careers guidance also includes advice on skill requirements and on how to obtain the relevant skills where appropriate.
Education: Classics
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many teachers qualified with a postgraduate certificate of education in classics in England in each year since 1990.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The available information is given in the table. This shows the number and proportion of teachers gaining qualified teacher status via postgraduate college based initial teacher training courses specialising in classics, in each year since 1998-99.
Teachers gaining qualified teacher status via postgraduate college based courses
Academic Years: 1998-99 to 2008-09
Coverage: England
Secondary ITT % teachers gaining QTS specialising in Classics
Total of which Classics
1998-99 10,640 40 0.4%
1999-00 10,320 25 0.2%
2000-01 10,660 35 0.3%
2001-02 11,330 30 0.3%
2002-03 12,380 35 0.3%
2003-04 13,880 35 0.2%
2004-05 13,650 30 0.2%
2005-06 13,600 25 0.2%
2006-07 13,170 25 0.2%
2007-08 12,340 25 0.2%
2008-09 12,300 25 0.2%
Source: TDA's Performance Profiles
1. Includes universities and other higher education institutions, SCITT and Open University but excludes employment based routes.
2. Numbers for classics have been rounded to the nearest 5, all other numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.
3. The percentage of teachers gaining QTS specialising in classics is given as a proportion of all teachers gaining QTS via secondary ITT courses.
Education: Classics
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of those qualifying with a postgraduate certificate of education in classics in England in each year since 1990 have taken their first post in (a) a state comprehensive, and (b) a fee-paying school.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The available information is given in the table. This shows the number and proportion of classics teachers who were employed in a teaching post within six months of gaining qualified teacher status (QTS).
Teachers gaining QTS via postgraduate college based courses in Classics: Employment status six months after gaining QTS
Academic Years: 1998-99 to 2008-09
Coverage: England
Teachers gaining QTS in Classics Of which (number): Of which (number):
In teaching post-maintained sector In teaching post-non-maintained sector In teaching post-sector not know Other In teaching post-maintained sector In teaching post-non-maintained sector In teaching post-sector not known Other
1998-99 40 10 24 * * 25% 60% * *
1999-00 25 * 8 8 6 35% 35% 26%
2000-01 35 6 10 5 13 18% 29% 15% 38%
2001-02 30 7 15 7 * 23% 48% 23% *
2002-03 35 6 23 * * 18% 70% * *
2003-04 35 13 13 * 5 39% 39% * 15%
2004-05 30 8 17 * 6 25% 53% * 19%
2005-06 25 8 13 * * 31% 50% * *
2006-07 25 7 20 0 0 26% 74% 0% 0%
2007-08 25 6 18 * * 22% 67% * *
2008-09 25 9 13 * * 38% 54% * *
Source: TDA's Performance Profiles
1. Includes universities and other higher education institutions, SCITT and Open University but excludes employment based routes.
2. Percentages are based in the total number of teachers gaining QTS in classics.
3. Other includes all those who are not known to be in a teaching post six months after gaining QTS.
4. Total number of teacher gaining QTS in classics has been rounded to the nearest 5.
* Less than 5, or a rate based on less than 5.
Education: Classics
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) which colleges in England offer a postgraduate certificate of education in classics, (b) how many students each trained in 2009-10, (c) how many they are training currently, and (d) how many are expected to be trained in the next academic year.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The table shows the number of postgraduate classics initial teacher training places allocated to mainstream providers in 2009-10 and 2010-11, together with the number of recruits in these years.
Mainstream providers offering postgraduate initial teacher training courses in Classics
Academic Years: 2009-10 to 2011-12
Coverage: England
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12
Number of allocated places Number of new entrants Number of allocated places Number of new entrants Number of allocated places
Total 25 30 25 30 25
University of Cambridge 15 15 15 15 10
University of Gloucestershire 0 * 0 0 0
King's College London 10 15 10 15 10
University of Buckingham 0 * 0 0 0
Source: TDA's ITT Trainee Numbers Census
1. Includes universities and other higher education institutions, SCITT and Open University but excludes employment based routes.
2. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5.
* Less than 5
Education: Girls
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to work with international partners to increase the political priority given to ensuring that girls across the world are able to complete a basic education.
Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development led international support for the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) and we continue to support UNGEI to help ensure that commitments translate into meaningful results. We also work with the World Bank and the Education For All Fast Track Initiative, in addition to co-ordinating with our donor partners and partner countries to help ensure that education, including education for girls, remains a priority.
Education: Girls
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the quality of teaching in countries in which they have a bilateral aid programme in order to ensure that more girls stay in school and complete their education.
Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development (DfID) is placing the empowerment of girls and women at the heart of the UK's development policy. An additional year of female schooling reduces the probability of child mortality by 5 to 10 per cent and increases female earnings by 10 to 20 per cent.
DfID is supporting all countries where we have education programmes to develop plans for recruiting, training and retaining teachers. DfID provides technical expertise and guidance to partner countries to help ensure that teacher training is of high quality and that teachers are responsive to the needs of all their students, especially girls.
As stated in UK Aid: Changing Lives, Delivering Results we pledge to support at least 9 million children in primary school, over half of whom will be girls, and 2 million children in secondary school by 2014.
Education: Girls
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures of education outcomes they plan to use to evaluate the success of United Kingdom efforts to ensure that more girls receive a quality education in the developing world.
Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development (DfID) is committed to helping retain girls in education through to lower secondary. Completion of a full cycle of primary education will be tracked, as a key indicator, in each of our partner countries where we have education programmes. We recognise the importance of ensuring that girls and boys are not just in school, but learning. DfID is already working with partner governments to measure early grade reading as a proxy for learning in many of the countries in which we have education programmes.
As stated in UK Aid: Changing Lives, Delivering Results we pledge to support at least 9 million children in primary school, over half of whom will be girls, and 2 million children in secondary school by 2014.
Education: Girls
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are co-ordinating with the European Union and other donors to ensure that priority is given to girls' education.
Baroness Verma: Department for International Development (DfID) Ministers and officials are in regular contact with their donor partner and European Union (EU) counterparts to help ensure that education, including education for girls, remains a high priority. DfID played a key role in the task team that drafted the EU Plan of Action on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Development. A DfID official seconded to work on education policy at the European Commission led the development of a staff working document, More and Better Education in Developing Countries.
Egypt
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Egypt regarding violence being perpetrated against the country's Coptic minority.
Lord Howell of Guildford: There were violent clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians in Egypt on 7 and 9 May 2011, leaving up to 15 dead and over 250 people injured. Peaceful demonstrations about these events were attacked on 15 May 2011 by unidentified gunmen, again resulting in injuries.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), condemned this violence in a Statement to Parliament on 16 May 2011. He called on both sides to find a peaceful resolution to their differences and welcomed the fact that many in Egypt had been appalled by the violence. The noble Baroness, Lady Ashton, issued a statement on behalf of the EU condemning the clashes on 7 May 2011.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), visited Egypt on 1-2 May 2011. He raised his concerns about the dangers of extremism and sectarianism in Egypt with the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal Tantawi, and with the Prime Minister.
Energy: Gas
Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current maximum number of days of reserves of gas stored in the United Kingdom.
Lord Marland: A simple calculation, which divides total storage capacity by average daily UK gas consumption in 2010, yields a figure of around 16.5 days of storage gas available. However this is not a meaningful figure as:
overall deliverability constraints mean that we could not meet full daily demand from storage alone on any given day, nor would we need to as we have a diverse source of gas supplies, from indigenous production to a variety of pipeline and LNG import sources;due to their physical characteristics, some storage facilities would be emptied faster than 16.5 days whereas others could provide gas for much longer than 16.5 days; andover a typical winter some facilities would be expected to replenish ensuring a greater actual capacity available than that assumed in the calculation above. The rate at which this happens is driven by the market and is therefore not included in the calculation.
Energy: Gas
Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the quantity of gas stored in reserve in the United Kingdom.
Lord Marland: Under the GB market arrangements commercial operators determine the volumes of gas held in storage.
Shippers, whose responsibility it is to ensure inputs and off-takes into the transmission system are exactly balanced, are incentivised to do so through the cash-out regime, which ensures they are charged at the system marginal price to the extent they are out of balance. Storage is one of a number of flexibility tools available to shippers to meet this balance; there are other supply side tools, such as imports from a diverse range of routes (LNG from global markets, pipeline from Norway and the Continent, domestic production) as well as demand-side measures-such as entering into interruptible contracts with their customers, or fuel-switching in the power sector. The extent to which shippers rely on any of these tools is a commercial matter, and a potential source of competitive advantage.
Government have brought forward proposals to sharpen these commercial incentives through Clause 79 of the current Energy Bill. Subject to parliamentary approval, the clause would confer on Ofgem the ability to make changes to the cash-out regime to reduce the duration, likelihood and severity of a gas supply emergency. In so doing, this should help underpin commercial demand for additional flexibility options, such as holding more gas in store.
Equality Act 2010 (Statutory Duties) Regulations 2011
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 26 April (WA 43), what aspects of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's guidance relating to the requirement on public authorities to provide information on the race, disability, gender, age breakdown and distribution of their workforces will be revised to take account of the 17 March policy review paper on those duties.
Baroness Verma: The Equality and Human Rights Commission will be revising its draft guidance comprehensively to take account of the final draft regulations, which will be laid before Parliament in due course.
EU: Eggs
Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what enforcement measures they intend to put in place to ensure that egg producers in European Union member states who will not be compliant with the 1999 European Union Directive on the welfare of laying hens by 1 January 2012 are not able to sell their products in the United Kingdom.
Lord Henley: We wish to protect compliant producers from any competitive disadvantage of illegal production in other member states or indeed the UK. The Secretary of State has urged the Commission to put additional enforcement measures in place at European Union level to prevent market disturbance.
One of the options proposed at a stakeholder meeting in Brussels in January 2011 was for the introduction of a time-limited intra-Community trade ban which would restrict the sale of eggs and egg products which continue to be produced from conventional cages after 2012 from being exported outside that member state's border. This and other options are still under consideration by the Commission's legal services.
The UK has consistently called for the ban to be implemented in 2012 with strict enforcement by the EU and we will continue to play a full part in EU discussions on a practical enforcement solution.
EU: Milk
Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the European Commission's recommendation for a dairy package which would allow member states to introduce minimum legal standards for milk contracts.
Lord Henley: We can accept much of the European Commission's Dairy Package as currently drafted. With regard to the proposals on contracts, the Government agree with the Commission that member states should be free to decide whether to make them compulsory. We can also accept the proposals on inter-branch organisations and transparency, so long as these do not create additional burden, have funding implications, or distort inter-state trade.
Under the Commission proposals, milk producers could also collaborate and set up producer organisations. This would be a good opportunity to enhance their bargaining power. As for the scale of negotiations between milk producers and processors, we would prefer to see measures based on providing greater clarity of existing competition law and what producers may do collectively, based on the concept of a relevant market, rather than the Commission's approach of exemption from competition law and limits based upon national milk production. This would enable producers to enhance their bargaining power within the existing law.
EU: Republic of Cyprus
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 13 May (WA 251), whether they are aware of any threats by the Greek Government in 2004 to veto the accession to the European Union of the countries of central and eastern Europe unless the island of Cyprus was admitted as the "Republic of Cyprus"; and whether they consider that such a threat would have constituted a breach of European Union rules.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government are not aware of any threat by the Greek Government to veto the accession to the European Union of the countries of central and eastern Europe after the Treaty of Accession was signed in 2003. Decisions to admit new member states to the EU are taken by unanimity.
Fluoridation
Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Warner on 9 October 2006 (WA 38), (a) when and in what form guidance was issued to Strategic Health Authorities about monitoring appropriate health indices relating to the effects of existing water fluoridation schemes; and (b) how many health monitoring schemes are now in operation.
Earl Howe: A duty to monitor the effects of fluoridation on persons living in areas covered by fluoridation schemes was inserted in Section 90 A of the Water Industry Act 1991 by the Water Act 2003. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) were required to publish a report on the results of the monitoring at four yearly intervals. This section of the Act was commenced in February 2009 but, as the order which applied the provisions of the Act to the existing pre-1985 fluoridation schemes was not made until March 2010, the first reports are not due until March 2014. We have just undertaken a consultation with academic experts on the indicators which might be monitored. We shall be issuing guidance to SHAs after considering the comments received. Public Health Observatories already publish health profiles with overviews of health for each local authority. These show no significant variation between the health of residents in fluoridated areas and elsewhere except that oral health is better in areas where the level of fluoride in the water supply is around the one milligram per litre level. The more detailed monitoring will build upon these findings.
Fluoridation
Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Warner on 24 March 2006 (WA 88) and Lord Darzi of Denham on 1 October 2007 (WA 146), (a) what high quality research into the association of water fluoridation with infant mortality, congenital defects, bone problems and IQ they have carried out as recommended in section 12.4 of the 2000 report of the York systematic review; and (b) which part of the Written Answer of 24 March 2006 is a quotation from the Department of Health report on Health and Human Subjects 41 in 1994, and which part forms a commitment to research, and whether they will reissue the Written Answer accordingly.
Earl Howe: Following publication of the York report, the department funded the Medical Research Council to identify areas of uncertainty regarding the balance of benefits and risks of water fluoridation, and to make appropriate recommendations for research to address these uncertainties. The department has since funded the School of Dental Sciences at Newcastle University to compare the bioavailability of fluoride in naturally fluoridated water with artificially fluoridated water. Currently, the School of Dentistry at Manchester University is investigating the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis with funds from the NHS National Institute for Health Research. We are also considering an evaluation of a new fluoridation scheme to address further recommendations in the York report to strengthen the evidence base on fluoridation. The quotation from the report on Health and Human Subjects 41 ends at "....a further wide safety margin above the more usual fluoride intakes in fluoridated areas".
Forced Marriage
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that the Forced Marriage Unit's current review considers measures to extend the statutory guidance to all agencies in all parts of the country.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The multi-agency statutory guidance for dealing with forced marriage applies to all persons and bodies in England and Wales who exercise public functions in relation to safeguarding children and adults. It also applies to third parties who exercise public functions on behalf of those persons or bodies.
The review intends to evaluate how agencies have applied the strategic principles for dealing with forced marriage as set out within the guidance, with a view to identifying patterns, good practice and possible areas for improvement.
We understand that Scotland and Northern Ireland are developing their own statutory guidance. We will share the findings of our review with them to inform their work.
Forced Marriage
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide more support to enable and encourage teachers to protect children against the risks of forced marriage; and whether they will ask Ofsted to have particular regard to the implementation of the statutory guidance on forced marriage in assessing school arrangements.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government already provide considerable support to protect children against the risk of forced marriage, which is a serious form of child abuse. The joint Home Office/Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU), which was launched in January 2005, provides advice to teachers in schools. The FMU produced statutory guidance on Forced Marriage in 2008 (revised 2010); revised multi-agency practice guidelines on handling cases of forced marriage in 2009; and supplementary guidelines on handling cases of forced marriage involving persons with learning disabilities in 2010. The guidance documents are targeted at frontline practitioners and volunteers.
In schools, the risks relating to forced marriage are principally, although not exclusively, explored within personal, social, health and economic education (PHSE). An internal review into PHSE will determine how we can support schools to improve the quality of all PHSE teaching. It is for individual schools to decide how to address forced marriage issues, according to the needs of their pupils.
The Government are committed to refocusing school inspection around the core areas of pupil achievement, teaching, leadership and behaviour safety. The issue of forced marriage may be relevant to inspectors' evaluation of schools' arrangements for keeping pupils safe. If concerns are brought to the attention of inspectors they will be expected to satisfy themselves that the school is doing everything it can to support pupils. There are no plans to ask Ofsted to consider compliance with statutory guidance on forced marriage as part of every school inspection or for forced marriage to be covered specifically as a discrete aspect of an inspection.
Foreign Country: Definition
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their definition of a foreign country.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Depending on the context and the circumstances, the term "foreign country" would normally be interpreted as meaning a country outside the UK and the Commonwealth. The term can be given a specific meaning in legislation; under the British Nationality Act 1981, Section 50(1) the term is defined for the purposes of that Act as meaning a country other than the United Kingdom, a British overseas territory, a country mentioned in Schedule 3 (Commonwealth countries) and the Republic of Ireland.
Gangmasters
The Duke of Montrose: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in each of the past three years, how many applications for a gangmaster licence have been for businesses with (a) 1-2 employees, (b) 3-5 employees, (c) 6-15 employees, and (d) over 16 employees.
Lord Henley: The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) does not hold figures for the number of workers employed by licence holders as they do not use this information when processing licence applications. However, the GLA does hold information on the size of the financial turnover in the regulated sectors for each business that holds a gangmasters licence as it is this that determines the level of the licence fee charged.
There are four licence fee bands:
Annual Turnover in the GLA regulated sector Fee Band
£10 million or more A
From £5 million to less than £10 million B
From £1 million to less than £5 million C
Less than £1 million D
For each of those bands, for each of the past three financial years, the number of licence holders (consisting of new and renewal applications) is:
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
A 13 18 17
B 22 16 20
C 172 164 152
D 1,083 1,042 979
Gangmasters
The Duke of Montrose: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will give consideration to exempting rural fencing contractors from the provisions of the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 under Section 3(5) of that act.
Lord Henley: The Government have no plans to exempt rural fencing contractors from the provisions of the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004. However, fencing contractors already benefit from an exclusion from licensing in the Gangmasters Licensing (Exclusions) Regulations 2010 provided they use directly employed workers to operate, or support the operation of powered machinery they own or lease.
Government: Ministerial Visits
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government when was the last time a Minister visited Tuvalu.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no records of a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister visiting either Nauru or Tuvalu.
Health: Cancer
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the comparative rates for the occurrence of all cancers in airline crews, farmers, and Gulf War Veterans as a percentage of the whole population within the age range 25 to 55 years for each of the past 10 years.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to the Countess of Mar dated June 2011.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question, asking what are the comparative rates for occurrence of all cancers in airline crews, farmers and Gulf War Veterans as percentage of the whole population within the age range 25 to 55 years for each of the past 10 years. [HL9624]
The information requested is not available, as occupation is not routinely recorded on individual cancer registrations.
ONS publishes figures on the comparative risk of death from various causes, including cancer, by occupational group. These reports are available on the National Statistics web site at: www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vink=1624
The Health and Safety Executive publishes information on certain cancers which are linked to occupational exposures. The latest report is available at: www.hse. gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr800.htm.
The latest published figures on the incidence of cancer in England are available on the National Statistics website at: www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme health/mbl-39/mbl-no39-2008.pdf.
Health: Chiropody
Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation governing the provision of chiropody services.
Earl Howe: There are no plans to legislate for the provision of chiropody services. It is the responsibility of local National Health Service organisations to commission services to meet the needs of their community including the provision of chiropody services. This will continue in the future.
Health: Hydrotherapy
Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the range and number of NHS hydrotherapy pools available to NHS patients; whether pools are available in all regions in England; and to what extent existing public or private pools are available for the use of NHS patients.
Earl Howe: The department does not collect data centrally on the availability of hydrotherapy treatment pools in England.
National Health Service organisations will decide locally on the provision of hydrotherapy pools based on the clinical needs of their patients. The decision will be informed by their strategies for responding to those needs and the local availability of hydrotherapy pools, both public and private.
Health: Podiatry
Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what regulation there is regarding the use of the term "podiatric surgeon" by non-qualified practitioners to advertise their services.
Earl Howe: Podiatrists are regulated by the Health Professions Council (HPC) and certain podiatrists who have completed post-registration education and training do carry out some surgical tasks. The title "podiatric surgeon" is not protected in law but should a podiatrist carry out such surgical tasks without appropriate training and experience then they are at risk of action from the HPC, for acting outside of their scope of practice. The HPC has taken such action in the past.
All healthcare professionals, including podiatrists, who perform surgery in England are required to register with the Care Quality Commission, except where providing nail surgery and nail bed procedures on any area of the foot, and the curettage, cautery or cryocautery of warts, verrucae or other skin lesions on any area of the foot.
House of Lords: Catering
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask the Chairman of Committees what the House of Lords Catering and Retail Services Department are doing to support British farmers and growers.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: Where possible, ingredients and produce used in all catering outlets in the House are sourced from the United Kingdom. Ninety per cent of all meat products come from the United Kingdom and all fish products are sourced from sustainable stocks. Fruit and vegetables are sourced from the United Kingdom when in season, although some of the popular produce has to be sourced from abroad when out of season.
House of Lords: Fair Trade Products
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask the Chairman of Committees what action the Catering and Retail Services Department of the House of Lords is taking to make maximum use of fair trade products.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: Catering and Retail Services (CRS) use a number of fair trade branded products which include the standard tea bags used in all outlets (excluding the fruit or speciality teas), drinking chocolate, sugar sachets, some chocolate confectionery products and bananas (when available from the market).
Furthermore, CRS also uses other methods of ethical sourcing. The range of finest teas served in the Peers' Dining Room is sourced from an ethically responsible supplier which gives an assurance that it uses fair trade principles. The filter, bulk brew and espresso coffee supplied to all outlets is UTZ certified, which provides an assurance of responsible coffee production. However, there are a number of coffee pod products used for speciality coffees which are not fair trade.
House of Lords: Reform
Lord Jopling: To ask the Leader of the House whether the forthcoming debate on the Government's proposals for reform of the House of Lords will end in a vote, so that it is possible for the Lords' members of the Joint Committee scrutinising the Draft Bill and White Paper to be appointed to reflect accurately the views of the House as a whole.
Lord Strathclyde: The forthcoming debate on the Government's proposals for reform of the House of Lords set out in Cm 8077 will take place on a Motion to take note of those proposals. Such Motions are usually agreed to (Companion to the Standing Orders and Guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords, Para. 6.54). The debate has been scheduled in order to provide an opportunity for those Members participating in the debate to put their views on record.
Houses of Parliament: Legislation
Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a free vote of Members of either House of Parliament is possible on a Government Bill.
Lord Strathclyde: This is not a matter for which the Government are responsible but rather a matter for each party or group.
Housing
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many claimants in Tower Hamlets are in receipt of the Shared Room Rate of Local Housing Allowance.
Lord Freud: It is estimated that in Tower Hamlets 1,150 claimants were receiving the Shared Accommodation Rate of Local Housing Allowance in March 2010.
Source: Equality Impact Assessment of the increase to the Shared Accommodation Rate age threshold, available on the DWP website at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-hb-shared-accommodation-age- threshold.pdf.
Housing
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many local housing allowance claimants living in the private rented sector in Tower Hamlets are between 25 and 35 years old.
Lord Freud: In Tower Hamlets in February 2011 there were 1,870 local housing allowance claims in the 25 to 34 age group. This includes single claimants and couples, with and without children.
Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).
Notes:
1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
2. The age of a couple is based on the elder of the claimant and their partner.
3. Recipients are as at the second Thursday of the month.
4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns.
Human Rights
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 13 May (WA 250) concerning criteria for their recognition of states, what are the international human rights obligations with which all states are expected to comply; and what action they take if a state does not comply with those obligations.
Lord Howell of Guildford: All states have obligations under the human rights treaties to which they are a party. All states are also bound by peremptory norms of international law (for example the prohibition against torture) even if they are not party to a particular treaty containing such a peremptory norm. If a state does not comply with its human rights obligations, the Government can and do, when appropriate, raise their concerns with the Government of the state concerned.
Human Rights
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what human rights issues have been discussed with the Vatican in the past 12 months.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We have a regular dialogue with the Holy See on human rights issues. Over the past 12 months our embassy to the Holy See has discussed a range of issues with their Holy See interlocutors, including questions of religious freedom, discrimination against minorities, and the rights of women.
Iraq: Camp Ashraf
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of the United States to honour the guarantees they gave as an occupying power in 2003 to the residents of Camp Ashraf in Iraq.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We have no plans to make representations to the United States of America. The United States of America handed over responsibility for Camp Ashraf to the Iraqi Government in January 2009. We and our international partners continue to monitor events in Camp Ashraf closely and we have expressed our strong concerns to the Iraqi Government about the recent events and the appalling loss of life and injury that ensued.
Israel and Palestine
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the killing of Palestinian refugees on Nakba Day by Israeli forces; and what discussions they have had with the Government of Israel regarding this.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Demonstrations took place in many countries across the Middle East on the weekend of 13-15 May 2011. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) issued a statement on 15 May 2011 expressing his concerns and regret:
"I am deeply concerned by the violence on Israel's borders today and saddened by the loss of life. I call on all parties to exercise restraint and ensure that civilian life is protected. These developments make clearer than ever that a lasting and comprehensive resolution to the conflicts in the region is urgently needed and will only be achieved through negotiation".
Javid Houtan Kian
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have about the wellbeing of the Iranian lawyer, Javid Houtan Kian.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware of reports alleging the torture of Javid Houtan Kian and his sentencing to seven years in jail with a further four-year suspended sentence. We are working to verify this information with international partners, but if true, both constitute gross violations of Mr Kian's human rights. Mr Kian was a court-appointed lawyer simply defending his client to the best of his ability. The harassment he and his family have been subject to is entirely unacceptable and should cease. We raised his case with the Iranian Embassy in London on 18 May 2011.
Libya
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the value in United States dollars of oil exported by the Government of Libya since the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are not aware of any exports of crude oil by the Libyan regime since late February 2011
Libya
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries have imported oil from Libya since the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK does not hold comprehensive information on countries that have imported oil from Libya since the passing of UNSCR 1973. The Libyan Government and any importing states are best positioned to provide the detail required.
Libya
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the international community's response to the United Nations' Flash Appeal for Libya; and what contributions they will make to support this humanitarian work.
Baroness Verma: The United Nations Flash Appeal for Libya is currently 46 per cent funded. Many Western and Arab countries have already provided generous support and we continue to press others to ensure that everyone contributes their share.
The UK is currently the third largest contributor to the Flash Appeal. We have helped fly home more than 12,700 migrant workers who fled Libya, provided emergency shelter for up to 12,000 people who have been displaced by fighting, and funded the emergency evacuation of around 5,000 people from Misurata. Our humanitarian assistance has also helped pay for the supply of urgently needed food, medical supplies and medical personnel.
We continue to work with other donors and key international humanitarian partners to identify needs and provide appropriate support.
Lindis Percy
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to public funds of the prosecution brought by the Attorney General against Lindis Percy for alleged trespass, which was dismissed by the District Judge at Bury Magistrates' Court on 5 April 2011.
Lord Wallace of Tankerness: Lindis Percy was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after consent had been given by the Attorney General's for the prosecution to take place. It is estimated that the prosecution's costs in this case will be in the region of £945. This figure relates to counsel advocacy costs and does not include staff or running costs, which are attributable to the operation of the CPS as a whole and cannot be assessed on an individual case basis.
It is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the court costs for this case without incurring a disproportionate cost.
There were no costs incurred by the defence to public funds in this case.
Lindis Percy
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the case brought by the Attorney General against Lindis Percy for alleged trespass, who paid for the return flight from Nevada of the key US military witness, Kyler Sherman Brown; and whether any other persons from the United States had travel costs paid to attend this case.
Lord Wallace of Tankerness: Senior Airman Brown was flown back from the United States to give evidence. All costs of flight and overnight accommodation were met by the United States Air Force (USAF). There were accordingly no additional costs incurred by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in calling him as a witness. Given the occupations, nationalities and location of the other witnesses called, no travel expenses were paid by the CPS.
Middle East: Ancient Churches
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will discuss with their international partners the status of ancient churches in the Middle East; and whether representations should be made to national Governments regarding measures to protect minorities.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The effective promotion of human rights, including religious freedom, is at the very heart of our foreign policy. We will continue to raise freedom of religion or belief with other Governments when necessary. We will also work in the UN and with other international organisations to uphold universal standard, including the status of churches in the middle east. The UK will continue to defend the right of all people to practise their religion or belief freely.
All of our embassies and high commissions have a responsibility to monitor and raise human rights in their host countries. Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff routinely raise our concerns with host Governments and where possible they take action on individual cases and lobby for changes in discriminatory practices and laws.
Northern Ireland Office: Bonuses
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been paid in bonuses to staff in the Northern Ireland Office in the past year; and how many staff received bonuses.
Lord Shutt of Greetland: During the 2010-11 financial year the Northern Ireland Office made reward and recognition payments totalling £13,650 to staff working in the department through the in-year Reward and Recognition scheme. The reward payments were made to 39 members of staff.
Northern Ireland Office: Staff
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are proposing to reduce the staff salaries and related costs in the Northern Ireland Office.
Lord Shutt of Greetland: The department will reduce its baseline budget by 25 per cent during the Spending Review Period as agreed with HM Treasury. This will include reductions in staff salary and related costs.
Northern Ireland Office: Taxis
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what taxi journeys paid for by the office were made by staff of the Northern Ireland Office on Friday 13 May; from where to where; at what cost; for what reasons; and who authorised the expense.
Lord Shutt of Greetland: There was one taxi journey paid for by the Northern Ireland Office on Friday 13 May. The journey was from Belfast (residential address) to Stormont House. The cost was £4.35. The journey was made for work-related purposes and was authorised by the relevant line manager.
Overseas Aid
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Secretary of State for International Development, Mr Andrew Mitchell, on 5 April (Official Report, Commons, col. 58WS), for each financial year from 2005-06 to the present what was the annual funding for (a) Peacekeeping (non-official development assistance (ODA)), (b) Conflict Pool total, (c) ODA conflict pool funding, (d) non-ODA conflict pool, and (e) total settlement, divided into (1) non-ODA, and (2) ODA.
Baroness Verma: The Government have only reported Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the Peacekeeping Budget since Financial Year 2006-07. Since then, the amount of ODA reported from the Peacekeeping Budget has increased, in line with changes to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Development Assistance Committee's (OECD DAC) guidelines on what can be reported as ODA and as a result of more systematic reporting.
The Conflict Pool as it is currently structured has only existed since Financial Year 2009-10. Until Financial Year 2007-08, the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool (ACPP), which was part of the Department for International Development's baseline, and the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP), which was part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's baseline, were separate budgets. Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the ACPP and GCPP was aggregated with Departments' own ODA reporting; the ODA figures for Financial Years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 in the table above are therefore estimated. At the start of Financial Year 2008-09, a new joint conflict resources settlement merged the ACPP and GCPP into a single Conflict Prevention Pool and created a new instrument, the Stabilisation Aid Fund (SAF), which provided resources for stabilisation activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. The SAF was merged into the Conflict Prevention Pool the following financial year and a single Conflict Pool was established. ODA and non-ODA figures for Financial Year 2010-11 are provisional. Final ODA figures for the Conflict Pool and the Peacekeeping Budget for 2010 will be published in Statistics on International Development in October 2011. A copy will be provided to the Library of the House in due course.
The following table gives details of annual expenditure on the Peacekeeping Budget and the Conflict Pool, broken down by financial year and divided into ODA and non-ODA expenditure:
Conflict Expenditure, 2005-2010 (£m)
FY 05/06 FY 06/07 FY 07/08 FY 08/09 FY 09/10 FY 10/11
Global Conflict Prevention Pool ODA (estimated) 29.5 31.1 17.2
Global Conflict Prevention Pool non- ODA (estimated) 48.8 47.2 63.2
Global Conflict Prevention Pool Total 78.3 78.3 80.4
Africa Conflict Prevention Pool ODA (estimated) 17.8 26.3 31.3
Africa Conflict Prevention Pool non-ODA (estimated) 30.4 30.6 28.8
Africa Conflict Prevention Pool Total 48.2 56.9 60.1
Conflict Prevention Pool ODA70.9
Conflict Prevention Pool non-ODA43.2
Conflict Prevention Pool Total114.1
Stabilisation Aid Fund ODA62.1
Stabilisation Aid Fund non-ODA9.5
Stabilisation Aid Fund Total71.6
Conflict Pool ODA 118.5 93 *
Conflict Pool non-ODA 62 86.7 *
Conflict Pool Total 180.5 179.7
Conflict Pool ODA Total 47.3 57.4 48.5 133 118.5 93 *
Conflict Pool non-ODA Total 79.2 77.8 92 52.7 62 86.7 *
CONFLICT POOL TOTAL 126.5 135.2 140.5 185.7 180.5 179.7
Peacekeeping non-ODA 326.1 357.8 356 360 334.3 382.4 *
Peacekeeping ODA 0 12.9 15.2 48.1 43.8 48.8 *
PEACEKEEPING TOTAL 326.1 370.7 371.2 408.1 378.1 431.2
TOTAL CONFLICT RESOURCES 452.6 505.9 511.7 593.8 558.6 610.9
Of which ODA 47.3 70.3 63.7 181.1 162.3 141.8 *
Of which non-ODA 405.3 435.6 448 412.7 396.3 469.1 *
* Provisional figures
Overseas Aid
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of United Kingdom official development assistance was allocated to OECD DAC codes 15230 (participation in peacekeeping operations) and 15220 (civilian peacebuilding, conflict prevention and resolution) in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2007-08, and (c) 2009-10 .
Baroness Verma: Details of UK Official Development Assistance are published on the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (OECD DAC) website www.oecd.org/dac and are available to download from their online database at http://stats.oecd.org/qwids/. The relevant figures are reproduced below.
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Total UK ODA £5,926m £6,770m £4,921m £6,356m £7,356m
15220: Civilian peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution na na £97m £194m £195m
% Total UK ODA 2% 3% 3%
15230 Post-conflict peace-building (UN) £2m £2m £1m £3m £14m
% Total UK ODA <1% <1% <1% <1% <1%
Overseas Aid
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of United Kingdom official development assistance is allocated to OECD DAC codes 15230 (participation in peacekeeping operations) and 15220 (civilian peacebuilding, conflict prevention and resolution) in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2013-14, and (c) 2015-16.
Baroness Verma: Future UK Official Development Assistance has not yet been allocated to this level of detail.
Passports
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing a requirement that all British passport holders register with the Home Office Identity and Passport Service details of any valid non-British passports that they hold.
Baroness Browning: There are no current proposals to introduce a requirement for British passport holders to provide the Identity and Passport Service with details of any valid non-British passports held simultaneously. The key information of the name, date of birth, place of birth and photograph of a person holding a British and a non-British passport will be the same.
People Trafficking
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that United Kingdom experience in the implementation of human trafficking legislation and its enforcement, since the United Kingdom's ratification of the United Nations human trafficking protocol, will be shared with enforcement agencies in India.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We warmly welcome the recent announcement that the Government of India has ratified the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its three protocols, including the protocol on human trafficking. We hope that this will provide additional momentum to the Government of India's efforts to fight human trafficking and to ensure that the provisions of the protocol are enforced effectively.
We support co-operation between UK and Indian enforcement agencies in a range of areas and will continue to engage the Indian authorities on measures to combat human trafficking and illegal immigration, including offering UK experience and expertise where appropriate.
The UK Government are committed to working with international partners to address the problem of human trafficking. The issue was raised with the Government of India at the last EU-India Human Rights dialogue, held on 22 March 2011. The EU is currently funding three major anti-trafficking projects in India (and neighbouring countries) with local partners through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights. Our High Commission in New Delhi is involved in a pilot project to improve the exchange of information between agencies dealing with the prevention of trafficking and the rehabilitation of victims of commercial sexual exploitation in India. And the Department for International Development is currently developing a new regional programme aiming to reduce human trafficking across the South Asia region, including in India.
People Trafficking
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to increase the conviction rates for human trafficking offences.
Baroness Browning: The Government's forthcoming strategy on human trafficking will set out the steps we will take to strengthen our response, including how we will improve co-ordination of law enforcement efforts in the UK.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is currently taking a number of actions to increase the number of successful prosecutions for human trafficking, including encouraging victims of trafficking to engage with criminal proceedings. The CPS will shortly be publishing a public policy statement on how they deal with victims of human trafficking. This will provide information for practitioners and the public on what can be done to protect and support victims who decide to give evidence.
The CPS is also working with other jurisdictions through joint investigation teams to target trafficking chains and to develop improved co-operation with other jurisdictions to allow for better mutual legal assistance.
Philippines
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress of the International Contact Group towards resolving the conflict between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Government of the Philippines; what the annual budget of the group is; how much the United Kingdom has contributed to the group in terms of cash or personnel; and how long they expect the group will have to continue working.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The International Contact Group (ICG) continues to support the resolution of the conflict between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Philippines as the peace talks continue.
The UK is one of four state members of the ICG. The ICG consists of four impartial states and a number of non-state organisations and was set up to complement the Malaysian facilitation of the peace process and to offer impartial advice and international oversight to both sides. The Government of the Philippines and MILF signed an accord on 15 September 2009 to form the ICG. This accord was one of the three accords required for official peace talks to proceed.
Both peace panels have expressed their ongoing support for the work of the ICG, and have thanked UK for its involvement. Both sides have reiterated that the role of the ICG should continue to be as a support mechanism and a validation of the process. The ICG does not act as a facilitator.
The ICG has no budget. ICG members are responsible for finding the resources necessary for their individual commitments. Membership does not entail any commitment of additional funding for project work or development assistance.
We have no personnel working exclusively on the ICG. Where invited by the Facilitator and peace panels, a UK official attends each session of peace talks in Kuala Lumpur. This is either a Kuala Lumpur based diplomat or a Manila based diplomat. There have been two rounds of talks so far in 2011. The UK contributes no cash funding to the ICG.
ICG members may review their commitment as appropriate. Further, when a final peace agreement is reached, the ICG, Facilitator, MILF and Government of the Philippines should review its role and membership.
Plastic Bags
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the possibility raised by Mr Janez Potocnik, European Union Environmental Commissioner, of a European Union-wide ban on plastic carrier bags.
Lord Henley: The Commission is currently consulting on a number of possible options for the reduction in the use of plastic carrier bags.
We will be engaging in this consultation.
RAF Valley
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 18 May (WA 352), when the scoping review on the future needs of medical facilities at RAF Valley began; when it is expected to be completed; and what further work will then be undertaken.
Lord Astor of Hever: The scoping review on the future needs of medical facilities at RAF Valley began in January 201 1 and is expected to complete in the summer. Following this work. it is anticipated that an assessment study will be initiated, which will consider options for the way forward including, for example, the need to refurbish, rebuild or outsource alternative medical facilities. No decisions have been taken pending the outcome of this work.
Re-Export Controls Bill
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 26 April (WA 94), on what basis the decision was taken to oppose the Re-Export Controls Bill being referred to a Second Reading Committee in the House of Commons; and whether previous precedents of Private Members' Bills being referred to such a Committee were considered.
Baroness Wilcox: As I stated in my reply of 26 April, I regret that the Government are unable to support the Re-export Controls Bill during its Commons stage, and the motion to refer the Bill to a Second Reading Committee was not supported on that basis. I can confirm that precedents for such referrals were considered as part of that decision.
Re-Export Controls Bill
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 26 April (WA 94), what discussions they had with (a) ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and (b) other ministerial colleagues, prior to taking their decision to oppose a Motion to refer the Re-Export Controls Bill to a Second Reading Committee.
Baroness Wilcox: Mark Prisk is the Minister for export controls and I have worked with him on the Government's response to the Re-export Controls Bill. The appropriate Cabinet Committee clearance was obtained before I expressed my reservations about the Bill on 3 December.
Re-Export Controls Bill
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 26 April (WA 94), what was the evidential basis for the reservations expressed by Baroness Wilcox about the Re-Export Controls Bill on 3 December 2010; and who was consulted prior to those reservations being expressed.
Baroness Wilcox: Discussions on arms export controls take place between EU member states in the Council Working Group on Conventional Arms and between participating states in the Wassenaar arrangement. The information we have received from our EU partners with regards to re-export controls has informed the evidence base for our position on the Re-Export Controls Bill.
The UK export control system, while administered by the Export Control Organisation within BIS, is a cross-Whitehall effort involving the FCO, MoD and other Government Departments. The FCO was consulted, alongside the appropriate Cabinet Committee, before I expressed reservations about the Bill on 3 December.
Re-Export Controls Bill
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 26 April (WA 94), whether they will reconsider their decision to oppose a Motion in the House of Commons to refer the Re-Export Controls Bill to a Second Reading Committee.
Baroness Wilcox: I regret that the Government are not minded to reconsider this decision at this time.
Regional Development Agencies
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assets are owned by the North West Development Agency; what assets have been disposed of since May 2010; and to whom.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assets are owned by Yorkshire Forward; what assets have been disposed of since May 2010; and to whom.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assets are owned by One North East; what assets have been disposed of since May 2010; and to whom.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assets are owned by Advantage West Midlands; what assets have been disposed of since May 2010; and to whom.
Baroness Wilcox: A comprehensive list of Regional Development Agency (RDA) owned land and property assets can be found in the Library of the House. RDA boards remain responsible for determining which RDA assets are subject to disposal. They have put forward proposals, to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), to dispose of around 20 per cent of their land and property assets, in the short term and on the open market, as part of an orderly wind down. This information has been made public via the BIS website and the Library of the House. In many instances these assets would have been sold in any event as the RDAs have long established programmes of bringing properties to market when development is completed.
A schedule of assets disposed of by the North West Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands, Yorkshire Forward and One North East since May 2010 and to whom will be placed in the Library of the House.
Roads: Litter
Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the litter problem caused by wrappings from fast-food outlets, they will consider imposing a tax on such outlets to cover the cost of retrieving and disposing of that litter.
Lord Henley: There are no plans at present to impose a tax on fast-food outlets to cover the cost of retrieving and disposing of wrappings litter.
However, local authorities do have powers to prosecute or fine food retail outlets that fail to clean up accumulations of litter outside of their premises.
The Government also believe that behaviour change is a vital element in overcoming the issue of littering, and is working closely with the charity Keep Britain Tidy, for example through the Love Where You Live campaign funded by business.
Rosemary Nelson Inquiry
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much, broken down by major cost headings, was spent in the Rosemary Nelson inquiry.
Lord Shutt of Greetland: A full breakdown of the cost of the Rosemary Nelson inquiry is available on the Northern Ireland Office website www.nio.gov.uk.
RSPB: Grants
Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what grants (a) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (b) the Environment Agency, (c) Natural England, and (d) the Forestry Commission have given to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds over each of the past five years.
Lord Henley: The table below represents payments made by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds over each of the last five years and the description identifies the programme objective. To identify specific grant payments within these would incur disproportionate cost.
2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07
Avian Influenza Preparedness 125,605 133,135 128,747
Axis II Policy 173
Common Agricultural Policy Reform Implementation 5,000
Darwin Initiative 667,147 314,274 381,559 444,930 406,359
Ecosystems Approach Project 529
England Biodiversity Strategy 264 10,000
Environmental Behaviours Policy 6,093
Environmental Stewardship R&D 85,499 175,622 277,544 165,652 79,681
Farmland Conservation 185,417
Habitat Monitoring 7,181 2,391 9,627 4,697
International Sustainable Development 18,000
Marine Environment Research Programme 110
Municipal Waste and Culture Change 854
Pesticides18,442
Promotion of Sustainable Development72,000 42,000
R&D Marine Programme 23,933
RSPB's ISB Round 7FM Project 54,300 43,422 71,509
SCP and Waste Programme evidence 58,239 10,490 30,460
SCP Evidence 40,949
Strategic relationship management: THIRD SECTOR strategy 1,200
Sustainable Livestock Farming 2,792
WAC Corporate Support 4,416
Waste statistical evidence 19,543 52,702
Wildlife and Countryside Publicity 920 449 400 423
Wildlife Habitats and Biodiversity 176
The Environment Agency has not given any grants to the RSPB in this period.
The Environment Agency has made direct payments of £5.9 million to RSPB over the past five years, £3 million of this relates specifically to the Wallasea Island Habitat Project in the Anglian Region. The remainder has been for collaborative projects and contributions to a range of sustainability initiatives.
The payments in each year were:
2006-07-£224,591.15;2007-08-£303,308.18; 2008-09-£1,174,985.72; 2009-10-£2,523,053.66; and 2010-11-£1,726,799.18.
The table below details the payments Natural England have made to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds over each of the past four years. We do not have details of grants for the financial year 2006-07 as Natural England was not vested until October 2006.
Rural Development Programme for England spend to RSPB
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Countryside Stewardship Scheme 310,294.74 304,545.54 291,696.06 221,202.90
Entry Level plus Higher Level Stewardship 247,996.09 328,345.28 852,758.71 819,942.97
Entry Level Stewardship 6,941.50 7,285.26
Environmentally Sensitive Areas 794,154.13 818,602.50 535,253.90 687,965.71
ESA Conservation Plan 31,295.99 35,214.57 127,986.01 143,029.83
Higher Level Stewardship 9,334.00 20,485.40 59,917.12 177,176.45
Organic Farming Scheme 268.80 -
Total 1,400,285.25 1,514,478.55 1,867,611.80 2,049,317.86
Grant In Aid grant spend to RSPB
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Access to Nature Grant Scheme - - 61,539.40 172,689.61
Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) 153,627.00 116,812.00 305,687.70 321,227.51
Countdown 2010 Grants 81,901.00 119,469.00 196,152.19 302,129.24
Natural Assets Grants - - 30,005.00 51,213.17
Action for Birds in England Partnership AFBIE) 622,915.00 1,250,942.00 376,617.00 360,500.00
Great Bustard Reintroduction - - 5,000.00
Species Recovery Project - - 15,618.00 8,618.00
Red Kite Recovery Project 20,000.00 - - -
Species Recovery Project - - 39,892.78 38,020.92
Biodiversity priority species - other - 3,000.00 8,000.00 6,500.00
Farmland birds - 2,549.00 10,979.00 86,305.92
Wetland Vision 5,000.00 10,000.00 337,751.34 228,607.82
Restoration work at Leighton Moss - - 18,848.00
NW wetland projects 40,213.00 -
Wet grassland training course - - 1,449.00
National Nature Reserves (NNR) 27,078 00 29,191.00 42,099.15 29,112.69
SSSI management /condition assessments 33,023.00 65,916.00 78,155.61 40,119.22
Nature After Minerals Project 13,953.00 34,751.00 40,760.00 49,902.00
Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) - - 287.50
Climate Change Project 5,000.00 -
Fens IBDA development - - 7,000.00
Green infrastructure support and development - 49,436.00 113.85
Heath Interreg Project - 3,866.00
Hedge management event - 734.00
Land management advisory work 2,000.00 2,740.00 172.50
Leaflet on safe use of rodenticides 160.50
Staff Secondments 3,415.00 922.00 12,863.00 410.40
Reedbed hydrological survey-East Sussex 2,000.00
South East England Biodiversity Forum (SEEBF) 2,300.00
Total 1,008,125.00 1,692,328.00 1,579,451.52 1,707,356.50
The figures below are for grants awarded by the Forestry Commission under the English Woodland Grant Scheme to the RSPB.
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Total
Total 47,168.73 67,008.28 47,599.97 93,105.76 72,291.89 327,174.63
Rugby World Cup 2015
Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are on track to ensure that infrastructure is in place around Twickenham for the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: Twickenham station currently already serves passengers attending large rugby events on a regular basis. It is for Stagecoach Southwest Trains as the train and station operator at Twickenham to work with the British Transport Police, the Rugby Football Union and the local authority, to manage passenger flows at the station during special events. The operator has a significant amount of experience of major rugby internationals that take place at the stadium.
We have not been made aware of wider infrastructure needs for Twickenham.
Saudi Arabia
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rights of women in Saudi Arabia; and whether they have made representations to the Government of Saudi Arabia about how they could improve these.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia and we have made our views well known, including through the Universal Periodic Review process and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Report. We have four priority areas, one of which is women's rights. At the root of the problem of the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia is the guardianship system, which grants a male relative authority over every woman. The male family member can refuse permission for the woman to study, travel or work. There is also an extensive system of segregation which limits women's ability to play a full part in public life. Women, with some exceptions, may not work in a workplace with men. They may not drive.
On 15 May 2011 King Abdullah opened the largest female university campus in the world. There has been progress on female education in recent years. In 2009 King Abdullah opened the Kingdoms first co-education university north of Jeddah. And the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme is educating tens of thousands of Saudi women at universities worldwide. While the number and quality of female universities continues to rise, many subjects are not deemed appropriate and are unavailable to women. Employment opportunities are still limited, and major challenges remain. Local elections will be held in September 2011, but despite promises made when the elections were held in 2005, women are again excluded from voting or standing as candidates.
The Saudi Government have so far failed to remove the main institutional barriers to women, most notably the guardianship system. We continue to take every opportunity to urge the Saudi Government to remove the guardianship system of women, as the UK recommended at Saudi Arabia's Universal Periodic Review in February 2009. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) discussed human rights during his visit to Saudi Arabia on 26 and 27 April 2011, when he met the chair of the Governmental Saudi Human Rights Commission, Bandar Al Aiban.
Schools: Absenteeism
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any records are kept of the numbers of children who are long-term absentees from school for medical reasons; and whether the medical condition is recorded.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The available information is shown in the table.
The department collects information on the reason pupils are absent from school. Data on reasons includes illness (not medical or dental appointments) but the medical condition is not recorded. Information is collected on the total number of sessions for which a pupil is absent. It is not, however, known how many of these sessions are continuous.
Further information on absence can be found in the Statistical First Release "Pupil Absence in Schools in England, Including Pupil Characteristics: 2009-10" which can be accessed at http://www.education.gov.uk/rsqateway/DB/SFR/s000994/index.shtml.
Maintained Primary, State-funded Secondary and Special Schools (1)(2)(3): Distribution of Enrolments by length of absence due to illness (not medical or dental appointments)
2009-10
England
Maintained Primary Schools (1) State-funded Secondary Schools (1)(2) Special Schools (3) Total
Pupil enrolments in schools during 2009-10 (4) Percentage of absence due to illness (5) Pupil enrolments in schools during 2009-10 (4) Percentage of absence due to illness (5) Pupil enrolments in schools during 2009-10(4) Percentage of absence due to illness (5) Pupil enrolments in schools during 2009-10 (4) Percentage of absence due to illness (5)
Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage
Number of days absence due to illness:
No Absence 568,090 16.84 0.00 451,135 15.37 0.00 19,155 24.30 0.00 1,038,385 16.26 0.00
0.5 to 5 days 1,726,970 51.18 28.13 1,339,695 45.65 20.90 31,165 39.53 16.29 3,097,825 48.50 24.28
5.5 to 10 days 679,290 20.13 32.09 643,850 21.94 28.87 13,620 17.27 20.83 1,336,755 20.93 30.29
10.5 to 15 days 248,070 7.35 19.58 283,710 9.67 21.14 6,745 8.55 17.17 538,520 8.43 20.34
15.5 to 20 days 93,030 2.76 10.30 120,185 4.10 12.53 3,390 4.30 12.11 216,605 3.39 11.46
20.5 to 25 days 34,730 1.03 4.95 50,200 1.71 6.73 1,805 2.29 8.29 86,735 1.36 5.90
more than 25 days 23,865 0.71 4.95 46,035 1.57 9.83 2,960 3.75 25.31 72,860 1.14 7.73
Total 3,374,040 100.00 100.00 2,934,805 100.00 100.00 78,840 100.00 100.00 6,387,685 100.00 100.00
Source: School Census
(1) Includes middle schools as deemed.
(2) Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies).
(3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools.
(4) Number of pupil enrolments in schools from start of the school year up until 28 May 2010. Includes pupils on the school roll for at least one session who are aged between 5 and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once (if they moved schools during the school year or are registered in more than one school).
(5) The number of sessions missed due to illness (not medical or dental appointments) in each band expressed as a percentage of the total number of sessions missed for this reason.
Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5.
Schools: Academies
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many academies offer private medical provision for their staff.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The Department for Education does not hold information on private medical provision for academies staff as it does not routinely collect information about employee benefits that academies may offer to their staff.
As part of their freedoms to innovate and raise standards, academies are free to set their own pay and conditions for staff; and are not required to report these to the Department for Education or the Young People's Learning Agency. However the department is aware that some academies do provide private medical provision for their staff.
Schools: Exclusion
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they did not consult the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council about the replacement of school exclusion independent appeal panels before publishing The Importance of Teaching: The Schools White Paper 2010.
Lord Hill of Oareford: There is no requirement for the Government to consult arm's-length bodies before publishing a White Paper. The Schools White Paper: The Importance of Teaching was agreed by the Home Affairs Cabinet Committee prior to its publication. The Ministry of Justice, which is the sponsor Department for the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council, is represented on that Cabinet Committee.
Schools: Free Schools
Lord Whitty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what regulation or guidance has been issued by the Department for Education or Ofsted regarding catchment areas when free schools are proposed.
Lord Hill of Oareford: Guidance on How to open a free school is available on the Department for Education's website: www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/freeschools.
That guidance sets out that free schools are required through their funding agreements to adopt practices and arrangements, which can include the use of catchment areas, that are consistent or in accordance with the school admissions code, the school admission appeals code and admissions law as it applies to maintained schools.
Schools: Pupil Premium
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to evaluate the impact of the pupil premium in addressing the attainment gap between children from more and less affluent backgrounds.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government believe that schools are best placed to decide how to support their most deprived pupils and the pupil premium will be spent by them in ways that they judge to be most effective.
It is important that we should monitor the impact of this additional investment, which will rise to £2.5 billion each year by 2014-15, and learn from those schools which are making the most effective use of it. From this year, performance tables will publish data showing the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers for every school. The tables will show for each school the test or exam results for children who attract the pupil premium. They will allow us to compare results for these children with those of all other pupils in the school.
From September 2012 we will require schools to publish online details of how they have used the pupil premium to ensure that parents and others are made fully aware of the progress and attainment of those pupils it covers.
There is no evidence yet about how schools are choosing to spend their pupil premium, as it has only been available since April 2011. We will publish more information about what works to raise the attainment of deprived pupils in due course.
We are also considering whether any further evaluation of the pupil premium is required and what form it might take.
Schools: Pupil Premium
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to ensure that schools are using the pupil premium on measures which have been demonstrated to be effective in lowering the attainment gap between children from more and less affluent backgrounds.
Lord Hill of Oareford: We believe that schools are best placed to make decisions about how to use the Pupil Premium and they will be free to do so. To help inform those decisions we will share with schools evidence about what makes the most difference for pupils from deprived backgrounds, including, for example, intensive support in reading, writing and mathematics.
It is important that schools should be accountable for how they have used their Pupil Premium funding. We will include new measures in the performance tables to capture the achievement of those pupils covered by the premium. From September 2012, we will also require schools to publish online details of how they have spent the Pupil Premium so that parents and others are fully aware of the progress and attainment of those pupils it covers.
Schools: Refurbishment
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools in each of the London Boroughs and the City of London were refurbished under the building Schools for the Future Programme in each year until the programme was stopped.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The table below sets out the number of schools in each of the London Boroughs that were refurbished or rebuilt under the Building Schools for the Future programme. Although the programme was stopped in July 2010, a number of projects continue to receive capital support. We have therefore included figures for projects completed each calendar year to April 2011.
London Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Jan- 5 July 2010 6 July-Dec 2010 Jan-April 2011 Total
Barnet 1 1
Brent 1 1
Greenwich 11 2
Hackney2 1 2 5
Haringey 1 5 3 5 1 15
Harrow 1 1
Islington1 3 4
Kingston-upon-Thames11
Lambeth 1 2 25
Lewisham2 1 3
Newham 2 3 5
Redbridge 1 1
Richmond-upon-Thames 1 1
Southwark 2 1 1 1 1 6
Tower Hamlets1 1 1 3
Waltham Forest 2 2 4
Westminster3 1 1 2 7
Total 2 2 6 17 16 15 7 65
Schools: Trips
Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the administrative burdens associated with undertaking an outdoor school trip.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the bureaucracy for teachers in organising school trips.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice is available to support schools when organising a school trip abroad.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The Department for Education, with other parts of government, is working on a range of initiatives to develop a positive culture of sensible and proportionate risk management in schools. A number of these measures were recommended in Common Sense, Common Safety (HMG October 2010) and agreed by the Prime Minister. The department's summary response to the report appears on the department's website at http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/healthandsafety.
We will be issuing brief advice that will help school employers and staff to a clearer knowledge of what must be done for a reasonable and proportionate observance of the duty of care, both in school and during off-site visits, without imposing inappropriate burdens on schools proposing such visits. We will also be making available an optional generic consent form to last for the pupil's stay at a school, with an opt-out facility for individual visits. We will inform maintained schools that parental consent is not legally required for off-site activities during the normal school day. It is for schools to use their judgment as to whether consent should be sought from parents depending on the activity planned.
Bureaucracy is an issue which many staff in schools are concerned about when planning off-site educational visits, and we have heeded their concerns. We have also taken into account research evidence which showed some teachers being discouraged by too much paperwork.
Sport: Sports Clubs
Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to further help local sports clubs find the funding they require to stay afloat.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: Through Whole Sport Plans, Sport England is investing £480 million through 46 national governing bodies over the next four years. The governing bodies work closely with their network of sports clubs to invest funding at a local level. In addition, the mass participation Olympic Legacy-Places People Play, will provide funding opportunities for sports clubs with £10 million for playing fields and £50 million for community sports facilities.
Syria
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Union's decision to impose a travel ban and a freeze of assets on members of the Government of Syria; and what impact this will have whilst it excludes President Assad.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK was heavily engaged in the European Union decision to impose a travel ban and assets freeze on 13 individuals in the Syrian regime who are responsible for the violence. On 13 May 2011 the Syrian Ambassador to London was told that if the violence does not stop immediately and all political prisoners released, the EU would take further measures including sanctions targeted at the highest levels of the government.
Syria
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Syria's Christian community has been subjected to attacks by protestors; and whether they will conduct and publish an appraisal of the recent attacks which have been made on the ancient churches throughout the Middle East.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We have not heard of any reports of Syria's Christian communities or churches being subjected to any form of attack during the recent protests. Reports from Syria suggest that in Horns, Aleppo and Damascus, young Muslims have offered to protect churches, providing security cordons around the buildings to prevent criminal acts.
We are, however, aware of the difficulties faced by Christian minorities in the Middle East and other countries around the world. All of our Embassies and High Commissions have a responsibility to monitor and raise human rights in their host countries. Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff routinely raise our concerns with host governments and where possible they take action on individual cases and lobby for changes in discriminatory practices and laws.
Tata Steel
Lord Maples: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department of Energy and Climate Change received any representations from Tata Steel about the costs of European Union and United Kingdom carbon legislation, before it announced the partial closure of its Scunthorpe steel plant; and whether they will publish any such representations from the company.
Lord Marland: Ministers and officials at the Department for Energy and Climate Change and across Government are in regular contact with Tata Steel, UK Steel and other industry bodies on a range of issues and receive representations from time to time on a range of issues. Last year DECC worked closely with the steel industry and other industries covered by the EU Emissions Trading System when negotiating the free allocation rules for Phase III (2013-20) of the system. These rules maintain significant free allocation for steel and other industries at risk of carbon leakage. Similarly the department is in regular contact with industry representatives on the current simplification of climate change agreements which offer significant tax discounts to the steel industry. The department will continue, working closely with BIS, to discuss the impact of current and future climate and energy legislation with the steel industry and other energy intensive industrial sectors.
Turkey
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek from the Government of Turkey figures for those arrested since 1 March 2011, stating how many have been charged with offences and how many are still in custody.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government do not plan to seek these figures from the Turkish Government. We expect the Turkish Government to follow the highest standards of human rights and justice at all stages of police and judicial processes.
Turkey
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ascertain from the Government of Turkey the names of those disqualified from standing in this year's parliamentary elections, and the reasons for their disqualifications.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Turkish Supreme Election Board (YSK) publicly announced the final list of candidates for June's election on 18 April. It also announced the names of the 12 disqualified candidates and the reasons for their disqualifications. Seven of 12 disqualified candidates were backed by the BDP (Peace and Democracy Party), and were subsequently re-instated.
Turkey
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the recent arrests and disqualifications of previously elected persons contravene Turkey's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights; and, if so, what action they will take.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Turkey is a party to the European Convention on Human Rights. Accordingly, individuals who consider that their rights under the Convention have been breached by Turkey may take their case to the European Court of Human Rights if there is no effective national assistance available to them. It would be inappropriate for the Government to comment on whether the actions of the Turkish Government breached the European Convention on Human Rights until judicial consideration of any such complaints had been completed. We expect the Turkish Government to follow the highest standards of justice and human rights at all stages of police and judicial processes. Our Embassy in Ankara will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Turkey
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Government of Turkey following the report by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe that 57 journalists are in prison there.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Minister for Europe, my right honourable friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) raised the issue of the arrests of journalists in Turkey in his meeting with Egemen Bagis, Minister for European Affairs and Chief Negotiator, on 31 March 2011.
The EU made a statement on 10 March 2011 expressing its concerns about the number of imprisoned journalists in Turkey and urging Turkey to fulfil its commitments to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on media freedom. The OSCE made a statement on 4 April 2011 following the publication of its report on the matter. No further representations have been made since by the Government.
Our embassy in Ankara regularly raises issues relating to the freedom of the media in the context of wider discussions on human rights with its Turkish counterparts.
Turkey
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any representations about the visit of the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to Libya in December to receive the Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have not received any representations about the visit of the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to Libya in December to receive the Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights.
Turkey
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Government of Turkey about the cases of the journalists Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik presently under arrest.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have not made representations to the Government of Turkey about the cases of the journalists Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik presently under arrest.
Our embassy in Ankara regularly raises issues relating to freedom of the media in the context of wider discussions on human rights with its Turkish counterparts. The EU made a statement on 10 March 2011 expressing its concerns about the large number of imprisoned journalists in Turkey and urging Turkey to fulfil its Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) commitments on media freedom. The Government do not plan separate bilateral representations in addition to the EU statement.
Uganda
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether United Kingdom public funds directly or indirectly contributed to the purchase of a Gulfstream 550 by the Government of Uganda.
Baroness Verma: During the last Government's time in office, the Government of Uganda (GoU) bought a Gulfstream 550 for presidential flights in the Ugandan financial year 2008/09.
The last Government provided Uganda with budget support; the coalition Government have recently reviewed our overall approach to providing budget support. We are implementing a shift towards targeted funding to important sectors, such as health and education, and reducing general budget support. Over the next four years, general budget support provided by the UK Government is set to decline by 43 per cent. Our budget support to Uganda will be consistent with this approach. Further details of DfID's programme in Uganda can be found on our website (http://www.dfid. gov.uk/where-we-work/africa-eastern--southern/uganda/).
UK Trade and Investment
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to modify restrictions on government departments and agencies and to encourage them in performing their tasks to develop technological capacity in the United Kingdom private sector and to promote those developments in the United Kingdom and abroad.
Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The Government have set out a very clear ambition for the UK's trade and investment agenda. Trade and inward investment was one of the themes in the first phase of the Growth Review.
Working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is the government department that helps UK based businesses succeed in the global economy and assists overseas companies to bring their high-quality investment to the UK. UKTI's new Strategy, Britain Open for Business, launched in May 2011, sets out plans to provide practical support to exporters and inward investors over the next five years. Its purpose is to help our economy grow by boosting exports and encouraging foreign companies to invest in the UK.
UKTI showcases UK strengths in sectors, including high technology sectors, where we have world-beating capability and this can pay big commercial dividends, particularly in the more challenging emerging markets. UKTI also uses its network of staff to compile overseas business opportunities. These are then publicised via an online Business Opportunities Service providing several hundred global sales leads every month-companies can sign up to receive online alert messages about particular markets or sectors.
UN Women
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of UN Women, and its predecessor body UNIFEM, to contribute to the work of UN country teams.
Baroness Verma: The UK played an important role in the creation of UN Women; we now want the new agency to get off to the best possible start. The Government look forward to the agency presenting its Strategic Plan to the Executive Board in June. The plan will outline UN Women's operational priorities, including its approach to working with UN country teams. The Secretary of State and other Ministers discussed this with Michelle Bachelet, head of UN Women, when she visited the UK on 16-17 May.
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) performed poorly in the Multilateral Aid Review. We found it had a weak results culture and struggled to demonstrate delivery, including in working with UN Country teams. DFID is working closely with UN Women to ensure these shortcomings are addressed.
Unemployment
Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the analysis by the TUC of the regional unemployment figures published on 18 May.
Lord Freud: A snapshot of the number of unfilled Jobcentre Plus vacancies will understate the opportunities available to benefit claimants because it misses the new vacancies that are coming up and being filled all the time, as well as vacancies available in the wider local labour market or advertised through other recruitment channels.
However, the Government recognise that in many local communities across the country there remain pockets of entrenched worklessness made worse by benefit dependency and, in some cases, too narrow a base of private sector jobs. Only by tackling the deficit, reforming welfare, improving the competitiveness of the economy and encouraging the growth of new businesses will it be possible to achieve the lasting growth in wealth and jobs that these communities need.
Union Learning Fund
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 10 February (WA 88-90), what assessment they have made of the results of the Central Lancashire Business School survey on Union Learning Representatives' (ULR) activity, impact and organisation in which 54 per cent of respondents agreed that ULR activity had helped to close skills gaps; and whether the funding of £177,000 for the National Union of Journalists in 2009-10 to develop the skills of its ULRs to work with employers to encourage workers to participate in continuing professional development provided value for money.
Baroness Wilcox: The Central Lancashire Business School survey on Union Learning Representatives' (ULR) activity in England demonstrates the increasingly important role that ULRs play in the promotion of training and skills development in many workplaces. The Government consequently remain committed to supporting the work of ULRs and the Union Learning Fund in helping to drive up workforce skill levels and the important contribution they make to improving management-union relations in the workplace.
The survey included responses from over 950 active ULRs, 78 per cent of whom reported that their activity increased the number of colleagues receiving training and 80 per cent of whom reported that their activity had helped workers with little prior experience of learning. Two thirds reported improved management-union dialogue and almost 60 per cent reported improved management-union relations. The survey also included responses from over 112 managers, 88 per cent of whom valued the contribution made by ULRs. Furthermore, almost 60 per cent believed that ULRs had helped raise basic skill levels as well as 54 per cent agreeing that ULR activity had helped to close skills gaps. A majority of managers also agreed that ULR activity had helped to improve management-union relationships. The survey's findings are all the more positive given the very challenging economic climate at the time.
The funding of £177,000 for the National Union of Journalist's (NUJ) Union Learning Fund project in 2009-10 produced a wide range of positive outcomes, the vast majority of which were above the project's original outcome profile. Through increasing the skills of the union's network of learning representatives the project was able to provide opportunities for 848 learners to improve their own skills. This included 277 learners undertaking information, communication and technology courses to improve their computer skills, 137 learners accessing literacy and numeracy training to improve their basic skills and over 350 learners participating in continuing professional development to enhance their existing skill levels. The project also developed an on-line learning centre which provides a bespoke careers advice service for workers in the industry, offering quality information, advice and guidance on career development and opportunities. This enabled the project's ULRs to offer structured information, advice and guidance on learning and skills to over 2,300 learners over three times higher than the profiled target of 650.
A key purpose of the funding awarded to the NUJ for this ULF project was to help develop the union's capacity to provide ongoing support on learning and skills development to workers in the sector by helping to pump prime initial activity. Since the end of this project the NUJ has continued the learning and skills work initiated by the project, including sustaining the on-line learning centre using its own resources.
Waste Management
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many representations they have received in response to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs waste review; and whether they will place a copy of the responses in the Library of the House.
Lord Henley: Defra Ministers and officials have held a number of meetings with stakeholders regarding the Government's Review of Waste Policy.
The review's call for evidence received over 300 detailed responses from a mixture of local authorities, businesses, private individuals and civil society organisations, emphasising the diversity of local circumstances. These are already publicly available in the Defra Information Resource Centre.
To support the review's call for evidence, Defra also hosted an interactive debate on its website, which received 374 published comments, and a short online survey which around 1,500 respondents completed.
Welfare Reform Bill
Lord Patel of Blackburn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that cancer sufferers will not be adversely affected by the proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill.
Lord Freud: The Welfare Reform Bill makes several changes to the benefits available to people with health conditions such as cancer.
In relation to Employment and Support Allowance, the Welfare Reform Bill provides for a one year time limit for those claiming contributory employment and support allowance in the Work Related Activity Group. The time limit will come into effect in 2012.
People with the most serious disabilities and health conditions, including many people with cancer, will not be subject to time limiting. People with the most severe disabilities or heath conditions are placed in the Support Group: this includes people who are terminally ill and people who are receiving certain types of chemotherapy. We have just amended legislation so that individuals awaiting or between courses of certain types of chemotherapy will also automatically be placed in the Support Group.
Income-related ESA will still be available for an indefinite period to those who qualify, irrespective of which group they are in.
We are required to commission five annual independent reviews of the work capability assessment, the process by which entitlement to employment and support allowance is determined. As part of his second independent review, Professor Harrington has asked Macmillan Cancer Support and other cancer charities to look into how the work capability assessment assesses people with cancer and to make recommendations for improvements. I look forward to receiving Macmillan and Professor Harrington's recommendations for improvements.
The Welfare Reform Bill also provides for the replacement of disability living allowance for people of working age with a new personal independence payment, a new, more transparent benefit and objective assessment of individual need. This change will be introduced in 2013. The personal independence payment will provide automatic and immediate entitlement to people who have a progressive disease such as cancer, are terminally ill, and are not expected to live for more than six months.
Zimbabwe
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the warning by the United States to Zimbabwe that it could face international penalties if it helped Iran's nuclear programme, they have issued a similar caution; and in what terms.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware of the United States of America approaching the Government of Zimbabwe to warn them that they could face further international penalties if they support Iran on its nuclear programme. The UK Government have not raised any such issues with the Government of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Zimbabwe along with international partners to allow international observation of their forthcoming election.
Lord Howell of Guildford: No date has been set for elections in Zimbabwe. Effective monitoring will be an important element of a credible poll. International observers require a formal invitation from the Government of Zimbabwe. The authorities are aware that the United Kingdom and international partners stand ready to participate in an international monitoring effort. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2011-06-06a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2011",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Department for Transport
Electric Vehicles: Sales
Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to estimates that new electric vehicle registrations for 2022 could reach 16 per cent, what plans they have, if any, to raise their target proposed in the Technical consultation on zero emission vehicle mandate policy design,published in April, that new electric vehicle sales should account for 22 per cent of total vehicle sales by 2024.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The technical consultation on the design of the ZEV mandate, setting out initial ZEV target trajectories of 22% for cars, and 8% for vans, closed on 10 June. We are now analysing consultation responses, and will bring forward the Government’s response, and a full regulatory proposal, in due course
Cars: Tyres
Lord Robathan: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given, if any, to making the provision of a spare wheel in all new cars obligatory.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There are various solutions to flat tyres including full-sized spare wheels, a temporary use space-saver spare, or a sealant and inflation kit. Many manufacturers choose to provide a sealant and inflation kit which has benefits in reducing the weight of the vehicle and reducing CO2 emissions.Incidences of tyre deflation are relatively rare and the Government currently has no plans to introduce a legal requirement for the inclusion of spare wheels on all new cars.
East West Rail Line
Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to review plans for the completion of East West Rail; and when they intend to complete any such review.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The case for East West Rail between Bletchley and Cambridge is currently under review. The Government will be providing an update on both the cost and business case in due course.
Question
Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority awarding the Connection Stages 2 and 3 project of East West Rail an "appears to be unachievable" rating in itsAnnual Report on Major Projects 2021–22, published in July.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The DfT notes the red assessment provided by the IPA. The project is in the concept and design phase. Work continues to refine delivery strategies and the scope, which is normal for a large and complex project.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Offshore Structures: Protection
Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government who is responsible for coordinating protection of (1) oil and gas installations, (2) pipelines, (3) offshore windfarms, (4) undersea electrical cables and interconnectors, and (5) fibreoptic cables, in (a) UK territorial seas, and (b) UK exclusive economic zones; and where this coordination takes place.
Lord Callanan: The Government takes the protection and resilience of subsea and offshore infrastructure seriously and departments work together to protect it from malicious and other hazards such as accidental damage. The Cabinet Office is responsible for coordinating interdepartmental efforts. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for the energy sector, including subsea energy CrNI. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for telecommunications policy, including telecommunications subsea cables. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for defending UK interests within the UK Marine Area (UK Territorial Waters and Exclusive Economic Zones) and forms part of HMG’s efforts to counter state threats.
Copyright
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government what provisions inthe Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protect performers from the unauthorised reproduction of their performance using artificial intelligence systems.
Lord Callanan: Performers such as actors and musicians have their performances protected under Part II of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended. Sections 182 and 182A of the Act give performers the right to control who is able to record and make reproductions of their performances. These provisions apply regardless of the technology used to make such reproductions, including AI technology.
Copyright
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government what are their proposed safeguardsfor rights holders to protect their content in respect of the proposed expansion of the text and data mining copyright exception.
Lord Callanan: The proposal will provide safeguards which include the requirement for lawful access to works, allowing measures to ensure stability of systems, and a restriction over the further use of copies.The proposed exception will be targeted to limit negative impacts, and the Government welcomes further views from rights holders on additional safeguards to achieve this.
Copyright
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government what impact assessment they have carried out regarding the implications of the proposed expansion of the text and data mining copyright exception on rights holders outside of copyright, such as performers working across the entertainment industry.
Lord Callanan: The Government asked questions about impact in the consultation on AI and IP but received limited quantitative evidence. An impact assessment will be published alongside the legislation when laid. The proposed exception will be targeted to limit negative impacts, and the Government welcomes further evidence from rights holders, including performers, on how to best achieve this.
Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government whatprogress they have made on the implementation of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances.
Lord Callanan: The UK was unable to implement the Beijing Treaty in its own right while it was a member of the EU. Since leaving, it has committed to doing so as a sovereign nation. The Government has analysed responses to the recent Call for Views and expects to consult on specific options for implementation shortly.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government when they last reviewed their compliance with their obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; and what were the findings of any such review.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to, and fully complies with, its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, ensuring that both its actions and domestic law are in compliance with those obligations.
Transcaucasus: Peace Negotiations
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask His Majesty's Government what conversations they have held, if any, with the government of Russia in relation to the prospects for peace and security in the South Caucasus.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UK Government has suspended all engagement with the Russian authorities except on a very limited number of issues including the Ukraine crisis. As such, the UK Government currently has no plans to engage directly with the Government of Russia on the situation in the South Caucasus.
Azerbaijan: Land Mines
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the assertion made, and (2) the evidence in support presented, by the government of Azerbaijan that the Armenian military has (a) laid landmines in Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory, and (b) made incursions into Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory, since the end of 2020.
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the assertion made, and (2) the evidence in support presented, by the government of Azerbaijan that theArmenian military fired into Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory during September 2020.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is aware of these assertions. In calls with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov on 15 and 17 September respectively, the Minister of State for Europe, Minister Docherty, reinforced the need for a cessation of hostilities and a return to substantive negotiations to settle all outstanding matters between the parties.
Transcaucasus: Arms Trade
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that arms sales from Turkey to Azerbaijan are having on stability in the South Caucasus.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government has not made a formal assessment of the impact that arms sales from Turkey to Azerbaijan have had on the stability of the South Caucasus. We continue to engage with the Government of Turkey on supporting international negotiation efforts to secure stability and security in the South Caucasus.
Armenia and Azerbaijan: Politics and Government
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the clashes along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan which began on 12 September; and what representations they have made to the governments ofthose countries in relation to (1) the exercise of restraint, and (2) the observation of agreements which ended the 2020 Nagorno–Karabakh war.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government condemns the recent violence along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In calls with the Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan and the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov on 15 and 17 September respectively, the Minister of State for Europe, Minister Docherty, reinforced the need for a cessation of hostilities and a return to substantive negotiations to settle all outstanding matters between the parties. The UK will continue to work with both parties in the coming months to support efforts to secure regional stability and security.
Eritrea: Politics and Government
Baroness Goudie: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Eritrea about the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) organising concerts and festivals in (1) London, and (2) other European capitals; and what assessment, if any, they have made of those events.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are aware of the events organised by the Eritrean Government and ruling party in countries across Europe, including the UK. After one such event organised by the Eritrean Embassy in London in September, clashes between attendees and protestors resulted in several arrests. Following this event, the FCDO has encouraged the Eritrean Embassy to communicate with their dedicated police liaison officer to ensure that any future events pass off peacefully.
Ministry of Defence
Aircraft Carriers
Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Goldie on 20 September (HL2197), how many days at sea (1) HMS Queen Elizabeth, and (2) HMS Prince of Wales, have had since their acceptance by the Royal Navy; and on how many of those days operational F-35 jets have embarked.
Baroness Goldie: HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH has had 603 days at sea since vessel acceptance date, with operational F-35 jets embarked on 278 of those days.HMS PRINCE OF WALES has had 267 days at sea since vessel acceptance date, with operational F-35 jets embarked on 13 of those days.The normal operating cycle of every ship involves them entering different readiness levels depending on their programmes, periods of refit and Departmental planning requirements. In addition, these figures represent days at sea and it should be noted that, while deployed away from the UK, ships will spend both days at sea and alongside in ports around the world.
Fleet Solid Support Ships: Procurement
Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current status of their proposed order of three Fleet Solid Support ships; whether they still intend that these ships will be built in the UK; and when they intend to launch the Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme.
Baroness Goldie: With reference to the first element of the Noble Lord’s question relating to the Fleet Solid Support ships, I refer the noble Lord to the answers provided by my hon. Friend, the then Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin), in the House of Commons on 4 July 2022 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey), in response to Question HC27511; and on 29 June 2022 to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones) to HC24549. I can also confirm that the Government intends to launch the Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme later this year, subject to final Ministerial and HM Treasury approvals. This scheme will provide transactional cover for UK companies to underwrite the finance of new commercial vessel contracts. This will stimulate the industry by increasing the competitiveness of UK commercial shipbuilding.Fleet Solid Support Ships; Procurement (docx, 16.6KB)Fleet Solid Support Ships; Proicurement (docx, 16.3KB)
Aircraft Carriers: F-35 Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government what calculation they have made, if any, of the minimum number of F35s the UK requires to ensure that in a major war or an emergency the full complement of 36 aircraft can be embarked in the designated carrier.
Baroness Goldie: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 8 September 2022, volume 824 during the debate in the House of Lords main chamber.Royal Navy; F35 (docx, 17.5KB)
Aircraft Carriers
Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government when the last aircraft carrier was lost by the Royal Navy; and whether she had her airwing embarked.
Baroness Goldie: Chronologically the last aircraft carrier lost by the Royal Navy was the Escort Carrier HMS DASHER which sank as a result of an internal explosion in the Clyde on 27 March 1943.The aircraft embarked were Sea Hurricanes from 891 Naval Air Squadron and Swordfish from 816 Naval Air Squadron.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Office for Environmental Protection
Lord Anderson of Ipswich: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the Common Framework document that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will agree with the Office for Environmental Protection.
Lord Benyon: We are committed to working collaboratively with the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to finalise the Defra-OEP framework agreement. We are currently in the final stages of negotiations. The purpose of the Framework Document is to set out the broad governance framework within which the OEP and Defra operate. It will reflect the parties' core responsibilities and will describe the governance and accountability framework that applies between the parties, including how the day-to-day relationship works in practice. This will include detail on governance and financial matters, whilst also respecting the provisions in the Environment Act for OEP independence.
Office for Environmental Protection
Lord Anderson of Ipswich: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made with the implementation of the duty of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to have regard to the need to protect the independence of the Office for Environmental Protection as set out in Schedule 1 of the Environment Act 2022.
Lord Benyon: The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has been provided with safeguards to ensure its operational independence from the Government, including a specific duty on the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to protect the OEP’s independence. The indicative five-year budget for the OEP has been protected by Defra within this spending review period. This ensures the OEP has sufficient funds to carry out its statutory functions and gives the OEP greater certainty of its finances with which to plan its future activities. The OEP board has set out its strategy and continue to operate independently of Government.
Musical Instruments: Customs
Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what negotiations are taking place with the governments of (1) France, (2) Belgium and (3) the Netherlands, to designate Eurostar terminals as entry and exit points for items including musical instruments affected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); what progress they have made in any such negotiations; and, in the absence of any agreement,what steps they are taking to broaden and increase the number of ports of entry to the EU that can be used by UK musicians who are required to obtain a carnet to work in the EU.
Lord Benyon: Any specimen covered by CITES controls must be imported or exported through one of the 36 designated and operational land, sea and air Points of Entry (PoE). The full list is available at GOV.UK and kept under review. We are working closely with Border Force, industry and our European counterparts to look at the feasibility of designating further PoE to provide additional routes for the movement of CITES items (e.g. musical instruments), including the Eurostar. Approximately 80 countries around the world (including all EU member states) accept ATA Carnets. ATA Carnets are not a mandatory requirement for anyone temporarily moving goods between the United Kingdom and the EU, including musicians transporting their instruments. They are an optional facilitation that allows goods to be imported temporarily without the normal customs formalities (i.e. customs declarations) and import duty being paid. They allow a single document to be used for multiple countries’ customs controls. The management of EU import and export procedures is the responsibility of the customs authority of the relevant EU member state.
Anaerobic Digestion: Drug Resistance
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of therisk of anaerobic digestion facilities increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance.
Lord Benyon: HM Government has not conducted specific research into the risks of anaerobic digestion facilities increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance, but it does consider that anaerobic digestion is an effective method for the disposal of animal by-products as the process destroys bacteria and is considered to be the best approach for reducing spread of bacteria to the environment. Guidance on the handling of manure and slurry to reduce antibiotic resistance can be found at Handling of manure and slurry to reduce antibiotic resistance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Poultry: Animal Welfare
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress the Animal and Plant Health Agency has made in its investigation into the deaths of millions of factory farm chickens during heatwaves in summer 2022; when the results of the investigation are expected to be published; and what plans they have to prevent future such events.
Lord Benyon: The Animal and Plant Health Agency is supporting local authorities in investigating what took place on individual poultry units. Ongoing investigations are confidential as any information released may prejudice any potential legal action in the future.HM Government takes breaches of animal welfare legislation very seriously. Prior to and during this summer's heatwaves, we reiterated advice to livestock keepers to ensure their contingency plans took full account of the need to protect health and welfare during hot weather. We are very concerned about the significant mortalities in broiler chickens that occurred. We are discussing what happened with the poultry sector and looking carefully at what measures could be put in place in future to help prevent a recurrence of mass mortalities and improve broiler chicken welfare.
Marine Environment: North of England
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer fromLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 22 February (HL6071), what further informationthey have gathered in relation to ecological problems off the coasts of Yorkshire and North-East England; and what plansthey have for further studies and actions relating to any such problems.
Lord Benyon: We are aware there have been some localised reductions in catch rates and we are continuing to monitor shellfish populations in the area. This is a complex scientific issue, which is why we took a thorough, evidence-based approach. We will continue to work with academic researchers.
Cosmetics
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of theenvironmental impact of production and release of (1) petrochemical, and (2) mineral UV-filters, currently approved as active ingredients in cosmetics.
Lord Benyon: (1) The Environment Agency (EA) cannot assess the impact on the environment from petrochemical ingredients in cosmetics. Petrochemicals are used in a large range of manufacturing processes and the EA cannot, with confidence, trace petrochemicals in the environment specifically back to the widespread use of cosmetics. (2) The EA Chemical Assessment Unit published a review of organic UV filters in cosmetics prior to the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations coming into force (here and copy attached). They have a project this year to update it, which will complete by March 2023. The EA has developed a Prioritisation and Early Warning System (PEWS) for chemicals of emerging concern to ensure consideration of the potential risks of emerging chemicals including to surface waters (both freshwater and saline waters), groundwater and soils. The system allows the EA to sift and to screen any chemical substance nominated using, where available, hazard data and environmental monitoring data to prioritise whether a substance may be a possible chemical of concern in England. The EA has considered some mineral UV-filters as part of PEWS: zinc oxide in its nanoform; and titanium dioxide in its nanoform. However, both substances have a much broader range of uses beyond cosmetics, so it is not possible to isolate the impact of release from cosmetic use alone. Both substances flagged as low risk in PEWS, but the EA stresses it has low certainty over this outcome, due to a lack of available data. UV filters review - Environment Agency (pdf, 428.3KB)
Water Companies: Fines
Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government what direction they have given, if any, to OFWAT to increase the penalties imposed on water companies for failing to rectify or prevent water leakages.
Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of OFWAT in relation to the imposition of obligations on water companies to reduce losses through leakages over the last three years.
Lord Benyon: The Environment Secretary made it clear that water companies must improve their environmental performance and deliver more for customers. Water companies have targets set by Ofwat that they need to meet (performance commitments), and reducing leakage is one of these. They face automatic financial penalties when these are missed. Ofwat also has enforcement powers in regard to legal obligations companies have in legislation or their license. If a company significantly misses its leakage performance commitment this could indicate the company might be breaching a legal obligation, which would prompt Ofwat to investigate further. Ofwat has already put in place clear financial consequences for companies that underperform on leakage. For example, in 2018 Thames Water was found to have breached its general duty under Section 37 of the Water Industry Act 1991 in regard to leakage. Enforcement action resulted in them paying rebates totalling £120 million back to customers, comprising underperformance penalties of £55 million and an additional £65 million to reflect failures of the company. Ofwat has also set requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16% and reduce mains bursts by 12% by 2025. In July, Ofwat reported that industry wide leakage has reduced by 11% since 2017-18. Water companies have committed to delivering a 50% reduction in leakage from 2017 to 2018 levels by 2050, and we expect Ofwat to challenge companies to deliver this and monitor progress. In addition, water companies will need to contribute to delivery of Defra’s proposed Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce the use of public water supply per person in England by 20% by 2037. This includes a 31.3% reduction in leakage by 2037, a pathway for companies to meet their 50% reduction in leakage commitment by 2050.
Home Office
Slavery: British Nationality
Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what training is given toFirst Responders in the National Referral Mechanism about the specific (1) indicators, (2) needs, and (3) entitlements, of British nationals who are victims of modern slavery.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: First Responder Organisations (FROs) in the National Referral Mechanism are responsible for providing training for those within their organisation who act as First Responders, taking account of the specific circumstances of their role.The Home Office published an e-learning package for First Responders. This consists of two modules, one on indicators of modern slavery and how to make a referral into the NRM (published summer 2020) and a second (published in June 2021) which focuses on the vulnerabilities of child victims.All confirmed victims are entitled to tailored support based on their individual needs, irrespective of nationality.
Abortion: Clinics
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the policy of supporting a locally-driven response to demonstrations at abortion clinics; and whether they still consider that local authorities have sufficient powers to address any potential challenges arising in relation to such demonstrations.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government is clear that it is unacceptable that patients seeking healthcare advice or staff working in healthcare facilities should feel intimidated or harassed. Since the 2018 review, the Government has continued to keep the matter of abortion-related protest outside clinics under review and continues to believe that a locally-driven response to demonstrations outside abortion clinics in England and Wales is proportionate.The existing laws give the police and local authorities the powers they need to deal with harmful protests, and the Government expects the police and local authorities to use their existing powers appropriately.
Refugees: Afghanistan
Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government how much money has been reimbursed forpayments to people volunteering accommodation to Afghan refugees to date; and what liabilities have been incurred in this respect.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Afghan families are provided with safe and clean accommodation in hotels, which are procured through Crown Commercial and contracting partners, whilst officials work to source appropriate settled accommodation for them. Those temporarily living in a hotel have access to healthcare, education, any essential items they need, as well as employment opportunities or Universal Credit. Whilst we cannot comment on individual contracts, please be assured that the Home Office works hard to secure contracts that offer the best value for money, whilst providing an appropriate level of support to those under our care.
Slavery: British Nationality
Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the reasons for the increasing number of British nationals referred to the National Referral Mechanism for victims of modern slavery, and (2) the measures needed to prevent this exploitation.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: In 2021 the most common nationality referred to the National Referral Mechanism was UK nationals, which accounted for 31% (3,952) of all potential victims (compared to 34% in 2020). A high number of those UK nationals are children. For those exploited as children, an increase in the identification of ‘county lines’ cases has partially driven the rise in the number of cases. Preventing vulnerable people being drawn into slavery is one of the most effective ways of tackling this crime. The UK Government has invested £10 million, via the Arts and Humanities Research Council, to establish the Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre, to transform the evidence base underpinning our policy response to modern slavery, including what works to prevent this exploitation. We have also invested in a modern slavery prevention fund to test new approaches to preventing modern slavery.
Drugs: Organised Crime
Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people in England and Waleswere recorded as victims of 'cuckooing', the exploitation through the occupation and control of their home by others (1) in 2021, and (2) from January to June 2022.
Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the laws available to prosecute those who exploit their victims through occupation, use and control of the victim’s home, known as 'cuckooing'; and how many (1) prosecutions, and (2) convictions, therewere for cuckooing behaviour in 2021.
Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government how many victims of 'cuckooing'were prosecuted for criminal offences related to the criminal activity resulting from this exploitation (1) in 2021, and (2) from January to June 2022.
Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the particular circumstances which make people vulnerable to exploitation through 'cuckooing', and of the needs of those victims for protection and support.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: This Government is aware of the abhorrent practice of cuckooing which often occurs in the context of the county lines drugs supply model.We are determined to crack down on county lines gangs and that is why, through the ten-year Drugs Strategy, we are investing up to £145m over three years in our successful County Lines Programme.Since November 2019 the County Lines Programme has closed over 2,400 lines, made over 8,000 arrests, and engaged over 9,500 individuals through safeguarding interventions.Whilst data on cuckooing is not held centrally, the latest week of intensification against county lines (conducted by the Home Office-funded National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) in March 2022), saw 799 cuckooed properties visited.The Home Office is working with NCLCC to raise awareness of cuckooing through training and peer reviews as well as promoting best practice of how to tackle it through the use of civil orders and multi-agency partnership working and intelligence sharing.
Asylum: Detainees
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum applicants have been detained this year as a result of arriving in the UK via a third country.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Individuals are detained only for the purpose of establishing identity or where there is a realistic prospect of removal within a reasonable timescale. Individuals are not detained simply because they have arrived via a third country. All decisions to detain are taken on the basis of a careful consideration of the known facts of the individual case, including all factors arguing both for and against detention As the method or route of arrival is not a reason to detain an individual, the requested information cannot be accurately extracted from our internal systems. To provide this information would require a manual trawl of case records and to do so would incur disproportionate cost The Home Office does publish statistics on people in detention in the 'Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release', which can be found on Gov.uk. The number of people in detention at the end of each year is broken down by asylum and non-asylum in table Det_01. Asylum-related cases refer to those where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to or during, detention. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but detained for other reasons (such as criminality). Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
Asylum: Rwanda
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the annual plan due to be agreed jointly by the Monitoring Committee and Joint Committee for the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda.
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the quarterly written reports produced for the Joint Committee by the Monitoring Committee for the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Monitoring Committee will agree an annual, resourced monitoring plan with the Joint Committee. The terms of reference and membership of the Monitoring Committee for the Migration and Economic Development Partnership have been published on Gov.uk. As set out in its terms of reference, the Monitoring Committee will produce a summary report for publication once a year. More details on this will be set out in due course.
Asylum: Detainees
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether asylum seeker detention centres will be able to provide a medical report within the seven-day appeals period that starts as soon as a notice of intent for removal is given to an asylum seeker.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: All immigration removal centres (IRCs) have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses which are managed by the NHS or appropriate providers. All detained individuals entering an IRC receive a healthcare screening within 2 hours of their arrival and are offered an appointment with a doctor within 24 hours. In addition, residents have full access to the 24-hour on-site healthcare team during their stay in the IRC. Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 requires General Practitioners (GP) working in IRCs to report to the Home Office where they (i) have concerns that an individual is likely to be to be injuriously affected by continued detention or any conditions of detention, (ii) suspect that an individual has suicidal intentions or (iii) have concerns that an individual may have been a victim of torture. All reports raised under Detention Centre Rule 35 are now considered by a single Home Office team, independent from detained casework commands. The team considers the individual circumstances of the case in line with the Adults at Risk in Detention Policy. Following due consideration, a decision will be made and relayed to the individual, the relevant IRC, and the detained casework team as to whether or not continuing detention remains appropriate. Contingency plans are in place to manage any increase in Rule 35 requests from residents, which includes scheduling extra GP appointments where necessary and proactively striving to reduce waiting times. Work is underway in collaboration with healthcare providers across the immigration removal estate to develop and refine training for on-site healthcare teams on the importance and correct use of Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001.
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Carbon Monoxide: Alarms
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer fromBaroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist on 20 September (HL2103),what is the timetable for the review of the regulations introduced on 1 October to extend requirements for carbon monoxide alarms.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The regulations, set out that it is the intention of the Government to publish a report on the conclusions of the first review of The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 by 1st October 2027, five years after the regulations have commenced. In the meantime, we continue to monitor to feedback from the social housing sector on how these regulations are being received and embedded into the sector. In light of the feedback already received, we plan to update the current guidance for tenants, landlords and local authorities.
Refugees: Housing
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure (1) Afghan, and (2) Ukrainian, refugees are moved from temporary accommodation into more stable, long-term housing arrangements.
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to assist Afghan refugees currently housed in poor-quality temporary accommodation.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government is working with councils to find families settled homes as quickly as possible. It is right that we take time to ensure that families are provided with suitable homes that support their integration and access to education and employment.In addition to the funding local authorities receive for integration support costs, a £25.5million Housing Costs fund is available to local authorities to help meet the costs of housing. Funding provided to support integration can also be used towards costs needed to enable families to secure accommodation, including deposits and upfront rent, enabling families to fund their own accommodation.We are working with Rightmove to identify potential properties available in the private rented sector. This provides councils with additional information to source appropriate properties. Our improved Housing Portal also allows property owners and organisations to submit offers of housing for people who have arrived from Afghanistan.We are also working with councils to make it easier for Afghan families who are currently in bridging hotels to find and secure their own accommodation. We have formalised this as the 'Find Your Own Accommodation' pathway, and we have developed a supplementary training package to enable councils to support individuals and families throughout this process. We have also worked with the Ministry of Defence to make use of Service Family Accommodation and we are working directly with developers and educational bodies to consider alternative accommodation options.We are working closely with local councils and voluntary and community sector partners to monitor the housing landscape for Ukrainian households, develop our strategy and actively explore options to find suitable long-term accommodation for those who are likely to stay in the UK beyond the initial six months. We have provided a tariff of £10,500 per arrival to councils to enable them to provide support to individuals and families. This is un-ringfenced, which allows councils to use the funding as best suits the local area, including measures to support guests to access the private rental market.
Freeports: National Parks
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend (1) planning rules, and (2) other regulations, in national parks included within the boundaries of freeport zones.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: By delivering investment on specific priority sites, Freeports will create thousands of high-quality jobs in some of our most disadvantaged communities. These sites have been carefully selected for their suitability for development by the local Freeport coalition, which comprises key private partners and Local Authorities who, importantly, provide democratic accountability for the actions of the Freeport. The development sites sit within an 'outer boundary' which sets the limit for how far apart they can be and broadly indicates the area they expect to benefit most directly from the Freeport's economic impacts. This in no way means that the area has been earmarked for development nor does this confer any special planning status. Local Authorities retain all their statutory powers and responsibilities, including responsibility for providing planning permission. Freeport status in no way undercuts the local planning process and there is no change to the current planning and environment status of national parks.
Housing: Water
Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing a mandatory requirement to include water capture capabilities in all new build residential properties.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: In July 2021 the Government issued a Written Ministerial Statement, which can be found (attached) here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-07-01/hcws140 , on reducing demand for water in response to the Defra consultation on 'measures to reduce personal water consumption'. Within this statement, we committed to developing a roadmap towards greater water efficiency in new developments and retrofits, including the exploration of revised building regulations and how the development of new technologies can contribute to meeting these standards. We will ensure that the underlying legislation can, where appropriate, accommodate any potential future expansion of rainwater harvesting, water re-use and storage options. We plan to publish this roadmap by the end of 2022.Written Statement (pdf, 96.1KB)
Refugees: Ukraine
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to assist Ukrainian refugees in the UK who have been declared homeless.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Our priority was to get Ukrainians to safety as quickly as possible. As with any scheme of this size we anticipated relationship breakdowns which is why we put plans in place to address these risks Local councils have a responsibility to support Ukrainians who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including providing temporary accommodation where required to ensure no family is without a roof over their head. Local councils’ statutory homelessness duties will apply in instances of sponsorship breakdown if the Ukrainian household does not have alternative suitable accommodation.
Refugees: Ukraine
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide housing solutions to Ukrainian refugees in the UK to enable them to increase their independence.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: We are working closely with local councils to understand where pressures may be and are actively exploring options to find suitable long-term accommodation for the Ukrainians who are likely to stay in this country beyond the households staying in the country beyond their initial sponsorship period. The updated guidance for the Homes for Ukraine guests, hosts and councils setting out all the support options available to them can be accessed (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils#four-to-6-months-after-guests-have-moved-to-your-area. Guidance for Council (pdf, 672.0KB)
Refugees: Ukraine
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase support to Ukrainian refugees and their host families, in particular to address increases in the cost of living.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: We recognise the growing pressure on family finances, and the challenges that households are facing with the rising costs of living. We are working with local authorities and sponsors to support them to continue hosting.
Homes for Ukraine Scheme
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the longer-term sustainability of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: We are working closely with local councils and voluntary and community sector partners to monitor the housing landscape for Ukrainian households, develop our strategy and actively explore options to find suitable long-term accommodation for those who are likely to stay in the UK beyond the initial six months. We are also supporting Ukrainians that want to stay in sponsorships for a longer period, but with a different host by enabling a process of rematching and will continue to develop our bank of potential sponsors.
Cabinet Office
Life Peers: Public Appointments
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the restrictions contained within the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 are a factor in their consideration of recommendations for the appointment of new peers.
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the application of the restrictions imposed by the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 in relation to recommendations for the appointment of new peers.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: It is against the law to 'sell' honours or peerages - offering cash for awards - under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. Life peerages are vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission for matters of propriety, who seek advice from Government Departments and Agencies where appropriate.
Treasury
Exchange Rates: Dollar
Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the main reasons for the long-term decline of the value of the pound against the US dollar.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Financial market movements are determined by a wide range of domestic and international factors. It is not appropriate for the government to comment on specific currency market movements. The UK does not have an exchange rate target and the Government does not have a desired level for sterling – the price is determined by the market. The UK's macroeconomic framework is based on an inflation target, and it is for the independent Monetary Policy Committee to set monetary policy to meet this target.
Taxation: Disclosure of Information
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have fully to meet the standards for tax transparency set by the General Assembly of the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency, including its 14 guiding principles.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: HMRC, in combination with HM Treasury, the Office of Budget Responsibility, Office for National Statistics, and other Government departments are already meeting, or exceeding, areas identified in the 14 guiding principles set by the General Assembly of the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency for tax transparency, for example: HMRC publish an annual report which includes information on the prevailing tax gap and action taken to reduce it, as well as comprehensive accounts and other information on revenues, expenditure, performance and performance plans. This is in addition to separate publications on the measurement of tax gaps and other research conducted by HMRC on taxpayers’ behaviour and tax administration;HMRC’s published Annual Report and Accounts, as well as other aspects of its performance and expenditure, are regularly audited by the independent National Audit Office (NAO), and subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. NAO reports of its audits are also published. Revenue and other statistics published by HMRC adhere to the Official Statistics Code of Practice and are also subject to independent audit by the UK’s Statistics Authority;The UK Government and HMRC have increased their own transparency by publishing more data, including information about the exercise of powers. Government departments also publish data as part of a cross-Government transparency data publishing requirement, as directed by several letters from the Prime Minister since 2010;The UK Government collaborates with international and regional financial institutions, contributing to their published revenue statistics, to improve the fairness, efficiency, and effectiveness of tax administration, including through the Forum on Tax Administration; andThe Tax Assurance Commissioner (TAC) role was created in 2012 to strengthen governance and assurance of tax disputes. The TAC provides assurance to Parliament and the public on the handling of civil tax disputes, and their Report is published as part of HMRC’s Annual Report. Increasing transparency to improve the public’s trust in the tax system and Government accountability remains a focus for this administration. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2022-10-10 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Stakeholder Pensions
Lord Newby: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to extend the 1 per cent cap on fees chargeable for stakeholder pensions to unit trusts and investment bonds.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government recently issued a consultation document on product design proposals for Sandler stakeholder products setting out proposals for an extended range of simple, low cost, risk-controlled investment products and discussing issues relating to charges.
Irish Republic: Human Rights
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9 January (WA 231) concerning human rights in the Irish Republic, what is the measurement which indicates that the republic's government have strengthened the protection of human rights to at least the equivalent level of protection in Northern Ireland.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: This is a matter for the Irish Government. The noble Lord may wish to contact the Department of Foreign Affairs, Iveagh House, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 which has responsibility for the above subject.
Detention Centres: Chaplaincy Arrangements
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether sensitive and caring chaplaincy arrangements for members of all faiths are important in preventing violence, self-harm and suicide in all immigration, detention and removal centres; and what plans they have in this regard.
Lord Filkin: The Detention Centre Rules (SI 2001 No. 238) make provision for the regulation and management of all centres in the detention estate. They provide, among other things, for matters such as the welfare and privileges of detained persons, their religious observance and healthcare. I am satisfied that current practices and procedures throughout the estate are more than satisfactory in providing a good level of care for detainees.
Asylum Seekers: Accommodation Centres
Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any further consideration has been given to potential sites for accommodation centres.
Lord Filkin: We are announcing today that we are considering applying for planning approval to develop an accommodation centre for asylum seekers at HMS Daedalus, Gosport, Hampshire.
Because the need to establish the accommodation centres trial is urgent, the Government are committed as a matter of policy to developing accommodation centres for 750 asylum seekers each at DSDC Bicester and the former RAF Newton. For the trial to be effective it is necessary to have a policy commitment to these two sites and we will therefore continue vigorously to make our case to the planning inquiries established to consider our proposals.
We previously announced our intention to trial a smaller model of accommodation centre for up to 400 single men only. We consider the site at HMS "Daedalus" to be suitable for this model, and to that extent it is a key element of the policy to trial accommodation centres.
As before, we will comply with the planning process with this new site and we hope that we will make considerable progress in the consultation process with the local community and councils.
After detailed consideration, we have decided not to pursue the sites at Sully Hospital, South Glamorgan; AirWest, Edinburgh; and RAF Hemswell, Lincolnshire for the purposes of the trial. No planning notifications will therefore be submitted for these sites.
Site searching continues and we are looking in particular for an alternative site in Scotland to replace AirWest, Edinburgh. When a potential site has been identified we will consult Scottish Ministers in line with Section 40 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
Cambridge University Marmoset Projects
Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the report by the Chief Inspector of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate of his review following allegations made by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection of aspects of research projects at Cambridge University involving marmosets.
Lord Filkin: The Government have today published a report by the Chief Inspector of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate, following his review of aspects of three animal research projects being conducted at Cambridge University. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library and are being put onto the Home Office website—www.homeoffice.gov.uk.
The Home Office licensed the three projects under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. They comprise studies relevant to various human neurological disorders, such as amnesia, psychoses, stroke-related conditions, dementia, and Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. These studies involve subjecting marmosets to surgical and other procedures, including behavioural and cognitive testing.
The research has been the subject of a campaign report and video produced last year by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) in which a number of detailed allegations are made based on the testimony of, and material gathered by, an undercover sympathiser. These allegations call into question the severity limits and bands assigned to the projects, challenge other aspects of the licensing decisions, raise compliance issues and record concerns about the standards of care given to the marmosets.
In the light of the BUAV material I asked the chief inspector for a report on the assignment of the severity limits and bands concerned and for his advice on the licensing decisions and on compliance with the licence authorities.
The chief inspector's review has been thorough and his detailed report addresses all the key issues. In it he refers to the official published material about severity limits (relating to individual authorised procedures) and severity bands (relating to entire projects). He concludes that the severity limits and bands for these projects, none of which is classed as higher than moderate, have been correctly assigned in accordance with the published criteria. In reaching this view he has taken account of all relevant factors. These include the degree and duration of suffering likely to be experienced by the marmosets as a result of the procedures, the use of analgesics and special post-operative care, and the controls in place to ensure appropriate action if the severity limits seem unexpectedly likely to be breached.
The BUAV claim that there is a widespread misallocation of severity limits and bands in non-human primate research, so that the true amount of laboratory animal suffering is being concealed. In view of this, the chief inspector has also examined 37 other licensed academic projects where primates are used in procedures placed in all the different severity categories. He found the limits and bands had been correctly assigned in all cases.
In reviewing the licensing decisions for the Cambridge projects, the chief inspector points out that the lead researchers concerned have long experience in this type of neurological research, their work has been peer-reviewed by funding bodies and their findings have been published as they have emerged. Consideration of two of the licence applications involved specialist members of the inspectorate in addition to the local inspector, and in all cases account was taken of all the detailed information on the application forms, as well as of material from other sources. The chief inspector is satisfied that the decisions were correct and properly taken with due regard to all the criteria set out in Section 5 of the 1986 Act.
The chief inspector considers that the marmoset facility at Cambridge University meets, and in some respects exceeds, the standards of housing and care set out in the relevant Home Office codes of practice, and that some examples are to be found there of best practice. He considers that there is a culture of care within the establishment and that the marmoset colony is generally healthy. This is borne out by veterinary records and previous inspection reports, as well as by the chief inspector's own observations.
The Government are grateful to the chief inspector for having produced a comprehensive and balanced report. We accept his main findings and conclusions. In particular we are satisfied that the Cambridge University marmoset projects have been properly licensed and assigned the correct severity limits and bands. We are also satisfied that the projects, the value and importance of which must be recognised, are well run and that the marmosets are generally well looked after. No evidence has been found to support any of the BUAV's main contentions.
The chief inspector has additionally made some recommendations on matters arising from his review. There are three addressed to the Government. The first is that there should be a forum of those who breed and use marmosets for scientific purposes, so that contemporary best practice can be shared in a structured way. The second is that consideration should be given in the next review of the published annual procedures statistics to a possible remedy for a technical problem encountered in capturing the data relating to all the uses made of some laboratory animals. The third is that further consideration should be given as to whether the severity limit and band labels should continue to be used.
These are constructive recommendations and we fully accept them. I have asked the inspectorate to set up the proposed forum for licensed breeders and users of marmosets. The point about the statistics will be considered in due course as part of a wider review of the annual published statistics. I have asked for the question of future use of the terminology of severity limits and bands to be considered as part of the review currently being undertaken by the Animal Procedures Committee of the cost-benefit assessment required under Section 5 of the 1986 Act.
A few technical infringements were discovered during the chief inspector's review on which appropriate action has been taken. These do not detract either from the chief inspector's main findings or our acceptance of them. Nothing seriously untoward has been discovered about the licensing and running of these projects at Cambridge University, and on those aspects there are no grounds for significant concern or further action.
Asylum Appeals
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
For the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available, what is the total number of asylum cases which went to appeal and the total sum in legal aid which was paid out in respect of these cases; and in how many cases the appeal was upheld.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: In the period October 2001 to September 2002, 60,450 appeals were determined by adjudicators, of which 13,240 were upheld. The figures do not include applications for leave to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal or hearings dealt with by the tribunal.
It is not possible to link the amount paid in legal aid to these cases.
Environmental Offences
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which United Kingdom companies were prosecuted in 2002 for serious environmental offences which resulted in a fine of over £1,000; what were the nature of the offences; and how much they were fined.
Lord Whitty: The Environment Agency is the primary agency in England and Wales that prosecutes environmental offences. Information on offences prosecuted by the Environment Agency in 2002 is listed in tabular form below, broken down into the eight regions of England and Wales for which the agency has responsibility, and into the top 10 fines for each region. Prosecution details for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and those for offences not prosecuted by the Environment Agency in England and Wales, are not held centrally.
During 2002, there were 357 prosecutions brought against companies by the Environment Agency: 855 offences were successfully prosecuted, which led to fines totalling £3,120,423. The average fine per offence was £3,649.62 and the average fine per prosecution was £8,740.68.
The figure of 357 prosecutions includes those where companies were prosecuted on more than one occasion during the year, for example United Utilities Water plc, or for more than one offence.
The top 10 fines in each agency region are shown in tabular form below.
Thames Region—Top 10 fines
Company Name Nature of Offence(s) Total Fines (£)
Thames Water Utilities Limited Water Quality £155,000.00
BP Oil (UK) Limited Water Quality £60,000.00
Totalfinaelf UK Limited Water Quality £54,000.00
S H Pratt and Company (Bananas) Limited Waste £53,000.00
S Grundon (Ewelme) Limited Water Quality £50,000.00
English, Welsh & Scottish Railway Limited Water Quality £24,000.00
Budgens Stores Limited Water Quality £16,000.00
Honda Trading Europe Limited Water Quality £12,000.00
Nippon 2000 Spares and Tyres Company Limited Water Quality £12,000.00
BP Mitchell Haulage Contractors Limited Waste £10,000.00
Yoplait Dairy Crest Limited Water Quality £10,000.00
Anglian Region—Top 10 fines
Company Name Nature of Offence(s) Total Fines (£)
Anglian Water Services Limited Water Quality £270,000.00
Shanks Waste Services Limited Waste £87,000.00
Greenvale Foods Limited Water Quality £49,000.00
Banham Poultry Limited Water Quality £24,000.00
Jackson Building Centres Limited Waste £22,500.00
Welding Alloys Limited Waste £15,000.00
James A Gooding Limited Water Quality £15,000.00
Junckers Limited Waste £13,500.00
Middlebrook Mushrooms Limited Water Quality £12,000.00
Easco Limited Waste £10,000.00
Welsh Region—Top 10 fines
Company Name Nature of Offence(s) Total Fines (£)
Kronospan Limited Water Resources £65,000.00
Dwr Cymru Cyf Water Quality £24,000.00
F & R Dunlop Services Limited Waste £13,000.00
T Richard Jones (Betws) Limited Waste £8,500.00
Amgen Rhondaa Limited Water Quality £8,000.00
Macob Limited Water Quality £8,000.00
Global Foods Limited Waste £8,000.00
Konica Business Machines (UK) Limited Waste £8,000.00
Rockfon Limited Waste £5,250.00
South Wales Mineral Recycling Limited Waste £5,000.00
Allied Carpet Group plc Water Quality £5,000.00
Hogan (Construction) Ltd Waste £5,000.00
Knolton Farmhouse Cheese Ltd Water Quality £5,000.00
Midlands Region—Top 10 fines
Company Name Nature of Offence(s) Total Fines (£)
Midland Waste Management Limited Waste £54,000.00
Lear Corporation (Nottingham) Limited Waste £40,000.00
Lear Corporation UK Interior Systems Limited Waste £40,000.00
Torgam Developments Limited Waste £30,000.00
Europackaging plc Waste £25,000.00
Computer 2000 Distribution Limited Waste £25,000.00
R Calder Skip Hire (Kidderminster) Limited Waste £20,200.00
B & D Electroplaters Limited Water Quality £20,000.00
Lear Corporation (UK) Limited Waste £16,000.00
Bowood Event Hire Limited Water Quality £13,500.00
North East Region—Top 10 fines
Company Name Nature of Offence(s) Total Fines (£)
Cheepa Skips UK Limited Waste £25,000.00
Huntsman Petrochemicals (UK) Limited Water Quality £23.000.00
Yorkshire Water Services Limited Water Quality £22,000.00
E Harper (York) Limited Water Quality £15,000.00
Hedon Salads Limited Waste £15,000.00
Leo Sawrij Limited Waste £10,500.00
Peter Ward Homes Limited Waste £7,000.00
Tillertech Limited Water Quality £7,000.00
J N Bentley Limited Water Quality £6,000.00
Contract Heat & Power Limited Waste £5,000.00
Russell Construction (York) Limited Waste £5,000.00
MKM Building Supplies Limited Waste £5,000.00
Tay Homes plc Water Quality £5,000.00
North West Region—Top 10 fines
Company Name Nature of Offence(s) Total Fines (£)
United Utilities Water plc Water Quality £327,500.00
Stationery Box Limited Waste £25,000.00
Onyx Highmoor Limited Waste £21,000.00
3C Waste Limited Waste £17,000.00
Bernstein Group plc Waste £16,000.00
P W Greenhalgh & Company Limited IPC £15,000.00
Sita (Lancashire) Limited Waste £14,000.00
Paul Hartmann Limited Waste £11,500.00
Bomacks Contractors Limited Waste £10,800.00
Interbrew UK Limited Water Quality £10,000.00
B Dugdale & Son Limited Water Quality £10,000.00
Southern Region—Top 10 fines
Company Name Nature of Offence(s) Total Fines (£)
Albury Construction Limited Water Quality £40,000.00
A & J Bull (Southern) Limited Waste £31,000.00
Southern Water Services Limited Water Quality £21,000.00
Skipaway Limited Waste £20,000.00
St. James Haulage Limited Waste £12,500.00
CPS Group Limited Waste £10,000.00
Biffa Waste Services Limited Waste £8,500.00
Thames Water Utilities Limited Water Quality £5,000.00
R.H. Thompson & Company Limited Waste £4,500.00
Hanson Quarry Products Europe Limited Water Quality £3,500.00
South West Region—Top 10 fines
Company Name Nature of Offence(s) Total Fines (£)
Faccenda Group
(South) Limited
Water Quality £75,000.00
South West Water
Limited
Water Quality £45,000.00
Hills Mineral &
Waste Limited
Waste £20,000.00
Wessex Water
Services Limited
Water Quality £18,000.00
Lawson Demolition
& Crushing Limited
Waste £13,025.00
Consilium
Construction
Limited
Waste £13,000.00
Tesco Stores
Limited
Water Quality £10,000.00
Biffa Waste Services
Limited
Waste £7,000.00
Bath Demolition
and Crushing
Company Limited
Waste £5,250.00
Valley Waste
Management
Limited
Water Resources £5,000.00
Bourne Leisure
Limited
Water Resources £5,000.00
Converters
(European) Limited
Waste £5,000.00
T J Brent Limited
Waste £5,000.00
Hall & Woodhouse
Limited
Water Quality £5,000.00
NHS Foundation Trusts
Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 15 January (WA 45), whether the existence of a private finance initiative contract has any bearing on the prudential borrowing limit to be set for National Health Service foundation trusts; and, if so, how it will be taken into account.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Any private finance initiative charges paid by NHS foundation trusts will reduce their ability to service borrowing. Each NHS foundation trust will be able to borrow up to a prudential limit assessed by the independent regulator based on the individual NHS foundation trust's ability to service the borrowing.
Television Licence Fees
Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will announce the television licence fees that will come into force this year.
Baroness Blackstone: On 21 February 2000, the Government announced their conclusions on the recommendations of the independent review panel on the future funding of the BBC. In addition to a range of measures designed to improve BBC efficiency and accountability, the Government introduced a new funding formula providing for changes in the licence fee of RPI plus 1.5 per cent for each year from 2000–01 to 2006–07. This formula will enable the BBC to provide a strong and distinctive schedule of high quality programmes and remain at the forefront of broadcasting technology.
Application of the RPI figure of 1.7 per cent for the year to September 2003, plus 1.5 per cent, to the current unrounded licence fees produces new rounded totals of £116 for a colour licence and £38.50 for a black and white licence. The necessary regulations to bring these fees into force will be laid before the House in due course. The changes will come into effect from 1 April.
Public Libraries
Lord Hughes of Woodside: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proposals they have about the role of public libraries.
Baroness Blackstone: I am pleased to repeat the announcement made yesterday by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport that the Government's new strategic framework for the public library service, Framework for the Future, has been published and copies of the document have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The starting point for the strategy is how best to meet the needs of library users and encourage new users. Framework for the Future outlines a range of initiatives designed to promote reading and learning for everyone, giving special attention to those who have literacy problems. It aims to bring access to the digital communications revolution to all and to help communities work together more effectively through better sharing of community information and by creating opportunities for different groups to work together. The new strategy will encourage libraries to build on existing strengths and ensure they position themselves at the hearts of the communities they serve.
Public libraries are a valuable infrastructure, which have the potential to help local authorities deliver across a range of local services. The best libraries are doing so already. By clarifying key priorities and highlighting best practice, Framework for the Future provides a focus for future work across the sector. It provides a basis for authorities to prioritise and plan services to meet the needs of citizens, while being flexible enough to respond to local differences.
The launch of the policy document marks the beginning of the next stage in developing the stategy. We will be working closely with the Advisory Council on Libraries, Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries and leaders in local government, libraries and education to deliver the strategy.
The document will also be available on the DCMS website at http://www.culture.gov.uk/heritage/pl-frame work.html
Royal Parks
Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made in the proposed change of status of the royal parks from an agency to a non-departmental public body.
Baroness Blackstone: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport announced on 20 July 2001 her intention to establish the Royal Parks Agency as a non-departmental public body (NDPB). The review of the Royal Parks Agency which recommended the change of status for the parks did not take into account the issue for reclaiming VAT in its assessment. Following the announcement of the change of status, there were discussions with HM Customs and Excise and it has been confirmed that the royal parks would lose their entitlement to reclaim VAT on building and maintenance work if they became a NDPB. This would result in a loss of approximately £3 million a year income, which the parks are unable to absorb. The decision has therefore been made that the parks should remain an agency of the department.
Our aim is still to modernise the agency and a programme of change to improve the efficiency and management of the parks is being taken forward. This includes:
a new and strengthened ministerial advisory board. The board will provide the agency with strategic direction and advice to Ministers on the agency's broad direction and performance against targets;
appointment of two non-executive directors to the Royal Parks Management Board, one of whom will be drawn from the advisory board;
supporting the setting up of the Royal Parks Foundation, a charitable trust to raise funds for the parks;
secondment of a member of the Senior Civil Service from the department to the royal parks to strengthen the parks' corporate and business management;
a new funding agreement which ties the royal parks more closely to delivering the department's core agenda;
application to the royal parks of all the recommendations in the report Better Government Services: Executive Agencies in the 21st Century. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2003-02-11a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2003",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Afghanistan
Lord Rowlands: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 27 October (Official Report, col. 1218), which are the 14 provinces under the authority of the Government of Afghanistan.
Lord Howell of Guildford: I wish to clarify my Answer of 27 October 2010 (Official Report, col. 1218) on the provinces under the authority of the Government of Afghanistan. I can confirm the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has full sovereign authority, including for security, over all 34 Afghan Provinces. Endorsed by United Nations Security Resolution 1386 and subsequent resolutions, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) assists the Afghan National Security Forces in the maintenance of security throughout Afghanistan. Work is now under way to set up a conditions-based process, overseen by a joint Afghan-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation board, to assess the readiness of provinces to start the process of transition from an ISAF to an Afghan security lead. We are confident that a number of provinces will be assessed as ready to begin transition in the first half of 2011, but we should not pre-empt the recommendations of the board.
Agriculture: Census
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to minimise paperwork affecting farms, in particular twice-yearly censuses, saved seed declarations and re-mapping for various schemes.
Lord Henley: Defra does not carry out twice-yearly censuses. The only census we run is the June Census of Agriculture, which is required to be carried out only once every 10 years under EU Regulation 1166/2008. We introduced a threshold into the 2010 census so the smallest farms (of which there are around 100,000 in England) were not surveyed, and we only collected the minimum information possible to meet legal requirements. In non-census years we run a smaller sample survey to capture information on the structures of farms in terms of crop areas, livestock populations and farm employee numbers. A project is currently under way to substantially reduce the sample size and volume of information required from 2011 onwards.
The second largest agricultural survey run by Defra, known to many as the December Census of Agriculture, has not been a census since the mid 1950s. This survey captures information on winter sown crop areas and cattle, pig and sheep populations under EU Regulations 543/2009 (crops) and 1165/2008 (livestock). The sampling size for this survey, which was 15,000 in 2009 (a sampling rate of 7 per cent), has been reduced to 5,000 for 2010 by using administrative sources such as the cattle tracing system (for cattle populations) and the sheep and goat inventory (for sheep populations).
The data obtained by the June and December surveys has many uses. For example, crop areas are used heavily by industry as estimates of the potential size of the cereals harvest and livestock data is collected to monitor long term trends in livestock populations and to estimate the effects of common agricultural policy reform on livestock sectors. The data are also used heavily in calculations for the inventory of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
Declarations of the use of farm saved seed are the responsibility of the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB), which acts on behalf of its members who hold the plant breeders' rights. The Food and Environment Research Agency, which has overall responsibility for the plant breeders' rights legislation, understands that the BSPB works efficiently to collect this information from farmers and makes the declarations as simple as possible.
In relation to re-mapping, we will look to see that lessons are learnt from the recent Rural Payments Agency's mapping update exercise so that, going forward, the burden on farmers is minimised. During the next round of common agricultural policy reform we will be placing a particular emphasis on simplification, including reviewing the necessity of requiring the sometimes very small changes to maps that are currently demanded.
Finally, the Task Force on Farming Regulation was set up in July 2010 to identify ways of reducing regulatory burdens on farmers and to advise on how best to achieve a risk-based system of regulation. The task force is consulting widely and will report to Government in April 2011. A full list of members and terms of reference can be found on the Defra website at http://ww2.defra.gov.uk/2010/07/09/_farm-review/.
Armed Forces: A400M
Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate they will be free to disclose the acquisition costs of the A400M aircraft.
Lord Astor of Hever: The Major Projects Report 2010 published a forecast figure for the UK A400M programme of £3,231 million. However, a detailed breakdown providing specifically the cost of the A400M design and production phase contract requires the consent of all the partner nations, Organisation Conjointe de Co-operation en matiere d'ARmement (OCCAR) and Airbus Military. It is for this reason we do not expect to disclose the information.
Armed Forces: A400M
Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they received any representations from British industry before 25 October about publication of the acquisition costs of the A400M aircraft.
Lord Astor of Hever: No such representations have been received.
Armed Forces: A400M
Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to have to start training air crew for the A400M aircraft.
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to have to start training ground crew for the A400M aircraft.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they anticipate will be the average cost of training a member of the ground crew of the A400M aircraft.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how long they estimate it will take on average to train a member of the air crew of the A400M aircraft.
Lord Astor of Hever: We expect to start training UK aircrew and ground crew for the A400M aircraft in 2014.
The Ministry of Defence is currently in the invitation to negotiate stage prior to placing a contract to meet the training requirements for ground staff and aircrew to use the A400M. Costs are therefore not yet available and provision of our estimates would prejudice commercial interests.
We estimate that the initial training course for UK A400M pilots will last approximately 15 weeks and that for air loadmasters approximately 11 weeks.
Armed Forces: A400M
Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) civilian staff, and (b) uniformed staff, are currently engaged in the assessment of options for the in-service support of the A400M aircraft.
Lord Astor of Hever: There are 11 military and three civilian personnel dedicated to developing in-service support options. They are supported by up to another five civilian personnel who also provide functional support to the rest of the A400M project team.
Armed Forces: A400M
Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the assessment phase to consider options for the in-service support of the A400M aircraft began.
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the assessment phase to consider options for the in-service support of the A400M aircraft will conclude.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the result of the assessment of options for the in-service support costs of the A400M aircraft.
Lord Astor of Hever: Initial gate approval, which marks the start of an assessment phase in such a project, was given on 24 May 2006. We expect the assessment phase to conclude by the end of 2011. The results of our assessment of options can not be published as they are commercially sensitive. I can, however, confirm that the process will include a full value-for-money assessment, as well as ensuring that the chosen solution is suitably robust while also providing the necessary levels of operational flexibility.
Armed Forces: A400M
Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the analysis of options for the in-service support costs of the A400M aircraft will cost.
Lord Astor of Hever: Funding for the in-service support assessment phase was set as part of the initial gate approval in May 2006 and is estimated at £913,000.
Armed Forces: A400M
Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what duties (a) the civilian staff, and (b) the uniformed staff, currently engaged in the assessment of the in-service costs of the A400M aircraft were employed before they were transferred to their present duties.
Lord Astor of Hever: Of the 14 dedicated in-service support personnel, 13 are either currently serving or ex-military and were selected for their specific skills and experience. The other civilian team member has also been selected for specific logistic skills.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the comparative war load of weapons that Tornadoes and Harriers carry when the temperature in Afghanistan exceeds 25 degrees Celsius.
Lord Astor of Hever: There is no impact on the standard operational load of weapons on the Tornado GR4 and Harrier GR9 when the temperature in Afghanistan exceeds 25 degrees Celsius. Comparatively, the Tornado is more capable. Its standard load carries more weapons enabling greater flexibility whilst on missions. Specifically:
the Tornado GR4 when fitted with the LITENING III advanced targeting pod can carry three Paveway IV weapons, three Brimstone guided missiles and one cannon loaded with 135 rounds of 27 millimetre ammunition. Alternatively, when fitted with the RAPTOR reconnaissance pod the Tornado GR4 can carry two Paveway IV weapons and one cannon loaded with 135 rounds of 27 millimetre ammunition; andthe Harrier GR9 when previously on duty in Afghanistan and fitted with the Sniper advanced targeting pod could carry two Paveway IV weapons, two CRV-7 unguided rocket pods (38 rockets total) and one Digital Joint Recce Pod (DJRP). The two CRV-7 Pods could be replaced by two additional Paveway IV weapons; or two Maverick missiles; or one CRV-7 Pod and one Maverick missile respectively.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the average annual running costs, including personnel and materiel costs, of a squadron of Tornado GR4 aircraft.
Lord Astor of Hever: A broad estimation is in the order of around £20 million per annum. This figure includes the direct variable costs of fuel, servicing and squadron personnel, but does not include fixed costs such as basing, platform support costs, or depreciation.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what weapons systems are qualified to be carried on each of Harrier GR9 and Tornado GR4 aircraft.
Lord Astor of Hever: The following table gives the targeting and reconnaissance pods, air to ground weapons and air to air weapons that have been cleared to be carried by Tornado GR4 or Harrier GR9. Currently, not all of these systems are in the inventory for these aircraft.
Tornado GR4 Harrier GR9
Targeting/Reconnaissance Pods
Litening 3 (Recce/Datalink) Advanced Targeting Pod Yes No
Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod Yes Yes
Reconnaissance Airborne Pod Tornado (RAPTOR) Yes No
Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod (DJRP) Yes Yes
Thermal Imagining Airborne Laser Designator Pod (TIALD) Yes Yes
Air to Ground Weapons
Paveway IV (500lb GPS/Laser Guided Bomb) Yes Yes
Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone Missile Yes No
Legacy Brimstone Missile Yes No
Storm Shadow Yes No
Mauser BK-27 Cannon Yes No
Air Launched Anti Radiation Missile (ALARM) Yes No
Paveway II (1000lb Laser Guided Bomb) Yes Yes
Paveway III (20001b Laser Guided Bomb) Yes Yes
Enhanced Paveway II (10001b GPS/Laser Guided Bomb) Yes Yes
Enhanced Paveway III (20001b GPS/Laser Guided Bomb) Yes No
Enhanced Paveway II+ (10001b GPS/Laser Guided Bomb) No Yes
CRV-7 Rocket Pod No Yes
Maverick AGM-65 No Yes
10001b Dumb Freefall/Retard Yes Yes
5401b Dumb Freefall/Retard Yes Yes
Air To Air Weapons
AIM-9L Sidewinder Yes Yes
Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM) Planned 2012 No
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average cost of a flying hour for a Tornado GR4 and a Harrier GR9.
Lord Astor of Hever: The average cost per flying hour of Tornado GR4 and Harrier GR9 are around £35,000 per hour and £37,000 per hour respectively.
These costs are based on total fleet costs (including manpower, servicing, stock consumption, aircrew training, accommodation etc, depreciation and cost of capital charges).
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the average availability of each of the Tornado GR4 and Harrier GR9 aircraft types during deployments to Afghanistan.
Lord Astor of Hever: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 4 November 2010 (Official Report, col. WA428), to the noble Lord, Lord West of Spithead.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Tornado can take off from and land on the Kandahar runway when half of it is blocked by enemy action such as Taliban indirect fire.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Harrier can take off from and land on the Kandahar runway when half of it is blocked by enemy action such as Taliban indirect fire.
Lord Astor of Hever: Operations from or to a damaged runway would have to be assessed on a case by case basis.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the response time for the Tornado getting airborne in support of an urgent request from ground forces.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the response time for the Harrier getting airborne in support of an urgent request from ground forces.
Lord Astor of Hever: When held on ground-based close air support (GCAS) alert both Harrier GR9 and Tornado GR4 are declared to operational commanders with the same required readiness state response time. I am withholding the exact GCAS required response time for these aircraft as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the capability of the land-based Tornado to support a British task force operation in the Falklands in the event of an invasion making Mount Pleasant airfield unavailable for British use.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the capability of the carrier-based Harrier to support a British task force operation in the Falklands in the event of an invasion making Mount Pleasant airfield unavailable for British use.
Lord Astor of Hever: The Government are unequivocally committed to the defence of the Falklands.
I refer the noble Lord to the Secretary of State's comments during the Security Defence and Security Review debate on 4 November 2010 (Official Report, col. 1072W) in the other place. I am withholding further information as its release would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. Our current defence posture in the Falklands is much stronger than that which pertained in the early 1980s. We now have aircraft deployed in defence of the Falkland Islands, currently the Typhoon. We also have a range of further capabilities to deter any aggression.
Armed Forces: Aircraft 1
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the Tornadoes in service have a precision guided ground attack capability.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the Harriers in service have a precision guided ground attack capability.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any fixed-wing aircraft in the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force order of battle that can attack shipping with precision-guided weapons.
Lord Astor of Hever: The majority of Typhoons, all Tornado GR4s and all Harriers have a precision-guided ground attack capability, which can also be used to attack shipping.
Armed Forces: Alcohol
Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce levels of alcohol consumption among Armed Forces personnel before and after operational deployment.
Lord Astor of Hever: Individual consumption limits and the sale of alcohol are regulated, particularly, but not only, when personnel are serving operationally. These controls are supported by disciplinary measures. All three services run robust programmes designed to raise awareness and promote the message of sensible drinking. These programmes address all serving personnel but, where individuals are identified as being at risk, counselling and welfare support are offered. More serious cases are treated through specialist medical and psychological treatment and rehabilitation, including where appropriate as inpatients.
Arms Trade: Global Treaty
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to win support at the United Nations for a robust arms trade treaty designed to establish minimum standards on all conventional arms sales.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK is committed to securing a robust and effective arms trade treaty and played an active and constructive role at the start of negotiations in July 2010.
The Government are working with UK defence industry and non-governmental organisations to build support for the arms trade treaty, including by funding outreach and research projects, and regularly discusses the arms trade treaty with both sceptical and supportive countries. We will continue to support the UN process, in partnership with other arms trade treaty advocates, as it moves towards the Diplomatic Conference in 2012.
Benefits
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much would be saved if child benefit for 16 to 19 year-olds in full-time education were withdrawn.
Lord Sassoon: There is estimated to be around £1.8 billion that would be saved if child benefit for 16 to 19 year-olds in full-time non-advanced education were withdrawn in 2011-12. This change would affect families at all income levels.
The Chancellor stated at the time of the Spending Review that no further changes to child benefit would be required, beyond those already announced.
Children: Care
The Earl of Listowel: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each local authority, how many looked-after children had (a) between five and nine, and (b) more than 10, placements in the years ending (1) March 2009, and (2) March 2010.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The information has been placed in the Library. The number of looked-after children with 10 placements during the year has been provided for completeness.
Table 1: Children looked after at 31 March with (a) between five and nine, (b) 10 and (c) more than 10 placements during the year ending 31 March, by Local Authority1,2
Years ending 31 March 2009 to 2010
Coverage: England
Numbers
2009 2010
Between 5 and 9 10 More than 10 Between 5 and 9 10 More than 10
England 1,200 40 110 1,200 40 90
North East 70 x 10 70 x 10
Darlington x 0 0 x 0 0
Durham 25 x x 30 x 5
Gateshead x 0 0 x x 0
Hartlepool x 0 0 x 0 0
Middlesbrough x 0 x x 0 0
Newcastle upon Tyne 5 0 0 5 0 0
North Tyneside 5 0 0 5 0 0
Northumberland x 0 0 x 0 0
Redcar and Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0
South Tyneside 10 0 x 10 0 0
Stockton-on-Tees x 0 0 x 0 0
Sunderland 10 0 0 5 0 x
North West 190 10 20 200 x 20
Blackburn with Darwen x 0 0 x 0 0
Blackpool x 0 0 10 0 0
Bolton 15 0 5 10 0 10
Bury 5 0 0 5 0 0
Cheshire3 15 x 0 . . .
Cheshire East3 . . . 10 0 0
Cheshire West & Chester3 . . . 10 0 x
Cumbria 5 0 0 10 0 0
Halton x 0 0 x 0 0
Knowsley x 0 0 10 0 0
Lancashire 25 0 0 15 0 0
Liverpool 25 x x 30 x x
Manchester 10 0 0 10 0 0
Oldham x 0 x x x 0
Rochdale 5 0 x 10 0 0
Salford x 0 0 5 0 0
Sefton 5 0 x 15 0 x
St. Helens x 0 0 x 0 0
Stockport 5 0 x 15 0 x
Tameside 5 x x x 0 0
Trafford 10 x 0 x 0 0
Warrington x 0 x 5 0 0
Wigan 15 x x x 0 0
Wirral 10 0 x 10 0 0
Yorkshire and The Humber 140 10 10 120 x 10
Barnsley 10 0 0 x 0 0
Bradford 15 x 0 10 0 0
Calderdale 10 0 0 x 0 0
Doncaster 15 0 x 10 x x
East Riding of Yorkshire x 0 0 x 0 0
Kingston upon Hull, City of 10 0 x 15 x x
Kirklees 10 0 0 x 0 0
Leeds 25 x 0 25 0 x
North East Lincolnshire x 0 x x 0 0
North Lincolnshire x 0 0 x 0 0
North Yorkshire 5 0 x x 0 0
Rotherham 10 x x 10 0 x
Sheffield 10 0 0 10 0 0
Wakefield 10 0 0 x 0 0
York x 0 x x 0 x
East Midlands 80 x x 70 x 0
Derby 10 0 0 x 0 0
Derbyshire 15 0 x 15 0 0
Leicester 10 0 0 10 x 0
Leicestershire 5 0 0 10 0 0
Lincolnshire x 0 x x 0 0
Northamptonshire 25 x 0 15 x 0
Nottingham 10 0 0 5 0 0
Nottinghamshire x 0 0 x 0 0
Rutland 0 0 0 0 0 0
West Midlands 160 x 10 150 10 10
Birmingham 50 0 0 45 x x
Coventry 10 0 x 10 0 x
Dudley 15 x 0 15 x 0
Herefordshire x 0 0 x 0 0
Sandwell 5 0 0 x 0 0
Shropshire x 0 0 x 0 0
Solihull 5 0 x 10 0 0
Staffordshire 20 0 x 20 0 x
Stoke-On-Trent 10 x x 10 x x
Telford and Wrekin 5 0 0 x 0 0
Walsall 5 0 0 x 0 0
Warwickshire 15 0 0 10 x x
Wolverhampton 5 x 0 10 0 0
Worcestershire 5 0 0 10 0 0
East of England 120 x 10 110 x x
Bedfordshire3 5 0 x . . .
Bedford3 . . . x 0 0
Central Bedfordshire3 . . . 0 0 0
Cambridgeshire 5 0 0 x 0 0
Essex 20 0 x 20 0 x
Hertfordshire 35 0 0 40 x x
Luton 15 x x 5 0 0
Norfolk 15 x 0 20 0 0
Peterborough x 0 0 0 0 0
Southend-on-Sea 5 0 0 x 0 0
Suffolk 10 0 0 10 0 0
Thurrock x 0 0 x 0 0
London 210 10 20 230 10 20
Inner London 100 x 10 100 x 10
Camden 5 0 0 x 0 0
City Of London 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hackney x x x x 0 0
Hammersmith and Fulham x 0 0 x 0 x
Haringey 15 0 x 10 x 0
Islington x 0 0 10 0 0
Kensington and Chelsea x x 5 x x x
Lambeth 15 x 0 15 0 x
Lewisham 10 0 0 5 0 0
Newham 10 0 x 20 0 0
Southwark 10 0 0 15 x 0
Tower Hamlets x x 0 x 0 0
Wandsworth x 0 0 x 0 0
Westminster x 0 0 x 0 0
Outer London 110 x 10 130 10 10
Barking and Dagenham 15 x x 10 x x
Barnet x 0 0 5 0 0
Bexley x 0 0 x 0 x
Brent 15 x x 20 0 0
Bromley x 0 0 10 0 0
Croydon 5 0 x 15 x 0
Ealing x 0 0 x 0 0
Enfield 10 0 x x x x
Greenwich 10 0 0 15 x 0
Harrow x x x x x 0
Havering 5 0 x x 0 0
Hillingdon 5 0 0 x 0 0
Hounslow 5 0 0 10 0 x
Kingston Upon Thames x 0 0 x 0 0
Merton x 0 0 x x 0
Redbridge x 0 0 x 0 0
Richmond Upon Thames x 0 0 x 0 0
Sutton x 0 x 10 x 0
Waltham Forest 10 0 0 5 0 0
South East 130 x 20 140 x 20
Bracknell Forest x 0 0 5 0 x
Brighton and Hove 10 0 0 5 0 x
Buckinghamshire x 0 x x 0 x
East Sussex 5 0 0 x 0 0
Hampshire 30 x x 35 x 10
Isle Of Wight 10 0 0 5 0 0
Kent 15 0 x 25 0 x
Medway Towns x 0 0 x 0 0
Milton Keynes x 0 0 x 0 0
Oxfordshire x 0 0 5 0 0
Portsmouth x 0 x x 0 0
Reading x 0 0 x 0 0
Slough x 0 x x 0 0
Southampton 10 x 5 x 0 x
Surrey 20 0 0 20 0 0
West Berkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0
West Sussex 5 0 0 5 0 0
Windsor and Maidenhead x x 0 x 0 x
Wokingham x 0 0 0 0 0
South West 120 x 10 100 x 10
Bath and North East Somerset 0 0 0 x 0 0
Bournemouth x 0 0 x 0 x
Bristol, City of 20 0 x 15 0 0
Cornwall 15 x x 10 x x
Devon 15 x 0 15 0 x
Dorset 5 0 0 x 0 0
Gloucestershire 10 0 x 10 0 0
Isles Of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0
North Somerset 5 0 x x 0 x
Plymouth 10 0 x 10 0 x
Poole x 0 0 x 0 0
Somerset 10 0 0 10 0 0
South Gloucestershire x 0 0 x x 0
Swindon x 0 0 x 0 0
Torbay 5 0 x x 0 x
Wiltshire 10 0 0 10 0 x
Source: SSDA 903
1 England totals have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000, and to the nearest 10 otherwise. Regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Other numbers have been rounded to the nearest five. Figures of five or less, other than zero, have been suppressed and replaced with a cross (x).
2 Figures exclude children looked-after under an agreed series of short-term placements.
3 In 2009, Cheshire Local Authority split into Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. Similarly, Bedfordshire LA split into Bedford and Central Bedfordshire.
x Figures not shown in order to protect confidentiality.
. Not applicable.
Civil Service: Recruitment
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to eliminate advertising for Civil Service job vacancies other than on the internet, as called for by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in July.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: On 24 May 2010, the Government announced a freeze on advertising and marketing spend. Exceptions to this are required to be cleared by Ministers.
Departments have been asked to advertise their vacancies on the Civil Service jobs site to reduce recruitment spend but for some specialist posts, for example, professional journals may be considered necessary to attract the right candidate.
On 24 May, the Government also announced a freeze on recruitment, with exceptions for frontline posts (with the approval of Permanent Secretaries, and Chief Executives), business-critical posts (with the approval of the Secretary of State) and the Fast Stream.
Civil Service: Redundancy
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants are facing redundancy (a) based in London, and (b) based outside London.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: These are matters which are dealt with at departmental level; the information requested is not collected centrally by the Cabinet Office.
Civil Service: Staff
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the maximum rate payable in the Home Civil Service in each of the following administrative grades: administrative assistant, administrative officer, executive officer, higher executive officer, and senior executive officer; how many and what percentage of civil servants in each grade are paid at the maximum scale rate; and what is the Northern Ireland Civil Service equivalent maximum rate in each case.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: For staff outside the Senior Civil Service (SCS), pay and grading is delegated to departments and agencies, enabling management to tailor reward arrangements that meet their own particular business, operational and workforce needs. Under the delegated arrangements, the Cabinet Office does not routinely collect the detailed information requested and grading classifications vary from department to department.
The Office for National Statistics collects and publishes salary information covering the Home Civil Service as part of its Annual Civil Service Employment Survey. The latest available data, as at 31 March 2009, are available at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vink=2899.
The Cabinet Office does not hold the information requested on pay arrangements in the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Common Agricultural Policy
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in reforming the common agricultural policy since the United Kingdom's rebate was reduced by £1 billion.
Lord Henley: The 2003 common agricultural policy (CAP) reforms were reviewed in 2008 under the CAP Health Check. This made some changes to the CAP, but the UK believes that much more ambitious reform is needed. EU negotiations on CAP for the period 2014-20 will begin following the release of a Commission Communication in November 2010.
Death Penalty
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider means of requiring the exporters of drugs that are known to be used in executions, as well as for normal medical purposes, to obtain written undertakings from purchasers in countries that still use the death penalty that they will only use or supply the drug for therapeutic purposes.
Baroness Wilcox: As these matters are now the subject of litigation, it would be inappropriate to comment on the substance of the case at this time. The issues are however being given due consideration.
Development Aid
Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much development aid was allocated by the European Development Fund to (a) Russia, and (b) China, in (1) 2007, (2) 2008 and (3) 2009.
Baroness Verma: European Union (EU) funding for China and Russia is through the Development Co- operation Instrument and the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument respectively, rather than the European Development Fund.
EU commitments to Russia in 2007 were €80.9 million (£70.3 million), €42.3 million (£36.8 million) in 2008 and €7.9 million (£6.9 million) in 2009. The European Union no longer has a bilateral programme for Russia but continues to provide €15 million (£13 million) per year for student mobility and academic exchanges. Commitments to Russia are not classified as official development assistance (ODA) and the UK share does not come from the budget of the Department for International Development. EU commitments to China, which are classified as ODA, were €8.3 million (£7.2 million) in 2007, €77.5 million (£67.3 million) in 2008 and €21.5 million (18.7 million) in 2009. The UK Government support the Commission's policy to reduce assistance to Russia and China and continue to press for more EU aid to be allocated to the poorest countries.
(Source: Europaid reports 2007, 2008 and 2009, http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/multimedia/publications/index_en.htm).
Economy: Growth
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will reconsider the decision to require a minimum bid level of £1 million from the Government's £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund in light of concerns expressed by the Federation of Small Businesses.
Baroness Wilcox: The Government held a public consultation about the Regional Growth Fund, one of the questions in the consultation was on the suggested minimum bid threshold of £1 million.
There was a wide variety of a views expressed on the level of the threshold, some arguing for a lower threshold, others arguing for a higher threshold. On balance, it was decided to operate the fund on the basis of a minimum threshold of £1 million. This should encourage a wide diversity of bids, harnessing innovation from all sectors. Smaller proposals can be presented as part of a coherent package of projects, collectively meeting the needs of local economic strategies and the aims of the fund. In some areas, small-scale proposals may be put forward as bids to investment bodies and partnerships operating Regional Growth Fund programmes.
The Government have committed the independent advisory panel to review the threshold limit after the end of the first bidding round.
Economy: Quantitative Easing
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to reverse quantitative easing; and, if so, how.
Lord Sassoon: The Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for monetary policy including management of the asset purchase facility.
Education: ESOL
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will determine whether individuals are members of "settled communities" for the purpose of deciding whether they may access funded classes in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
Baroness Wilcox: The Government recognise that when people come here and settle it is desirable to help them learn English, to integrate into society and gain useful employment. The term "settled communities" is a generic term which will mean different groups in different communities. We are therefore considering the options for ESOL further, with a view to combining efficiency with cost effectiveness.
Educational Maintenance Allowance
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the educational maintenance allowance for 16 to 19 year-olds in full-time education will be withdrawn.
Lord Hill of Oareford: EMA applications received by 31 December will be processed, and those young people who are assessed as eligible will be able to claim the allowance up to the end of the 2010-11 academic year.
The education maintenance allowance scheme will close to all students at the end of the 2010-11 academic year. It will be replaced with an enhanced discretionary learner support fund, managed by schools, colleges and training providers, so that help can be targeted to those who most need it to continue with their education.
EU: UK Rebate
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 21 October (WA 228) concerning a meeting of European Commissioners on 7 October, why no minute was made of this meeting; and which other meetings of European Union institutions are not minuted.
Lord Sassoon: Although discussions of the College of Commissioners are confidential and closed to the public, minutes are normally made available on the European Commission website. However, the minutes of some policy discussions (such as the meetings of Commissioner groups) are not made public. Given that the meeting of 7 October included a policy orientation debate on the Commission's Budget Review, it was not clear whether minutes of the orientation debate would be made public.
Minutes of the College of Commissioners' meeting of 7 October, including a summary of the orientation debate on the Budget Review, were eventually published, later than expected. The minutes contain very general references and do not attribute comments to individual Commissioners, neither do they contain any specific reference to the UK abatement. The minutes can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/10061/2010/EN/10061-2010-1931-EN-F-0.Pdf.
Meetings of the European Parliament are generally open to the public and minutes are available on the Parliament's website, although certain elements of plenary sessions are held in camera.
The Council of Ministers meets in public when it deliberates and votes on draft legislative acts, although meetings are divided into two parts and discussions of non-legislative issues held in camera. The Council of Ministers and the European Council both publish detailed conclusions of their meetings.
Finance: Bonds
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have asked the Debt Management Office to investigate the terms on which the Government could issue perpetual sterling bonds; and whether they would issue such bonds if the terms were attractive.
Lord Sassoon: The Government are not currently considering issuing perpetual sterling bonds. The Government remain open to the possibility of issuing new instrument types and will continue to apply the following criteria to its consideration of any potential new types of debt financing instrument:
consistency with the debt management objective and the principles on which debt management is based;impact on liquidity and the good functioning more generally of the gilt market;the likely size of demand for the new instrument; andan assessment of the cost and resource commitment required for implementation in comparison with the potential size of demand.
Finance: Fiscal Deficit
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the deficit is accounted for by money used to bail out the banks.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Baroness Tonge, dated 5 November 2010.
As Director General of the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to Her Majesty's Government on the proportion of the deficit that is accounted for by money used to bail out the banks. HL3447
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces statistics according to internationally agreed national accounts standards. These statistics include those on government deficit and debt reported to Eurostat, the European statistical agency, and published every six months by ONS in Government deficit and debt under the Maastricht Treaty: Statistical Bulletin, available at: www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/maast0910.pdf.
Table M9 in this bulletin details the impacts of the financial crisis on general government, that is central government and local government, deficit. It details the amounts attributed to the financial crisis relating to government revenue (guarantee fees receivable, interest receivable, dividends received and other) and government expenditure (interest payable, capital injections, guarantee calls and other).
The latest figures for the amounts attributed to the financial crisis, published in Table M9, and the proportions that these represent of the government net borrowing figures published in Table M1 of the bulletin, are shown in the table below:
2008 2009
General government net borrowing £billion 71.2 157.1
Amount attributed £billion 4.8 7.6
to the financial crisis % of total 6.7% 4.8%
Finance: Lending Rates
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to limit the total lending rate and repayment charges that can be levied by any financial provider.
Baroness Wilcox: Well-informed, empowered consumers are central to the Government's vision for how a credit market between customers and lenders should work. We want to encourage responsible lending and borrowing decisions and to strengthen protection where necessary, particularly for the most vulnerable. Edward Davey, Minister for Consumer Affairs, announced a joint BIS and HM Treasury review of consumer credit and personal insolvency and my department issued a formal call for evidence on 15 October. The Government have committed to tackle unfair bank charges and to give regulators the power to define and ban excessive interest rates on credit and store cards. We are using the review to gather the evidence, we need to ensure we take the right long-term decisions for consumers.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) recently considered the possible introduction of price controls on interest rates on products such as pawnbroking, payday loans and home collected credit as part of its review of high cost consumer finance products. The review concluded that price controls would not be a suitable solution to the concerns the OFT identified. The OFT made a number of recommendations aimed at improving the market for consumers and these are also being considered as part of the review.
Food: Labelling
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to combat misleading labelling of food products.
Lord Henley: The Government have made a commitment to clear and honest food labelling.
Existing legislation both on food labelling and unfair commercial practices makes misleading labelling illegal and allows appropriate enforcement action to be taken. Labelling requirements are currently under review at EU level and we are seeking as part of the negotiations greater clarity of information where some labels are considered confusing; e.g. country of origin labelling.
The enforcement of labelling regulations is the responsibility of local authorities. To support their work the Government also has a Food Authenticity research programme developing analytical methods to help combat misleading labelling and food fraud.
Government Department: Salaries
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 21 October (WA 193), whether they will publish the amounts paid to each Minister on termination of employment following the general election; and why payments to special advisers will not be disclosed when their names and salaries were in the public domain.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Individual ministerial severance payments can be ascertained by consulting Parliamentary Factsheet M6-Ministerial Salaries. Where former Ministers were eligible, payments were made of one quarter of their annual ministerial salary as at 1 November 2007. The salaries of special advisers employed under the previous Administration have never been published by Government.
Government Departments: Staff
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many interns are currently working in the Cabinet Office; whether each receives remuneration; and, if so, how much is paid per hour; and, if not, on what basis they are engaged.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: As at 31 October 2010, seven interns are working in the Cabinet Office; each intern is paid a salary which is commensurate with the grade of the role being filled.
Higher Education
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officials in the Department for Education work specifically on (a) issues related to the education and training of 16-19 year-olds, (b) policies relating to GCSEs, and (c) policies related to A-levels.
Lord Hill of Oareford: There are nine people working directly on issues and policies around the participation in education and training of 16-19 year-olds and three on policy on GCSEs and A-levels. This number includes full-time and part-time staff. Other teams within the department work on policies and programmes which also affect these-for example, in connection with provision, workforce and support for children and young people. Details of senior and junior staff working in each directorate of the department are published on the department's website at:
www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/transparency
Higher Education: Funding
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) full-time, and (b) part-time, student places were allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to (1) higher education institutes, (2) further education colleges, and (3) private providers of undergraduate courses funded through the block teaching grant in each of the years 2007-08 to 2010-11.
Baroness Wilcox: All higher education institutions are independent of government and are not part of the public sector. The Higher Education Funding Council for England allocates places on a full-time-equivalent (FTE) basis to publicly funded institutions. The table below gives the number of HEFCE-funded FTEs for the years 2007-8 to 2010-11. There are no figures for (3) above as, by definition, HEFCE does not allocate places to non-publicly funded providers.
FTEs funded by HEFCE 2007-08 to 2010-11
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
HEIs FECs HEIs FECs HEIs FECs HEIs FECs
Total FTEs 984,973 37,407 934,248 37,686 961,703 410,941 986,357 44,612
The reduction in places in 2008-09 is due to the Equivalent and Lower Qualifications policy, which removed teaching grant for those students studying for a qualification equivalent or lower to one that they already hold.
Higher Education: Tuition Fees
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many universities they forecast will charge the maximum fee of £9,000.
Baroness Wilcox: It is not possible to make an accurate assessment of the number of institutions who will decide to charge the maximum permitted contribution for some or any of the courses they offer from 2012-13 onwards. Those that do choose to do so will have to have entered into a new and strengthened access agreement with the Office for Fair Access, including a set of access benchmarks they must make acceptable progress towards. The Government's proposals for changes to graduate contributions are expected to be brought before Parliament before Christmas this year.
Higher Education: Tuition Time
Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the average four hours per week tuition contact time for university students; and whether they consider it will increase proportionately when student tuition fees increase in 2012.
Baroness Wilcox: The reforms the Government have announced to university funding will place student choice and power at the heart of the system. Higher education institutions will need to demonstrate to students that they are providing a high quality experience. The coalition Government expect all universities and colleges, whatever graduate contribution they decide to charge, to publish a standard set of information about their performance on the indicators that students and their parents value, including: contact hours, teaching patterns and employment outcomes.
Higher education institutions (HEIs) are responsible for determining the most appropriate amount of contact time for their individual courses. This will often include a combination of tutorials, lectures, one-to-one contact or other forms of supervised scheduled study sessions. The Government have not made an assessment of the contact time HEIs provide.
HMS "Ark Royal"
Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of the refit of HMS "Ark Royal"; and when it was completed.
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they anticipate that the next refit of HMS "Ark Royal" will be required.
Lord Astor of Hever: The most recent refit of HMS "Ark Royal" was completed in 2001, in Rosyth Dockyard, at a cost of £148 million. Since then HMS "Ark Royal" has had two further periods of deep maintenance, one in 2006 in Rosyth and one in 2009 in Portsmouth. These were completed at a cost of approximately £20 million and approximately £14 million respectively.
Following the decision, as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (Cm7948), to immediately decommission HMS "Ark Royal", no further refits or deep maintenance periods will be undertaken.
Housing
Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tenancies have been let in the affordable housing sector in each year since 2005.
Baroness Hanham: Information is currently only collected on the social housing sector.
Information on the number of households receiving social housing is collected through the continuous recording of letting form (CORE). Historically CORE has only collected information from registered social landlords, though a number of local authorities are now also providing information through this process. Information on local authority lettings is taken from the housing strategy statistical appendix (HSSA).
Number of lettings in the social housing sector, 2004-05 to 2008-09, England
LA lets RSL lets Total
2004-05 194,100 220,200 414,300
2005-06 173,900 220,600 394,500
2006-07 160,200 222,600 382,800
2007-08 143,300 221,400 364,800
2008-09 138,600 239,600 378,200
Source: HSSA lettings returns (LA lets) and CORE lettings returns (RSL lets)
Figures exclude mutual exchanges.
Figures rounded to the nearest 100.
Housing
Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tenancies they estimate will be created on five-year fixed-term lets in each year between 2011 and 2015.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to allow any exemptions to their planned five-year fixed-term tenancies.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of five-year fixed-term tenancies on community cohesion.
Baroness Hanham: We have opened a debate about how we can create a social housing system that will provide stability where it is needed; provide more choice for tenants and prospective tenants; protect vulnerable households; and help get people into long-term employment. At the Spending Review, we announced plans for a new affordable rent, which will give housing associations another option to offer households in need of support. Further details will be set out shortly.
Housing
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will bring forward proposals to remove local authorities from their role as landlords and enhance their role as strategic housing authorities.
Baroness Hanham: We have no such plans. Individual local authorities, in consultation with their tenants, have discretion to decide whether to retain their landlord role.
Immigration
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the immigration cap does not lead to companies moving jobs abroad.
Baroness Neville-Jones: This Government believe that Britain can benefit from migration but not uncontrolled migration. Britain remains open for business and we will continue to attract and retain the brightest and the best people who can make a real difference to our economic growth, but unlimited migration places unacceptable pressure on public services.
We have consulted with business and other interested parties on how the limit should work and have also asked the Migration Advisory Committee to consult on what the actual limit should be. These consultations are now closed and we will announce the findings in due course.
Immigration: Heathrow Airport
Baroness Valentine: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the previous Administration's performance targets on immigration queues at Heathrow airport remain in place; whether performance is consistently improving against those targets; and what rewards or sanctions are in place to incentivise the UK Border Agency to meet these targets.
Baroness Neville-Jones: The UKBA Border Force at Heathrow continues to monitor performance on passenger waiting times daily against targets set out in its business plan. There has been no alteration to these targets which remain challenging but are being met through intelligent allocation and deployment of resources both through planning ahead of time (duty rosters balancing staff to anticipated demand) and more immediate daily responses to fluctuating peaks and troughs experienced as a result of arrival of aircraft outside published schedules.
Performance data, year to date, confirm that 98 per cent of passengers have been processed within agreed times. Although there are no specific incentives or sanctions, Border force managers and staff continue to strive to achieve their targets while ensuring that the quality standards required to ensure the security of the UK border are maintained.
Immigration: Heathrow Airport
Baroness Valentine: To ask Her Majesty's Government what technological improvements the UK Border Agency has considered to enable it to process immigration queues at Heathrow airport more efficiently; and which it will implement.
Baroness Neville-Jones: The UKBA currently operates two automated gate schemes, e-Passport Gates and IRIS, at Heathrow airport. IRIS is currently available at nine locations throughout the UK including Heathrow Terminals one, three, four and five. IRIS is open to all nationals who are 18 years-old or over who successfully enrol onto the scheme. e-Passport gates have been available on a trial basis at 10 terminals throughout the UK since 2009 and have been recently introduced at Heathrow Terminals one, four and five and will be extended to Terminal three in the new year as part of the current refurbishment programme. e-Passport gates are open to EEA nationals 18 years and over who hold a biometric passport.
In addition, we are currently working in partnership with the port operator, BAA at Heathrow Airport, to consider the delivery of the next generation of pre-enrolment or trusted traveller schemes at that location.
Automation of processes at the border can help us process larger numbers of passengers and in particular automated gates can enable us to expedite the movement of certain travellers.
Israel and Palestine
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they and the Quartet will make representations to the Government of Israel regarding the refusals of licences to Palestinians to build in East Jerusalem and the threat of demolition to existing Palestinian dwellings in East Jerusalem.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK has a strong record of lobbying hard on issues relating to house demolitions and settlement building. East Jerusalem is occupied territory under international law: we do not recognise Israel's annexation.
House demolitions or the eviction of Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalem, such as the recent evictions which took place in the Old City, are deeply unhelpful. We view any attempts to change the facts on the ground as a serious provocation likely to raise tensions, as well as being harmful to the peace process and, of course, in contravention of international law.
My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary underlined his concerns about ongoing Israeli settlement activity during his visit to the region on 2-4 November.
Local Economic Partnerships
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the procedure and timetable for further consideration of the proposals for local economic partnerships in Lancashire.
Baroness Hanham: On 28 October, the Government published their local growth White Paper, which set out its approach to achieving local economic growth by shifting power to local levels and helping to create the right conditions for growth and recovery. This included announcing the first local enterprise partnerships which would proceed.
Government will work with the relevant local authority and business partners in Lancashire and other parts of the country where no local enterprise partnership has been announced, in order to ensure future proposals allow all areas to progress, and I have asked my officials to engage directly with local partners. Government will welcome revised proposals from these places as they become ready.
Malaysia
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to clarify the rights of abode and citizenship of British Overseas Citizens of Malaysian origin; and whether they will place anonymised copies of all correspondence on the subject with the Malaysian High Commission in the Library of the House.
Baroness Neville-Jones: The Immigration Minister wrote to the Malaysian High Commission on 22 July to clarify the legal position regarding British Overseas citizens who have renounced their Malaysian citizenship since arriving in the United Kingdom on the false understanding that they would then have a route to settlement or to British citizenship in their capacity as British Overseas citizens. In particular, he sought clarification as to what steps those individuals could take to reacquire Malaysian nationality given that they do not have a route to settlement or a registration right to British citizenship under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981. He also asked the Malaysian High Commission to point out the implications in relation to United Kingdom immigration and nationality law to those seeking to renounce Malaysian nationality in the future with a view to reducing the number of erroneous renunciations. I will arrange for a copy of this letter to be placed in the Library.
I am afraid that to date no response has been received to this letter. However, the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has been pursuing this with the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we hope that this matter will be resolved in the near future with a view to those affected being deemed to have retained, or being able to reacquire, Malaysian citizenship.
Papal Visit
Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the basis of the calculation of the financial contribution of each department concerned towards the cost of the state visit of Pope Benedict to the United Kingdom.
Lord Sassoon: At the request of Lord Patten of Barnes, as the Prime Minister's Personal Representative for the Papal Visit, the Treasury proposed in July 2010 a division of costs.
Ministers agreed that costs of the state visit falling to the Government would be divided among departments with an interest in the visit and involved in the planning process. Some costs relating to devolved issues will fall to the Scottish Government and to some local authorities. Policing costs will be covered from within existing police budgets.
People Trafficking
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Governments of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan with regard to trafficking of bonded labourers in those countries.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK has just led a resolution, passed by consensus at the September UN Human Rights Council, on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, which calls upon all Governments to co-operate fully with the UN Special Rapporteur on the subject.
Although there have been no recent discussions with the Governments of Bangladesh, India and Nepal on bonded labour specifically, we raise our human rights concerns with these Governments at every appropriate opportunity. In Nepal the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights actively monitors the Government's commitments to rehabilitate former bonded labourers. In Pakistan, the UK and EU raise the issue of bonded labour with the Government of Pakistan as part of our regular dialogue on human rights.
People Trafficking
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the national referral mechanism decides that there are reasonable grounds for believing that a person has been trafficked (a) without seeing the person, (b) without hearing any legal submissions, and (c) without any possibility of appeal.
Baroness Neville-Jones: The national referral mechanism (NRM) is a multi-agency victim identification and support process.
The person will always be seen by one or more of the national referral mechanism's constituent members prior to the reasonable grounds decision.
When legal submissions are made available to the competent authority decision maker they will be considered as part of the decision-making process.
There is no requirement under the Council of Europe Convention against trafficking to create a specific right of appeal. The reasonable grounds decision is a low threshold which is made following multi-agency consultation and engagement. There is also an opportunity for interested parties to provide additional information if the competent authority is initially unable to make a positive identification. This helps to ensure that the right decisions are taken and victims are properly identified. There are also standard avenues for appealing immigration decisions, and a reasonable grounds decision can be subject to judicial review.
People Trafficking
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the national referral mechanism guarantees the rights set out in the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, specifically those relating to compensation and legal redress.
Baroness Neville-Jones: Through the national referral mechanism (NRM), identified victims of trafficking can access all of the convention entitlements. With regard to compensation and legal redress, victims receive counselling and information regarding their legal rights and assistance to enable their rights and interests to be presented and considered at appropriate stages of criminal justice proceedings against traffickers. There are various means by which redress can be sought.
This includes prosecutors requesting compensation orders upon a conviction and through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. Victims can also seek redress from the offender through the civil courts.
People Trafficking
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in light of Article 3 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, they treat human trafficking across frontiers primarily as an immigration or a human rights issue.
Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government are committed to the non-discrimination principle set out in Article 3 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings. Its primary concern is to identify and protect victims of human trafficking and bring to justice those that exploit them. Any consideration of a victim's nationality or immigration status is of secondary importance.
The national referral mechanism which was set up under the convention to identify and support trafficking victims is open to potential victims of all nationalities. Individuals from 79 different nationalities, including Britain and EU countries have had their cases referred for consideration in its first 18 months of operation.
People Trafficking
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether women suspected of being trafficked are routinely detained while their asylum cases are considered; and, if so, whether they will review this practice.
Baroness Neville-Jones: Women suspected of being trafficked are not routinely detained, whether or not they have asylum claims to be considered. If an individual is already detained at the point trafficking is first suspected by the UK Border Agency they would normally be released, pending consideration of their case by an expert competent authority. Detention of recognised trafficking victims occurs only in exceptional cases-for example, following a criminal conviction.
Private Sector: Degree Awards
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to allow private sector companies to have degree-awarding powers.
Baroness Wilcox: All higher education institutions are independent of the Government and are not part of the public sector. Non-publicly funded companies providing higher education, like any other provider of higher education, have been able to apply to the Privy Council for powers to award their own degrees since the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 came into force. In 2007 BPP University College of Professional Studies became the first private sector company to be granted taught-degree-awarding powers.
The Government want to make it easier for new providers who can offer excellent teaching and a high-quality experience for students to enter the higher education sector. However, this is one of a number of institutional issues in the wake of Lord Browne's independent review of higher education and student finance which requires thorough debate and consultation. We intend therefore to publish a higher education White Paper with proposals to which experts from the sector can react, leading to a Higher Education Bill.
Questions for Written Answers
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 21 October (WA 202), what guidance they have issued to departments on the use of published documents and web-based statistics in parliamentary Answers.
Lord Strathclyde: The Guide to Parliamentary Work, published by the Cabinet Office in October 2009, contains the following guidance about the use of published documents and web-based statistics in parliamentary Answers:
Readily available information and published sources
7.32 Members are advised that Questions "must be seeking information that is not readily available elsewhere in the public domain'' (including in Answers to identical or similar Questions in a previous Session). Increasingly, this is the case as more and more information is available on government websites, though not necessarily in the format requested in the Question.
7.33 Where an Answer makes use of published material (e.g. statistics, economic data or quotations from reports) the source should be given, as appropriate, either in the text of the Answer or as a footnote. Attached papers (for example, statistical tables) should be deposited in the Libraries of the House. If reference is made to documents in a response, copies of these documents must also be placed in the Library.
Referring to websites or other published material
7.37 Where information already exists on a Government website, it may not be appropriate to simply give the web address in the Answer. MPs may want information placed on the permanent record (ie in Hansard) and web pages are rarely permanent. Furthermore, departments should be helpful to MPs and Peers, particularly where the fact or figure requested is contained in a much larger set of information.
7.38 If referring to websites, it is important to consider the implications. departments are advised to ensure that any URL given in an Answer connects directly to the information referred to (not a departmental homepage) and is working.
Links provided should be available in perpetuity. Any information referred to in this way should be supplied to the Member in hard copy, and deposited in the Library in accordance with relevant guidance. In short;
when copying the link use the URL that connects directly to the webpage/document referred to. Do not simply provide a link to the relevant website;when the URL has been inserted double-check it is accurate by clicking on it and checking that there is a straight link to the relevant Webpage/document; andit is helpful to add in the title/heading of the Webpage/document, its author and the website the information appears on to assist users in interpretation.
7.39 It is advised that the Answer should give the Member the factual information requested (including supplying paper copies of the website pages), with an additional line in the Answer indicating that the information is already made readily available. In the long term, this may help to reduce the amount of questions seeking information that is already publicly available.
7.40 Similarly, where the information requested is available in a document that has already been placed in the Library it may not be appropriate to simply refer to the document. Departments are advised to copy the requested information from the main document, where this is appropriate, to assist MPs and Peers. This is particularly helpful where a requested figure is contained as part of a much larger table.
7.41 Where an Answer makes use of published material (e.g. statistics, economic data or quotations from reports) the source should be given, as appropriate, either in the text of the Answer or as a footnote. Attached papers (for example, statistical tables) should be deposited in the Library. If reference is made to documents in a response, copies of these documents must also be placed in the Library.
The Guide to Parliamentary Work is produced by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons. It is published on the Cabinet Office website at the following address:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/parliamentary-clerk-guide.aspx
A hard copy of the Guide has been deposited in the Library of the House.
1 Business of the House and its Committees - a short guide (July 2008)
Railways: Ticketing
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 2 November (WA 397), what action they intend to take with the franchise holder in light of the finding by Passenger Focus in their report of August 2010 that queue times to buy tickets from the booking offices at Basingstoke, Guildford and Winchester substantially exceeded the recommended thresholds.
Earl Attlee: Officials at the Department for Transport have already had several discussions with Stagecoach South Western Trains (SSWT) on how they plan the use of their resources to meet their obligations in terms of queuing standards and actions that they are taking to improve their performance.
Government officials will continue to keep this under review with the train operator.
Schools: Male Teachers
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many men are being trained as teachers.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The available information is given in the table and shows that in 2008-09 there were 9,810 male trainees in the first year of an initial teacher training course.
Initial teacher training: First year trainees by course route, phase and gender:
Year 2008-09
Coverage: England
Mainstream Employment-based routes
Primary Secondary Total Primary Secondary Total
Males 2,150 5,670 7,820 410 1,580 1,990
All trainees 15,050 15,150 30,200 2,300 4,270 6,570
Percentage of trainees who are male 14.3% 37.4% 25.9% 17.7% 37.1% 30.3%
Source: TDA's Performance Profiles
1. Includes trainees in the first year of their initial teacher training course.
2. Percentages show the number of male trainees as a proportion of all first year trainees.
3. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Spending Review 2010
Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Statement by Lord Sassoon on 20 October (Official Report, col. 833), whether they included the number of Ministers when they said "the administrative budgets of every main government department will be cut by a third".
Lord Sassoon: Departmental administration budgets cover all spending which is not directly related to frontline service provision. For the most part, the pay and private office support costs of Ministers will therefore fall within administration budgets.
It is for individual departments to decide how to implement their administration budget reductions. Reductions of one third are not required in every budget area, but across each department's administration budget as a whole. There is, therefore, no necessary connection between cuts in administration budgets and the number of Ministers.
The Cabinet decided to take a 5 per cent pay cut when the coalition Government came into office. Pay will then be frozen for the next five years.
Spending Review 2010
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision is made in each year of Spending Review 2010 for the maintenance support of 16 to 19 year-olds in full-time education.
Lord Sassoon: In future, an enhanced discretionary learner support fund, managed locally, will enable schools, colleges and training providers to target support to those young people facing the most significant financial barriers to participation. The Department for Education will announce further details in due course.
The Spending Review announced the end of education maintenance allowances (EMAs). EMAs were introduced as an incentive for young people to participate. In the context of raising the participation age to 18 in 2015, after which it will be compulsory for all young people to participate in learning, a payment designed as an incentive to participation is no longer the most appropriate way to provide support. Those currently in receipt of EMAs will continue to receive it until the end of this academic year. The scheme will be closed to new applicants from January 2011.
In addition, provision will still be made to pay child benefit to qualifying young people aged 16 to 19 in the normal way. In order to be a qualifying young person, the 16 to 19 year-old must be undertaking non-advanced further education or qualifying work-based learning courses.
Spending Review 2010
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Statement by Lord Sassoon on 20 October (Official Report, col. 831) on the Spending Review 2010 in which he stated that "the Office for Budget Responsibility has ... audited all of the annually managed expenditure savings in today's Statement", what was the audit process; and whether they will place a copy of the audit document in the Library of the House.
Lord Sassoon: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). I have asked the OBR to reply.
Letter from Robert Chote, Chairman, Office for Budget Responsibility, to Lord Myners, dated 4 November 2010.
As Chair of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility I have been asked to reply to your recent question:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Statement by Lord Sassoon on 20 October (HL Deb col. 831) on the Spending Review 2010 in which he stated that "the Office for Budget Responsibility has ... audited all of the annually managed expenditure savings in today's Statement", what was the audit process; and whether they will place a copy of the audit document in the Library of the House. [HL3438]
The OBR scrutinised costings produced by the Government using the methodology set out in the Spending Review 2010 policy costings document.
Chapter 3 of the document outlines the approach that we used to scrutinise and challenge these costings.
The document was published alongside the Spending Review documents on the HM Treasury website on 20 October 2010. It is also available via a link on our website at http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/ publications.html.
Copies were also issued to Parliament and placed in the Library of the House.
Spending Review 2010
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) full-time, and (b) part-time, student places they expect to fund through the student loan system for undergraduate courses in each of the years covered by Spending Review 2010.
Baroness Wilcox: The numbers of full- and part-time students applying for maintenance and tuition fee loan support from Autumn 2012 will depend on how students and institutions respond to the changes outlined in the Governments response to the Browne Review on Higher Education Funding, and how many students decide to take up the loan support that is available to them. Confirmed projections of numbers for each of the years of the spending review are therefore not possible. However, based on current data, it is likely that, under the proposed changes to the support package, around 1 million full-time students and 150,000 part-time students will be eligible for loan support.
Spending Review 2010
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what amount is allocated for student loans in each of the years covered by Spending Review 2010; and on what basis the amounts were calculated.
Baroness Wilcox: The Government announced on 3 November, as part of their response to Lord Browne's review of higher education funding and student finance, that it will provide loans to cover the cost of tuition for all eligible full-time and part-time students from Autumn 2012. The Government will also introduce a revised maintenance grant and loan for living costs for full-time students. The cost of these changes over the Spending Review period will depend in large measure on the decisions higher education institutions take in setting their charges for tuition.
Sudan
Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what links they have with the Southern Sudanese diaspora in the United Kingdom; and whether they will encourage this diaspora to play a role in the rehabilitation of the south after a referendum held in Sudan on the future of the south.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are in contact with the Southern Sudanese diaspora through a range of organisations including non-governmental organisations, church groups, the Sudanese embassy and Southern Sudan Liaison Office.
We will continue to work closely with relevant organisations and encourage a role for all Sudanese diaspora in the future of their country.
Taxation: Non-domiciled Taxpayers
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government when HM Treasury expect to report the conclusions of its review of non-domicile tax status.
Lord Sassoon: As stated in my reply to the noble Lord on 8 July 2010, a detailed announcement about the form, timing and scope of the review will be made at the appropriate time.
Transparency
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the activities of government where the decision-making process is now more transparent than on 11 May.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Since 11 May, Her Majesty's Government have delivered on our promise to radically shake-up what transparency means in government.
We have already taken those important first steps and released information about spending data, public servant jobs and salaries that had been previously unavailable data, so that people can start to really hold politicians and government to account.
We have also set up the Transparency Board to keep pushing the transparency agenda and ensure our commitments continue to be implemented across government as announced by the Prime Minister in his letter to Cabinet Ministers on 29 May. The board is itself transparent and publishes the minutes and papers. In addition to making more data available than ever before, we will also be giving people a right to data so that they can ask for any other data they want to enable them to judge the performance of each public service.
Turkey
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they or their European Union partners have made to the Government of Turkey with regard to gender inequality.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Gender equality and women's rights are key issues for the UK Government and form part of our ongoing discussions with the Turkish authorities on human rights. This issue is also covered by the European Commission in Ankara in its regular meetings with the Turkish authorities.
Gender equality in Turkey is an issue that the UK Government have also done a lot of practical work on. We have run two projects in the last two years:
FY2009/10: Bilateral Programme Budget (BPB) project on women in employment (a study on why women are underemployed in the formal economy)FY2010/11: BPB project on women's rights (a research project with over 1,500 women establishing a baseline understanding of their situation and needs)
In support of their lobbying work, the EU has six projects on gender equality, worth approximately 8.5 million Euros, running in FY2010/11. These cover issues such as domestic violence, honour killings, equality in education and the protection of sex workers. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2010-11-11a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2010",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Abortion
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 11 June (WA 139), what assessment they have made of (1) the principle of, and (2) the physical and psychological health impacts of, women having multiple abortions.
Earl Howe: An abortion is legal only if carried out under the terms of the Abortion Act 1967; this does not limit the number of abortions a woman may have. Women have more than one abortion for a wide variety of, often complex, reasons. Every woman who has an abortion is offered information about, and access to, contraception to reduce the risk of future unintended pregnancies. There are many types of contraception available to suit all health and lifestyle needs.
In its clinical guideline The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion (November 2011), the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists states that there are no proven associations between induced abortion and future pregnancy complications.
In 2011, the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health published Induced Abortion and Mental Health: A Systematic Review of the Mental Health Outcomes of Induced Abortion, Including their Prevalence and Associated Factors. This concluded that having an abortion does not increase the risk of mental health problems, and that the rates of mental health problems for women with an unwanted pregnancy are the same, whether they have an abortion or have given birth. Some of the studies included women having repeat abortions.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, further to the response by Lord Astor of Hever on 31 May to the Freedom of Information Act request by Lord West of Spithead (MSU/01/02/01/01/DH), the "unacceptable material damage" that was apparently being inflicted on the Harrier force, leading in part to the decision to replace Harrier planes with Tornado in Afghanistan, was related to direct airframe or engine damage or related to shortage of spares.
Lord Astor of Hever: The unacceptable material damage referred to in the document does not relate to any direct physical airframe or engine damage or shortage of spares. It relates to the damage incurred in the ability of the Harrier force to undertake wider Harrier capabilities, beyond those which were being undertaken on Op Herrick. This included skill fade and the need to regenerate wider contingent capability, including complex multinational formation operations in a contested air environment and for utilisation of Harrier weapons systems that were not deployed in Herrick. In 2008, there was also material damage to the provision of a robust Harrier carrier operating capability and the ability to generate additional Harrier force elements at readiness to undertake a small-scale focused intervention.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, further to the response by Lord Astor of Hever on 31 May to the Freedom of Information Act request by Lord West of Spithead (MSU/01/02/01/01/DH), the Harmony guidelines referred to as being broken in the Harrier force, at the time the decision to deploy Tornado planes in place of Harriers to Afghanistan in July 2008 was made, were those that applied to Royal Navy or Royal Air Force personnel.
Lord Astor of Hever: Joint Force Harrier was formed of Royal Navy and Royal Air Force squadrons. The Harmony guidelines referred to as being broken in the document were Joint Force Harrier Unit Operational Harmony Guidelines. These Harmony guidelines applied to the Harrier force as a whole, irrespective of service. A unit was considered to be achieving Operational Harmony if it achieved "4 in 20" (for every four months away, 16 months should be spent at home), if the separation was for operational reasons.
Armed Forces: Commemoration
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing for the ceremony to mark the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial on 28 June; and what discussions they have had with the Bomber Command Association about whether they are content with the level of help they are providing.
Lord Astor of Hever: Approximately 200 Royal Air Force personnel will be providing support and assistance at the unveiling ceremony for the Bomber Command Memorial on 28 June 2012. These personnel will carry out a number of different roles including ceremonial and ushering duties. A fly-past is also scheduled for the event.
A continuous dialogue has been held between officials from the Air Staff and the Bomber Command Association since the inception of the memorial. The level of support being provided has been under constant review and the Bomber Command Association has expressed nothing but gratitude for that support.
Asylum Seekers
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in each of the past five years, how many families with dependent children (1) applied for Section 4 asylum support, (2) were granted the support, and (3) were refused support.
Lord Henley: The information requested is shown in the following table. Please note that the information is derived from local management information and has not been subject to National Statistics protocols.
Outcome 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Undecided - - * * * - -
Refused - 5 16 26 23 19 *
Grants 898 581 1045 987 495 262 63
Total 898 586 1062 1015 519 281 67
(1) All figures quoted are management information which has been subject to internal quality checks.
(2) Figures below 5 are indicated with an "*"; zero is indicated with an " - ".
Asylum Seekers
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum-seeking children in receipt of Section 4 asylum support lived in hostel accommodation in the past five years; and for what average length of time.
Lord Henley: The information requested on the number of asylum-seeking children in receipt of Section 4 support is shown in the following table. Please note that the information is derived from local management information and has not been subject to National Statistics protocols. Figures below five are not released, as it may be possible to identify individuals. The policy of the Home Office is not to disclose, to a third party, personal information about another person, as the department has obligations under the Data Protection Act and in law generally to protect this information.
It is not possible to determine the average length of time asylum-seeking children in receipt of Section 4 support lived in hostel accommodation in the past five years without a manual search of individual cases, which would incur disproportionate costs.
Children receiving Section 4 support and accommodated in hostels
Year Children in Hostels
2012 *
2011 *
2010 *
2009 5
2008 5
Asylum Seekers
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals, including dependants, who had a disability were in receipt of Section 95 asylum support in each of the last five years, broken down by age.
Lord Henley: The information requested is shown in the following table.
Cases in receipt of Section 95 asylum support that had a disability recorded against them in March of each of the past five years
Date Disability cases
March 2008 164
March 2009 174
March 2010 130
March 2011 93
March 2012 72
(1) All figures quoted are management information which has been subject to internal quality checks.
(2) The figures refer to a snapshot of a single day in March of each of the past five years.
(3) Disability figures refer to the number of applications with someone having disability, and the applications may correspond to one or more individuals.
Please note that the information is derived from local management information and has not been subject to National Statistics protocols. The figures refer to a snapshot of a single day in March of each of the past five years. Disability figures refer to the number of applications with someone having a disability and the applications may correspond to one or more individuals.
Data broken down by age are not available.
Bank of England
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the identification and selection of the three independent reviewers commissioned by the Court of the Bank of England and announced by the Bank on 21 May was made under the advice of the Governor or his officials; and whether the reviewers were approached by, or discussed their terms of reference with, the Chairman of the Court or the Governor and his officials prior to their appointment.
Lord Sassoon: The decision to set these terms of reference and appoint these reviewers was taken by Court. The identification and selection of the three independent reviewers and their terms of reference were discussed by the Chairman of Court with the Governor prior to their appointment by Court at its meeting on 17 May. The Chairman of Court has held separate meetings in person and, in one case, by telephone with the reviewers.
Banking: Quantitative Easing
Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of how the £325 billion of quantitative easing has been spent by the recipient banks.
Lord Sassoon: The Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) policy tools, including bank rate and quantitative easing (QE), are macroeconomic policy tools designed to affect the economy as a whole, in order to meet the 2% inflation target over the medium term.
The Bank of England's asset purchases during QE have largely been from non-bank financial institutions, including insurance companies and pension funds, which use the money received to purchase other assets such as corporate bonds and equities. MPC members have stated that QE has been designed to work through channels other than the impaired banking system, by stimulating activity in the capital markets.
Business Rates
Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the Welsh Government for matters relating to the legislation for, and the administration of, business rates to be fully devolved to the National Assembly for Wales.
Lord Wallace of Tankerness: Her Majesty's Government have not received any representations from the Welsh Government on this issue.
Care Homes
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) residential care homes, (2) nursing homes, and (3) dual-registered care homes were registered with the Care Quality Commission as at 31 March in each of 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012; how many homes in each category were deregulated in each of those years ending on 31 March; and what was the total registered capacity (measured by places) in each category of home on 31 March in each of those years.
Earl Howe: We are informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that, under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, CQC registers providers to perform particular regulated activities. It registers providers according to these activities, rather than by service type, such as nursing and residential homes. Nursing and residential homes are registered to provide the regulated activity "accommodation with nursing and personal care". Although services are not registered by type, the CQC will agree with the provider of a service the category it falls into upon registration. The CQC is confident this allows it to report information by type of service.
Table 1 shows numbers of registered residential homes and nursing homes and places at the end of each financial year. There is no dual registration of homes under current legislation. Dual registration applied under the Registered Homes Act 1984; care homes were regulated by local authorities, whereas nursing homes were regulated by health authorities. Dual registration referred to homes that were regulated by both authorities. It ceased with the introduction of the Care Standards Act 2000, although establishments could be registered to provide both residential and nursing care.
Table 2 shows numbers of services that deregistered during each financial year. It should be noted that deregistration of homes is not necessarily indicative of permanent closure or of enforcement activity by the CQC. For example, a home may have temporarily deregistered (and subsequently re-registered) while undergoing refurbishment, or due to its having been taken over by a different provider.
Table 1: Trends in Registered1 Care Homes
Registered under Care Standards Act 20001
As at: 31 March 20082 31 March 20092 31 March 20103
Services Places Services Places Services Places
Residential Homes1 14,388 262,949 14,145 260,791 13,903 256,794
Nursing Homes1 4,153 185,116 4,233 192,681 4,352 202,654
Totals 18,541 448,065 18,378 453,472 18,255 459,448
Registered under Health and Social Care Act 20081
As at: 31 March 20113 31 March 2012
Services Places Services Places
Residential Homes1 12,794 234,584 13,134 247,878
Nursing Homes1 4,458 202,040 4,674 215,524
Totals 17,252 436,624 17,808 463,402
Notes:
1 Methods of ascribing registration categories differ between the two Acts. Caution should be exercised when comparing Care Standards Act data with Health and Social Care Act data.
2 Until 31 March 2009, care home services were regulated by the Commission for Social Care Inspection.
3 Until 30 September 2010, care homes were regulated under the Care Standards Act 2000. From 1 October 2010, all providers were required to register under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Source: CQC database at 12 June 2012
Table 2: Trends in Deregistered1 Care Homes
Registered under Care Standards Act 2000
Year 2007-082 2008-092 2009-10 2010-113
Services Places Services Places Services Places Services Places
Residential Homes 1,195 21,084 893 14,363 809 12,084 519 8,742
Nursing Homes 257 10,103 164 6,521 154 6,198 92 3,812
Totals 1,452 31,187 1,057 20,884 963 18,282 611 12,554
Registered under Health and Social Care Act 2008
Year 2010-113 2011-12
Services Places Services Places
Residential Homes 28 293 1,481 23,636
Nursing Homes 10 40 692 32,758
Totals 38 333 2,173 56,394
Notes:
1 Deregistration of homes is not necessarily indicative of permanent closure.
2 Until 31 March 2009, care home services were regulated by the Commission for Social Care Inspection.
3 Until 30 September 2010, care homes were regulated under Care Standards Act 2000. From 1 October 2010, all providers were required to register under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Source: CQC database at 7 June 2012.
Care Homes
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff were employed in (1) residential care homes, (2) nursing homes, (3) dual-registered homes, and (4) home care organised homes registered with the Care Quality Commission at the most appropriate date in 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what information is available to them on (1) the levels of occupancy in residential care and nursing homes registered with the Care Quality Commission; (2) the incidence of local authorities embargoing the use of such homes for publicly funded residents in cases where there are no care quality concerns; and (3) the level of subsidy provided by privately paying residents in such homes to the costs charged for publicly funded residents.
Earl Howe: We are informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the National Health Service Information Centre that information on numbers of staff employed in care and nursing homes, occupancy levels, fees and which care providers are used by councils is not available.
Under both the Care Standards Act 2000 and the Health and Social Care Act 2008, standards require CQC inspectors to look at the suitability and appropriateness of staffing levels, qualification and supervision. However, the CQC is not required to record staff numbers centrally and does not do so.
Local councils are free to decide how best to contract with providers of residential care to meet the needs of their populations. The Government do not set or recommend the fee rates which local councils negotiate with care providers.
Commonwealth: Heads of Government Meeting
Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered not attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka.
Lord Howell of Guildford: It is too early to talk about attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). We have made clear to the Sri Lankans that we want to see a successful CHOGM in 2013. We will look to Sri Lanka as host to demonstrate its commitment to upholding the Commonwealth values of good governance and human rights. A key part of this will be to address longstanding issues around accountability and reconciliation after the war.
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the ability of that mission to meet its core mandate of stabilisation and protection of civilians.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We fully support the role the UN Stabilisation and Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) plays in protecting civilians and continue to encourage the mission to prioritise its efforts. MONUSCO supports the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in tackling armed groups and peacefully removing militia fighters from the battlefield through the disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation, resettlement and reintegration (DDRRR) programme. MONUSCO also conducts joint operational planning with the Military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) allowing them to ensure that humanitarian concerns are taken into account and that support is not provided to those accused of serious human rights abuses. But we must also acknowledge that MONUSCO cannot be everywhere, not least given the difficult terrain in which they operate, and that the primary responsibility for protection of civilians lies with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The MONUSCO mandate is due to be renewed at the end of June and negotiations in the United Nations are ongoing. We continue to push for the mandate to reflect the situation on the ground, retaining protection of civilians as its first priority and to have a greater emphasis on stabilisation activity and other longer-term objectives such as security sector reform and helping to enforce the arms embargo.
Disabled People: Children
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report of the Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, From the Front Line, on equipment provision for disabled and terminally ill children; and what action they are taking to respond to its findings.
Earl Howe: We are very clear that there should be prompt access to appropriate specialist equipment to ensure children and young people's needs are met, and to support them in living as independently as possible. There are a number of initiatives to support this aim.
The Government's Green Paper, Support and Aspiration-A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability, was published in March 2011 and the Next Steps document published in May 2012. These include a new single assessment process with a single education, health and care plan, and the option of a personal budget for children and families that will give families more control over the services they receive, including the ability to purchase specialist equipment.
In January, the Secretary of State launched a Children and Young People's Health Outcomes Forum to identify the outcomes that matter most for children and young people and set out how the new health system will deliver these outcomes. The forum has a group looking specifically at the needs of children with disabilities and those requiring palliative care, and it will be presenting its report to the Secretary of State in July.
One of the high-impact innovations of the NHS chief executive's review of innovation, Innovation Health and Wealth: Adoption and Diffusion of Innovation, is the launch of a "Child in a Chair in a day" programme to transform the delivery of wheelchair services throughout the National Health Service. This, together with the introduction of "Any Qualified Provider" in wheelchair services will increase choice and control for patients. Both these initiatives should improve the quality of wheelchair services offered.
Disabled People: Transport
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many severely disabled students, eligible for a Freedom Pass, have had their disabled students' allowance reduced by the nominal cost of bus fares, but are unable for reasons of disability to use public transport; why such students are treated in the same way as less disabled students who are able to access public transport; and what would be the cost of removing this provision in respect of severely disabled students.
Baroness Verma: Unfortunately, we do not record this information. If a student is eligible for DSA travel allowance, our guidance states that we must take off the cost of public transport so we do not advantage a disabled student.
Elections: Overseas Electors
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of overseas electors; and whether they will make it their policy to publish the number of overseas electors by constituency.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government are committed to maximising registration rates. However, there are difficulties with contacting British expatriates as their whereabouts are simply not known and they are not required to inform the UK authorities where they intend to reside, if they emigrate. Those expatriates who have registered receive an annual reminder from their electoral registration officer to update their registration, but there is no way of making contact with those who fail to register or to re-register when they change address.
The Government are considering whether there are any changes that can be made to the registration process for overseas electors-for example, enabling online registration. The Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, currently before Parliament, also includes provisions to support the participation of overseas and service voters by extending the timetable for parliamentary elections from 17 to 25 days.
Statistics detailing the number of electors registered to vote in parliamentary elections are produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). ONS publishes annual statistics for the number of people registered to vote by parliamentary constituency. Electors who are resident overseas form part of the total number of parliamentary electors but the published figures do not provide information on residence. ONS does not currently have plans to publish figures for the number of overseas electors. The House of Commons, however, publishes information on overseas electors for the UK, but does not publish this information by parliamentary constituency.
Elections: Overseas Electors
Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to extend the existing 15-year period during which British citizens living abroad can vote in UK elections.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government are considering whether the 15-year time limit on voting rights for British citizens overseas remains appropriate, but have no immediate plans to alter the legislation.
In the mean time, the Government have taken steps to improve the overseas voting process by introducing proposals in the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, currently before Parliament, to extend the electoral timetable for UK parliamentary elections from 17 to 25 working days. This will facilitate greater voter participation, making it easier for postal voters and, in particular, overseas and service voters. The Government are also considering what more can be done to improve the registration process in the context of the move to individual electoral registration.
Employment: Under-25s
Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government, since the start of the youth contract in April, how many of the 160,000 wage-subsidised jobs promised in the contract have been made available to under-24 year-olds on the Work Programme.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many employers have offered under-24 year-olds on the Work Programme subsidised jobs since the launch of the youth contract in April.
Lord Freud: The department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish accurate high-quality statistics at the earliest opportunity.
Official statistics on subsidised jobs under the youth contract are not currently available. The exact details of what we will publish have still to be decided as that is dependant on the availability and quality of the data in line with the code of practice on official statistics.
The department is currently commissioning an evaluation strategy for the youth contract. Information from the evaluation will be available in 2013.
Energy: UK-Norway Partnership
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many jobs they estimate will be created in the United Kingdom following the Prime Minister's recent discussions in Norway regarding joint venture energy deals, research and programmes.
Lord Marland: During a visit to Oslo on 6 and 7 June, the Prime Minister announced a UK-Norway energy partnership and billions of pounds of new investment by UK and Norwegian companies. The announcement can be found at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn12_072/pn12_072.aspx.
These investments have the potential to create thousands of jobs in the UK. Details include:
Statoil's further £12 billion investment developing Mariner-Bressay North Sea oil fields creating 800 to 1,000 new jobs, including 200 to 300 jobs at a new operations centre in Aberdeen;Aker Solutions creating 1,300 jobs in London; andForewind Consortium's development of Dogger Bank offshore wind farm, which could create many thousands of jobs.
Equines: Hot Branding
Baroness Mallalieu: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the operation of the provisions which permit the hot-branding of equines.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I have asked the Chief Veterinary Officer to provide me with a report into this practice. It will be with me shortly.
EU: Access to Documents
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support changes to European Union Regulation 1049 on public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents so as to (1) extend the institutional scope of the Regulation to all EU bodies, (2) ensure legislative transparency, (3) align the Regulation with the Aarhus Convention on environmental information, and (4) balance the right to public access to EU documents with the right to personal privacy.
Lord McNally: The Government have been fully engaged in the discussions on the recast of the access to documents regulation and is committed to the principle of transparency within EU institutions.
The Government support an enhancement of transparency and therefore strongly oppose any restriction on what constitutes a document for the purposes of the regulation.
Specifically, the Government support an extension of the institutional scope of the regulation in accordance with the Lisbon treaty and an alignment of the regulation with the Aarhus convention. We support the extension of legislative transparency, although this must be balanced against the importance of protecting important and sensitive information, such as legal advice. We also strongly oppose any proposals to weaken the protection afforded to personal privacy and remain of the view that the right to information must be appropriately balanced with the right to privacy.
EU: Economic Partnership Agreements
The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are in favour of the European Union's support for regional economic partnership agreements (EPAs) in Africa; and what assessment they have made of the potential impact of EPAs on export duties and African economies.
Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The UK has been a consistent supporter of development-friendly economic partnership agreements between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, which it sees as the best available means to allow ACP countries to continue to benefit from preferential market access to the EU. These agreements differ from standard free trade agreements (FTAs) in a number of ways intended to account for the development needs of the ACP countries:
they are asymmetrical, with the ACP country gaining immediate 100% duty-free, quota-free access to the EU in return for opening 80% of its market over an extended period (between 15 and 25 years);the ACP country can make use of a wide range of safeguards, anti-dumping duties and infant industry protection;they are negotiated in regional blocs to facilitate regional integration; andthe EU provides accompanying development assistance to help ACP countries make the most of EPA opportunities.
All ACP countries which implement an EPA will get 100% access to the EU market. The impact of the opening of the ACP country market will vary according to the deal negotiated, but the need to ensure compliance with World Trade Organisation rules means that the ACP country is likely to be required to eliminate tariffs on approximately 80% of its imports. However, impacts will be mitigated through the staged opening over 15 to 25 years and through the possibility of deploying safeguards, infant industry protection and anti-dumping provisions.
Extradition
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there have been any substantive alterations made to the United Kingdom's extradition arrangements with the United States in the past two years; whether terms for extradition are reciprocal; and whether any new safeguards have been implemented since June 2010.
Lord Henley: There have been no substantial alterations made to the UK's extradition arrangements with the US and no new safeguards have been implemented since 2010. The terms for extradition are as broadly reciprocal as can be between two countries given that they are based on different legal systems.
The UK-US extradition treaty was also considered by the independent review of the UK's extradition arrangements led by Sir Scott Baker. The panel found that the treaty does not operate in an unbalanced manner. The Home Secretary is considering the review panel's findings and will announce the Government's response shortly.
Extradition
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United States citizens were extradited to the United Kingdom between January 2004 and April 2012 for crimes allegedly committed whilst the person was in the United States; and how many such applications for extradition are pending.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom citizens were extradited to the United States between January 2004 and April 2012 for crimes allegedly committed whilst the person was in the United Kingdom; and how many such applications for extradition are pending.
Lord Henley: As a person's nationality has never been a bar to extradition between the UK and the US, the nationality of the person whose extradition was sought was not, before 2010, always recorded. Information about where the alleged offence was committed in each case is not held centrally; however, in every case the alleged offence would have to come within the jurisdiction of the requesting state. The answer reflects these qualifications.
Between 2010 and April 2012, 10 people were extradited from the US to the UK, of whom two were US nationals. Neither has been identified as being accused of a crime which was committed while the person was in the US. Currently, there is one outstanding request from the UK to the US for a US citizen. This has not been identified as involving a crime which was committed while the person was in the US.
In the same timeframe, 23 people were extradited from the UK to the US. Fifteen were UK nationals, of whom three were dual nationals (of the UK and a third state). None has been identified as being accused solely of a crime committed whilst the person was in the UK. There are currently 17 outstanding requests from the US to the UK for UK citizens. Of these 17, there are five cases where I can confirm that the alleged offences were committed whilst the person was in the UK.
The figures given in this reply do not include requests between the US and Scotland.
Extradition: Gary McKinnon
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in dealing with the extradition case involving Gary McKinnon, they have given consideration to the comments made by the New Zealand judge David Harvey, in the Megaupload case, that in considering extradition to the United States he recognised "the need not only for a fair hearing but a fair hearing properly informed".
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 7 November 2011 (WA 10), what further medical reports they have received regarding Gary McKinnon; what assessment they have made of the potential psychological impact on Gary McKinnon due to the uncertainty about his potential extradition to the United States; and for how long they believe it would be acceptable for that uncertainty to continue.
Lord Henley: The sole issue for my right honourable friend the Home Secretary to consider is whether Mr McKinnon's extradition would contravene his human rights. She is currently reviewing all the relevant material, including extensive representations provided by Mr McKinnon's solicitors covering all aspects of his case.
It would not be appropriate for me to comment on a case being considered in another jurisdiction. I would, however, note that Mr McKinnon's case has been exhaustively considered in the UK courts.
Families: Troubled Families
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have sought approval from the Information Commissioner for the identification of "troubled families", including access by local authorities to data on the Police National Computer.
Baroness Hanham: All agencies that are sharing data for the identification of troubled families need to satisfy themselves of the legality of their processes. The financial framework for the troubled families programme (a copy of which has been placed in the Library) sets out a process for identification of such families and includes, at Annexe A, the legal basis on which this process may be undertaken.
The approval of the Information Commissioner to this process is not required and was not sought, as such sharing of data is permissible within existing legislation. The Department for Work and Pensions did, however, consult the Information Commissioner about the proposal to share social security data with local authorities for purposes connected with the troubled families programme.
Fishing: Stock
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimates they have on the predicted decline of stocks of white fish in the waters around the United Kingdom, in the light of current European Union policies and policies under negotiation.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The European Commission's assessment for this year of the state of fish stocks in the Atlantic and nearby seas indicates the proportion of overfished stocks fell from 32 out of 34 stocks in 2004 to 18 out of 38 stocks in 2011.
Although improvements are gradually being made under the current Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the UK Government believe radical reform of this broken policy is needed to help achieve the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), something which the Commission agrees is a realistic and achievable goal. We have therefore pressed strongly for a reformed CFP to contain a clear legal commitment, with deadlines, to achieve MSY as soon as possible. Reform negotiations continue, but last week the council agreed an approach in principle that includes legally binding limits on fishing levels to ensure scientific advice on MSY is taken into account when agreeing annual quotas.
Fluoridation
Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 May (WA 448-9) where they cited the 2004 Newcastle fluoride bioavailability study as showing "no statistically significant difference" between two types of fluoridated water for plasma fluoride concentration following water ingestion in healthy young adults, to what they were referring in the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 27 February (WA 253) where they stated that "the researchers concluded that the findings were still statistically significant".
Earl Howe: There is no inconsistency. The School of Dental Sciences at Newcastle University found statistically significant results from its research into the bioavailability of fluoride. One of the findings was that there were no (statistically significant) differences in plasma fluoride concentration following ingestion in healthy young adults of water in which fluoride occurs naturally and water to which fluoride has been added.
Fluoridation
Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 31 January 2001 (WA 66) in which the British Fluoridation Society was stated to have a promotional role, whether it is the case that present and past officers and members of the society should formally register an interest when sitting on bodies which deliberate on aspects of fluoridation policy; and, if not, whether they will issue advice to that effect.
Earl Howe: This is a helpful suggestion, which we will bear in mind if we set up an expert advisory group on research or policy development on fluoridation.
Fluoridation
Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the article "Weeping and Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth: The Legal Fiction of Water Fluoridation" in the journal Medical Law International 2012 in respect of the medicinal status of fluoridation.
Earl Howe: Our views remain the same as that of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, that fluoride added to drinking water is not a medical product.
Food: Food Security Summit
The Lord Bishop of Wakefield: To ask Her Majesty's Government which government department has lead responsibility for organising the food security summit during the 2012 Olympic Games.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Department for International Development will have lead responsibility for organising a major event on hunger during the 2012 Olympic Games.
Gaza
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross on 14 June 2010 on the closure of the Gaza Strip; and what measures they are taking to support the lifting of the blockade.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK frequently raises with the Israeli authorities our concerns on the impact of restrictions on Gaza, urging Israel to comply with her international obligations. In close co-ordination with our European Union partners and the Office of the Quartet Representative, we continue to press the Israeli Government at ministerial and official level to ease access restrictions.
While we welcome the steps that have been taken, including the first exports of textiles goods from Gaza to the UK, a normalisation of Israeli trade relationship with Gaza would make the greatest contribution to economic development.
Gaza
The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what discussions they have had with, and (2) what representations they will make to, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees regarding its decision to stop funding the Ali Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We understand that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is currently re-tendering the contract to provide secondary healthcare for the refugee community in Gaza, which was previously held by the Al Ahli Hospital. As a major donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UK-through the Department for International Development-liaises closely with UNRWA to ensure that essential services to Palestinian refugees are delivered effectively and provide good value for money for the UK taxpayer. However, it would not be appropriate for us to intervene in individual procurement decisions or offer additional funding to an unsuccessful bidder.
Government Departments: Apprentices
Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of staff employed within the private offices of Ministers and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport on 1 June; and how many of them were (1) under the age of 21, (2) apprentices under the age of 21, and (3) apprentices over the age of 21.
Earl Attlee: As of 1 June 2012, there is a total of 21 staff employed in the private offices of Ministers and the Permanent Secretary. None was either an apprentice or under the age of 21.
Government Departments: Communication
Lord Shutt of Greetland: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the National Audit Office's report Central government's communications and engagement with local government, how the sending of 744,115 e-mails by central government departments to local authorities in March 2012 sits with their localism aims.
Baroness Hanham: We welcome this report and are pleased to have been recognised for our communication and engagement with local authorities. It is reassuring to learn that channels such as our website, info4local, and our local authority chief executive newsletter are regarded as best practice and we will continue to build on these successes.
Inevitably even in a localist world, central and local government need to work together and it is right that we maintain communications and be transparent. However, it is not DCLG's position to try to monitor communication standards and levels across government. According to the National Audit Office' report, it is the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies and other bodies, and the Ministry of Justice and its agencies and other bodies, that send the greatest volume of e-mails to local authorities. DCLG will aim to engage with Whitehall departments on a periodic basis to assess respective progress on the National Audit Office's recommendations.
The Government are committed to decentralisation, devolving power, money and knowledge to those best placed to find the best solutions to local needs.
Lifting the burden of centrally imposed bureaucracy is a central plank of our approach-since the summer of 2010, the Government have ended over a quarter of all data collections from local authorities, in addition to ending comprehensive area assessment, the national indicator set and local area agreements.
Government Departments: Legal Payments
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what payments were made by the Department for Communities and Local Government to (1) Clifford Chance, (2) Freshfields, (3) Slaughter and May, (4) Allen and Overy, and (5) Linklaters, in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11, and (d) 2011-12; and to what those payments related.
Baroness Hanham: (1) Clifford Chance-Supplier Reference 401460: No payment records reported in the time periods specified.
(2) Freshfields: No supplier record found.
(3) Slaughter and May-Supplier Reference 406425: See table below for payments made for legal services:
Financial Year Value (£)
2008-09 207,478.37
2009-10 399,685.15
2010-11 8,159.86
2011-12 None to date
(4) Allen and Overy-Supplier Reference 400225: No payment records reported in the time periods specified.
(5) Linklaters-Supplier Reference 413248: No payment records reported in the time periods specified.
Health: Diabetes
Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the difficulties in disaggregating expenditure on type 1 diabetes from type 2; and whether, in the light of the report of the National Audit Office that the number of people with diabetes in England is projected to increase to 3.8 million people by 2020, they will give further consideration to providing sufficient financial information so as to make adequate provision for the future treatment of type 1 diabetes patients.
Earl Howe: Estimating expenditure on healthcare conditions such as diabetes is a complex process. National Health Service commissioners need to compile information from a wide range of service areas, such as hospital admissions, community care and drugs prescribed in primary care. Based on existing information systems it is not always possible to identify whether a particular admission or treatment is for type 1 or type 2 diabetes. For example, drugs prescribed in primary care are recorded using British National Formulary codes, but this may be prescribed for type 1 or type 2 diabetes patients.
The department works closely with a range of NHS organisations to improve the estimates of expenditure and makes improvements to the guidance, systems and processes of the collection each year. The department will review the National Audit Office report and consult with the relevant experts in order to determine what improvements can be made to the estimates of diabetes expenditure in future years.
Health: Diabetes
Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current expenditure on research for type 1 diabetes treatment; and what consultation they have carried out with researchers and the medical profession as to its adequacy.
Earl Howe: The department spent £1.8 million in 2011-12 on research on type 1 diabetes treatment through research programmes, research centres and units, and research training awards.
The department's total spend on research on type 1 diabetes treatment is higher because expenditure by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) on this topic cannot be disaggregated from total CRN spend.
The CRN currently has 211 studies in diabetes that are in set-up or recruiting patients. The breakdown is as follows:
Type Number of Studies
1 44
2 108
1 and 2 58
Other diabetes-related 14
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including type 1 diabetes. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
The department has not consulted with researchers and the medical profession specifically on the adequacy of current expenditure on research for type 1 diabetes treatment.
Health: Lyme Disease
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom residents received (1) a positive serology test result, (2) an equivocal test result, and (3) a negative test result, for Lyme borreliosis from tests carried out by all National Health Service microbiology laboratories using ELISA or C6 ELISA test kits, including Primary Care Trust laboratories, Health Protection Agency collaborating laboratories and Health Protection Scotland laboratories, for the years 2005 to 2010 inclusive.
Earl Howe: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) until 2010 received data voluntarily supplied by National Health Service institutions in England and Wales on the number of positive Lyme cases they have identified, but this information does not include the analytical method used. The HPA cannot answer on behalf of Health Protection Scotland.
Within the HPA, confirmatory Lyme testing between 2005 and 2010 was carried out by the HPA Lyme Borreliosis Unit at Southampton. During this period, the Southampton unit has used three different enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) types, including the C6 ELISA.
In addition, the number of samples undergoing confirmatory testing at the Southampton unit by the various different ELISA tests showing as equivocal, negative and reactive from referring laboratories (which are NHS, HPA and private laboratories) are shown in the following tables.
IgG EIA
Equivocal Negative Reactive Total Tested Equivocal or Reactive
2005 Test unavailable prior to 2006
2006 6 126 25 157 31
2007 85 1,448 289 1,822 374
2008 74 1,007 269 1,350 343
2009 96 1,030 288 1,414 384
2010 85 816 206 1,107 291
IgM EIA
Equivocal Negative Reactive Total Tested Equivocal or Reactive
2005 Test unavailable prior to 2006
2006 1 147 9 157 10
2007 42 1,644 132 1,818 174
2008 66 982 245 1,293 311
2009 87 876 398 1,361 485
2010 90 674 296 1,060 386
Combined IgG & IgM EIA
Equivocal Negative Not detected Reactive Total Tested Equivocal or Reactive
2005 280 3,654 376 4,310 656
2006 250 2,929 442 3,621 692
2007 157 1,635 135 1,927 292
2008 145 2,371 137 2,653 282
2009 298 2,664 19 182 3,163 480
2010 363 2,732 195 3,290 558
Combined IgG & IgM using Synthetic Peptide (C6)
Equivocal Negative Not detected Reactive Grand Total Equivocal or Reactive
2005 23 4,700 932 5,655 955
2006 39 6,889 910 7,838 949
2007 206 8,875 1,216 10,297 1,422
2008 158 10,463 1 1,397 12,019 1,555
2009 184 11,622 1,426 13,232 1,610
2010 276 11,707 1,241 13,224 1,517
Notes:
1. ELISA: Acronym for Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay: method used to capture either specific target antigen or antibody, either in a liquid or solid phase assay, to detect the presence of these targets in clinical and other samples.
2. IgG EIA: ELISA detecting specifically the immunoglobulin class IgG.
3. IgM EIA: ELISA detecting specifically the immunoglobulin class IgM.
4. C6 ELISA: A commercial ELISA utilising a synthetic peptide (a component part of a protein designed to enhance specificity).
5. Reactive: where there is a signal, either as a colour generation in a liquid system or as line of staining on a solid phase indicating the presence of a target, eg antigen or antibody. Depending on the assay, this reactivity may require further analysis to determine its significance in terms of specificity. Reactive is the equivalent to a positive result.
6. Equivocal: where an assay signal or reaction has not met a complete set of preset criteria (possibly defined by the kit manufacturer or by laboratory validation methods) to satisfy an interpretation of positive, but is demonstrating sufficient reactivity that requires further investigation, perhaps by alternative assay or by repeat specimen.
Health: Mitochondrial Disease
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government why mitochondrial function testing is not generally available through the National Health Service.
Earl Howe: We understand that mitochondrial function testing as a possible diagnostic test for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis is not yet accepted as part of normal clinical practice. It is for local commissioners to determine what services they should commission to meet the needs of their populations, within available resources and local priorities.
Health: Multiple Sclerosis
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in (1) each primary care trust, (2) England, and (3) each parliamentary constituency in each of the past five years for which data are available.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people with symptoms of multiple sclerosis have been diagnosed with (1) relapsing remitting, (2) secondary progressive, and (3) primary progressive multiple sclerosis, in (a) each primary care trust, (b) England, and (c) each parliamentary constituency, in each of the past five years for which data are available.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people died as a result of multiple sclerosis in (1) each primary care trust, and (2) England, in each of the past five years for which data are available.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a new national clinical audit to collect data about the quality of care provided to people with multiple sclerosis.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to collect data on patient report outcome measures for people with multiple sclerosis.
Earl Howe: Information on the number of people of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not available centrally.
The UK Statistics Authority collects mortality numbers and rates for England and Wales, including all-cause and specific causes as defined by the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10).
The department currently has no formal plans to introduce a central collection of patient reported outcome measures for people with multiple sclerosis, or to introduce a clinical audit.
The NHS Outcomes Framework sets the national outcomes that the National Health Service should be aiming to improve. Domains two, three and four of the NHS Outcomes Framework relate to neurological conditions, in terms of enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term conditions, helping people to recover from episodes of ill health and injury and ensuring that people have a positive experience of care. The following indicators from the NHS Outcomes Framework are particularly relevant:
2. Health related quality of life for people with long-term conditions; and2.1 Proportion of people feeling supported to manage their condition.
These indicators will be measured through the GP Patient Survey and, while these are generic measures, it should be possible to break down the responses into patients with various specific long-term conditions, including neurological conditions.
The Government want to make more use of information generated by patients themselves by making wider use of tools such as patient reported outcome measures (PROMS). In the White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, the Government made a commitment to expand, wherever practicable, the collection of PROMS to a wider range of patients.
Health: Neurology
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will develop a national patient experience survey for neurological conditions, and if so, how.
Earl Howe: The department currently has no plans to introduce a national patient experience survey for neurological conditions.
There are a number of drivers that require and support healthcare organisations to continually measure and improve the patient experience.
The NHS Outcomes Framework sets the national outcomes that the National Health Service should be aiming to improve. Domains two, three and four of the NHS Outcomes Framework relate to neurological conditions, in terms of enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term conditions, helping people to recover from episodes of ill health and injury and ensuring that people have a positive experience of care. The following indicators from the NHS Outcomes Framework are particularly relevant:
2. Health related quality of life for people with long-term conditions; and2.1 Proportion of people feeling supported to manage their condition.
These indictors will be measured through the GP Patient Survey and, while these are generic measures, it should be possible to break down the responses into patients with various specific long-term conditions, including neurological conditions.
In the White Paper Equity and Excellence:Liberating the NHS, the Government made a commitment to expand the collection of patient reported outcome measures (PROMS) wherever practicable. The department has commissioned a number of pilots to meet this commitment. This includes a pilot that covers six conditions in primary care, including epilepsy. Patients were sent a questionnaire to collect baseline data in 2011 and the follow-up will take place this year. From these it will be possible to work out the changes to patient reported health. The pilot is expected to report later this year.
Health: Neurology
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to increase data collection on neurological conditions at general practice, clinical commissioning group, primary care trust and provider level.
Earl Howe: The Government's overall policy on data collections aims to ensure that proposals for new or continued data collections reduce the burden on local bodies by ensuring that wherever possible all data collected nationally are of value locally.
The NHS Outcomes Framework already defines and enables measurement of the key outcomes that matter to patients. All five domains within the framework have relevance to long-term neurological conditions, while domain two, enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term neurological conditions, seeks to capture specific information on how successfully the National Health Service is supporting people with long-term conditions to live as normal a life as possible.
Health: Rare Diseases
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability for use of the process of assessment of treatments for rare diseases developed by the Advisory Group on National Specialised Services.
Earl Howe: The Advisory Group for National Specialised Services (AGNSS) is an independent stakeholder advisory group, which advises Ministers on the highly specialised services and technologies which should be commissioned nationally. In making its recommendations to Ministers, AGNSS is guided by a decision-making framework which was developed through wide-ranging consultation. The department has made no separate assessment of the processes used by AGNSS.
Healthcare: Costs
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, since European Union Regulation 883/2004 entered into force on 1 May 2010, (1) which countries are charging healthcare cost on an actual basis for United Kingdom pensioners residing in those countries; (2) how many pensioners were involved in the most recent year; (3) what were the total (a) actual, and (b) average pensioner charges per country respectively; and (4) what were the actual payments to those countries charging on an average costs basis.
Earl Howe: The following countries charge actual costs for state-funded healthcare under 883/2004: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus (after two years), Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The number of United Kingdom state pensioners registered in these countries is shown in the following table:
Number of registered UK state pensioners residing in another EEA member state
Austria 557
Belgium 521
Bulgaria 363
Czech Republic 81
France 41,444
Germany 2,729
Greece 2,690
Italy 2,881
Latvia 36
Lithuania 17
Luxembourg 51
Poland 413
Romania 11
Slovakia 14
Slovenia 54
Republic of Cyprus 11,029
Total 62,891
Claims for payments for pensioners under European Union Regulation 883/2004 have only recently started to be received, and so no payments have yet been made against such claims. The 18-month deadline under the new regulations refers to the date the claim is submitted to the UK, not the date of treatment. The processing of all claims by the UK and against the UK under the new regulations is within the above 18-month deadline. We anticipate that the first payments under Regulation 883/2004 will be made in late July 2012.
Higher Education: English Students
Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the 10% drop in English students applying for September 2012 university places compared to 2011.
Baroness Verma: Application rates for 18 year-olds are an important guide to demand for higher education as they have generally not previously had the opportunity to apply. The application rate is down 0.9% from 32.4% to 31.5%. This is still higher than the 2010 rate of 31.4%-so the application rate for 18 year-olds, which allows for the decline in the total population of 18 year-olds, has remained strong. The proportion of English school leavers applying to university is the second highest on record.
It is encouraging that applications from people from some of the most disadvantaged backgrounds remain strong. The independent information provided by UCAS shows that the application rate for people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds is holding up with only a 0.2% drop for those applying by the January 15 deadline.
Even with a small reduction in applications, there have already been more applicants than there will be places. This will still be a competitive year like any other as applicants appreciate that university remains a good long-term investment in their future.
Houses of Parliament: Scrutiny Override
Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each Department, from July to December 2011, (1) on how many occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution in the House of Lords was overridden, (2) on how many occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution in the House of Commons was overridden, and (3) in respect of how many documents an override occurred in (a) both Houses or (b) either House.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government will always seek to avoid breaching the scrutiny reserve resolutions of either House of Parliament. We will continue to account for their actions in writing to the Chairmen of the scrutiny committees in each House when this happens.
Due to the parliamentary recess, the second half of the year always presents more of a challenge for the scrutiny process; 25 of the overrides occurred when Parliament was in recess. Thirty-five of the overrides involved fast-moving sanctions and restrictive measures proposals in relation to countries such as Libya, Syria, and Iran. It was important that proposals were agreed urgently so that measures were implemented quickly. Regrettably, this meant that on several occasions the Government had to agree proposals before the committee had the opportunity to scrutinise the documents. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office ensured that the committee was notified in writing of each of these overrides and that the committee was subsequently given the opportunity to consider each of these documents.
With regards to those scrutiny overrides that did not relate to fast-moving sanctions and restrictive measures proposals or did not fall over parliamentary recess, six overrides related to fast-moving discussions in the World Trade Organisation where there was not enough time to seek scrutiny clearance between the Commission proposal and the date for Council agreement for these discussions and regrettably the Government had to override scrutiny. Similarly, three scrutiny overrides related to programmes on financial assistance to Portugal and Ireland where there was not enough time to seek scrutiny clearance between the Commission proposal and the date for Council agreement for these discussions. In these cases Her Majesty's Treasury wrote to the scrutiny committees to flag the tight timetable and committed to provide the scrutiny committees with the Explanatory Memoranda within five days rather than 10 and highlighted that the Government would vote in favour. Two other scrutiny overrides related to fast-moving negotiations on European market infrastructure regulation and the annual budget and, again, scrutiny was overridden in both these cases because negotiations were moving so quickly. In both these cases the final compromise reached was acceptable to the committees.
There were a further two scrutiny overrides so that the UK could adopt the UK's opt-in as a justice and home affairs obligation.
The figures requested are set out in the table below:
Department (1) House of Lords override (2) House of Commons override (a) No. of overrides in both Houses (b) Total no. of overrides
Department of Business, Innovation and Skills 0 7 0 7
Department for Culture, Media and Sport 0 1 0 1
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 0 2 0 2
Foreign and Commonwealth Office 36 40 36 40
HM Treasury 4 2 1 5
Department for Transport 1 0 0 1
41 52 37 56
Immigration: Children
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 11 June (WA 196), how many children under 18 have been placed in immigration detention at Heathrow Airport since 16 December 2010; and whether they will in future collect statistics on the number of children placed in immigration detention at airports.
Lord Henley: We are unable to provide any statistics for the number of children under 18 who have been placed in immigration detention at airports since 16 December 2010.
The Home Office does publish statistics on children in detention but this excludes short-term holding rooms at ports and airports (for less than 24 hours). These data on children in detention can be found on the Home Office website. I have placed a copy of the latest figures (relating to April 2012) in the Library of the House and these are also available at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/child-detention-apr2012.
There has been a previous request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 asking for information on children held at ports. Please find the information relating to children held at Heathrow that was released under this request in the table below.
Breakdown of the number of children held at Heathrow Airport between May 2011 and the end of August 2011
May-11 Unaccompanied In Family
Heathrow Terminal 1 3 5
Heathrow Terminal 3 1 8
Heathrow Terminal 4 4 28
Heathrow Terminal 5 4 0
Jun-11 Unaccompanied In Family
Heathrow Terminal 1 1 14
Heathrow Terminal 3 2 44
Heathrow Terminal 4 11 30
Heathrow Terminal 5 4 8
Jul-12 Unaccompanied In Family
Heathrow Terminal 1 11 16
Heathrow Terminal 3 2 43
Heathrow Terminal 4 13 51
Heathrow Terminal 5 13 18
Aug-11 Unaccompanied In Family
Heathrow Terminal 1 6 14
Heathrow Terminal 3 11 52
Heathrow Terminal 4 1 55
Heathrow Terminal 5 3 14
These data are based on management information only and have not been subject to the detailed checks that apply for national statistics publications. These figures are provisional and are subject to change.
Immigration: Deportation
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government by what process the UK Border Agency deported a Turkish national in March 2012, despite the existence of a court order prohibiting deportation; what steps they are taking to comply with Mr Justice Singh's order that they find the individual and bring him back to the United Kingdom; and what steps they are taking to prevent further breaches of court orders prohibiting the removal of asylum seekers.
Lord Henley: We cannot comment on individual cases. However, whenever we are notified of a barrier to removal, including a claim for asylum, we will take all the necessary steps to halt removal directions.
Immigration: Detention
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the level of (1) mental illness, and (2) HIV infection among (a) African, and (b) other women in United Kingdom detention and removal centres, and of the adequacy of treatment available in those centres for such conditions.
Earl Howe: Information about the level of mental illness and human immunodeficiency virus infection among African women and other women who are held in immigration and removal centres (IRCs) is not collected centrally.
Although the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) operating standards require that all detainees must have available to them the same range and quality of health services as the public receives from the National Health Service, both the Department of Health and Home Office agreed that the necessary level of clinical expertise to inform commissioning of healthcare or standard-setting rests firmly with NHS organisations.
Currently, the majority of IRC healthcare facilities are provided by private providers who are contracted by the UKBA. The department is now working with the UKBA on a phased programme to transfer commissioning and funding responsibility for healthcare provision within IRCs fully to the NHS from April 2014.
Immigration: Detention
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 11 June (WA 196), why the UK Border Agency does not maintain central records of the number of individuals placed in immigration detention who claim to have been tortured, claim to have mental health problems or about whom mental health problems have been observed; and whether they will do so in future.
Lord Henley: The UK Border Agency has no plans to create a central record of the number of individuals placed in immigration detention who claim to have been tortured, claim to have mental health problems or about whom mental health problems have been observed.
Case owners take a number of factors into consideration, including any claim to have been tortured and reported or observed mental health issues, in order to reach a decision on whether detention or continuing detention is appropriate.
There are processes to inform the ongoing individual risk assessment for each case. A centralised record of torture claims and mental health issues would not alter the decisions made in each individual case but would result in resource implications to capture, monitor and maintain the record across a number of directorates and immigration removal centres.
Immigration: Detention
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 11 June (WA 196), what information is known by immigration detention centre managers and the UK Border Agency about the mental health status of individual detainees.
Lord Henley: Medical records for detainees are confidential. Medical information is not shared with UK Border Agency staff unless the detained person has given explicit consent.
Where a medical practitioner believes that a detainee's health is likely to be injuriously affected by continued detention or suspects a detained person of having suicidal intentions, he or she is required to inform the UK Border Agency.
Immigration: Detention
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 11 June (WA 197), what measures they (1) have taken, (2) are taking, and (3) will take, to avoid any and all further deaths during enforced returns.
Lord Henley: The UK Border Agency paused the use of restraint techniques on scheduled removal flights for 10 days following the death of Mr Jimmy Mubenga in October 2010. Restraint techniques for all escorted scheduled removal flights were reinstated on 25 October, when the UK Border Agency was satisfied that restraint techniques were not inherently dangerous.
While the UK Border Agency is satisfied that techniques are safe, no use of restraint can be totally risk-free, which is one of the reasons why it is used only as a last resort. Professionals in the use of restraint from the National Offender Management Service are reviewing the techniques used on aircraft in order to see if they can be made even safer.
The UK Border Agency is co-operating fully with the investigations being conducted by the police, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman and the coroner into the circumstances surrounding Mr Mubenga's death and will carefully consider the outcome and findings of these investigations.
Israel
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel on its compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1860.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We remain concerned about the situation in Gaza and the constant risk of an escalation of violence. We condemn any attacks involving the targeting of civilians, including rocket attacks by militant Palestinian groups from Gaza into southern Israel. We regularly make representations on this issue and call on all sides to show restraint.
In close co-ordination with our European Union partners and the Office of the Quartet Representative, we continue to press the Israeli Government to ease restrictions on Gaza. We have called for a sustained increase in the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons from and to the Gaza Strip and on improved access to agricultural and fishing areas. The Israeli restrictions do significant and measurable damage to the economy and living standards of ordinary people in Gaza and only serve to strengthen, not weaken, Hamas.
A solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is needed urgently to give the Palestinian people the state that they need and deserve, and the Israeli people the security and peace that have eluded them for so long. We regularly urge both sides to focus on dialogue, to avoid steps that could undermine the prospects for peace and to work towards the resumption of direct negotiations.
Israel
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the United Nations has passed resolutions requiring Israel to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear facilities; and what assessment they have made of the reaction of the Government of Israel.
Lord Howell of Guildford: United Nations Security Council Resolution 487 in 1981 called on Israel to place its nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The United Nations General Assembly and IAEA have also passed several resolutions relating to this issue. Israel has maintained a policy of ambiguity surrounding its nuclear status. The Israeli Government responded to the United Nations Security Council resolution at the time by rejecting it, describing it as "biased and one sided". However, Israel has voluntarily allowed safeguards at the US-supplied research reactor at Nahel Soreq.
The UK has consistently called on Israel to sign up to the non-proliferation treaty and to agree a full scope comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA.
Israel and Palestine
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 11 June (WA 207), whether they will make representations to the Government of Israel about the transfer of Palestinian child prisoners to detention facilities located in Israel, in the light of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Our embassy in Tel Aviv lobbies the Israeli authorities regularly on the issue of Palestinian child prisoners.
In addition to our lobbying of the Israeli authorities, the UK has supported research into this issue by leading UK and international lawyers; the report is due to be published in late June/early July.
Israel and Palestine
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Government of Israel's compliance with the terms of the 14 May agreement concerning Palestinian prisoners.
Lord Howell of Guildford: On the 16 May 2012, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), welcomed the deal reached between the prisoners and the Israeli authorities. Our embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate-general in Jerusalem have been working closely with both sides to encourage a resolution of this issue, which we hope will be fully implemented over the coming weeks. However, we have continuing concerns over the reported extension of administrative detention orders. We also continue to raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities about the extensive use of administrative detention, pressing for Israel to either charge or release administrative detainees.
Israel and Palestine
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel about ending the practice of administrative detention, in the light of reports from Amnesty International that a further 30 detention orders have been renewed, and three new ones issued, since the 14 May agreement with Palestinian hunger strikers was made.
Lord Howell of Guildford: On the 16 May 2012, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), welcomed the deal reached between the prisoners and the Israeli authorities. Our embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate-general in Jerusalem have been working closely with both sides to encourage a resolution of this issue, which we hope will be fully implemented over the coming weeks. However, we have continuing concerns over the reported extension of administrative detention orders. We also continue to raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities about the extensive use of administrative detention, pressing for Israel to either charge or release administrative detainees.
Israel and Palestine
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to the Parents Circle Families Forum in Israel and Palestine.
Baroness Northover: The UK welcomes the work of the Parents Circle Families Forum (PCFF) in promoting reconciliation between families on both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We are not currently providing financial support to the PCFF in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories. However, PCFF has participated in a UK-funded project on the use of social media by human rights organisations.
Libya
Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of Libya's transition towards democracy.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Libya has made important progress in the last year. On 7 July, the country is scheduled to have its first democratic elections in over 40 years. It has worked rapidly, supported by the United Nations (UN), to prepare for National Assembly elections and, while there will no doubt be some irregularities and setbacks, this will be a significant achievement of which the Libyan people should be proud. The UN estimates that 78% of all those eligible have registered to vote and around half of these are women.
However, there is undoubtedly much still to be done. It is important that the new Libya upholds its commitments to human rights and the rule of law, and addresses concerns we have about reports regarding the treatment of detainees in custody. It is also important that the Libyan Government restore security to the streets and militias are properly reintegrated into society, and make further progress with restarting the economy and building government institutions.
Nuclear Security
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase capacity in the United Kingdom nuclear risk market to facilitate the future nuclear new build programme.
Lord Marland: The Government continue to work with nuclear operators and insurers to encourage them to enter the nuclear insurance market and/or to provide coverage for all elements of operators' third-party liability.
Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012: Transport
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their present assessment of the readiness of the transport infrastructure to cope with the additional journeys as a result of the Olympics and Paralympics this summer.
Earl Attlee: Some £6.5 billion has been invested in transport infrastructure and detailed operational planning. Additional park and ride, direct coach services and extended national rail, Tube and DLR services are all ready.
We are confident that the transport system will be able to get people to and from Games events but we encourage all spectators to plan their journeys in advance and to allow sufficient time.
We are also confident that we can keep London and the UK moving and "open for business". An extensive programme of engagement is under way to assist those travelling in areas affected by the Games to plan their journeys and, where appropriate, consider alternative times, routes or modes of transport.
Further details can be found at www.getaheadofthegames.com.
Overseas Aid
Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the United Kingdom's bilateral aid is spent in low-income countries.
Baroness Northover: In 2011, 41% of the United Kingdom's bilateral aid was directly attributable to low-income countries. This is the highest level since 2007. In addition, a further 40% is regional spend, a substantial proportion of which will include low-income countries. The breakdown of this regional spend will not be available until autumn when Statistics on International Development is published.
The remaining 59% of bilateral aid includes middle-income countries such as Ghana and Nigeria, which remain DfID focus countries because they are assessed to be in need of development assistance given their levels of poverty.
The coalition Government have closed many programmes in middle-income countries, such as Russia and China.
Pakistan
Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have sought and received on the legality of the United States' use of drones in Pakistan.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Drone strikes are a matter for the United States and Pakistan, which are facing a shared and dangerous threat from terrorists. Naturally, we expect all concerned to act in accordance with international law.
Pensions
Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions they will take following the release of figures from the Office for National Statistics indicating that their plans to link the state pension age to life expectancy will disproportionately affect people in the north of England because they live shorter lives.
Lord Freud: The Chancellor announced at this year's Budget that there will be an automatic review of the state pension age to ensure it keeps pace with increases in longevity. Details of how this will operate will be published later this year.
Pitcairn Island
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have discussed regarding the construction of a light aircraft landing strip on Pitcairn to promote tourism.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government keep all options for developing a sustainable economy in the Pitcairn Islands under review, but specific proposals for a light aircraft landing strip are not under discussion. Current strategies for developing tourism on Pitcairn are based around increasing tourist numbers arriving by cruise ship, by private yacht and on the scheduled sailings of the MV "Claymore II".
Prisons: Mothers and Babies
Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women in England and Wales were refused a place on a mother and baby unit in prisons in each of the past five years.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women currently serving custodial sentences in England and Wales have children under the age of 18 months with them in prison.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of a place on a mother and baby unit.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women gave birth whilst serving a custodial sentence in England and Wales in each of the past five years.
Lord McNally: For the week ending 24 July 2012, 46 women currently serving custodial sentences in England and Wales had children under the age of 18 months with them in prison.
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) began to centrally collect information on how many women in England and Wales were refused a place on a mother and baby unit (MBUs) in prisons from 2010. The number of women who applied for a place on a MBU from 2010-12 was 528, of whom 69 were refused a place. Data for 2007-09 are not available.
NOMS does not centrally record information on how many women gave birth whilst serving a custodial sentence in England and Wales in each of the past five years. NOMS is required only to collect information relating to pregnant mothers and babies in prison to aid the management of places on MBUs. Wider data on births during a custodial sentence are maintained locally; to provide information on the number of mothers who gave birth would require us manually searching an excess of 4,000 prisoner records in the 13 women's prisons in England and Wales to collate the information for the period in question.
NOMS also does not centrally collect information on the annual cost of a place on a mother and baby unit. NOMS holds information only on prisoner costs at establishment level. The average resource cost of a female prisoner is £49,000 per annum. This is based on the overall average costs per prisoner, for 2010-11, published as part of the management information addendum to the NOMS annual report and accounts 2010-11.
Railways: Fare Evasion
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence they have that gating schemes at ticket barriers are more effective at reducing fare evasion than "on train" ticket inspections.
Earl Attlee: Several factors affect a passenger's decision to evade paying the correct fare, including revenue protection staff, gating schemes and the level of penalty fares. The evidence available to the department from train operating companies is that an effective strategy to reduce ticketless travel uses all three approaches. Gating and ticket inspectors can both be effective strategies and train operators will usually choose the most cost-effective balance for their franchise area.
Railways: Fare Evasion
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they allow rail franchisees to choose their own method of reducing fare evasion on trains.
Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport considers that, where possible, forthcoming franchises should permit train operators to address ticketless travel in the way they consider to be the most effective. A number of the franchises let by the previous Government include a so-called "cap and collar" provision. This makes the department liable, in certain circumstances, to provide revenue support to the franchisee. The presence of such arrangements can dilute the commercial incentives on train operators to protect revenue and tackle fare evasion. In some cases, this has meant that contractual obligations have been imposed through the franchise requiring certain actions to be taken on ticketless travel and gating.
Rwanda
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will suspend budgetary and military aid to Rwanda until the Government there cease their support of military commanders and militias attacking the Democratic Republic of Congo, following the precedent set by Sweden and the Netherlands in 2008.
Baroness Northover: The Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lord Howell, and the Secretary of State for International Development, the right honourable Andrew Mitchell, have expressed concerns about the situation in the Kivus recently, in person, to the Rwandan Foreign Minister. They have also emphasised the need for the Congolese Government, with support from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), to tackle all armed groups in the region, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and M23, and bring to justice perpetrators of crimes of international concern. The UK and its partners continue to monitor the situation closely, on which basis it will consider any further action.
Social Care: Funding
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much local authorities spent on adult social care (in constant prices) in 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Baroness Hanham: Outturn figures for local authority net current expenditure for 2008-09 can be found from revenue outturn data on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/140135413.xls.
2009-10 outturn figures can be found at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/2031748.xls.
2010-11 outturn figures can be found at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/2123435.
2011-12 figures are not comparative with previous years, due to transfers of responsibility between the NHS and local government.
2011-12 budget figures can be found from revenue account budget data at: http://www.communities.gov .uk/documents/statistics/xls/1933882.xls.
Figures for the GDP deflator can be found on the HM Treasury website http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/data_gdp_fig.htm.
Social Care: Funding
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the additional funding for rehabilitation and adult social care services made available to the National Health Service and local government following the 2010 Budget has been spent on the services for which the money was intended; and what measures are in place to monitor whether that funding is used for the purposes intended.
Earl Howe: In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging local government settlement, the Government have allocated an additional £7.2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. As part of this, the National Health Service will provide support to local authorities by funding measures that support social care. This will promote improved joint working between the health and social care systems.
Of this additional funding for 2011-12, £648 million was allocated for transfer by the NHS to local authorities, with another £150 million allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs) for spending on reablement services, which help people to regain their independence after a crisis.
PCTs and local authorities are expected to work together to agree jointly appropriate areas for social care investment, with a shared analysis of need and a common agreement on the outcomes to be met. We will also expect them to monitor how this funding has been used and to report back to the department.
NHS planning assurance indicates that, at the end of 2011-12, all of the £150 million was planned for spending on reablement and that there were plans for the full £648 million to be transferred to local authorities.
In September 2011, the department collected information from primary care trusts to understand how the transfer of NHS money was progressing and on which services it was being used. A demonstrative graph of all of the forms that the money is being spent on can be found in the NHS publication The Quarter, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Somalia
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make regarding the request by the Prime Minister of Kenya for European Union assistance in capturing the port of Kismayo, Somalia from al-Shabaab.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have no current plans to make representations regarding the request by the Prime Minister of Kenya for European Union assistance in capturing the port of Kismayo. We welcome the formal agreement between the African Union and the Government of Kenya to integrate Kenyan troops into the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) signed on 2 June, and strongly encourage Kenya to co-ordinate all its activities through the AMISOM command and control structures.
Spencer Perceval
Lord Laird: To ask the Chairman of Committees whether he will invite the House Committee to support placing a plaque on the spot where Spencer Perceval was shot on 11 May 1812 and moving the incorrectly placed tiles.
Lord Sewel: The placement of a plaque on the site of the assassination, in St Stephen's Hall, would require approval from both Houses. In the House of Lords, approval would be needed from the Administration and Works Committee. In the House of Commons, the Administration Committee would consider such matters and make a recommendation to Mr Speaker, who would decide whether to approve it. I would be content to put this matter before the Administration and Works Committee for consideration if the noble Lord was to write to me with a formal proposal.
The floor tiles around the area of the assassination were badly damaged during the Second World War and have been repaired over the years with spare tiles which were in stock. Three years ago, the Parliamentary Estates Directorate embarked on a programme to repair the tiles in St Stephen's Hall and, as part of that programme, the original pattern of tiles around the site of the assassination will be restored, with replicas where necessary. It is hoped that this work will be completed in the next 12 months.
Sudan
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any UK Government officials attended a meeting held at the London Embassy of Sudan on 30 May; and, if so, what was the purpose of that meeting; how many UK companies were represented, and what are their business interests in Sudan; whether any UK Government official spoke during the proceedings, and if so what was said and whether reference was made to the indictment of the President of Sudan for crimes against humanity, the alleged aerial bombardment of South Kordofan or human rights abuses in Sudan.
Lord Howell of Guildford: An official from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) was invited to an event at the Sudanese embassy in London on 30 May, hosted by the Middle East Association. The Middle East Association invited approximately 20 companies to discuss a potential visit to Sudan organised by the association.
The UKTI official was asked to speak about the opportunities and obstacles to trade with Sudan. In this context the official covered the effect of US trade sanctions, difficulties companies have experience with banking services in Sudan, Sudanese efforts to diversify from oil to agriculture industries, and UKTI services.
Syria
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an estimate of the number of refugees and asylum-seekers from Syria in (1) Turkey, (2) Lebanon, and (3) Jordan.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The number of Syrian nationals officially registered as refugees in neighbouring countries as at 11 June totals 75,173, distributed as follows: Turkey-27,405; Lebanon-19,068; Jordan-24,151; Iraq-4,549. We understand there are a further 11,000 refugees awaiting registration, and unofficial estimates suggest there are over 89,000 Syrians in need of assistance in neighbouring countries. The UK remains concerned about the number of Syrians fleeing the violence in Syria. We are engaging regularly with agencies and Governments in neighbouring countries to ensure an effective response.
The Department for International Development has committed to date £8.5 million towards the humanitarian assistance effort in Syria and neighbouring countries through humanitarian partners including the United Nations. This includes, on 19 April 2012, our announcement of £2 million funding to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to contribute to meeting critically assessed needs of up to 96,500 refugees in the region.
The UK also provides substantial core contributions to UNHCR to cover its operations worldwide including the Middle East region. We are in frequent contact with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with regard to the numbers of people affected and what further assistance may be needed from the international community.
Syria
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will contribute to the appeal of the International Organization for Migration in conjunction with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, for funds to meet the needs of Syrian refugees in northern Iraq.
Baroness Northover: The UK has committed £2 million to support the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to assist Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, including Iraq. This is in addition to substantial core funding which the department provides to UNHCR for its global operations. We are not contributing directly to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) appeal, but UNHCR is working in partnership with local partners and other humanitarian agencies, including IOM, to ensure aid reaches those who need it most. The UK has also committed £2 million to the UN-managed Emergency Response Fund to support the humanitarian response in Syria and the region, through which IOM would be eligible to access further funding. We are engaging regularly with our humanitarian partners as to what further help may be needed. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2012-06-25a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Radon
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they have taken to encourage householders to reduce their exposure to radon; whether they are considering any further action; and how many households are thought to be at risk.
Lord Whitty: Successive governments have carried out campaigns since 1987 to encourage householders who may be at risk from radon to reduce their exposure. By 1998 every home in England with a greater than 5 per cent probability of being above the radon "Action Level" had been offered a government-funded radon test. Approximately 400,000 measurements have been carried out in total, and 40,000 homes found to be above the Action Level. In July 2000 my right honourable friend the Minister for Environment (Mr Michael Meacher) announced a new radon programme. The department is working in partnership with 31 local authorities over a two to three-year period to encourage householders to carry out remedial work to reduce radon concentrations where these are found to be above the Action Level. This follows successful pilot studies carried out in conjunction with three local authorities. The National Radiological Protection Board has calculated that around 100,000 homes will be above the Action Level throughout the UK.
Pesticides Safety Directorate: Annual Report
Lord Blease: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish the 2000-01 Annual Report for the Pesticides Safety Directorate.
Lord Whitty: The 2000-01 Annual Report and Accounts for the Pesticides Safety Directorate were laid before Parliament yesterday. Copies are available in the Library of the House.
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000: Implementation
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list those sections of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 under which they intend to lay regulations; and
Whether they will list the consultation papers which they have so far issued on proposals to make regulations under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; the dates by which comments were sought; and the expected dates for laying regulations in each case; and
Whether they will set out their future timetable for issuing consultation papers on regulations under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
Lord Whitty: We intend to lay regulations under the following sections of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
Section 11: Mapping of access land and consultation on draft maps. Issue of provisional maps, appeals, and issue of conclusive maps. Review of conclusive maps.
Section 16: Dedication of land for access.
Section 31: Exclusion of access in emergencies.
Section 32: Exclusion or restriction of access under Chapter II, including appeals.
Section 38: Appeals relating to notices.
Paragraph 7 of Schedule 2: Removal or relaxation of restrictions on access land.
Section 51 & Schedule 5: Regulations relating to definitive maps and statements; Provision for a later cut-off date for recording byways open to all traffic on definitive maps. Transitional provisions.
Section 52: Application of highways provisions to restricted byways, with or without modifications.
Section 54: Provision for excepted highways at the cut-off date.
Section 56: Provision for a later cut-off date, and transitional provisions.
Section 57 & Schedule 6: Various provisions relating to the creation, stopping up and diversion of highways; deemed dedication registers.
Section 61: Consultation with additional persons in relation to rights of way improvement plans.
Section 63: Procedures for removal of obstructions.
Section 67 & Schedule 7: Additional circumstances in which a defence may be offered to a charge under section 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Section 68: Vehicular access across common land.
Section 71: Requirement for local highway authorities to publish reports on the performance of specified functions.
Sections 94 & 95: Establishment of local access forums and the appointment of members.
Section 98: Town and village greens.
Paragraph 11 of Schedule 11: Appeals in relation to Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
We shall review the case for regulations under Section 42 of the Act before general implementation of the right of access. In addition, a number of planning authorities for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty have approached my department with proposals to create conservation boards under Part IV, Section 88 of the Act. We are considering these proposals and may in time propose regulations to implement them.
Two consultation papers have been issued to date on proposals to make regulations under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000: Proposals for regulations on draft maps under section 11 of the Countryside & Rights of Way Act 2000, for which the consultation period ended on 20 June 2001 and our provisional target date for laying regulations is October 2001; and Sites of Special Scientific Interest Appeals Regulations, for which the consultation period closes on 23 August 2001. We expect to lay those regulations before Parliament in the autumn.
The provisional timetable for consultation on and bringing into force regulations under Parts I and II of the Act is as follows: Part I
Regulation Section Consultation commenced Date regulations in force
Mapping of access land and consultation on draft maps Section 11 March 2001 October 2001
Issue of provisional maps, appeals, and issue of conclusive maps Section 11 October 2001 April 2002
Dedication of land for access Section 16 October 2001 March 2002
Exclusion or restriction of access under Chapter II, including appeals Section 32 November 2001 May 2002
Removal or relaxation of restrictions on access land and to exclude access in emergencies Para 7, Schedule 2; Section 31 November 2002 May 2003
Appeals relating to notices Section 38 February 2003 August 2003
Review of conclusive maps Section 11 February 2004 August 2004
Part II Our principal objective in respect of Part II of the Act is to complete consultations and to lay the necessary regulations during the year 2002-03.
Regulation Section Consultation
Consultation with additional persons in relation to rights of way improvement plans. Section 61 October-
December 2001
Regulations relating to definitive maps and statements. Section 51 & Schedule 5; December 2001-February 2002
Form and content of deemed dedication registers. Section 57 & Paragraph 4 of Schedule 6;
Procedures for removal of obstructions. Section 63
Additional circumstances in which a defence may be offered to a charge under s34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Section 67 & Schedule 7.
Application of highways provisions to restricted byways, with or without modifications. Section 52 February-April 2002
Various provisions relating to the creation, stopping up and diversion of highways. Section 57 and Schedule 6
Requirement for local highway authorities to publish reports on the performance of specified functions. Section 71 May-July 2002
Consultation on proposals for regulations under Section 68 will take place shortly. Laying of draft regulations before Parliament is planned for the autumn. Consultation on proposals for regulations under Sections 94 and 95 will start in July 2001, with a closing date for responses in October 2001 and a provisional target date of December 2001 for bringing the regulations into force. We have no firm dates for the Section 98 regulations, although we hope to go out to public consultation towards the end of the year, and lay draft regulations early in 2002. In the longer term we also plan to introduce regulations under Section 51 and paragraph 4 of Schedule 5, Section 54 and Section 56.
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Lord Burlison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What targets they have set the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science for 2001-02.
Lord Whitty: We have set the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science the following performance targets for 2001-02.
Financial Control To recover from government departments and agencies and external customers the full economic costs of the agency's services.
Efficiency To achieve savings and efficiency gains in a range of key functions.
Quality and Service Delivery To give satisfaction to customers in the way that outputs are provided, as measured by the CEFAS Customer Satisfaction Survey. To make satisfactory progress with the action plan resulting from the 1999-2000 Science Audit. To manage the agency in an effective manner, including pursuit of commercial exploitation of research outputs.
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish the 2000-01 Annual Report and Accounts for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.
Lord Whitty: The 2000-01 Annual Report and Accounts for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science were laid before Parliament yesterday. Copies are available in the Library of the House.
Joint Nature Conservation Committee: Consultation
Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish the responses to the consultation on the first stage financial, management and policy review report on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee announced in March.
Lord Whitty: We have today made the responses to the consultation exercise available on the websites of JNCC and my department, and I have also placed copies in the House Libraries. We are now considering the responses.
War Disablement Pension Claims
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why it is necessary to differentiate between "compulsions contended to be fairly standard" and "contentions [that] may have political overtones" when disablement claims made under Article 4 of the Service Pensions Order (S.I. 1983/833) are being considered by the War Pensions Agency.
Lord Bach: When claims for War Disablement Pension are considered by the War Pensions Agency some contended service links are relatively straightforward but others are more complex, requiring careful consideration and perhaps some discussion with an expert caseworker who is a particularly experienced Medical Adviser. Following recent criticism of the phrase "political overtones", the use of this term has been reviewed to clarify its intentions, and a revised verison of the overarching guidance on this matter is in the process of being published.
War Pensions Scheme and Disabled Living Allowances: Award Criteria
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why it is that claims for the care component and mobility allowances from the War Pensions Agency are rejected when claims for Disability Living Allowance with a mobility component based upon the same facts are accepted by the Benefits Agency.
Lord Bach: Conditions for the award of Constant Attendance Allowance and Mobility Supplement under the War Pensions Scheme include the requirement that the need for attendance or help with mobility must be due to the disablement for which a War Disablement Pension was awarded. Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance is governed by different legislation, does not depend on the circumstances in which the disability arose and can take other factors into account.
French and German Teaching in Public Sector Schools
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of pupils in public sector schools in the United Kingdom are taught the French or German language respectively.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The department does not hold information on the proportion of pupils who are taught particular languages in public sector schools. Information which is available on numbers who enter for a foreign language GCSE in England, however, indicates that about 68 per cent take French and around 27 per cent take German.
It is not our policy to promote specific languages, although French and German remain the most popular subjects for study in secondary schools. Pupils have a statutory entitlement to learn at least one foreign language from the age of 11, and we want to support and enhance opportunities for language learning in primary schools. We have already published a scheme of work for primary French and materials for primary German. We have done a great deal to strengthen the position of foreign language teaching in schools, particularly through the Specialist Language Colleges. The expansion of the Specialist Schools programme, with their role as "hubs" of excellence, will provide enhanced opportunities for primary schools to access language expertise.
BBC World Service: Grant-in-Aid
Lord Shore of Stepney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the subvention made by the Treasury, in real terms, to the BBC World Service in each year since 1996; and what is the agreed Treasury subvention in the financial years 2001-02 to 2003-04.
Baroness Amos: Government Grant-in-Aid for BBC World Service broadcasting for the years 1996-97 to 2003-04 is set out in the table below in real terms.
BBC World Service Grant-in-Aid (£m real terms, 2001-02 prices) -- Outturn
Year £ million
1996-97 175.7
1997-98 171.9
1998-99 172.5
1999-2000 177.5
2000-01 186.3
Plans
Year £ million
2001-02 182.8
2002-03 195.3
2003-04 201.1
BBC Short-wave Services
Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to discontinue financial support for the BBC world short-wave service to North America and the Pacific Ocean area.
Baroness Amos: The Government have granted the BBC World Service £64 million extra for 2001-04 to enable it to take forward plans to modernise equipment, including short-wave transmitters, and expand online and FM services globally. Operational decisions on resources allocation are for the World Service within the framework of overall objectives agreed with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. On other aspects of the question I refer the noble Baroness to the Answer I gave to Lord Quirk on 27 June, Official Report, cols. 354-357.
Foot and Mouth Disease: Local Authority Costs
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have for reimbursing those local authorities who have experienced substantial extra unforseen costs due to their work during the foot and mouth crisis.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: On 24 April, my honourable friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Beverley Hughes) announced the activation of the Bellwin scheme to provide emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help them meet some of the costs of responding to outbreaks of foot and mouth disease. This scheme is based on Section 155 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, which permits only the reimbursement of expenditure incurred by local authorities on, or in connection with, the taking of immediate action to safeguard life or property, or to prevent suffering or severe inconvenience, in their area or among its inhabitants. Funding rate relief for small businesses does not, therefore, fall within the scope of this scheme.
On 22 March, my right honourable friend the Minister for the Environment announced an increase in the central government contribution to local authorities to fund rate relief from 75 per cent to 95 per cent for small businesses which are suffering hardship as a result of foot and mouth disease in 151 rural authorities in England. This applied for an initial period of three months. Details of the arrangements were given in Special Grant Report No. 80, which was laid before the other place and approved by Parliament on 2 April 2000.
A new Special Grant Report No. 86 was debated and passed in the other place on Monday 16 July. It continues the terms of SGR No. 80 for a further six months, so the grant will be available for the period 1 April to 31 December. It also extends the terms of the scheme to provide more grant to the worst affected authorities. Any eligible authority which grants relief worth in total more than 8 per cent of its net budget requirement will receive central funding of 98 per cent for spend above that level, as opposed to 95 per cent below it (75 per cent through the pool in the usual way plus special grant of either 20 per cent or 23 per cent). Grant will also be available to 37 specified authorities in the worst affected areas for relief given to properties up to £50,000 rateable value, as opposed to £12,000 rateable value in the other 114 rural authorities.
In addition authorities covered by Special Grant Report No. 80 will benefit from a temporary reduction of 50 per cent in contributions to the National Non-Domestic Rate Pool between April and August.
London Underground: Air Conditioning
Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In view of the safety risks, what advice they have sought about the introduction of an immediate emergency programme of investment in air conditioning in both stations and rolling stock on London Underground.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We have been informed by London Underground that their technical staff, in liaison with one of the world's expert consulting engineers on air conditioning, are reviewing the possibility of introducing air conditioning on the Underground network. We have also been informed by London Underground that they have an ongoing risk assessment programme which closely monitors health and safety risks to passengers.
London Underground: Air Conditioning
Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What advice they have sought from the Health and Safety Executive about the danger of loss of life on London Underground resulting from the high temperatures in trains stuck between stations at peak times.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Safety is London Underground's top priority. Regulation and enforcement is the responsibility of the independent Health and Safety Executive, rather than the Government. We understand that, following an incident at Liverpool Street Underground Station last September, London Underground conducted a formal review of its procedures for responding to incidents which result in trains stopping between stations. The report was provided to the Health and Safety Executive and trade union representatives in March. We understand that the report made a number of recommendations and that the Health and Safety Executive will ensure these recommendations are implemented.
London Underground: Rolling Stock Replacement
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What provision is made in their plans for the renewal of London Underground to replace rolling stock within the next 10 years.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The plans for the modernisation of the Underground provide a comprehensive package to renew the whole of the Underground's infrastructure, including track, trains, signalling and stations. The detailed provisions are a matter for London Underground. We understand, however, that work has been prioritised to deliver an improved service to passengers as quickly and efficiently as possible. As part of that, all Victoria Line trains will be replaced from 2007; and during the course of the contract all trains on every line, including the 40 per cent of the fleet built within the last eight years, will either be replaced or refurbished.
Trans-European High Speed Rail System: Interoperability Directive
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which member states have failed to implement the European Union Directive on the Interoperability of the Trans-European High Speed Rail System; and against which member states the European Commission has so far instigated infraction proceedings.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I understand that a number of member states had not implemented the directive by the required date of April 1999 and that infraction proceedings were started against them. However, some member states have implemented since then and I have no information about the current position for individual member states.
Drivers and Cannabis
Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they endorse the Lord Rea's contention (H.L. Deb., 21 February, col. 890) that road users under the influence of cannabis normally compensate for their impaired reaction time by driving more cautiously than they do when not under the influence, and therefore do not materially endanger other road users.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government would not support the view that road users under the influence of cannabis do not materially endanger other road users.
Research undertaken by TRL Limited on behalf of my department concluded that the effects of cannabis on driver performance were not as severe as those of alcohol, but that they were unpredictable and as such could be a hazard.
TRL Report 477 The influence of cannabis on driving is available on the DTLR's website at http://www.roads.dtlr.gov.uk/roadsafety/research16/index.htm.
Department of Health Regional Structure
Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How, in view of the wider social and economic influence on health, the new regional structure of the Department of Health will relate to other regional bodies.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Regional Directors of Public Health will be established in the nine Government Offices of the Regions by April 2003, and there will be four Regional Directors of Health and Social Care who will be National Directors of the Department of Health. This will encourage more joint working between the Department of Health, the Government Offices and other regional bodies on issues such as health, transport, regeneration and the environment. It will also align the department's work into established regional structures, building on the work already under way with the Government Offices, Regional Assemblies and Regional Development Agencies. This will allow for the further development of these partnerships and the taking forward of regional strategies for economic growth, social infrastructure and sustainable development.
The boundaries for different sets of regional bodies should not form a barrier to closer joint working, and for this reason the areas overseen by the new Regional Directors of Health and Social Care will be aligned with the boundaries of the Government Offices.
Nursing Homes: Free Nursing Care
Baroness Nicol: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they plan to fulfil the pledge made in the NHS Plan to introduce free nursing in nursing homes.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have issued draft guidance and directions on implementing free nursing care in England and copies have been placed in the Library. The Department of Health will introduce this from 1 October for those who pay for their care themselves. This will bring financial benefits to approximately 35,000 people who currently pay for their care from their own resources and could save up to just over £5,000 in a full year for some people.
It will also end the anomaly of people having to pay for care that is provided free of charge by the National Health Service in other settings.
Those people whose care is currently provided by councils and who receive free nursing care anyway will receive it free via the NHS from April 2002.
Meat Hygiene Service: Annual Report
Baroness Nicol: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the 2000-01 annual report and accounts for the Meat Hygiene Service will be laid before Parliament.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The 2000-01 Annual Report and Accounts for the Meat Hygiene Service have been laid before Parliament. Copies are available in the Library, but formal printing and publication will not occur for another four to six weeks, pending preparation of a version in Welsh as required by the Welsh Language Act. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2001-07-18a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2001",
"language": "en",
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CAFCASS
Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the current position with the board of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS).
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: My right honourable friend the Minister for Children, Young People and Families (Margaret Hodge) has today announced in a Written Answer that Baroness Pitkeathley OBE has been appointed as chairman of CAFCASS, with effect from 11 December 2003. In order for her to take the service forward, all but one member of the existing board have agreed to resign. The Government are grateful to them for their willingness to stand down and for their commitment and hard work since CAFCASS was launched.
As an interim measure Baroness Pitkeathley will be assisted by a temporary board comprising:
Richard Sax Baroness Howarth of Breckland OBE Professor Jane Tunstill Nicholas Stuart CB We will be placing advertisements shortly for appointment to a new permanent board.
The board member who has declined to resign is being asked to accept the suspension of their board membership, pending further consideration of their position.
Northern Ireland: Public Sector Employment
Lord Glentoran: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of the working population in Northern Ireland are government employees.
Baroness Amos: Information from the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) can be used to estimate the number of government employee jobs. The latest figures relate to June 2003 and indicate that 120,401 out of a total of 667,610 employee jobs (18.0 per cent) were in Northern Ireland central government departments or in bodies under the aegis of Northern Ireland central government departments.
UK central government, local government councils and public corporations account for a further 91,259 jobs. The total number of public sector jobs in Northern Ireland in June 2003 was therefore 211,660 which represents 31.7 per cent of all employee jobs.
North/South Implementation Bodies
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How long cross border implementation bodies can continue without the existence of a Northern Ireland Executive.
Baroness Amos: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 11 June 2003 (Official Report, WA 43).
North/South Ministerial Secretariat
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In the review of the Belfast agreement announced by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the cost effectiveness and impartiality of the North/South Ministerial Secretariat in Armagh over the past two years will be scrutinised.
Baroness Amos: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs wrote jointly to the parties in the Assembly on 2 December 2003 inviting them to submit views in regard to the agenda and conduct of the review. In the light of the views received from the parties, the two Governments will then finalise and present proposals in early January.
Millennium Dome
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What actual or contingent liabilities will remain for payment from public funds in connection with the Millennium Dome and its site after the commercial deal between Millennium Dome Limited, Anschutz Entertainment Group and the Government becomes unconditional, as expected by June 2004.
Lord Rooker: The contracts which were signed between English Partnerships, Meridian Delta Ltd, AEG and Quintain in May 2002 provide for AEG to have a 12-month period, after the transaction becomes unconditional, during which to commence construction of the Arena. This is needed to allow time for the necessary construction contracts to be procured.
Although theoretically construction inside the Dome might have been able to begin as soon as the deal went unconditional, commercial practicalities do not allow this and English Partnerships has budgeted in accordance with the May 2002 contracts to continue to pay core Dome costs for the period after the deal has gone unconditional and until construction of the new arena starts. Similarly while the arena is under construction English Partnerships has also budgeted to pay a reduced level of costs. Those costs will cease on practical completion of the arena.
The details of English Partnerships' ongoing costs of Dome upkeep after the MDL deal has gone unconditional are dependent on practical arrangements within the overall terms of the contracts agreed in May 2002. Other costs in relation to the Dome—that is, any remaining decommissioning costs and the costs of the sale process—will cease when the deal with MDL goes unconditional.
All of English Partnerships' costs in relation to the Dome will be recovered from sale proceeds.
I will update the House further and provide more information on costs when negotiations are concluded and the deal with MDL has gone unconditional.
Fire and Rescue National Framework
Lord Peston: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will be producing a Fire and Rescue National Framework as proposed in the White Paper, Our Fire and Rescue Service (June 2003).
Lord Rooker: In June the Government published the White Paper Our Fire and Rescue Service. It set out a package of reforms designed to improve the service and to save more lives. Today the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is publishing a draft Fire and Rescue National Framework that will outline how to implement the White Paper's proposals. It sets out the Government's objectives for the Fire and Rescue Service and what fire and rescue authorities should do to achieve these outcomes. It also sets out what the Government will do to improve the service and what support it will provide to fire and rescue authorities. In due course, the expectations in the framework will also help to shape the Audit Commission's fire and rescue comprehensive performance assessment.
The framework is based on a partnership approach. The Government are committed to giving fire and rescue authorities adequate support and flexibility to help them to meet the specific needs of their local communities. For this reason we are initially issuing it in draft form and welcome comments and suggestions by 12 March 2004 on both the proposals in the draft framework and how to make the future versions as helpful and relevant as possible. We aim to publish the first national framework in spring 2004.
The legislation announced in the Queen's Speech will place the framework on a statutory footing. It will require the Government to report to Parliament on the extent to which fire and rescue authorities are acting in accordance with the national framework and any steps the Government have taken to ensure that they do.
We are also today publishing Mott MacDonald's most recent study into fire and rescue control rooms, and HM Fire Service Inspectorate's review of the subject. The study reinforced the report's conclusions that regional control rooms would significantly enhance national resilience. The Government are persuaded by the conclusions of study and propose to establish regional control rooms in England, including the one already established in London, working closely with fire and rescue authorities through their regional management boards. We have written to the practitioners forum asking for their views on our proposed approach.
The Fire and Rescue Service is, rightly, widely admired for its professionalism and the dedication of its staff. The White Paper made clear, however, that it was also in need of urgent reform. Publication of the draft national framework sets out the Government's expectations of the service, what fire and rescue authorities should do and the support the Government will provide. It demonstrates the Government's continued commitment, in partnership with fire and rescue authorities, to driving down the number of fire deaths and injuries, improving fire and rescue services and saving more lives.
Copies of the draft Fire and Rescue National Framework 2004–05, the full Mott MacDonald report, the summary of the Mott MacDonald report, and the HM Fire Service Inspectorate review are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
Gulf War 1990–91: Vaccines
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 9 October (WA 67), whether, and, if so, when the companies supplying the Ministry of Defence with pertussis vaccines for use in vaccinating British troops in the 1990–91 Gulf conflict were informed by the ministry of the unlicensed use for which they were purchased; and where, in the view of the Law Officers, legal liability lies in cases where unlicensed use of a vaccine is held to have damaged the health of a service man or woman to whom it was administered or to have constituted a significant health hazard.
Lord Bach: I will write to my noble friend in answer to his question about pertussis vaccines and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House. There is a longstanding convention that neither the substance of Law Officers' advice, nor the fact that they have been consulted, is publicly disclosed. This is consistent with paragraphs 2 and 4(d) of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
War Pensions and Allowances: Uprating
Lord Wedderburn of Charlton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What the new rates are for war pensions and allowances.
Lord Bach: The rates of war pensions and allowances are uprated annually in April, based on the retail prices index (RPI) in the previous September. The RPI at September 2003 was 2.8 per cent and this is the amount by which war pensions and allowances will be increased.
The uprating of war pensions and allowances for 2004 will take place from the week beginning 12 April 2004.
The new rates are shown in the following table:
War Pensions Rates
(Weekly rates unless otherwise shown) Rates 2003 £ Rates 2004 £
WAR PENSIONS
Disablement Pension (100% rates)
Officer (£ per annum) 6,465.00 6,648.00
Other ranks 123.90 127.40
Age allowances
40%-50% 8.30 8.55
Over 50% but not over 70% 12.75 13.10
Over 70% but not over 90% 18.15 18.65
Over 90% 25.50 26.20
Disablement gratuity
Specified minor injury (min.) 788.00 810.00
Specified minor injury (max.) 5,890.00 6,055.00
Unspecified minor injury (min.) 326.00 335.00
Unspecified minor injury (max.) 7,660.00 7,874.00
Unemployability allowance
Personal 76.55 78.70
Adult dependency increase 43.15 44.35
Increase for first child 10.00 10.30
Increase for subsequent children 11.75 12.10
Invalidity allowance
Higher rate 15.15 15.55
Middle rate 9.70 10.00
Lower rate 4.85 5.00
Constant attendance allowance
Exceptional rate 93.60 96.20
Intermediate rate 70.20 72.15
Full day rate 46.80 48.10
Part-day rate 23.40 24.05
Comforts allowance
Higher rate 20.00 20.60
Lower rate 10.00 10.30
Mobility supplement 44.60 45.85
Allowance for lowered standard of occupation (maximum) 46.72 48.04
Therapeutic earnings limit 3,510.00 3,744.00
Exceptionally severe disablement allowance 46.80 48.10
Severe disablement occupational allowance 23.40 24.05
Clothing allowance (£ per annum) 160.00 164.00
Education allowance (£ per annum) (max) 120.00 120.00
War widow(er)s' pension (further details in schedule WWP)
Widow(er)s—private 93.85 96.50
Widow(er)s' (other ranks) 93.85 96.50
Widow(er)—Officer (£ pa max) 5,786.00 5,948.00
Childless widow(er)s' u-40 (other ranks) 22.50 23.13
Childless widow(er)s' u-40 (Officer £s pa) 5,786.00 5,948.00
Supplementary Pension 60.97 62.68
Age allowance
(a) age 65 to 69 10.75 11.05
(b) age 70 to 79 20.55 21.15
(c) age 80 and over 30.55 31.40
Children's allowance
Increase for first child 14.80 15.20
Increase for subsequent children 16.50 16.95
Orphan's pension
Increase for first child 16.80 17.25
Increase for subsequent children 18.45 18.95
Unmarried dependant living as spouse (max) 91.50 94.15
Rent allowance (maximum) 35.40 36.40
Adult orphan's pension (maximum) 72.15 74.15
Olympic Games 2012: London Bid
Baroness Hanham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is the case that proposals for the Olympic Games would result in some 350 businesses being displaced in the Stratford area; and, if so, what action they will take to alleviate the problem.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The masterplan for the regeneration of the lower Lea Valley offers development models which will come into effect whether London's bid for the Olympic Games is successful or not. To realise the full potential benefits of the regeneration work, some 350 businesses may be affected, with some possibly needing to be relocated. This process is being managed by the London Development Agency, working closely with local business groups that are in direct contact with all the businesses which may be affected by the plan. There will of course be consultation for all those affected.
VAT
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which European Union member states apply (a) an exemption; and (b) a reduced rate of VAT on the construction of community sports facilities.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Member states can only introduce VAT rules that are compatible with the EC Sixth VAT Directive. There is no provision within that directive to apply either an exemption or a reduced rate to the services of constructing community sports facilities.
Money Laundering Regulations 2003
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to bring the draft Money Laundering Regulations 2003 into effect; and
What representations they have received from commerce, industry and charitable organisations on the cost of complying with the draft Money Laundering Regulations 2003; and what changes to the regulations they propose as a result of such representations.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Money Laundering Regulations 2003, together with amending orders for the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Terrorism Act 2000, were laid before Parliament on 28 November 2003. The regulations and amending orders will come into force from 1 March 2004.
The majority of the responses to the Treasury's consultation on draft regulations, issued in November 2002, were broadly supportive of the approach taken in the draft and some included a number of constructive suggestions to improve the regulations. A regulatory impact assessment was placed in the House Library when the regulations were laid, and this will also be made available on the Treasury website. The RIA contains details of cost estimates and changes to the draft regulations following consultation.
BBC: Royal Charter
Baroness Turner of Camden: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to review the BBC's Royal Charter.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The BBC's Royal Charter—the seventh in the history of the corporation—is due to expire on 31 December 2006. We have today launched the first phase of a process of review that will result in a strong BBC, independent of government, from the end of the current charter and beyond. That period will be marked by continuing rapid advances in technology, and changes in society, culture and practice—the way people receive and make use of broadcast content. Charter review will be characterised by our openness, our efforts to engage as broad a section of the population as we can, and our commitment to listen to what people have to say. We are being helped in this by Lord Burns who will provide us with independent advice throughout.
Charter review is not a single process. It will take a range of existing and planned work, including Ofcom's review of public service television, the independent review of BBC online and the forthcoming reviews of the BBC's new digital services. But it will also feature widespread public involvement, built around a three-phase process of consultation. Phase one starts today, based on a very broad consultation document—The Review of the BBC's Royal Charter—which we have published today. We have placed copies of the document—and a supporting leaflet—in the Libraries of both Houses.
Phase two, timed to begin around the end of 2004, will aim to bring together the results of phase one, the conclusions of various reviews taking place over the course of next year and the findings of our own programme of research into a Green Paper, which will be published for a further stage of consultation.
A White Paper will follow, with a further round of consultation. We will conclude the process with a full and formal opportunity for both Houses to contribute their views.
Today's publication forms the central plank of phase one. It sets out a framework for consultation—based on a series of key themes—within which there is plenty of room for discussion of all aspects of the BBC's role, structure and function. The consultation will be supported by a programme of survey research and direct engagement with the public and stakeholders.
The BBC belongs to everyone. It is one of our most valued institutions. In many ways, it reflects what is best about the values, culture and society of the United Kingdom, at home and abroad. Charter review gives the whole country an opportunity to have its say about the kind of BBC it wants for the future.
NHS Trusts: Ethnic Diversity Review
Lord Chan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to ensure that the Commission for Health Audit and Inspection will continue the review of ethnic diversity currently undertaken by the Commission for Health Improvement in its corporate reviews of National Health Service trusts.
Lord Warner: The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection will continue the Commission for Health Improvement's policy of assessing National Health Service trusts' progress towards meeting the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.
Care Services: Fees
Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will increase the fees for care services, currently regulated by the National Care Standards Commission.
Lord Warner: The fees for care services currently regulated by the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) will be increased in April 2004. A table of the new fees is as follows.
Regulatory fee income is to assist with the funding of the NCSC, with the intention of achieving full cost recovery after five years, with a review in 2004. The policy on regulatory fees—including the intention of full cost recovery and the consequences for later years—was established following consultation in 2001. The fee structure also makes the costs of regulation transparent and borne by those who stand to benefit from more consistent national minimum standards so that pressures will apply to the regulatory process to ensure that it continues to be effective and efficient.
Next April, the Commission for Social Care Inspection will take on the NCSC's role of regulating independent social care providers. The regulation of private and voluntary healthcare providers will move from the NCSC to the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection. The new commissions will further strengthen the system for inspecting those services.
Individual letters are being sent to all providers of care services regulated by the NCSC to notify them about the increases.
Fees for Registration and Inspection 2004–05 -- (2003–04 fees in brackets)
Service Unit Current fee New Fee
Registration fees
Provider registration home £1,320 1 £1,584
Provider registration small homes and adult placements home £360 1 £432
Manager registration manager £360 1 £432
Minor variation application £60 1 £72
Variation requiring visit application £660 1 £792
Service Flat rate Approved Place from 4th–29th Approved place over 30th
Annual fees
Care homes and hospices £216 (£180) £72 (£60) £72 (£60)
Small care homes and adult placements £144 (£120) n/a n/a
Acute and mental health hospitals £3,600 (£3,000) £144 (£120) £72 (£60)
Prescribed techniques clinics £1,080 (£900) £144 (£120) £72 (£60)
Independent hospital £1,440 (£1,200) £144 (£120) £72 (£60)
Other independent healthcare £1,440 (£1,200) n/a n/a
Children's homes £720 (£600) £72 (£60) £72 (£60)
Small children's homes £720 (£600) n/a n/a
Boarding schools and further education £360 (£300) £21.60 (£18) £10.80 (£9)
Residential special schools £576 (£480) £57.60 (£48) £28.80 (£24)
Fostering agencies and local authorities £1,440 (£1,200) n/a n/a
Residential family centres £480 (£400) £60 (£50) £60 (£50)
Domiciliary care agencies £900 (£750) n/a n/a
Small domiciliary care agencies £450 (£375) n/a n/a
Nurses agencies £600 (£500) n/a n/a
Voluntary adoption agencies £600 (£500) n/a n/a
Voluntary adoption agency branches £300 (£250) n/a n/a
Small nurses agencies £300 (£250) n/a n/a
(1)Domiciliary care agencies, voluntary adoption agencies, nurse agencies and residential family centres pay 2003–04 prices.
Game Licences
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a large number of post offices are unable to supply game licences; and whether this will be taken into account in decisions on the prosecution of those who have been unable to obtain a licence and who are then found to be shooting without a game licence.
Lord Whitty: The Post Office has informed the department that this autumn's supply problems have been resolved and there are now adequate stocks of all game licences to meet anticipated demand. All post offices are able to arrange the issue of a game licence but not all offices stock licences on their premises. This is an operational matter for individual post offices and would normally reflect past demand. Large, directly managed post offices are most likely to keep stocks of licences. Location details of these offices can be obtained using the Post Office Helpline (0845 722 3344). The Post Office, in liaison with Defra officials, is currently exploring options for improving the availability of licences in the future. The Game Licences Act 1860 (Section 4) requires that every person taking or killing game, or assisting in such activities, takes out a licence to kill game under this Act. The penalty for acting without a valid licence is level 2 on the standard scale. Whether or not extenuating factors, such as the availability of licences, are taken into account during the legal process is a matter for the police, Crown Prosecution Service and, ultimately, the courts to decide.
Non-departmental Public Bodies: Representations on Public Policy
Lord Norton of Louth: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What limitations there are, if any, on non-departmental public bodies making representations to government departments on issues of public policy.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: There are no restrictions on non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) making representations on matters within their remit to government departments.
Government Websites
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they propose to ensure that central and local government websites comply with their guidelines for interoperability and accessibility; and
How they respond to the recent survey from Business2WWW suggesting that all but five of 62 government websites tested failed to comply with government standards on metadata and the e-Government Metadata Framework; and
How they respond to the recent survey from Business2WWW suggesting that 58 of 62 government websites tested failed to meet the Priority 1 requirements; and
How they respond to the recent survey from Business2WWW suggesting that the websites of the Prime Minister, the Home Office, the Community Legal Service and others were all less than 1 per cent compliant with current guidelines for access to the disabled.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Evaluating the accessibility of a website is a complex issue and experts in this area, such as the RNIB, City University and AbilityNet advise that it cannot be undertaken by automated testing alone. The e-Envoy has recently had discussions with Business2WWW about how their latest automated testing is undertaken and upon what criteria the reported results are based. The e-government Metadata Framework was superseded by the e-Government Metadata Standard in 2001 (e-GMS). e-GMS is mandatory for new public sector IT systems and the number of sites meeting the standard will therefore improve as sites are replaced or upgraded. The e-Envoy encourages compliance through provision of guidance and good practice. Compliance is the responsibility of individual departments and local services and is self-regulatory through the use of National Computing Centre services and the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Citizenship Ceremonies
Baroness Gale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proposals they have on the form and content of citizenship ceremonies.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The White Paper, Secure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain, published in February 2002, set out the Government's proposals for enhancing the significance of the acquisition of British citizenship. The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 duly included provisions which, when brought into force at the start of 2004, will require all adult applicants for British citizenship to take an Oath of Allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen and Pledge of Loyalty to the United Kingdom at a citizenship ceremony. On 25 July we published a consultation document which set out the Government's provisional views on the form and content of that citizenship ceremony. The 12-week period of consultation closed on 17 October and 145 responses were received. Broadly, the responses supported the proposal that national symbols such as the Union flag and national anthem should feature in ceremonies throughout the United Kingdom and that these should be augmented with local features and symbols. A small minority of responses did not support the idea. The Government themselves remain strongly of the view that it would be right for these United Kingdom symbols to be used, given that the citizenship being bestowed is that of the United Kingdom as a whole. Other countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand certainly believe it appropriate to display national symbols at these events. We would encourage those who disagree to reflect further and to consider this issue from the viewpoint of the new citizens and what they might reasonably expect of a British citizenship ceremony, rather than impose their own views on what is appropriate. There was a positive response to the suggestion that local authorities might wish to impart their own flavour on ceremonies taking place in their area, and to the notion that prominent and recognised members of the local community might take part in ceremonies and formally welcome new citizens to their area. The suggestions on what form this local flavour might take recognised the importance of local adaptations not detracting from the dignified, celebratory and meaningful nature that government intend for citizenship ceremonies. Many areas proposed that they would involve local schools and community groups in their ceremonies. In terms of the musical content of ceremonies, the majority supported the playing of the national anthem immediately after the taking of the oath and pledge. Many areas said that they also intended to play recognised and appropriate pieces of music as new citizens entered and left the ceremony. A list will be given in the guidance for local authorities and registrars. The consultation document proposed a form of words for the ceremony welcome speech and for the address given by the local dignitary. The majority of responses supported the notion of standardisation of the main portions of these addresses, but said that they would ensure that any local additions did not detract from the formal welcome to both the UK and the local area. In terms of a commemorative gift, most thought that a commemorative certificate bearing that area's coat of arms or logo would be most appropriate. There was a unanimous view that any gift given must be meaningful of the event. A small percentage of respondents took the view that there was no need for a gift as such in that the grant of citizenship was in itself a gift. The Government are grateful to all of those individuals and organisations who took the time to read and respond to this document. The nature of the comments give us reason to believe that our proposals carry general suppport. We shall therefore proceed broadly in line with the format set out in the consultation document. The cost of the ceremonies will be included in an increased nationality fee, the details of which have been included in a statutory instrument to be laid today, which will mean no additional charge to the taxpayer. Details are in the attached table.
Type of Provison Current Fee Proposed 01/01/04 Ceremony Fee Total 01/01/04
£ £ £ £
6(1) Single 150.00 150.00 68.00 218.00
6(1) Joint 150.00 150.00 136.00 286.00
6(2) 120.00 146.00 68.00 214.00
Reg. Adult 120.00 85.00 68.00 153.00
Reg. Minor Single 120.00 144.00 144.00
Reg. Minor Multiple 120.00 144.00 144.00
Renunciation 20.00 81.00 81.00
Thames Gateway Bridge: Construction
Lord Rogers of Riverside: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they support the early construction of the Thames Gateway Bridge; and when they expect to make an announcement.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Mayor of London has asked government for assistance with the Thames Gateway Bridge, in respect of both gaining the powers required to construct the bridge, and additional financial support. An announcement will be made in due course.
Railways: Maintenance and Renewals Expenditure
Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will set out the approximate maintenance and renewal expenditure by (i) Railtrack; (ii) Network Rail; and (iii) the Strategic Rail Authority, for the year 2002–03 for the following sections of railway— (a) Anglia-Great Eastern; (b) Great North Eastern Railway; (c) Great Western Main Line; (d) Midland Main Line; (e) the former Southern Region; (f) West Coast Main Line; and (g) the remainder of the railway.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The information is not available in the form requested. However, Section 5 of the Network Rail's 2003 annual return to the Rail Regulator, published on 31 July, includes details of actual maintenance and renewal expenditure in 2002–03 for the total network and by region; and of actual renewals spend on each of Network Rail's 45 strategic routes. I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.
Congleton: Railway Service
Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the actual (as opposed to the timetabled) railway service being provided at Congleton station since September conforms with the passenger service obligation agreed by the train operating companies involved.
Lord Davies of Oldham: First North Western and Virgin Cross Country have specified passenger service requirements to serve Congleton station. These consist of seven and three weekday services respectively in each direction between Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke-on-Trent. Actual service on this line was disrupted due to essential engineering works to upgrade the West Coast Main Line during September through early October. A replacement bus service was provided during the line closure that met the PSR. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2003-12-11a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2003",
"language": "en",
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Government: IT Contracts
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Department for Transport and its predecessors since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.
Lord Adonis: Since the Department for Transport was formed in May 2002, the following information technology framework agreements and contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Department for Transport and its executive agencies:
Contract Contract Details Contract Award Date Contract Term Estimated Total Contract Value (£m)
VOSA & Atos Origin Outsourced ICT — ICT contract for the provision of a range of business solutions including IT Systems. Jun 2002 9+ years 77.5
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency & IBM UK Ltd Partners Achieving Change Together (PACT) - framework agreement for changes to and development of current and future DVLA IT systems. Sept 2002 10+ years 437
Highways Agency & Genesys (Fluor/Mott MacDonald) The National Roads Telecommunications Service (NRTS) project includes an important IT element to carry data from roadside traffic control centres. Sept 2005 10+ years 651 (Not all IT related)
Highways Agency & Atos Origin Outsourced ICT — ICT contract for service desk, desktop, network and applications. Dec 2007 5+ years 84
Highways Agency & Carillion Construction Active Traffic Management Birmingham Box - this is a civil engineering and infrastructure project that includes a significant IT element which cannot be reported separately to enable dynamic hard shoulder running and variable speed limits. Aug 2008 2.5 years 75.6 (Not all IT related)
Note: The values quoted are the estimated value or maximum value of anticipated spend over the whole life of the framework agreement or contract.
Information relating to which of those contracts have been completed to budget, to time and to specification is not available centrally within the Department for Transport. This information could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
Government: IT Contracts
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by HM Treasury since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.
Lord Myners: Since 2002 HM Treasury has not entered into any information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over.
As a result of the introduction of a new accounting system in 2002-03, provision of information prior to that date could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Immigration
Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) how many individuals wishing to enter the United Kingdom via the Eurostar service from Paris have been refused entry by United Kingdom immigration officials over the last four years due to falsified or invalid documents; and (b) following such refusals, on how many occasions have the same individuals reappeared with identical documents on a subsequent occasion.
Lord West of Spithead: (a) The total number of passengers that were refused leave to enter the United Kingdom at the juxtaposed controls in Paris from 2005 to 2008 was 9,069. 1,475 of these refusals were due to inadequate, falsified or fraudulent documents.
(b) All travel documents that are presented to UK Border Agency officers at the juxtaposed controls that are deemed to be falsified or fraudulently obtained are immediately seized by UK Border Agency officers and subsequently passed on to the French Police Authorities. The only exception is in the case of a British falsified or fraudulently obtained document; these would be seized and passed to the National Document Fraud Unit or Identity and Passport Service in the UK. In all cases, the presented documents are not returned to any individuals. We have no record of any individuals reappearing with the same documents being re-presented for entry into the UK.
(These figures have been sourced from locally collated management information held within locally accessed computer systems and do not represent National Statistics. They have not been the subject of National Statistics protocols and verification and should therefore be treated as provisional and subject to change.)
Immigration
Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have (a) applied for, and (b) been granted, indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom under immigration rule 276B(i)(a) and rule 276B(i)(b).
Lord West of Spithead: The attached table below shows the number of in-country applications for indefinite leave to remain on the grounds of 10 years and 14 years long residency since April 2003. It also shows how many of those applications were subsequently granted indefinite leave to remain on this basis.
The figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. The individual figures and have been rounded to the nearest five.
10 Years Long Residency
Applications Granted
22,635 13,625
14 Years Long Residency
Applications Granted
19,495 3,530
Immigration
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what ways the Gateway Programme and the Mandate Refugee Programme assist the re-settlement in the United Kingdom of refugees from Iraq, particularly those who have worked for United Kingdom armed and diplomatic services; and whether they are providing details of these programmes to other European Union member states.
Lord West of Spithead: The UK operates the Gateway Protection Programme and Mandate scheme to provide settlement to refugees from around the world, including Iraqi refugees. To date, the Gateway Programme has assisted more than 430 Iraqi refugees to resettle in the UK, of whom more than half worked for the United Kingdom armed and diplomatic services or are their dependants.
We regularly share information about our resettlement programmes with other European Union member states within the auspices of the global UNHCR annual tripartite consultations on resettlement and more informal information-sharing networks.
Internet: Social Networking Sites
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether further legislation will be required to allow the retention of communications data in relation to social networking sites.
Lord West of Spithead: The Government will shortly be seeking the views of the public on how to ensure that communications data continues to be retained and made available lawfully, on a case by case basis, to public authorities. Any legislative proposals the Government decide to take forward will depend on the outcome of that process.
Communications data is information about a communication, but not its content, whether it is made by telephone, e-mail, mobile phone or through communications services provided by some social networking sites.
Police: Identification
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why police officers are required to show identification numbers when on duty; and under what legislation this requirement was introduced; and
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any circumstances when police officers on duty are permitted to cover up their identification numbers; and, if so, from whom the officers have to obtain prior approval; and
To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions in the last two years officers of the Metropolitan and City of London Police forces have been permitted to hide identification numbers; and what were the reasons for each permission being granted; and
To ask Her Majesty's Government what disciplinary action is normally taken against police officers who cover up their identification numbers on duty without permission.
Lord West of Spithead: The displaying of identification numbers is not required by legislation. This is a matter for individual Chief Constables and force level guidance. Contravening force guidance on this, as other issues, is a disciplinary offence and cases are handled in line with the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2008.
Railways: Wheelchair Users
Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that train operating companies increase the number of spaces available for wheelchair users.
Lord Adonis: 42 per cent of the national train fleet has been built to modern accessibility standards, which include a requirement for a certain number of wheelchair spaces per given length of train. These standards were developed following consultation with disability groups including the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), the Government's statutory advisors on the transport needs of disabled people.
In addition, almost all older vehicles have featured improved accessibility, including for wheelchair users, when they have undergone refurbishment.
In 2008, the Government set an end date of 1 January 2020, by which time all trains must be accessible. This is some 15 years earlier than would occur naturally through normal fleet replacement and we are already working closely with the rail industry to deliver this commitment.
Turkey
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will send an observer to Diyarbakir, Turkey, for the trial of Mrs Leyla Zana (due to be resumed on 2 June 2009), or arrange for a rota of European Union official observers.
Lord Malloch-Brown: Our Embassy in Ankara is following the trial of the former Member of Parliament Mrs Leyla Zana closely and will liaise with other EU colleagues to ensure that there is a representative present from an EU member state embassy to observe proceedings when the trial resumes on 2 June 2009.
As part of our bilateral relations the UK has consistently stressed to the Turkish Government that while we condemn all acts of and support for terrorism, the non-violent expression of legitimate views should not be prosecuted.
Window Blind Safety
The Earl of Mar and Kellie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will accept in full the recommendations emanating from the fatal accident inquiry at Alloa Sheriff Court into the death of Muireann McLaughlin; and, whether they will use their existing powers to end the use of looped cords for blinds and curtains.
Lord Carter of Barnes: The sheriff has not yet made a determination on the fatal accident inquiry into the death of Muireann McLaughlin. This department will carefully consider any recommendations made in the determination and how best to deal with those recommendations.
Worker Registration Scheme
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their intentions regarding the future of the Workers Registration Scheme for migrant workers from the European Union.
Lord West of Spithead: On 8 April the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration announced that the UK Government would retain the Worker Registration Scheme for a further two years. This decision was taken following receipt of advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee. A copy of their report has been placed in the House Library.
Retaining WRS will help protect our labour market at this difficult time. It will also mean that the UK can continue to collect A8 data to determine whether further steps may be needed over the next two years to prevent disruption of the UK labour market. The Government will review this decision in 12 months' time. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2009-04-29a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2009",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Afghanistan
Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Her Majesty's armed forces in Afghanistan can operate with allies that impose restrictions on the use of their forces there; whether they have made representations to the NATO Secretary General to have such restrictions lifted or amended; which countries have such restrictions; and what they are.
Lord Drayson: The UK works very effectively with International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) partners in southern Afghanistan. While some nations impose caveats based on their national politics, domestic laws and risk tolerance, these caveats are a decision for individual nations.
Caveats are agreed between contributing nations and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe as conditions for their deployment. Their public disclosure could have an impact on force protection measures or a nation's ability to carry out its mission effectively. As such, they remain classified NATO information.
Art Galleries: Grants
Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what grant was given to art galleries in Merseyside in 2007 and 2008; and how it was divided.
Lord Davies of Oldham: Art galleries in Merseyside that have received departmental funding in 2007 and 2008 are:
06/07 07-08 08-09
Revenue/Capital Revenue/Capital Revenue/Capital
Walker Gallery* 1,352,000 1,224,354 1,283,438
Lady Lever* 458,000 432,473 ***511,922
Tate Liverpool** 2,927,260 3,004,615 3,248,851
Total 4,737,260 4,661,442 4,994,211
* part of the grant-in-aid allocation to National Museums Liverpool
** part of the grant-in-aid allocation to the Tate Museum
*** this includes the Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund grant of £50,000 to Lady Lever Art Gallery.
Arts galleries in Merseyside are also funded by the Arts Council. They inform us that they spent £1,578,600 on visual arts in Merseyside in financial year 2007-08 and £1,710,421 in 2008-09.1
Finally, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport invested heavily in making a success of the Liverpool '08 Capital of Culture events, which further enhanced Merseyside's cultural profile providing short and long term benefits to local galleries.
Footnote
1 It is not possible to divide this figure between individual galleries.
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission
Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to publish its client fund accounts showing the most recent levels of outstanding debt owed to parents with care.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission about the proportion of outstanding debt owed to parents with care that is likely to be recoverable.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission about its debt reduction strategy.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: It was the intention of the commission to publish its client fund accounts as soon as the House returned from the Summer Recess. It has not been possible to adhere to that timetable.
The commission is now working towards laying the 2008-09 client funds account by 31 March 2010. To this end, the commission has developed a joint work plan with the National Audit Office.
Upon transfer of responsibility for the Child Support Agency functions to the commission, a review was undertaken to assess the level to which outstanding maintenance arrears were collectable. The conclusion reached was that the assumptions used previously had been over-optimistic and should be revised downwards to more realistic levels. The commission currently estimates that £1,065 million is potentially collectable.
The work plan with the National Audit Office includes a further review of the arrears classification to identify the proportion of the £1.065 million that is likely to be collected.
The commission currently prioritises collection of ongoing regular maintenance above collection of arrears. However, the full balance of arrears remains due and the commission is committed to maximising the value of the arrears it collects, within available funding.
Constitution: Succession
Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the law on succession to the Crown or proposals for changing that law have been discussed with other Commonwealth countries; and, if so, what was the outcome of such discussions.
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: I refer the noble Baroness to the reply given by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Justice to Lynne Featherstone, the honourable Member for Hornsey and Wood Green on 4 June 2009 (Official Report, col. 617W).
Control Orders
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are subject to control orders; and, of those, how many are in receipt of each type of benefit.
Lord West of Spithead: In relation to the total number of individuals currently subject to control orders, I would refer the noble Baroness to the latest Written Ministerial Statement in relation to control orders which was published on 15 December 2009. This Statement explains that, as of 10 December 2009, there were 12 control orders in force.
The latest information that the Home Office holds shows that as of 10 December 2009, 10 of the individuals subject to control orders were in receipt of benefits that are administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Some individuals are in receipt of more than one form of DWP administered benefit. Of these individuals: two receive incapacity benefit, five receive jobseeker's allowance, three receive employment and support allowance, and one receives income support.
Control Orders
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been spent by the Home Office since the commencement of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 on providing individuals subject to control orders with telephone line rental and phone-cards, including VAT thereon.
Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office spent £7,856.44 including VAT on telephone line rental for individuals subject to control orders between April 2006 and October 2009. It is not possible to provide the amount spent on telephone line rental prior to April 2006 due to the way the costs have been accounted for. The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
It is not possible to provide the total amount spent on phone cards for this period as this information forms part of the total amount spent on the provision of accommodation for individuals subject to control orders and cannot be extracted from this figure. However, as phone cards have been issued only infrequently, and not at all since 2007, this figure is assessed to be small.
Control Orders
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants are employed to administer the control orders programme.
Lord West of Spithead: Within the Home Office, 10 full-time equivalent staff are currently employed to work on control orders.
Cultural Development: Grants
Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what grants were given to organisations in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in 2007 and 2008 for cultural development.
Lord Davies of Oldham: Cultural development can be funded by central government, their agencies and local government. No record of local government investment is held centrally. No specific grant for cultural development was awarded to Sefton Metropolitan Council by the Arts Council in 2007-08 or 2008-09.
The National Lottery has, however, supported hundreds of projects in the area providing community benefits in the heritage, sport, arts and culture sectors. Residents of the borough have also benefited from government support for Liverpool '08 Capital of Culture events, which were widely praised for being one of the most inclusive of such events held in the culture sector.
Energy: Nuclear Power Stations
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many unauthorised incursions onto the premises of the 31 licensed civil nuclear sites in the United Kingdom there have been in each year since 2001.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) is the security regulator for the UK's civil nuclear industry. In April 2005, OCNS introduced a reporting database to record information on security-related events. This reporting database has been used since April 2005.
There have been two unauthorised incursions onto civil nuclear licensed sites since 2001. These were carried out by Greenpeace protesters at Sizewell B power station on 14 Oct 2002 (103 protesters gained access to the site) and 13 Jan 2003 (34 protesters gained access to the site). Immediate action was taken to assess the threat posed by the intrusions and the appropriate contingency arrangements were activated.
Records before April 2005 are paper-based and would require the recall of OCNS Approvals and Compliance Unit Nuclear Security Inspectors from front-line inspection duties to conduct a manual trawl with each inspector going through the files relating to the civil nuclear sites he is responsible for. This constitutes a disproportionate amount of effort and would be at disproportionate cost.
Energy: Nuclear Power Stations
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances of damage to a building or equipment on the premises of the 31 licensed civil nuclear sites in the United Kingdom which were assessed to affect the security of those premises there have been in each year since 2001.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) is the security regulator for the UK's civil nuclear industry. In April 2005, OCNS introduced a reporting database to record information on security-related events. This reporting database has been used since April 2005.
With the exception of criminal damage caused by protesters during the two Sizewell B incidents (as reported in the Answer to HL486), which were appropriately monitored and dealt with at the time, there have been no cases of damage to buildings or equipment as a result of malicious activity.
Records before April 2005 are paper-based and would require the recall of OCNS Approvals and Compliance Unit Nuclear Security Inspectors from front-line inspection duties to conduct a manual trawl with each inspector going through the files relating to the civil nuclear sites he is responsible for. This constitutes a disproportionate amount of effort and would be at disproportionate cost.
Energy: Nuclear Power Stations
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances of theft or attempted theft of any nuclear material there have been at the 31 licensed civil nuclear sites in the United Kingdom in each year since 2001.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: None reported.
The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) is the security regulator for the UK's civil nuclear industry. In April 2005, OCNS introduced a reporting database to record information on security-related events. This reporting database has been used since April 2005.
Records before April 2005 are paper-based and would require the recall of OCNS Approvals and Compliance Unit Nuclear Security Inspectors from front-line inspection duties to conduct a manual trawl with each inspector going through the files relating to the civil nuclear sites he is responsible for. This constitutes a disproportionate amount of effort and would be at disproportionate cost.
Energy: Nuclear Power Stations
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances of theft or attempted theft or loss or unauthorised disclosure of sensitive nuclear information there have been at or from the 31 civil licensed nuclear sites in the United Kingdom in each year since 2001.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) is the security regulator for the UK's civil nuclear industry. In April 2005, OCNS introduced a reporting database to record information on security-related events. This reporting database has been used since April 2005.
Since then, there has been one occasion, in 2006, when protectively marked information was disclosed inadvertently by a civil licensed nuclear site. Action was taken to ensure that the information was withdrawn and an enquiry held into the disclosure.
Records before April 2005 are paper-based and would require the recall of OCNS Approvals and Compliance Unit Nuclear Security Inspectors from front-line inspection duties to conduct a manual trawl with each inspector going through the files relating to the civil nuclear sites he is responsible for. This constitutes a disproportionate amount of effort and would be at disproportionate cost.
Extremist Organisations
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (a) Ministers, or (b) officials, have had contact with (1) Islam 4UK, (2) Al-Ghurabaa, (3) Al-Muhajiroun, (4) the Saved Sect, and (5) Sunnah wal Jamaah; and, if so, (i) when, and (ii) in what form.
Lord West of Spithead: To the best of my knowledge no Minister or official has had any contact with any of the groups mentioned.
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is working; and whether they are considering amending it.
Lord Bach: Since 1 January 2005 the Freedom of Information Act has enabled the public greater access to official information held by over 100,000 public authorities. The Ministry of Justice publishes annual reports on the operation of the Act in central government and quarterly statistical reports on the performance of central government monitored bodies and their handling of FOI requests since the Act came in to force.
A total of 171,000 requests have been dealt with under the Act by central government monitored bodies during the period January 2005 to September 2009. Eighty-nine per cent of these requests were answered within time, that is, a response was provided within the standard deadline or a permitted deadline extension was applied. Of those requests where it was possible to give a substantive decision on whether to release the information being sought, 62 per cent were granted in full.
In January 2009 the Dacre review of the 30-year rule recommended that the Government should consider a reduction to the 30-year rule-the point at which government information is usually opened to the public at an archive or other place of the deposit. The Government have accepted that there should be a reduction to the rule. Any such change would require amendments to the Freedom of Information Act. We are currently considering our response to the review and will publish it in due course.
House of Lords: Office Equipment
Lord Bates: To ask the Chairman of Committees further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Barbara Follett, on 9 December 2009 (Official Report, House of Commons, col. 390W), what was the average purchase price, excluding value added tax, of a 500 sheet ream of white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper paid by the House of Lords in the latest period for which figures are available.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: The House of Lords currently pays £1.65 plus VAT per 500 sheet ream of white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper.
House of Lords: Parking
Lord Berkeley: To ask the Chairman of Committees how many parking places are available for members and staff of the House of Lords for (a) cars, and (b) bicycles.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: There are 216 car parking spaces available for Members and staff of the House of Lords, of which 100 are located in the Abingdon Street car park. There are 77 spaces for bicycles and 43 for motorcycles.
Human Rights
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they favour community rights over individual rights in considering human rights issues in other countries.
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: With the exception of the right of self determination, the UK considers that human rights belong to individuals and not to communities or groups. When we lobby other countries on human rights issues, we lobby for changes to laws and practices so that all individuals can enjoy their human rights, without discrimination.
Kyrgyzstan
Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Kyrgyzstan will be the only central Asian country not invited to the international conference on Afghanistan to be held in London on 28 January 2010; if so, why it will not be invited; and whether the transit centre supporting military operations in Afghanistan is based in Manas International Airport.
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: I can confirm that Kyrgyzstan has been invited to the London conference along with Foreign Ministers from International Security Assistance Force partners, Afghanistan's immediate neighbours and key regional players, together with representatives from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the UN, the EU and other international organisations such as the World Bank. On 22 June 2009, the Governments of the United States and Kyrgyz Republic signed an agreement providing for a transit centre at Manas International Airport, operated by the United States, to provide logistical support to coalition forces in Afghanistan.
National DNA Database
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 1 December (WA 28) concerning the national DNA database, what guidance they provide to assist the chief officers of police in determining whether to retain DNA and fingerprints taken from persons detained under the Terrorism Act 2000; and whether they will place a copy of any such guidance in the Library of the House.
Lord West of Spithead: There is currently no such guidance to assist chief constables in determining whether to retain DNA and fingerprints taken from persons detained under the Terrorism Act 2000. This is not a role they currently undertake. Currently where DNA and fingerprints are taken from a person detained under the Terrorism Act, that material may be retained indefinitely.
As the noble Baroness will be aware from the Government's announcement on 11 November, we are proposing a new retention scheme for DNA and fingerprints via the new Crime and Security Bill. When the proposed retention scheme in the Bill becomes law, we will look to place any new guidance in the House Library.
Northern Ireland Office: Bonuses
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officials in the Northern Ireland Office earn over £100,000 a year including bonuses; what grades they are; and how much each earned in each of the past five years.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: All staff in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) are paid in accordance with guidance issued by Cabinet Office/HM Treasury.
The details of those officials who have earned over £100,000 in the past five years are contained in the following table:
Year Number of officials earning over £100,000 Grades Amount Earned
2008-09 Six One Permanent Secretary, two Director Generals and three Directors £177k, £127k, £118k, £111k, £110k and £104k
2007-08 Six One Permanent Secretary, two Director Generals and three Directors £175k, £120k, £115k, £115k, £106k and £106k
2006-07 Six One Permanent Secretary, two Director Generals and three Directors £158k, £112k, £112k, £112K, £104k and £102k
2005-06 Three Two Permanent Secretaries* and one Senior Director £109k, £147k and £103k
2004-05 Two One Permanent Secretary and one Senior Director £158k and £124k
* Please note that the former Permanent Secretary retired and a new Permanent Secretary was appointed during December 2005.
This information is available in the NIO resource accounts which are published each year in accordance with government guidelines. These accounts are available to view on the NIO website www.nio.gov.uk.
Northern Ireland Office: Consultants
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultants the Northern Ireland Office has employed since 1 January 2008; for what tasks; and at what costs.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the following tables provide a breakdown of the type of consultancy provided and the costs in the each of the past two financial years.
Expenditure on consultancy in the Northern Ireland Office has reduced year on year for the past four financial years, and in 2008-09 was 45 per cent less than in 2005-06.
NIO and Executive Agencies Financial Year 2007-08
Management
NI Youth Forum £1,007
Anderson Spratt £17,049
Kairos £8,500
Deloitte £24,663
FGS McClure Watters £14,000
Capita Learning & Dev £1,415
Grafton Recruitment £12,756
Odgers Ray and Berndston £35,281
Jenkinson Consulting £1,800
Others/Individual Contracts £10,176
Cumulative total £126,618
Financial
Disability Action £4,179
Moore Stephens (CJINI) £2,926
PKF Consultancy £50,878
PWC £60,350
Cumulative total £118,333
Assurance
T&S International £23,262
UKAS Accreditation £2,203
Jenkison Consulting £895
Others/Individual Contracts £11,515
Cumulative total £37,875
Research
Quality Business Management £5,423
Others/Individual Contracts £52,517
Cumulative total £57,940
Marketing
GPS £2,500
Coppernoise £1,145
Label One Ltd £3,273
Peninsula Print & Design Ltd £998
Page Setup £1,262
Milward Brown Ulster £21,385
Cumulative total £30,562
General Consultancy
Carter Globe associates £36,000
Myles Danker Estate Man Advice £2,500
Quest Consulting £17,000
Williams & Shaw £1,000
BDP £8,267
L'Estrange and Brett £9,598
Others/Individual Contracts £61,106
Cumulative total £135,471
IT Consultancy
Mott MacDonald £295,220
Deloitte £22,770
PWC (CJINI) £5,170
Microsoft £48,000
ICS £20,000
Fujitsu £513,000
iB Solutions £22,000
NDI £20,000
Selex £23,778
ICS £29,150
Real Estate Management £3,990
Cumulative total £1,003,078
Total Expenditure 07/08 £1,509,877
NIO and Executive Agencies Financial Year 2008-09
Management
MacDonald Stephen Consultancy Ltd £33,044
Deloitte £57,554
KPMG £22,000
Hays Healthcare Consultancy £20,139
Kairos £8,500
Social Research Centre Ltd £10,315
Carter Goble Lee £32,400
SRB Consultants £4,469
PWC £5,220
Others/Individual Contracts £87,858
Cumulative total £281,499
Financial
PWC £60,853
BDP £29,719
Deloitte £11,260
Clarke Shipway £8,721
Cumulative total £110,553
Assurance
OCPA £1,393
OGC £13,600
Grant Thornton £19,650
Key Forensic Services £43,436
Others/Individual Contracts £21,979
Cumulative total £100,058
Research
Williamson Consulting £1,884
Cumulative total £1,884
Marketing
N/A 0
General Consultancy
PWC £89,776
Fitzsimons Kinney Mallon Sols £532
Hamilton Architects £1,500
Grant Thornton £19,815
DLA Piper £37,519
Hays Construction & Property £9,769
Others/Individual Contracts £134,516
Cumulative total £293,427
IT Consultancy
Deloitte £20,000
Fluent Technology £1,050
Fujitsu £233,000
Lagan £5,000
ICS £40,000
Mott Macdonald £212,137
Selex £11,000
Biznet £4,994
Cumulative total £527,181
Total Expenditure 08/09 1,314,602
Phone Tapping: Members
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have been involved in the telephone tapping of any member of the House of Lords since 1997.
Lord West of Spithead: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by the Prime Minister on 21 July 2009 (Official Report, House of Commons, col. 1166W).
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Jopling: To ask the Leader of the House what changes have taken place in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to enable it to answer Questions for Written Answer within 14 days, in view of the department's performance in the 2008-09 Session to 30 April, when it was the second worst department with 32 per cent of questions answered within 14 days.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has introduced a range of new management and procedures to ensure it answers questions on time. For example, procedures now ensure that Questions, once ready for reply, are sent to Hansard immediately.
From Questions due for reply in June 2009 to December 2009, the proportion of Questions, cleared for response within 14 days, has been consecutively 83 per cent, 94 per cent, 58 per cent, 75 per cent, 88 per cent, 98 per cent, and 87 per cent.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials take very seriously their responsibility to reply to Parliamentary Questions on time.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Jopling: To ask the Leader of the House whether she will publish the analysis of the number of Questions for Written Answer directed to each department between 30 April and the end of the Session, together with the number and percentage of those Questions which were not answered within 14 days.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The table below sets out information on the number of Questions for Written Answer tabled and answered within 14 days by department.
May June July August
Department Total In 14 % Total In 14 % Total In 14 % Total In 14 %
AGO 1 1 100 0 0 n/a 1 1 100 0 0 n/a
CLG 15 13 87 21 21 100 35 33 95 1 1 100
CO 25 9 36 24 14 58 32 22 69 1 0 0
DCMS 19 11 58 16 12 75 44 32 72 1 0 0
DECC 41 22 54 13 5 38 16 9 56 4 0 0
DEFRA 39 35 90 39 38 97 41 41 100 0 0 n/a
BIS 11 5 45 29 15 52 24 14 58 0 0 0
DCSF 31 23 74 25 17 68 23 14 61 0 0 n/a
DFID 23 20 87 12 I1 92 9 9 100 7 7 100
DFT 35 35 100 48 47 98 49 46 94 0 0 n/a
DOH 113 102 90 125 121 97 126 107 85 27 0 0
DWP 12 4 33 19 16 84 18 16 88 0 0 n/a
FCO 93 68 73 72 60 83 72 68 94 12 7 58
GEO 8 3 38 8 1 13 9 6 67 3 0 0
HMT* 39 26 67 43 30 70 66 64 97 0 0 n/a
HO 146 56 38 43 25 58 111 51 46 9 0 0
MOD 25 24 96 23 20 90 43 37 86 9 4 44
MOJ 43 39 91 33 31 94 62 61 98 13 7 54
NIO 52 31 60 28 17 61 58 55 95 3 0 0
SO 2 1 50 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a
WO 1 1 100 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a
DIUS 19 11 58 3 0 0 See BIS See BIS
793 540 68% 624 501 80% 839 686 82% 90 26 29%
September October Nov (up to 18th)
Department Total In l4 % Total In 14 % Total In 14 %
AGO 0 0 n/a 5 5 100 1 0 0
CLG 7 2 29 15 7 47 17 13 77
CO 5 2 40 8 8 100 18 15 83
DCMS 3 1 33 16 7 44 7 7 100
DECC 4 0 0 45 31 69 2 1 50
DEFRA 7 7 100 16 15 94 42 40 95
BIS I1 6 55 22 20 91 7 7 100
DCSF 3 0 0 17 17 100 16 15 94
DFID 4 4 100 4 3 80 5 4 80
DFT 10 7 70 56 56 100 11 11 100
DOH 16 15 94 35 28 80 36 36 100
DWP 6 4 66 13 2 15 20 13 65
FCO 8 6 75 25 23 88 80 78 98
GEO 0 0 n/a 4 4 100 7 7 100
HMT* 32 29 91 27 26 96 32 28 88
HO 4 0 0 17 15 88 62 54 87
MOD 13 7 54 19 15 80 50 40 80
MOJ 9 9 100 6 6 100 33 29 88
NIO 3 0 0 27 18 67 27 17 63
SO 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a
WO 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a
DIUS See BIS See BIS See BIS
145 99 68% 377 306 81% 473 415 88%
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Jopling: To ask the Leader of the House further to her Written Answer on 3 December (WA 77), in respect of how many of the Questions that were not answered before the end of the 2008-09 Session was an apology sent to the Member concerned for not having been answered within 14 days.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: I remain determined that departments take seriously their responsibilities to answer Questions on time and continue to reinforce that message with them. My office urged all those departments concerned to provide substantive Answers to the six Questions for Written Answer referred to in my Written Answer of 3 December. The precise terms in which they did so are, of course, a matter for the departments themselves.
Religion: Defamation
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their stance on the resolution promoted by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference before the United Nations General Assembly on the defamation of religion.
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Government share the concern of the Organisation of Islamic Conference that individuals around the world are victimised because of their religion or belief. We all need to do more to eliminate religious intolerance and to ensure that those who incite hatred or violence against individuals because of their religious beliefs are dealt with by the law.
But the Government cannot agree with an approach that promotes the concept of "defamation of religions" as a response. This approach severely risks diminishing the right to freedom of expression. We believe that international human rights law already strikes the right balance between the individual's right to express themselves freely and the need for the state to limit this right in certain circumstances. International human rights law provides that only where advocacy of religious hatred constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence should it be prohibited by law.
We believe that the concept of "defamation of religions" puts in danger the very openness and tolerance that allows people of different faiths to co-exist and to practise their faith without fear. It risks changing the focus of international human rights law from examining how countries promote and protect the right to freedom of expression to censoring what individuals say. If this happened, people might feel unable to speak out against human rights abuses or hold their government to account. It is also inconsistent with the international human rights legal framework which exists to protect individuals and not concepts or specific belief systems.
For this reason the UK, along with our EU Partners and other like-minded countries, voted against the resolution put forward by the Organisation of Islamic Conference at the 64th session of the UN General Assembly on Combating Defamation of Religions.
Somalia: Pirates
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions Royal Navy units have made contact with suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia; and, for each incident, how many suspects were involved, and whether they were armed.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Since October 2008 the Royal Navy has carried out compliant boardings on seven suspected pirate vessels. Figures shown below detail the number of suspected pirates involved for each boarding and whether they were armed.
Incident Total number of suspected pirates Armed
1 8 yes
2 16 yes
3 8 yes
4 13 yes
5 10 yes
6 6 yes
7 13 yes
Total 74
Universities: Museums and Galleries
Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria regarding public access and benefit have been included in the terms of reference for Sir Muir Russell's review of funding for university museums and galleries.
Lord Young of Norwood Green: Institutions in receipt of this funding have been asked to submit evidence to the review against three criteria. One of these asks for "the extent to which the activities of the museums and galleries address the Higher Education Funding Council for England's widening participation objective to promote and provide the opportunity of successful participation in higher education to everyone who can benefit from it, and the broader government objective of increasing public access to such institutions for the wider community to promote lifelong learning and social cohesion. Submissions may also include evidence of public engagement activities directly beneficial to higher education undertaken by the museum/gallery (for example, work contributing to public understanding of the research process and its outcomes)". | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2010-01-11a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2010",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Young People in Employment
Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many young people have secured employment during the last three years; and by what percentage this differs from the number recorded in the preceding three years.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated 22 November 2000.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the number of young people who have secured employment during the last three years; and by what percentage this differs from the number recorded in the preceding three years.
Estimates on the number of young people who have secured employment during the last three years are not available. However, the number of young people who were employed in spring (March to May) 1994, 1997 and 2000 and the percentage change in these years have been shown in the attached table.
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is the main source of labour market data on individuals used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The measure of employment derived from the LFS is defined as people aged 16 or over (a) who did some paid work in the reference week (whether as an employee or self-employed) (b) who had a job that they were temporarily away from (on holiday, for example) (c) on Government-supported training and employment programmes and (d) those doing unpaid family work.
Young people aged 16-24 years in employment, spring each year; United Kingdom
Total (thousands)
Spring 1994 3,990
Spring 1997 3,899
Spring 2000 3,919
Changes
Spring 1994--Spring 1997 -91
Spring 1994--Spring 1997(%) -2.3
Spring 1997--Spring 2000 20
Spring 1997--Spring 2000(%) 0.5
Source:
ONS--Labour Force Survey.
Sentencing Advisory Panel
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What work is currently being done by the Sentencing Advisory Panel; when the panel last made a proposal to the Court of Appeal about guidelines for specific offences; and when it is likely to do so again.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Sentencing Advisory Panel is currently looking at the offences of handling stolen goods, manslaughter by reason of provocation and rape. The panel has also commissioned a public attitude survey on sentencing in domestic burglary cases which has now been completed. Its findings will be published in due course. The panel's most recent proposal to the Court of Appeal--that the court should frame a sentencing guideline on racially aggravated offences--was sent to the court on 19 July 2000 and published on 29 August. It is hoped that the advice on handling stolen goods will be submitted to the Court of Appeal in the new year.
Abnormal Loads: Police Escorts
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 7 November (H.L. Deb., col. 1361), why he would be "extremely surprised" if there was no direct radio link between a police car escorting an abnormal load and the load itself.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: I have now been informed that mobile phones are the normal mode of communication between the police and the abnormal load's "second man". It would have been extremely surprising had there been no verbal communication at all between them.
Science Budget
Baroness Howells of St Davids: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress they have to report on the allocation of the Science Budget.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: As a result of the spending review, the Science Budget has been increased by £725 million over the next three years. This represents an increase in the Government's investment in science of an average of 7 per cent per year in real terms over the next three years. Once again the Government are making it clear that they regard a healthy science and engineering base as critical to the nation's well-being.
After taking advice from the Director General of the Research Councils, it has been decided that the Science Budget should be allocated as follows. A total of £356 million is for investment in science and engineering research; of this, £252 million is to be spent over three years on three high-profile programmes across the research councils. The three programmes are as follows:
Genomics: a £110 million investment to increase understanding of gene function and related applications. This should lead to the development of new diagnostics, drugs and materials;
E-science: a £98 million investment to solve key problems of processing, communicating, storing and accessing data across a range of scientific disciplines, with additional investment to develop core generic technologies. This investment is absolutely essential for large scale, modern science, but I expect it to have important industrial implications over the coming decade;
Basic technology: a £44 million investment to build up the UK's technology capability. This has value in itself but will also act as the springboard for more advanced science.
A £1 billion Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF) will fund renewal and development: £375 million of this will come from the Science Budget, £300 million from the Department for Education and Employment and £225 million from the Wellcome Trust. My department is currently discussing with other interested parties the basis for the allocating of £900 million of this fund to universities.
The remaining £100 million of SRIF will be invested in research council institutes and large science facilities. The allocations I am announcing today to the research councils include £32 million of this. The remainder will be allocated later this year.
There will be a new £140 million Higher Education Innovation Fund to encourage exploitation of knowledge by higher education institutions. This will incorporate the current Higher Education Reach Out to Business and the Community Fund (HEROBC). This total includes around £60 million from the Department for Education and Employment and £80 million from the Science Budget. There is also £20 million from the Science Budget for the University Challenge and Science Enterprise Challenge Schemes.
Thirty-four million pounds is being allocated to the research councils to fund increases in the basic PhD stipends from £6,800 this academic year to £9,000 in 2003-04. This represents an increase of 23 per cent in real terms over the period, following the Comprehensive Spending Review in 1998. It sends another clear signal that the Government believe that postgraduate research should no longer be seen as a Cinderella career choice.
The detailed allocation is as follows. Further details are available in a report I am publishing today The Science Budget 2001-02 to 2003-04, which I have placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
£ million
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 Total
Resource and capital, figures include baseline and allocation of new funds
Allocations to cross-council programme:
Genomics 15.000 39.500 55.500 110.000
E-science 13.000 29.500 55.500 98.000
Basic technology 2.000 15.000 27.000 44.000
Allocations to research councils: (excluding cross-council programmes)
MRC 339.614 349.930 356.151 1,047.695
BBSRC 209.987 219.603 226.151 865.741
NERC 191.865 201.414 208.750 602.030
EPSRC 426.202 429.540 436.911 1,292.653
PPARC 203.289 212.383 217.208 632.881
ESRC 73.447 79.263 85.033 237.742
CCLRC 6.421 6.613 7.452 20.486
Allocations to other areas:
Research council pensions schemes 26.970 28.450 29.740 85.160
Royal Society 25.945 28.745 29.245 83.935
Royal Academy of Engineering 4.270 4.770 5.270 14.310
DIAMOND 20.000 20.000 20.000 60.000
Joint Infrastructure Fund 125.000 -- -- 125.000
Science Research Investment Fund -- 125.000 250.000 375.000
Joint Research Equipment Initiative 10.000 10.000 10.000 30.000
Capital yet to be allocated -- 34.000 34.000 68.000
Higher Education Innovation Fund 20.000 20.000 40.000 80.000
University Challenge -- 5.000 -- 5.000
Science Enterprise Challenge -- 5.000 10.000 15.000
Exploitation of discoveries at public sector research establishment 10.000 -- -- 10.000
Foresight Challenge -- 3.000 5.000 8.000
Cambridge--MIT Institute 14.000 14.000 14.000 42.000
OST initiatives 3.000 3.100 3.350 9.450
OST administration costs 11.192 11.192 11.192 33.576
Exchange rate and contingency reserve 15.264 15.464 18.014 46.742
Total 1,766.467 1,810.487 2,155.467 5,832.401
RAMC Site, Millbank: Sale
Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they took to ensure (a) the highest receipts and (b) the shortest completion time when the two institutional bidders for the sale of the Royal Army Medical Corps Training Centre site at Millbank, London, were shortlisted and 16 other commercial bids were eliminated.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: In assessing the bids received for the former Royal Army Medical Corps site on Millbank, the Ministry of Defence has taken a number of factors into account. These include the degree of risk attached to the bids, their compliance with the planning brief agreed with the local authority and the presence of listed buildings on the site. Thus, the size of the receipt and the likely time before it would be received were central to our considerations.
Porton Down Volunteers
Lord Elder: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to address reports of ill health among Porton Down volunteers.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Minister of Defence is taking a number of steps designed to help those who participated as volunteers in trials at Porton Down. The Ministry of Defence is very grateful to all those whose participation in studies at Porton Down made possible the research to provide safe and effective protection for UK Armed Forces against chemical and biological weapons. Suggestions have been made that some Porton Down volunteers suffer unusual patterns of ill health because of their participation. The Ministry of Defence has seen no scientific evidence to support that belief but takes such suggestions seriously. Therefore we are:
Offering volunteers the opportunity for a thorough medical assessment if they have concerns about their health. This will be along the lines of the Gulf Veterans medical assessment programme and will use the same facilities at St. Thomas' Hospital, London. The data from these consultations will be analysed to explore whether patterns of ill health are associated with particular exposures;
Seeking advice from the Medical Research Council on an independent epidemiological study. Such a study may help establish whether or not former volunteers are suffering from excesses of ill health as compared to a matched group of service personnel who did not participate in trials at Porton Down;
Creating a multi-disciplinary policy focus within the Ministry of Defence which will be responsible for addressing volunteers' health concerns and liaising with other government departments;
Approaching this issue with openness and a commitment to dialogue with volunteers and their representatives;
Making public any information which may be of assistance to former volunteers. The current arrangements for the Porton helpline will remain in being. All volunteers who approach it will be given full information by letter on their own trials and offered the opportunity to examine the records for themselves at the site;
Continuing to fully co-operate and provide assistance to the ongoing Wiltshire Police inquiry into trials at Porton Down.
The policy focus for Porton Down volunteers issues will be provided by the Ministry of Defence's Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit (GVIU). The GVIU will be resourced to take on this important new responsibility and there will be no detriment to the ongoing Ministry of Defence commitment to assist Gulf veterans.
Racist Incidents on School Premises: Reporting Guidelines
Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What guidelines have been given to local authorities and to schools concerning policies on reporting racist incidents which occur on school premises.
Baroness Blackstone: Guidelines for local education authorities and schools on the reporting of racist incidents are contained in our Social Inclusion: Pupil Support Circular, which was issued to schools and local education authorities in July 1999.
The guidelines specify that all schools are required to have effective policies in place on anti-bullying, including racist bullying. These policies must make clear that racial harassment and bullying will not be tolerated and say how staff and pupils should deal with it. Schools should record all racial incidents, and parents and governors should be informed of such incidents and the action taken to deal with them. Governing bodies should inform local education authorities annually of the pattern and frequency of any incidents.
A copy of the Social Inclusion: Pupil Support Circular has been placed in the Library for information.
Dyslexia Association Teaching Methods
Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have conducted research to enable them to judge the effectiveness of the teaching methods promoted by the Dyslexia Association both for dyslexics and for others with learning difficulties.(HL4658)
Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.
Baroness Blackstone: The Government are committed to helping all children with special educational needs and are taking a number of steps to raise awareness and improve the identification and assessment of children who have or may have dyslexia. This work is being taken forward in partnership with some of the voluntary organisations that support children with dyslexia, including the British Dyslexia Association.
Findings from two dyslexia research projects funded by the department were published last year. The first involved the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre to identify strategies to help teachers in the classroom; and the second was work Manchester Metropolitan University did with the British Dyslexia Association on methods of identifying and assessing specific learning difficulties and for effective intervention strategies in the classroom.
Shadow Strategic Rail Authority Competition: Safety Cases
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the remarks by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 2 November (H.L. Deb., col. 1167) promising to write to Lord Attlee, whether safety cases could successfully be made to the relevant authorities for the winners of the shadow Strategic Rail Authority's inter-modal competition.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: It is for the operator to submit a safety case to the Railtrack Safety and Standards Directorate (which will become Railway Safety Ltd on 31 December 2000) which will then consider safety approval. The schemes which were successful in the sSRA competition are subject to the same safety acceptance process with Railtrack as would happen in any other circumstances involving the operation of new or modified equipment on the rail network.
Shadow Strategic Rail Authority Competition: Road-going Cement Tanker Trailer
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the high capacity road-going cement tanker trailer that was selected as a winner of the shadow Strategic Rail Authority's inter-modal competition was sufficiently robust for both road and rail use.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: All the winning schemes of the shadow Strategic Rail Authority's competition in this particular case were backed by leading freight companies with their own engineering expertise. Blue Circle Industries, Metalair Feldbinder Ltd and Babcock Rail are blue chip companies with base experience in designing, building and operating road and rail equipment. The sSRA felt sufficiently confident in their proposals to provide funding for the project to be taken forward. Detailed technical issues relating to the operation of their equipment are the responsibility of each winner. Payments will be related to the achievement of agreed project milestones to ensure that expenditure of public funds is minimised in the event of a project not proceeding to full completion.
Shadow Strategic Rail Authority Competition: Road-going Cement Tanker Trailer
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the payload of the high capacity road-going cement tanker trailer that was selected as a winner of the shadow Strategic Rail Authority's inter-modal competition.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The cement payload is 30.14 tonnes.
Mega 3 Rail Wagon
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the remarks by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 2 November (H.L. Deb., col. 1167) promising to write to Lord Attlee, whether there are any technical difficulties with the Mega 3 rail wagon; how many have been built; and whether they are currently registered with the appropriate authorities for use on the national rail network.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: Detailed technical issues relating to the operation of this equipment are the responsibility of Babcock Rail. It would also be for the company to disclose the number of Mega 3 wagons that have been built. The Mega 3 wagon has been given safety approval by Railtrack, which gives unlimited accessibility to the network. Trials of a prototype are currently running with potential end users.
Antarctic Ozone Hole
Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their evaluation of the prediction by the British Antarctic Survey that the Antarctic ozone hole could be replicated over the Arctic within the next 20 years; and what they believe the consequences, including health risks, would be.
Lord Whitty: The British Antarctic Survey did not predict that the Antarctic ozone hole could be replicated over the Arctic within the next 20 years but did quote US research suggesting such an event might be possible. The Arctic is not prone to the consistently stable and cold conditions that promote ozone loss in the Antarctic, nor does the spring ozone depletion in the Arctic last into summer as it does in the Antarctic.
The amount of ozone depleting substances in the stratosphere is decreasing slowly but if the stratosphere continues to cool over the next few decades, then it is possible that ozone levels over the Arctic could fall to the threshold level defined for an ozone hole in any individual year. Very low levels are unlikely to occur consistently year after year or to be as low as those observed in the Antarctic.
A reduction in the level of ozone overhead increases the amount of harmful ultraviolet sunlight (UVB) reaching the surface and an increase in UVB can damage the skin and eyes and cause changes in the immune system. A year with significant Arctic ozone depletion would result in perhaps a 10 per cent decrease in the amount of ozone above the UK in the spring; this is the same as the average decrease in ozone that has already occurred over the UK since the end of the 1970s.
Coral Reef Systems and Climate Change
Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their evaluation of the relationship between changes in the world's coral reef systems and climate change; and what action they are taking to stimulate public awareness of any such relationship and its causes.
Lord Whitty: The effects of rising sea temperatures and pollution on coral reefs are well documented. The 1995 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that increased coral bleaching will occur as a result of an increase in average global atmospheric temperature. In 1998, high sea-surface temperatures caused by El Nino resulted in one of the worst coral bleaching events ever recorded in the Indo-West Pacific Oceans between April and June of that year.
The Government published the UK Climate Change Programme on 17 November. This sets out the Government's approach to tackling climate change, including action to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change.
The United Kingdom plays an active role in fora concerned with the conservation of coral reefs, including the International Coral Reef Initiative and the Biodiversity Convention. The UK has committed substantial funding to support the development of improved understanding and better management of coral reef ecosystems. This includes support to the International Oceanographic Commission to establish the South Asia node of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, which will, inter alia, raise community-level awareness of coral reef status and resource management issues.
My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister has taken a personal interest in raising awareness of the links between oceans and climate change. This includes pressing for improved international co-ordination on oceans matters at the United Nations and elsewhere, as well as highlighting the importance of coral reef-related resources to the livelihoods of many island communities.
Traffic Calming Measures and Child Casualty Reduction
The Earl of Listowel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their best estimate of how many children's lives are saved by street calming each year and how many are protected from injury.
Lord Whitty: In a 1996 report on a before and after study of traffic calming measures in selected 20 mph zone schemes that had been commissioned by my department, the Transport Research Laboratory said it had found that child pedestrian and child cyclist accidents had fallen by 70 and 48 per cent respectively overall. Local authorities have carried out many 20 mph schemes since then and have not required my department's prior approval to the speed limit since the powers were delegated last year. No national estimate has been made of the number of child deaths and injuries that have been saved as a result of such schemes but my department is convinced of their value. It therefore plans to allocate over £3 million for local authorities to spend on 20 mph zone schemes in the current financial year, in addition to their existing programmes of measures to help reduce child road casualties.
Mixed Sex Wards and the Case of Edward Butler
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have considered the implications of the conviction at Liverpool Crown Court of Edward Butler who, when a patient in a mixed sex ward at Southport and Formby District General Hospital in March this year, sexually assaulted a female patient in the same ward; and whether the hospital authorities aided and abetted the crime by placing Mr Butler on a mixed sex ward; and
Whether mixed sex wards have now been phased out at Southport and Formby District Hospital; and, if not, why not.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The ward in which the assault took place consists of single sex bays and single rooms and thus is not classified as "mixed sex". All patients have access to single sex washing and toilet facilities. Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust carried out a risk assessment immediately after the incident, which included a comprehensive review of patient management and security, and has introduced revised procedures. Nursing patients in single sex bays on specialist wards enables more people to receive optimal levels of care, allows greater flexibility of admission and results in fewer empty beds.
Mixed Sex Wards and the Case of Edward Butler
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will now order all hospital authorities to expedite the elimination of mixed sex wards.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are maintaining pressure to ensure that the vast majority of health authorities achieve the elimination of mixed sex accommodation in line with government objectives by 2002. Arrangements for increased performance management and more regular monitoring have been set in place to keep this issue high on the agenda and to ensure that privacy and dignity are improved in those places where it will take longer to achieve single sex accommodation.
Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy: Methods of Identification
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Chief Medical Officer has formed a task force to study Munchausen's syndrome by proxy; if he has, what are the terms of reference; who has been appointed to chair the task force; who are the members; what are their interests; and whom they have consulted, or will consult.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Chief Medical Officer has not formed a task force to study Munchausen's syndrome by proxy. However, the Griffith's review (Review of the Research Framework in the North Staffordshire NHS Trust) recommended that the Department of Health convene an expert and inter-disciplinary panel to review methods of identification of children who have either had illnesses induced or fabricated by their carer, including the use of covert video surveillance, within the framework of the Government's interagency guidance for child protection Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999). In response to this recommendation, which the Government accepted, a steering group has been formed to develop draft guidance. It is intended that this guidance will be put out for public consultation in spring 2001 with a view to publishing the final document in summer 2001. External members of the steering group include representatives from professional associations covering nursing, paediatrics, social services, psychiatry, police and professions allied to medicine. The panel is chaired by a senior official from the Department of Health. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2000-11-22a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Lord Warner: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has an advisory and not a regulatory role with respect to control of chemicals to which the public may be exposed. It is the role of other government departments and agencies to enforce regulations to reduce the exposure of the population to toxic substances. These regulatory powers reside with the Health and Safety Executive for occupational safety, the Department of Trade and Industry regarding safety from consumer products used in the home etc, and the Environment Agency regarding environmental exposure from various sources. However, the advisory role of the HPA means that if it did have concerns it could influence the department/agency with the policy lead.
There are many recognized risk factors for breast cancer. Some of the most clearly established are reproductive, and other known risk factors are age, ethnic group, family history of the disease, history of benign breast disease, socio-economic status, use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy; also, in postmenopausal women, obesity. In addition, the Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC) made a statement in 2004, showing that alcohol consumption can cause breast cancer (www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/coc/alco04.htm). The COC has also looked in detail on a number of occasions at the evidence to support the hypothesis that breast cancer is causally related to persistent organochlorine pesticides. They have consistently concluded that there the evidence does not support a causal association.
The view of the Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division of the HPA is that there is no evidence to support the view that exposure to specific chemicals is a cause of breast cancer. Thus, the agency would not argue a case for any prioritization in this area.
Department of Health: Employment Tribunals
Lord Warner: The Department of Health has incurred the following costs contesting cases of unlawful discrimination in employment tribunals over the past 18 months:
Counsels fees: £515,731.68
Legal/Solicitor costs: £114,347.50
Lord Triesman: The Government are not aware of the use of UK territory or airspace for the purposes of "extraordinary rendition", nor has the Government received any requests, nor granted, any permissions, for the use of UK territory or airspace for such purposes. We are aware of media allegations about "extraordinary rendition" operations allegedly conducted by the US authorities, and my right honourable friend, the Foreign Secretary, has written to the US Secretary of State on behalf of EU partners.
Under UK and international law, carriers on technical stopovers are not obliged to provide a passenger list.
The Government's policy is not to deport or extradite any person to another state where there are substantial grounds to believe that the person will be subject to torture or where there is a real risk that the death penalty will be applied.
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What study the Department of Health has made of households receiving the lowest statutory minimum incomes below the poverty thresholds in terms of (a) levels of income; (b) the extent to which housing is affordable; and (c) levels of debt; and
What study the Department of Health has made of (a) income levels; (b) affordability of housing; and (c) levels of debt, in households receiving the lowest statutory minimum incomes below the poverty thresholds; and whether any such study has assessed the link between these factors and ill health.
Lord Triesman: A copy of the letter from the British High Commission in Nairobi reference PPT/16/2004 has been placed in the Library of the House.
The letter of 9 February from the Indian High Commission in Nairobi is exempt from disclosure because it is confidential information obtained from a state other than the United Kingdom or from an international organisation or international court.
Lord Adonis: Participation in the Investors in People standard is voluntary. Currently over a third of all schools in the UK are participating in and benefiting from the standard. Government actively encourages all organisations, including educational organisations, to take up the Investors in People standard.
DfES officials are actively engaged with Investors in People UK in discussing the development of IIP UK's new five year plan. This is expected to identify the education sector as one of its main priorities.
Lord Drayson: Since the Trident nuclear deterrent became operational in 1994 and 2004–05, annual expenditure for capital and running costs, including the costs for the Atomic Weapons Establishment, has ranged between three and four percent of the annual defence budget. Comparable information on the costs of the UK's nuclear deterrent before 1994 is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate effort.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Connexions Cornwall and Devon do support the Wheels to Work scheme through providing referrals for young people to the scheme.
Funding for the voluntary sector is the responsibility of each individual Connexions Partnership and for them to judge priorities against the needs of their local area. Connexions Cornwall and Devon have taken decisions about their engagement with the voluntary sector and this has helped them to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in the number of young people not in education, employment or training during the period November 2002 to November 2004.
Jobcentre Plus has also supported Wheels to Work schemes in Cornwall. Jobcentre Plus were able to provide substantial funding (£34,100) to the Wheels to Work scheme in West Cornwall, in its initial stages, for the financial year 2004–05. This was funded through the Transport Projects Fund, which is a national fund accessible only to action teams. To date the project has supported 130 people; 49 referrals to the project have come via Jobcentre Plus offices or European Social Fund (ESF) providers. Of these referrals, 61 have gone into employment and 17 are attending training courses at various colleges in west Cornwall.
In Devon, Jobcentre Plus has provision under the District Manager's Discretion Fund to consider funding for local projects. Wheels to Work schemes could be considered under this fund, but Jobcentre Plus has not received any such requests for funding, either from local offices or from the Wheels to Work schemes themselves. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2005-12-05b | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Administrative Scheme for the “On the Runs” Independent Review
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the review being conducted by Lady Justice Hallett into the “on the runs” administrative scheme will be published in full without any deletions or redactions.
Baroness Randerson: If possible the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland intends to publish the report in its entirety, as she receives it from Lady Justice Hallett.
Lady Justice Hallett may make minor and necessary deletions or redactions of her own (for example where revealing certain details might impact on future criminal proceedings) prior to releasing the report to the Secretary of State.
Were the Secretary of State to reach a view, following advice from legal advisers or officials, that a further redaction to the text were legally necessary, she would consult Lady Justice Hallett.
In the unlikely event that a redaction by the Secretary of State was deemed to be necessary, this would be made clear on the face of the report.
Bangladesh
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to ask the government of Bangladesh to investigate reports of an attack on a vehicle carrying members of the International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission in Rangamati on 6 July.
Baroness Warsi: We monitor the ongoing tensions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region closely and are aware of the incident reported in Rangamati. We condemn all acts of violence and call on the Bangladeshi authorities to investigate all such incidents promptly, transparently and impartially. At Bangladesh’s second Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council on 29 April 2013 the British Government urged the Government of Bangladesh to fulfil its commitment to fully implement the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord which will provide greater security to indigenous populations by establishing political and social rights and providing a mechanism for resolving land disputes.
Banks: Pay
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed bonus caps should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.
Lord Deighton: The ‘bonus cap’ provisions of the Capital Requirements Directive came into force at the beginning of 2014. Given this short time period, an estimate of the Exchequer impact of the cap cannot be made.
The ‘bonus cap’ was introduced by the European Parliament into the CRD4 package without an appropriate economic impact assessment. This is part of the reason the UK is challenging this measure in the European Court of Justice.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why it was a requirement that there should be access to only 70 per cent of the land area of the badger culling pilots; and whether that percentage was achieved in each of the two counties involved in the pilots.
Lord De Mauley: As set out in Guidance to Natural England, applications for culling licences were required to have access for culling to at least 70% of the total land area in the application. This is based on evidence from the Randomised Badger Culling Trial. In issuing a licence to each area in autumn 2012, Natural England confirmed that the applications from West Somerset and Gloucestershire had met this condition.
British Indian Ocean Territory
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to share the revenues from the sale of the domain name .io with the people of the Chagos Archipelago including the descendants of those who were evicted from the islands.
Baroness Warsi: In much the same way as the .uk domain, the administration of the .io domain has always been carried out by a private sector organisation – this is currently the Internet Computer Bureau. As with the .uk domain, the Government receives no revenues from the sales or administration of this domain, and there are therefore no plans to share these with Chagossians.
Burma
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what if at all is the funding shortfall for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Burma; and what additional funding the Department for International Development is providing to fill any funding gap.
Baroness Northover: DFID officials are in regular contact with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Burma. We have not been made aware of any critical funding shortfall for UNHCR, and have not been approached to fill any funding gap. DFID already provides a significant amount of humanitarian funding, including to UNHCR, for work with internally displaced people in Burma.
Central African Republic
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider assisting the international community in its fight against international trafficking originating from the Central African Republic, by creating a mechanism to fight against diamond, gold, and ivory trafficking and militarised poaching.
Baroness Warsi: International mechanisms to tackle illegal trafficking already exist, including the Kimberley Process to regulate the global trade in rough diamonds, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to protect endangered species. However, these are reliant of having an effective national government in the Central African Republic (CAR). To this end, our immediate priority is to de-escalate the levels of violence and improve the level of security, so that a legitimate government can be established in CAR with the support of the UN and other international organisations.
Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when a decision on the devolution of corporation tax-setting powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly will be made.
Baroness Randerson: I refer the Noble Lord to my Written Ministerial Statement of 3 July, Official Report, Columns WS164 & WS165.
‘Building a Prosperous and United Community: One Year On’ confirmed that the Government remains on course to make a final decision no later than the 2014 Autumn Statement.
Counter-terrorism
Lord Noon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the counter-terrorism budget for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was in each year since 2010; and how much they are budgeting for the current year.
Baroness Warsi: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) budget for counter terrorism work is comprised of a range of funding streams, as well as being incorporated into the overall approach taken to assist priority counter-terrorism partner countries.
The main fund for terrorism-related assistance is the Counter Terrorism Programme Fund (CTPF). The tri-departmental (FCO, Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development) Conflict Pool supports complementary work in some fragile and conflict-affected states by tackling the root causes of terrorism through upstream conflict prevention activities. As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 24 June 2014, Official Report, column WS107-108, total conflict resources for the financial year 2014-15 have increased to £683 million, of which £239m has been allocated to the Conflict pool.
The budget for the CTPF for the financial years 2010-11 to 2013-14 was £38 million / £38 million / £36 million / £30 million respectively. The administration budget for CTD from the financial years 2010-11 to 2013-14 was £340,500 / £572,500 / £345,000 / £237,500 respectively. The administration budget for CTD in 2014-15 is £211,000. A Written Ministerial Statement will follow on the FCO Strategic Programme Fund allocation for 2014-15, which will include the CTPF.
Developing Countries: Sustainable Development
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the inclusion of a sustainable development goal to reduce inequality within and among countries by 2030 on the list of proposals being considered by United Nations member states.
Baroness Northover: The UK supports a focus on “leaving no one behind” across the post-2015 framework, as was recommended by the High Level Panel Report on the post-2015 development agenda, which was co-chaired by the Prime Minister.
In practice, “leaving no one behind” means that targets must be met across all income and social groups.
Language on inequality is included in the most recent draft list of goals and targets released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June. The final goals and targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.
Egypt
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the preliminary assessment of the European Union's election observation mission to Egypt on 29 May, which claimed that the presidential election in Egypt was administered in an environment that fell short of the principles of the new constitution.
Baroness Warsi: The European Union election observation mission to Egypt issued a preliminary statement on 29 May. Their headline assessment was “Presidential elections administered in line with the law, in an environment falling short of constitutional principles”. We followed the presidential election closely and staff from our Cairo Embassy took part in the EU’s Electoral Observation Mission. The EU Observation Mission will issue its full report in due course.
The EU Observation Mission reflected concern about the Egyptian public’s ability to express political dissent and exercise freedom of speech or association. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised these concerns in the run up to the elections with his Egyptian counterpart, most recently on 14 May, and in a statement on 3 June. We look to President Sisi to take steps to implement the rights contained in Egypt’s constitution by opening up political space, especially with regard to freedom of expression and association.
Egypt
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the European Union's support for partnership, reforms and inclusive growth and the impact that it is having in consolidating democratic reform and institution-building in Egypt.
Baroness Warsi: The EU has made considerable efforts to support political transition in Egypt since 2011, through its European Neighbourhood Policy and “Support for Partnership, Reforms and Inclusive Growth” (SPRING) funding.
In their report on the 2014 European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) package, ‘Neighbourhood at a Crossroads: Taking Stock of a Year of Challenges’ issued in March 2014, the European External Access Service and Commission found that no significant progress had been made towards the current ENP action plan in 2013 and most of the recommendations made in last year’s report were still relevant. It found that Egypt needed to make improvements in key areas, such as to ensure the constitution is implemented with full respect for human rights, create conditions for an active civil society, and ensure the protection of women’s rights and gender equality. Since this report the EU also provided an Election Observation Mission to monitor Presidential elections in May 2014.
An initial amount of €90 million was allocated in 2011-12 to Egypt from the EU’s SPRING funds, part of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). Subsequent political and human rights developments meant that no further funding from this mechanism was allocated to Egypt at that time.
European Union
Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 30 June (WA 213), whether they will respond to Lord Stoddart of Swindon's question about ever-closer union.
Baroness Warsi: The Written Answer by Lord Freud on 30 June (WA 213) referred to the business of the 19 June Council meeting. The noble Lord may be interested to note that the concept of ever closer union was covered in the 26/27 June European Council conclusions which stated that “the European Council noted that the concept of ever closer union allows for different paths of integration for different countries, allowing those that want to deepen integration to move ahead, while respecting the wish of those who do not want to deepen any further”. I also refer the noble Lord to the Prime Minister’s Statement to the House of 30 June regarding the European Council.
Financial Services: EU Action
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed Alternative Investment Fund Managers' Directive should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.
Lord Deighton: The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) entered into force on 22 July 2013.
Costs or benefits to the Exchequer as a result of the AIFMD will result from commercial decisions that have yet to be taken by investment management firms as to whether the regulatory cost of doing business in the UK against other jurisdictions leads them to increase or decrease their activity here. Therefore no reliable assessment can be made at this time. Nevertheless the Government will continue to monitor the effects of AIFMD on the UK investment management industry.
The Government has worked closely with industry to ensure that the requirements of AIFMD have been applied in as proportionate manner as possible so as to cause minimal disruption to UK firms and to maintain the UK’s competitive status as a global fund management centre.
An impact assessment estimating the costs to UK business was published alongside the implementing regulations. It is publically available on the www.legislation .gov.uk website.
Financial Services: EU Action
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed Prospectus Directive should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.
Lord Deighton: The Prospectus Directive 2003/71/EC was proposed by the European Commission on 30 May 2001. The Directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 31 December 2003 and was transposed into UK law before entering into force on 1 July 2005.
The Prospectus Directive was updated by the Amending Directive 2010/73/EU on 11 December 2010. The Amending Directive was transposed into UK law in The Prospectus Regulations 2012.
The Government published an Impact Assessment, which covers costs, alongside the Explanatory Memorandum to these Regulations. It is publically available on the www.legislation.gov.uk website.
Financial Services: EU Action
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed ban on short selling should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.
Lord Deighton: There is no proposed ban on short selling of securities so it is not possible for the Government to assess the costs.
The Short Selling Regulation, which came into force on 1 November 2012, is an EU-wide Regulation that lays down a common regulatory framework for powers and requirements related to the short selling of securities. In particular, it gives powers to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ban or impose restrictions on short selling of securities in certain circumstances, as well as impose the requirement on investors to disclose net short positions (both publicly, and privately to the FCA).
Financial Services: EU Action
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed restriction of euroclearing to eurozone clearing houses should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.
Lord Deighton: The Government cannot opine on the potential cost of the ECB’s location policy if enforced in the UK, until the Court of the European Union has ruled on this matter in a legal challenge brought by the UK.
The UK has brought this challenge because, if imposed, the policy would require UK-based and other non-Eurozone CCPs to relocate to the Euro area. We believe this breaches principles of EU law and the Single Market.
Financial Services: Taxation
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed financial transaction tax should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.
Lord Deighton: It is likely that any eventual FTT directive will be significantly different to, and narrower than, the current draft proposal. We will assess any revised proposal carefully against our concerns.
Further Education: Finance
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that adequate funds are allocated to further education colleges.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Further Education colleges receive funding in respect of both young people aged 16-19 and adult learners aged 19 and over. We set out government priorities for adult skills provision annually in the Skills Funding Statement[1], with the Department for Education setting out its priorities in a letter to the Sector[2].
As independent autonomous organisations it is for college governing bodies to ensure value for money by designing an appropriate local offer that employers and learners value and are prepared to invest in.
In the last Spending Review, the Government looked to protect overall levels of adult Further education (FE) funding. The funding for adult Teaching and Learning in 2014-15 is broadly the same as 2012-13. Over this parliament the Government has undertaken a radical reform programme enabling FE colleges to use their freedoms and flexibilities to provide the high quality skills their learners, local economy and businesses need. In line with government policies there is an increased drive for employer ownership of skills funding, a continuing growth, and reform of, the Apprenticeships programme and an opportunity for individuals aged 24 and over studying at Level 3 and 4 to have access to Loans to help meet up-front course fees.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and their operational arm, the Skills Funding Agency, are clear that FE colleges operating in the skills landscape must have robust sustainable business models, good financial controls and be resilient to change.
The latest Skills Funding Statement is available at https://www.gov. uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278529/bis-14-p172a-skills-funding-statement-2013-2016.pdf
The letter to the sector is available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/293516/140318_March_letter_to_ sector_FINAL__3_.pdf
Honours
Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of those in each of the six-monthly honours lists who have been awarded Knighthoods over the last five years were styled Professor.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested concerning the number of honours recipients in the last five years at knighthood level described as holding the title of professor can be found in The London Gazette at www.london-gazette.co.uk.
The percentage of recipients meeting the criteria in each honours list is as follows.
Knighthoods and damehoods
Honours List Recipients at that level Recipients described as professor Percentage of recipients at that level
NY 1991 36 4 11%
BD 1991 33 5 15%
NY 1992 33 2 6%
BD 1992 36 3 8%
NY 1993 37 4 11%
BD 1993 33 2 6%
NY 1994 33 8 24%
BD 1994 36 8 22%
NY 1995 32 7 22%
BD 1995 35 7 20%
NY 1996 34 8 24%
BD 1996 31 5 16%
NY 1997 35 2 6%
BD 1997 25 6 24%
NY 1998 29 6 21%
BD 1998 35 8 23%
NY 1999 34 5 15%
BD 1999 33 5 15%
NY 2000 51 13 25%
BD 2000 33 6 18%
NY 2001 32 5 16%
BD 2001 34 10 29%
NY 2002 32 10 31%
BD 2002 33 6 18%
NY 2003 31 7 23%
BD 2003 33 7 21%
NY 2004 34 7 21%
BD 2004 32 7 22%
NY 2005 30 7 23%
BD 2005 27 7 26%
NY 2006 30 6 20%
BD 2006 28 7 25%
NY 2007 30 9 30%
BD 2007 29 9 31%
NY 2008 27 9 33%
BD 2008 26 7 27%
NY 2009 27 6 22%
BD 2009 25 9 36%
NY 2010 26 8 31%
BD 2010 26 10 38%
NY 2011 30 10 33%
BD 2011 30 9 30%
NY2012 37 13 35%
TOTAL 1373 299 22%
CBE
Honours List Recipients at that level Recipients described as professor Percentage of recipients at that level
NY 1991 99 4 4%
BD 1991 105 8 8%
NY 1992 107 8 8%
BD 1992 94 8 8%
NY 1993 101 7 7%
BD 1993 93 6 6%
NY 1994 98 15 15%
BD 1994 101 14 14%
NY 1995 108 14 14%
BD 1995 102 12 12%
NY 1996 101 15 15%
BD 1996 103 14 14%
NY 1997 109 9 9%
BD 1997 98 15 15%
NY 1998 95 12 12%
BD 1998 92 11 11%
NY 1999 99 18 18%
BD 1999 106 18 18%
NY 2000 148 16 11%
BD 2000 108 18 18%
NY 2001 102 18 18%
BD 2001 101 19 19%
NY 2002 99 13 13%
BD 2002 106 21 21%
NY 2003 106 14 14%
BD 2003 107 11 11%
NY 2004 104 12 12%
BD 2004 105 17 17%
NY 2005 101 15 15%
BD 2005 100 14 14%
NY 2006 100 14 14%
BD 2006 98 13 13%
NY 2007 100 26 26%
BD 2007 104 12 12%
NY 2008 96 15 15%
BD 2008 101 17 17%
NY 2009 109 16 16%
BD 2009 104 14 14%
NY 2010 107 18 18%
BD 2010 107 16 16%
NY 2011 101 14 14%
BD 2011 94 16 16%
NY2012 94 24 24%
TOTAL 4413 611 14%
Iraq
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq last visited Camp Liberty in Iraq; and what is their assessment of the safety of the residents of that camp.
Baroness Warsi: We do not keep records of visits by external agencies to Camp Liberty, though the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq continues to monitor
conditions at Camp Liberty regularly. They report that the provision of life support systems such as water, electricity and food continue to meet basic humanitarian standards. The Government of Iraq is responsible for security at Camp Liberty, and we do not make assessments of the safety of the camp’s residents.
Israel
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress of the government of Israel in its investigation into the reported shooting of the Palestinian teenager Mohammed Dudeen.
Baroness Warsi: While the Government has not carried out an assessment on this issue, we understand that the investigation is ongoing. A report into the investigation should issue at its conclusion.
Legal Aid: Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many mandatory custodial sentences have been imposed under the provisions of section 142 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
Lord Faulks: The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 introduced the new offences of threatening with a knife or offensive weapon in a public place or school. These offences carry a mandatory minimum sentence of a four month Detention and Training Order for 16-17 year olds, and six months custody for adults.
The latest available figures on the number of custodial sentence given for the offence of threatening with a knife or offensive weapon are available at table 8 of the Knife Possession Sentencing Quarterly Brief January – March 2014. This quarterly bulletin was published on 11 June 2014 and is available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/knife-possession-sentencing-quarterly
The figures provided have been drawn from an extract of the Police National Computer (PNC) data held by the Department. The PNC holds details of all convictions and cautions given for recordable offences committed in England and Wales. In addition, as with any large scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
The Government is clear that people who are convicted of threatening with a knife should always go to prison. Sentencing in individual cases remains a matter for the
courts and they may depart from the mandatory minimum custodial sentence if there are particular circumstances which would make it unjust to do so. Parliament has provided the courts with tough sentencing options. The Government is keeping this whole area under close scrutiny and the Sentencing Council are likely to provide further guidelines on knife offences in due course.
Money Laundering
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 17 June (WA 42), whether the current industry guidance, which has been approved by Treasury Ministers, has yet been issued; whether a risk-based approach under the Fourth Money Laundering Directive means that in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom parliamentarians will be treated as politically exposed persons; and, if so, whether the industry guidance will need to be revised.
Lord Deighton: A range of industry anti-money laundering guidance has been issued by bodies such as the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG). The last major revision of the JMLSG guidance was in 2011 although some detailed changes were made in 2013 and 2014. This material is published on the JMLSG website - http://www.jmlsg.org.uk/
Discussions of the proposed Fourth Money Laundering Directive are continuing. The expectation is that in accordance with the updated global standards adopted by the Financial Action Task Force, domestic Politically Exposed Persons, including UK Parliamentarians may, on a risk-based assessment, be subject to enhanced due diligence.
The Treasury expects that if the Directive is adopted and transposed into UK law, UK anti-money laundering guidance will need to be revised.
Northern Ireland Government
Lord Eames: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to re-examine the proposals of the Consultative Group on the Past in the light of current circumstances in Northern Ireland.
Baroness Randerson: The Government continues to urge the Northern Ireland parties to engage in discussions about how to deal with the past. I would expect that the work of the Consultative Group on the Past would continue to provide useful material for consideration in these discussions. The Government has been clear that it will not seek to impose any solutions and continues to encourage political leaders in Northern Ireland to work towards an agreement.
Palestinians
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of Palestinian children (a) killed and (b) injured this year in the West Bank and Gaza.
Baroness Warsi: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not made an assessment of the number of children killed and injured in the West Bank and Gaza this year.
Patrick Finucane
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have received in relation to an inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane in 1989 and from whom such representations were received.
Baroness Randerson: This Government’s position in relation to an inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane has been clear for some time.
We do not need a lengthy inquiry to tell us that there was collusion in this case; we have already accepted that and apologised to Mrs Finucane and her family. The De Silva Review report was published in December 2012 and the Prime Minister again apologised.
The Government is engaged in legal proceedings on the matter and therefore it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.
Powers of Entry
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 29 January 2013 (WA 321), whether they have provided the final report to Parliament which was due by May 2014 setting out the findings of the full review of powers of entry required by the Protection of Freedom Act 2012.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The review of powers of entry has been carried out across Government. Departments are now completing their final reports which will then be laid before Parliament.
Prerogative of Mercy: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what searches have been undertaken to find the missing files on pre-1998 Northern Ireland royal prerogative of mercy cases; how many are absent; where the paperwork would normally be filed; and whether such paperwork is passed to the National Archives on a routine basis after 30 years.
Baroness Randerson: Before 1998, the use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM) in Northern Ireland was relatively common since this pre-dated a number of statutory schemes which enabled sentences to be shortened for various reasons, for example where evidence had been given by prisoners to enable others to be convicted. The overwhelming majority of RPM cases during this period were not terrorist-related.
The Northern Ireland Office continues to seek information on the use of the RPM between 1987 and 1997, including through contacts with other parts of Government which might hold relevant information.
The NIO takes its records management responsibilities seriously and is compliant with all public records legislation and National Archives guidance. This includes routine reviews of records, compliance with records disposal schedules and transfers of records at 30 years to the National Archives.
Prerogative of Mercy: Northern Ireland
Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 17 June (WA 49) about the royal prerogative of mercy, how they reconcile that answer with the Written Answer given by Lord McNally on 7 March 2012 (WA 425).
Baroness Randerson: The information provided by Lord McNally on 7 March 2012 was in respect of (a) pardons granted under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM) on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for Justice, which excluded the First World War servicemen’s pardons made under statute, and (b) exercises of the RPM in relation to Northern Ireland. My earlier response of 17 June 2014 referred to the Royal Prerogative of Mercy being exercised on the recommendation of previous Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland.
For clarity, and to expand upon Lord McNally’s answer, until the devolution of policing and justice in 2010, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was responsible for recommending the exercising of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in relation to Northern Ireland. Following the devolution of policing and justice in 2010, the Northern Ireland Executive (specifically the Justice Minister for Northern Ireland) has responsibility for recommending the exercise of the RPM in Northern Ireland in relation to almost all matters. However, the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland retains responsibility for recommending the exercise of the RPM if it were ever to be used in terrorism cases.
It was previous Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland who recommended the exercise of the RPM in relation to the 18 pre-devolution cases cited (that the Northern Ireland Office can confirm as having been granted since 1998); 16 of those cases were terrorism-related, as I referred to in my answer of 14 June. In addition to those, there were two non-terrorism related cases dating from the late 1990s prior to the devolution of policing and justice. Those 16 and the other two make up the total of 18 Northern Ireland cases identified since 1998, made on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Sri Lanka
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Sri Lanka regarding the murder of Muslims and the destruction of commercial property in Colombo.
Baroness Warsi: I refer my noble Lord to the reply I gave on 25 June 2014, Official Report, columns WA171-172.
Syria
Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future environmental risk of the arrangements to neutralise Syria's chemical weapons at sea.
Baroness Warsi: The Chemical Weapons Convention requires that the highest priority is given to ensuring the safety of people and to protecting the environment when destroying chemical weapons, and the plan has been endorsed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical by the Weapons. Waste products from this process will be stored safely and securely in industry standard containers, and will subsequently be disposed of in Germany and Finland, in accordance with national legislation. No waste from this process will be disposed of at sea.
Syria and Iraq
Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are proposing in the United Nations to alleviate the situations in Syria and Iraq; and what assessment they have made of the likelihood of the United Nations taking such action.
Baroness Warsi: The UK is actively working with our partners, including the Friends of Syria Core Group (‘London 11’) and the UN in bringing about a sustainable solution to the crisis in Syria through a negotiated political transition by mutual consent - this is the principle in the Geneva Communiqué agreed by the UN, the League of Arab States and the UN Security Council.
The UK is also at the forefront of the international response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Our total humanitarian funding for Syria and the region is now £600 million and we are leading efforts in the UN Security Council in pressing for a stronger Resolution that would give the UN’s humanitarian agencies the authority they have been asking for to deliver help to millions of Syrians in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
The UK has also announced £5 million of humanitarian assistance in response to the situation in Iraq, where the situation is fast-moving and complex. There is a need for new international efforts and mechanisms to stem the flow of arms to extremist groups, cut off their finances and prevent them from exploiting the economic assets that they have seized. The UK will be making proposals for this work.
Territorial Waters
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 18 June (WA 38), on how many occasions since 2010 there have been unlawful incursions by naval or other vessels of other European Union countries into British territorial waters.
Baroness Warsi: There have been no unlawful incursions into British (UK) territorial waters by naval or other vessels of European Union countries other than Spain since 2010. Further to my written answer on 18 June (WA 38), there have been no unlawful incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters by naval or other vessels of European Union countries other than Spain since 2010.
Terrorism: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many suspects of terrorist-related offences have been given assurances by letter that they will not be subject to investigation.
Baroness Randerson: The administrative scheme relating to so-called “On the Runs” did not promise people that they would not be subject to investigation. Rather, the letters issued were only a statement of fact at a particular point in time that the individuals concerned were not sought for arrest.
As the Noble Lord may be aware the Report by Lady Justice Hallett into the “On the Runs” administrative scheme will be published by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 17 July 2014.
UK Membership of EU
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 24 June (WA 153–4), stating that “this Government is clear that membership of a reformed European Union is in the United Kingdom's interest”, what is their assessment of the United Kingdom's membership of an unreformed European Union.
Baroness Warsi: I refer the Noble Lord to the speech on the Future of the European Union by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), on the 23 January 2013; and the speech on Britain and Europe by the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg), on the 8th October 2013.
UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the priority markets for the UK Trade & Investment Defence and Security Organisation in 2014–15; and how they differ from those in each of the last five years.
Lord Livingston of Parkhead: The UKTI DSO Priority Markets for 2014-15 and the last 5 years are listed below.
2009/10
Algeria
Australia
Brazil
Denmark
Greece
India
Iraq
Japan
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Libya
Malaysia
Mexico
Oman
South Africa
South Korea
Turkey
UAE
USA
2010/11
Algeria
Australia
Brazil
Brunei
India
Iraq
Japan
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Libya
Malaysia
Mexico
Oman
Pakistan
South Korea
Turkey
UAE
USA
2011/12
Algeria
Australia
Brazil
Brunei
India
Iraq
Japan
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Libya
Malaysia
Mexico
Oman
Pakistan
South Korea
Turkey
UAE
USA
2012/13
Australia
Brazil
Canada
Europe/NATO/EU (as a collective market)
India
Indonesia
Japan
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Libya
Malaysia
Oman
Qatar
South Korea
Thailand
Turkey
UAE
USA
2013/14
Australia
Brazil
Canada
Europe/NATO/EU (as a collective market)
India
Indonesia
Japan
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Libya
Malaysia
Oman
Qatar
South Korea
Thailand
Turkey
UAE
USA
2014/15
Australia
Bahrain
Brazil
France
India
Indonesia
Japan
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Malaysia
Oman
Qatar
South Korea
Turkey
UAE
USA
A new list was not created in 2011-12 but the list created for 2010-11 remained extant.
UN Peacebuilding Commission
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will propose that the United Nations Peace Building Commission's mandate be enlarged to include conflict prevention and that its resources be increased.
Baroness Warsi: The United Nation’s Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is already concerned with ensuring the international community is making efforts to prevent conflict in countries on the PBC agenda. The PBC’s mandate is to focus political attention on fragile states, bring together relevant international actors, and mobilise resources in order to help countries recover from conflict and avoid a relapse into conflict.
There will be a thorough review of the UN’s Peacebuilding Architecture, including the PBC, in 2015, which will be an opportunity to improve the way in which the whole UN system helps countries affected by conflict and determine the most effective role that the PBC can play in the future. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2014-07-10a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2014",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Allotments
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the shortfall in allotment provision by local authorities; and what is the average time someone has to spend on a waiting list before getting access to an allotment.
Baroness Hanham: Records of allotment provision or the average time someone has to spend on a waiting list are not held at a national level. This is a matter for individual local authorities.
Research produced by the University of Derby in 2006, based on a partial survey of local authorities, reported that in the period 1996 to 2006 the number of allotment plots fell by 50,630. The report, commissioned but unpublished by the previous government, was posted up on the DCLG website on 6 May-link as follows: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1897047.pdf.
Surveys undertaken by West Kirby Transition Town in conjunction with the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners show waiting lists for allotments have grown considerably. The latest survey results published on 6 May 2011 estimated that around 87,000 people are on waiting lists for just over 152,000 statutory plots managed by principal local authorities (not including those run by parish or town councils or allotment associations). This equates to 57 people waiting for every 100 plots. In 1996 there was an average of four people waiting for every 100 plots.
New neighbourhood planning provisions being introduced in the Localism Bill will provide communities with a means to boost the number of sites with powers to protect existing allotments and identify new plots. In addition requirements for councils to provide allotments will be safeguarded as part of a wider review into reducing statutory burdens on local authorities.
The above information was covered in a news release issued by the department on 7 May, available at: www. communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1897155.
Guidance on managing existing plots better, for example reducing plot sizes and taking action in cases where plots are not being cultivated, is available to local authorities via A Place to Grow available on the LGA website at www.lga.gov.uk/lga/publications/publication- display.do?id=9027596.
Allotments
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to ensure that land provided for allotments has a presumption against development for any other purpose.
Baroness Hanham: Local authorities are required under Section 8 of the Allotments Acts 1925 to obtain consent from the Secretary of State to dispose of statutory allotments or use statutory allotments for other purposes. Consent cannot be given unless the Secretary of State is satisfied that the following criteria are met:
the allotment in question is not necessary and is surplus to requirement;adequate alternative provision will be made for displaced plot holders, or that such provision is not necessary or is impracticable;the number of people on the waiting list has been taken into account;that the authority have actively promoted and publicised the availability of sites and have consulted the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners; and the implications of disposal for other relevant policies, in particular development plan policies, have been taken into account.
We do not intend to remove statutory protections for allotments or remove the requirement for local authorities to seek the Secretary of State's agreement to dispose of allotments or use statutory allotments for other purposes.
Arts and Humanities Research Council
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what grants of over £100,000 have been awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the past 12 months; and what was the date, recipient, amount and purpose of each grant.
Baroness Wilcox: The Arts and Humanities Research Council made a number of awards of over £100,000 in 2010-11. A full list with details of these awards will be placed in the Library of the House.
Bahrain
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compliance with human rights of the actions of Saudi Arabian forces in Bahrain; and what representations have they made to the Saudi and Bahraini Governments regarding this.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We have not received evidence that Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) forces in Bahrain have done anything other than safeguard installations.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and the Saudi Foreign Minister met in London on 22 March and had a constructive discussion on Bahrain. The Foreign Secretary and Prince Saud agreed that the GCC forces, who are in Bahrain at the legitimate invitation of the Bahraini Government, should work to create the right conditions for a successful dialogue.
We have made it clear to the Bahraini Government that the civil rights of peaceful opposition figures, the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be respected. We also expect it to meet all its human rights obligations by ensuring its citizens can exercise the universal human rights and freedoms to which they are entitled and to which it has committed.
Bank of England
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are circumstances in which it would be possible to extend the current term of the Governor of the Bank of England, or to appoint him for a third term.
Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England Act 1998 limits the Governor's term of appointment to five years. That Act (as amended by the Banking Act 2009) also states that a person may not be appointed as Governor more than twice.
Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are pressing for a review of the basis on which international banks calculate risk weightings for assets in order to achieve global consistency.
Lord Sassoon: In 2010 the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision set out in the Basel 3 accords a common and consistent framework for bank capital requirements, leverage and liquidity that will strengthen the resilience of the financial sector. This is being implemented at the EU level through revisions to the capital requirements directive.
The European supervisory authorities will assist national authorities in the consistent interpretation and application across the EU of legislation that applies to credit and financial institutions, including the capital requirements directive.
In addition, the Basel committee is undertaking a fundamental review of trading activity, including how banks calculate risk weights on some assets.
Banking: Iceland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what sums were intended to be repaid to the United Kingdom under the agreement rejected in the recent second referendum in Iceland; how they intend to pursue the matter, and in what courts and under which European regulatory framework; and what proportion and amount of the assets of Landsbanki belong to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands respectively.
Lord Sassoon: The loan agreement with Iceland covered balances for eligible UK depositors up to €20,887 (£16,872), totalling some £2.3 billion.
Iceland is a member of the EEA not the EU, therefore it falls to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Surveillance Authority (ESA) rather than the European Commission to commence proceedings against Iceland in the EFTA Court. This case, which the ESA is preparing, will confirm whether there is a legal obligation for Iceland to repay the amounts distributed by the UK and the Netherlands on behalf of Iceland.
In addition, the UK has a claim in the Landsbanki estate for around £2.2 billion for compensation to eligible UK Icesave depositors above £16,872. This claim is held by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
It would not be appropriate to comment on the claims of the Netherlands.
Banking: Royal Bank of Scotland
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Financial Services Authority will be producing the Report on the collapse of the Royal Bank of Scotland which they committed to publish by the end of March.
Lord Sassoon: On 5 May the chairman of the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee, Andrew Tyrie MP, announced that the committee had asked Sir David Walker and Bill Knight to conduct an independent review of the report which the Financial Services Authority (FSA) is producing into the failure of the Royal Bank of Scotland. The timetable for publication of the report will be a matter for the FSA to consider in light of the appointment of the independent reviewers.
Benefits
Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 6 April (WA 381), which aspects of the incapacity benefit reassessment process will now be enhanced.
Lord Freud: A number of enhancements to the reassessment process are being made following the results of the trial and the ongoing work to implement the independent review of the work capability assessment (WCA) by Professor Harrington. These include:
the roll out by Atos Healthcare of mental cognitive and intellectual champions to spread best practice and understanding of these conditions;on-site surgeries at benefit centres to facilitate discussions between healthcare professionals and decision makers;clarifying the language used when customers are informed they have been placed in the work related activity group; .giving decision makers the flexibility to arrange a break of up to 72 hours in the outbound call to disallowed customers to allow them time to take in the fact they have been disallowed, if necessary; andimprovements by Atos Healthcare to its soft skills training.
The department is committed to continually monitoring and reviewing the reassessment process and the WCA. Professor Harrington has been reappointed to undertake a second independent review of the WCA; he will report before the end of the year. Internally we continue to review information about the reassessment process at a senior level. If any further improvements are required these will be incorporated into the reassessment process as they are identified.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children and young people up to and including age 16 who have been diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) have also been referred to social services for a child protection (section 47) investigation; and, of all the children referred to social services for a child protection investigation, how many have been diagnosed with ME/CFS either before the start of the investigation, or subsequently in the past 10 years.
Lord Freud: The requested information is not available. Neither DWP nor DH nor DfE collects the information.
Elections: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will hold an investigation into the length of time the elections in Northern Ireland on 5 May took to be counted.
Lord Shutt of Greetland: After any election the Government review events and examine lessons to be learned with the Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Commission and we will do so following the polls on 5 May.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 9 May (HL8617), in what ways the two reviews conducted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) differ markedly in character, with specific reference to (a) the number of days taken between announcement of each review and final publication of the corresponding report, (b) the total number of hours devoted to date by HFEA employees to each review, (c) the anticipated long-term implications of each review, and (d) the relative extent to which each review depended on expertise currently outside that of the HFEA compared to expertise within the HFEA.
Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that, as their respective terms of reference show, one review, the review of evidence on the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease, involved producing a precise synopsis of expert external opinion to a deadline set by this department. The other is an internal investigation of organisational governance lessons to be drawn from events some four years ago to a timetable set by the authority to suit other priorities.
The HFEA has also advised that its best estimate of the hours involved in the two tasks is that the first required about two months of a person's time and the second about one year of a person's time. The impact of neither review can be described as each is dependent upon further decisions: in the case of the first review by Ministers and the second by the authority.
EU: Republic of Cyprus
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether legal opinion was sought from the Attorney-General concerning the accession by the Republic of Cyprus to European Union membership on 1 May 2004; whether that opinion was published; and whether they will ensure that any current or future development regarding the presidency of the European Union by Cyprus is referred to the Attorney-General and his opinion published before the end of this parliamentary session.
Lord Wallace of Tankerness: By long-standing convention, observed by successive administrations and embodied in the Ministerial Code, the fact that the Law Officers have advised (or have not advised) on a particular issue, and the content of any advice, is not disclosed outside of Government.
Finance: Bonds
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to stimulate activity in the residential mortgage-backed securities and covered bonds markets.
Lord Sassoon: HM Treasury and the Financial Services Authority published a joint review of the UK's regulatory framework for covered bonds in April. The review consults on a number of regulatory changes designed to support the UK covered bond market. It is available on the Treasury's website at http://www.hm-treasury.gov. uk/consult_covered_bond_review.htm.
The Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority are also working with the securitisation industry to consider the development of more consistent standards for UK securitisations. This would help to place the securitisation market on a sound footing for the long term and improve the appeal of securitisations to a broader range of investors.
Gaza
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (a) the ability of the de facto Government of Gaza to enforce law and order, and (b) the impact of Israel's siege upon this.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Hamas authorities in Gaza have a well developed police, intelligence and internal security structure which they use to enforce basic public order. We have serious concerns about aspects of that enforcement including the suppression of peaceful demonstrators, the use of the death penalty and the involvement of police in attacks on UN and other facilities. We also have serious concerns about the weakness of the rule of law in the Gaza strip.
Hamas can choose to use a mixture of persuasion and coercion to prevent its own and other militants from carrying out rocket attacks against Israel. We do not believe that their control is total but the recent period of calm since the signing of a reconciliation agreement is evidence that under some circumstances it can be relatively effective.
We do not assess that the impact of restrictions at the Israeli-Gaza borders has had a material effect on the ability of the Gazan authorities to equip, arm or fund their security forces. The primary impact has been on the Gazan economy more widely. We continue to urge Israel to ease the restrictions on access to Gaza as a way of improving the Gazan economy and impacting on the strength of Hamas in Gaza.
Government Departments: Mobile Communication Devices
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff in the Cabinet Office are issued with mobile communication devices; and what work has been done to ensure the value for money of this policy.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff in 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street are issued with mobile communication devices; and what work has been done to ensure the value for money of this policy.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Cabinet Office has issued 604 mobile communications devices within the wider Cabinet Office and 300 mobile devices to members of staff in Number 10. These services are procured against a central Government Buying Solutions framework, Mobile Solutions II, Lot 1 with Vodafone as the major service provider for these services.
Hallmarking: Gold and Silver
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total annual cost to public funds of the British gold and silver hallmarking system.
Baroness Wilcox: Apart from the cost of the policy support to Ministers provided by the National Measurement Office, the UK hallmarking system imposes no costs on public funds. The British Hallmarking Council (an executive non-departmental public body) is responsible for, amongst other things, supervising hallmarking activities in the UK. It is entirely funded by the four UK Assay Offices which are also self-financing.
Health: Smallpox
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the risk of a re-emergence of smallpox as a threat to public health; what precautionary measures they have in place to protect the public; and what agreements they have reached with governments of other nations known to be holding stocks of samples of the smallpox virus for research and other purposes.
Earl Howe: The likelihood of smallpox re-emerging is considered to be low, but the impact upon public health of such an event is assessed as potentially severe. For this reason, the United Kingdom has contingency arrangements in place to protect it against this potential threat.
These arrangements include:
a robust and tested contingency plan, published on the department's website;a stockpile of vaccine sufficient to mount a UK-wide vaccination programme if this were required;a supply of vaccinia immunoglobulin to counter any adverse effects of vaccination amongst those who are immunocompromised or for whom vaccination is contra-indicated;a vaccinated cohort of frontline health workers to deal with any initial suspected or confirmed case of smallpox;prepared guidance for laboratories and clinicians on recognition, testing and treatment of smallpox; andnational and international arrangements for information sharing to facilitate early warning and response to cases globally.
All these precautionary measures are regularly reviewed. Arrangements with the other nations known to be holding stocks of variola virus for research purposes, which is the only agreed basis upon which remaining stocks are retained, are made through the World Health Organisation.
Health: Surgical Instruments
Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider a dispensation to the guidelines issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which currently prohibit recycling of "single-use" surgical instruments for donation overseas, to allow resterilisation and reuse overseas.
Earl Howe: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published guidance on the consequences of the reuse of single-use medical devices on its website. This guidance indicates that the practice of reprocessing medical devices that are designated as single-use by the manufacturer is not recommended for a number of reasons. Any third party that undertakes the reprocessing of a single-use medical device assumes the legal responsibility, as the manufacturer, for the safety and efficacy of that device.
The MHRA's recommendation would be that it is inadvisable to allow reprocessed single-use medical devices to be used under any circumstances, as the risk to patients associated with this practice outweighs any perceived economic benefits for the purchasers or recipients of these products.
HM Revenue and Customs: Telephone Calls
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the target for HM Revenue and Customs tax offices for the proportion of telephone calls to be answered within a specified number of rings or time; and what is the actual figure achieved for each office during the most recent period for which figures are available.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the target for HM Revenue and Customs tax offices for the proportion of incoming telephone calls that are abandoned by the caller; and what is the actual figure achieved for each office during the most recent period for which figures are available.
Lord Sassoon: HMRC do not have specific targets for the number of telephone calls to be answered within a specified number of rings or time or for the proportion of incoming telephone calls that are abandoned by the caller.
For March 2011, of the calls offered into the queue to speak to an adviser:
60.7 per cent of calls were answered within 20 seconds; and 22.6 per cent of calls were abandoned in the queue.
House of Lords: Reform
Lord Eden of Winton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what principal changes they plan to make in the composition, operation and functions of the House of Lords.
Lord Strathclyde: The Government will publish a draft Bill soon for a wholly or mainly elected reformed second chamber. They intend that the second chamber should continue to be a scrutinising and revising chamber, holding the Government of the day to account.
Libya
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many troops and civilian experts they have deployed, or intend to deploy, to support training of forces opposed to Muammar Gaddafi in Libya.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We have deployed no troops or civilian experts to support the training of forces opposed to Muammar Gaddafi. We have established a mission in Benghazi including a military liaison advisory team. Their role is to advise members of the Military Council of the National Transitional Council (NTC) on how best to organise their internal structures, prioritise their resources and communicate more effectively. They will not have a combat role and will not train NTC forces. This is consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 1973.
Local Government Act 2003
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what grants were made to local authorities under Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 from 31 March 2010 to the most recent date for which figures are available.
Baroness Hanham: The following grants have been provided to local authorities under Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 since 1 April 2010:
Dept Grant £m
DCLG Regional Housing Pot - Private Sector Renewal 2010-11 307.666
DCLG Local Directgov Programme - Camden 2010-11 0.981
DCLG PFI Annuity Grant 2010-11 831.143
DCLG PFI Declining Balance 2010-11 35.019
DCLG Area Based Grant 2010-11 4,444.595
DEFRA Air Quality Grant Programme 2010-11 2.368
DCLG Housing Renewal Grants (Non-Ringfenced) 2010-11 4.700
DCLG Housing Renewal (Ring-fenced) 2010-11 163.000
DCLG Olympic Security Funding - Dorset Fire and Rescue 2010-11 0.112
DCLG Olympic Security Funding - LFEPA 2010-11 1.125
DCLG Efficiency and Revaluation Information With 2010-11 Council Tax and NNDR Notices 4.190
DCLG RIEPS - Capacity Building and Delivery Support for Deprived Neighbourhoods 2010-11 0.900
DCLG Fire and Rescue Authorities Capital Funding 2010-11 44.000
DCLG Planning Sector Led Support Grant Determination 2010-11 0.125
DCLG Migration Impacts Fund 2010-11 11.672
DWP Right to Control Trailblazers 2010-11 3.300
DCLG Planning Indicator Pilot Grant 2010 0.125
DEFRA Waste Grant Determination for Regional and Improvement Efficiency Partnerships 2010-11 1.000
DCLG Competency Framework for Planners 2010-11 0.100
DCLG Housing Option Grant 2010-11 1.907
DCLG Overcrowding Grant 2010-11 2.270
DCLG Homelessness Revenue 2010-11 79.266
DCLG Local Carbon Framework Pilots 2010-11 0.450
DEFRA Contaminated Land Programme 2010-11 10.000
DCLG Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (Capacity Building and Efficiency) 2010-11 64.785
DCLG Homelessness Court Desk Revenue Grant 2010-11 1.495
DfT Winter Damage to Local Roads 2010-11 84.000
DCLG FiReControl Funding 2010-11 21.048
DCLG Fire and Rescue Authorities Capital Funding (Diversity Recruitment Target Commitment) 2010-11 1.000
DCLG Minor Repairs and Adaptations 'Enhanced Services' Grant 2010-11 1.435
DCLG Minor Repairs and Adaptations 'Handyperson' Grant 2010-11 17.276
DfT Emergency Capital Highway Maintenance 2010-11 11.200
DCLG Growth Fund (Capital) 2010-11 161.336
DfT Smart Ticketing Funding (Revenue and Capital) 2010-11 10.000
DII LTP Major Projects 2010-11 525.000
DfE Children and Young People Grant 2010-11 142.032
DfT Primary Route Network and Exceptional Schemes 2010-11 32.020
DEFRA Preparation of Off-Site Reservoir Emergency Plans 2010-11 1.000
DECC Managing Radioactive Waste Safely 2010-11 0.911
DCLG Redress Review Practitioners Toolkit Pilot Programme 2010-11 0.063
DCLG Zimbabwe Resettlement Grant Determination 2010-11 1.031
DCLG Habitats Regulations Assessments and Climate Change Policy Statement 2010-11 4.947
DCLG Firelink 2010-11 1.468
DEFRA Preliminary Flood Risk Assessments 2010-11 2.000
DCLG Tenancy Fraud Reward Grant Determination 2010-11 0.002
DCLG Eco-towns Grant Determination 2010-11 13.467
DfE Play Capital Grant Determination 2010-11 54.200
DCLG Local Authorities Emergency Budget Reductions Adjustment Grant Determination 2010-11 1.042
DCLG Local PSA5 & LAAs Performance Reward Grants 2010-11 175.956
DCLG New Dimension 2010-11 21.876
DCLG Temporary Increase in Small Business Rate Relief 2010-11 3.444
DfT Local Transport Capital Block - Integrated Transport and Highway Maintenance 2011-12 and 2012-13 2.200
DCLG Disabled Facilities Capital Grant 2011-12 178.262
DfT Congestion Performance Tranche 4 2010-11 3.800
DCLG Seaside and Country Homes Scheme 2010-11 5.000
DCLG Birmingham Big Society Vanguard 2010-11 0.100
DCLG Fire and Rescue Authorities Capital Funding 2011-12 69.998
DCLG Fire Revenue Grant 2011-12 31.400
DCLG Sutton Big Society Vanguard 2010-11 0.100
DCLG Council Tax Freeze Grant 2011-12 652.159
DCLG Revocation of the Personal Search Fee of the Local Land Charges Register 2010-11 11.166
DCLG Local DirectGov Programme Grant Determination 2011-12 0.375
DCLG Info4local Grant Determination 2011-12 0.485
DCLG New Homes Bonus 2011-12 199.261
DfE Early Intervention Grant 2011-12 2,222.556
DCLG Windsor & Maidenhead Big Society Vanguard 2010-11 0.100
DfT Community Transport 2010-11 10.000
DCLG Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners 2010-11 1.000
DfT Pot Holes Funding 2010-11 200.000
DCLG Ex-Service Personnel Disabled Facilities Grant 2010-11 0.228
DCLG Local Government Transformation, Improvement and Efficiency Grant Determination 2010-11 0.096
DCLG Local Services Support Grant 2011-12 309.421
DEFRA Pilot Implementation of Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006 2011-12 0.100
DEFRA Isles of Scilly Waste Grant 2011-12 0.300
The table above does not include 2011-12 grants which have not yet been finally agreed or announced, or grants delivered through other bodies (eg Housing Market Renewal, which was delivered by the Homes and Communities Agency).
Music
The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of funding provided to British orchestras (including youth and chamber orchestras); and what contribution such funding makes to the success of a National Music Plan.
Baroness Rawlings: Arts Council England has funded a range of orchestras including eight symphony orchestras, and a number of chamber orchestras and organisations which support orchestral activity across the country.
They have limited the reduction in funding for the eight symphony orchestras to 2.3 per cent over the next four-year period.
Eight national youth music organisations, including the national youth orchestras, are funded through the NYMO (National Youth Music Organisations) Fund, a joint Department for Education and Arts Council England fund which is managed by Youth Music.
In making these decisions, Arts Council England was mindful of the need for a range of exceptional quality music organisations, including orchestras, to contribute to the Department for Education's forthcoming National Plan for Music Education.
Music
The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they provide any funding to the London Mozart Players; and whether they will review this level of funding.
Baroness Rawlings: London Mozart Players are not funded directly by Government. The organisation receives funding via the Arts Council England, which makes funding decisions such as this at arm's length from Government. Arts Council England has supplied in the following table showing the regular funding the London Mozart Players received until 2008:
Year Regular Funding £
2001-02 35,000
2002-03 36,750
2003-04 37,852
2004-05 75,000
2004-05 153,750
2006-07 157,978
2007-08 162,323
In 2008 the London Mozart Players received £90,000 transition funding to help the organisation move to a new business model, and in 2009-10 received a £67,498 Grants for the Arts to support on-going regional projects. In 2011 their application to join the National Portfolio was turned down, but they remain in contact with Arts Council England about possible future projects.
Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 14 December (WA 173-4), whether they will now publish their exchange of views on the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's draft corporate code of governance; and whether they initially approved the proposed advice on giving evidence to parliamentary select committees and on the rights of commissioners in the minority on any particular decision.
Lord Shutt of Greetland: As previously stated in my answers to the noble Lord of 29 November (Official Report, cols. WA 414-15) and 14 December (Official Report, cols. WA 173-4), the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission may determine its own procedures, including its code of governance, which describes in some detail the various responsibilities placed upon commissioners when exercising their functions. The Government are not required to approve the commission's code; however, officials received a draft copy of the code as the Northern Ireland Office has a duty to ensure that the responsibilities outlined in the code accurately reflect the terms and conditions on which commissioners were appointed by the Secretary of State. Officials did not discuss or provide any advice on giving evidence to parliamentary select committees or on the rights of commissioners in the minority on any particular decision. A copy of the final version of the code has been placed in the Library of the House.
Places of Religious Worship
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the recently published findings of the National Churches Trust's survey of the state of repair of Britain's churches; and whether they are considering any action.
Baroness Rawlings: We welcome the report and the encouraging statistics about the state of places of worship. These findings are echoed by the research undertaken by English Heritage as part of Heritage at Risk. Government are appreciative of the commitment and enthusiasm of the many people who voluntarily care for places of worship, and for those who responded to the survey.
The Government and English Heritage continue to contribute towards the upkeep of historic places of worship through grant schemes and the part funding of historic places of worship. Support officers help to prioritise repairs to buildings, identify and work towards new uses of buildings where appropriate, and identify and cultivate new sources of funding.
Road Accidents: Compensation
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that victims severely injured in road traffic accident cases will continue to receive a level of compensation proportionate to their needs.
Lord McNally: Reforming Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations: The Government Response was published on 29 March 2011, setting out the way forward after full consultation.
The package includes a number of measures to help personal injury victims, including a 10 per cent increase in non-pecuniary general damages such as pain, suffering and loss of amenity for claimants including those involved in serious road traffic accident cases, and a cap on the compensation that may be taken by lawyers as a success fee of 25 per cent of damages excluding damages for future care and loss. Special damages for future care and loss are specifically protected from being taken by the lawyer as a success fee.
Sport: Cricket
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they have allocated to encouraging participation in cricket among young people in London in the last five years.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The English Cricket Board (ECB) will receive £38,003,000 over the period 2009-13 as part of their Whole Sport Plan funding from Sport England. A key aspect of the work being done is to encourage more young people to take up the sport. £7.2 million of this funding will be directly invested in the Chance to Shine programme which is aimed at increasing participation among young people. In terms of London-wide investment, Sport England does not break down its investment on a regional basis, however communities throughout the country will benefit from this funding. In addition the ECB are signatories to the voluntary code on UK Broadcast Income, introduced by this Government but administered independently by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, by which they are pledged to invest at least 30 per cent of their UK broadcast income on grassroots development.
Taxation: VAT
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to reduce or abolish VAT on the retrofitting of existing structures, both domestic and commercial, if adequate standards of insulation are incorporated.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what studies have been conducted into the financial and environmental consequences of a reduction or abolition of VAT on retrofitting of existing domestic and commercial buildings where adequate standards of insulation are incorporated.
Lord Sassoon: A reduced rate of VAT of 5 per cent is applied to the installation of certain energy-saving materials in domestic accommodation; this includes insulation as well as other environmentally beneficial materials.
It is not possible to extend the scope of that reduced rate to include commercial buildings nor is it possible to abolish VAT entirely on the supply and installation of energy-saving materials. Long-standing formal agreements with our European partners prevent us from doing so. For that reason, no studies have been conducted to look at the impact of extending the relief in the manner suggested.
Water Supply: Meters
Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the extent to which national demand for water would be reduced if all domestic and commercial users had their supply metered and were charged accordingly.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of (a) domestic, and (b) commercial, water supplies are currently metered.
Lord Henley: Almost all non-household customers already have a water meter. Currently around 40 per cent of households in England and Wales are metered. Evidence indicates that households reduce their consumption of water by around 10 to 15 per cent when metered.
Water Supply: Meters
Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the approximate annual progress in the installation of (a) domestic, and (b) commercial, water meters.
Lord Henley: Almost all non-household customers already have a water meter. The rate of metering of household customers in England and Wales is currently increasing by approximately two per cent of households per annum, mainly as a result of households opting for a water meter.
Water Supply: Meters
Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty's Government when in their estimation the installation of water meters will be complete for (a) domestic, and (b) commercial, users.
Lord Henley: Almost all non-household customers already have a water meter. The Government anticipate that around 50 per cent of domestic properties will be metered by 2015. We will set out our policy on water metering in the water White Paper in the autumn.
Welfare Reform Bill
Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) what consultation took place, (b) when, and (c) with whom, about the equality impact assessments relating to the Welfare Reform Bill.
Lord Freud: The department has well-established mechanisms for engaging with organisations that work with and represent its customers. These include the quarterly DWP Policy and Strategy Forum, the Equality Schemes Customer Reference Group and our Customer Representative Forum programme. The department also regularly holds discussions with key stakeholders about current issues and new initiatives.
In addition the department undertook a formal consultation exercise specifically to elicit views on the problems with the current benefits system, on the Government's principles for welfare reform and on its proposals to simplify the system and make work pay. This ran from 30 July 2010 to 1 October 2010.
More details on the consultation can be found in the equality impact assessments for each measure. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2011-05-16a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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"language": "en",
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Northern Ireland: Decommissioning
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Irish Republican Army's refusal to permit visible evidence of decommissioning is preventing the full implementation of the Belfast agreement; and whether they propose to set a deadline for such implementation.
Baroness Amos: The issue of transparency in decommissioning needs to be resolved for the political process in Northern Ireland to move forward. We do not believe it would advance matters to seek to impose deadlines.
Northern Ireland: Weapon Seizures
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any of the weaponry seized by the Police Service of Northern Ireland since 10 April 1998 is believed to have been manufactured after that date.
Baroness Amos: A variety of weapons have been recovered by the PSNI on a number of occasions since 1998. A number of different organisations were believed to be responsible for these weapons and some may have been manufactured since 10 April 1998.
Northern Ireland: Centre of Excellence for the Education of Children with Autism
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the centre of excellence for the education of children with autism in Middletown, County Armagh, which was endorsed by the North/South Ministerial Council on 11 April 2002 was envisaged as part of the Belfast agreement of 1998; and, if not, what is the basis for its inclusion as a cross-border activity.
Baroness Amos: The Belfast agreement of 1998 did not specifically envisage the centre of excellence for the education of children with autism, in Middletown, County Armagh. In accordance with paragraph 8 of Strand 2 of the agreement, the North/South Ministerial Council agreed on 1 December 1999 that education should be one of the six areas for co-operation. It also agreed that education for children with special needs (e.g. autism, hearing impairment) would be suitable for initial consideration in this sector.
Belfast: Taxis
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to permit taxis to use existing bus lanes in Belfast.
Baroness Amos: Belfast public hire taxis, and taxis operating under a Road Service licence, have been permitted to use most bus lanes in Belfast since June 2002. Motorcycles are currently permitted to use bus lanes on an experimental basis. It is not proposed that any changes will be introduced before the experimental scheme ends later this year, when Roads Service will consider permitting other taxis to use bus lanes.
Northern Ireland: Departmental Budgets
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 16 December 2004 (WA 102) concerning underspend by the Northern Ireland Department of Social Development, why there were delays in the commencement and uptake of grants in relation to European Union community initiatives such as Interreg III and Urban II; how much money is involved; and for what projects.
Baroness Amos: The process of engaging an implementer who would be close to the communities targeted by the department's Interreg IIIA measure took longer than anticipated. The sum of money involved was £467,000 and no specific projects were adversely affected.
Weak community capacity giving rise to a lower volume of project application meant that the Urban II programme focusing on inner north Belfast did not spend as projected. The underspend against forecast was £316,000.
In both cases the money was not lost to the programmes as the amount underspent was available in the next financial year.
Alcohol
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what grounds they rejected the advice of their scientific advisers that price and availability were the two main levers for reducing alcohol related harm, including crime and disorder.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I responded to the noble Lord's previous Question on this issue on 15 December 2003. As I said in my reply, the draft analytical paper (which became the interim analytical review, published on 19 September 2003) on the harms associated with alcohol, was circulated by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit to key stakeholders on a personal basis. The purpose of that process was to enable the Strategy Unit to draw on expert advice and reflect this in the final report. It is reasonable to expect the content of draft documents to change during this process, and the published interim analytical review represented the best assessment of the evidence available.
EU: Mutual Recognition of Expulsion Decisions
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which European Union member states failed to meet the deadline of 2 December 2002 to transpose the directive on the mutual recognition of expulsion decisions.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Currently, four infringement procedures concerning the non-notification of national implementing measures of Directive 2001/40 are pending against France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Hellenic Republic.
The United Kingdom did not meet the deadline but did notify the Commission shortly after that the United Kingdom could give effect to the directive without any changes and set out the relevant legislative provisions.
British Nationality: Hong Kong
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many British citizenship applications have been refused under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997 because the applicant did not meet the requirement of being solely British, broken down according to the other nationality they held.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: This information is not readily available and could be supplied only at a disproportionate cost.
Zimbabwe: Asylum Seekers
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' reiteration on 14 December of his recommendation, originally made in March 2002, that states suspend all removals of persons to Zimbabwe; and what is the fate of those who have been forcibly returned.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Asylum and human rights claims by Zimbabwean nationals are considered on their individual merits in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). As with any other nationality, Zimbabweans who meet the definition of a refugee in the 1951 convention are granted asylum. If they do not qualify for asylum, but there are other circumstances that make them particularly vulnerable and engage our obligations under the ECHR, they are granted humanitarian protection or discretionary leave. If their application is refused, they have a right of appeal to the independent appellate authorities. In this way we ensure that we provide protection to those Zimbabweans who need it.
Each application is considered against the background of the latest available country information from a wide range of reliable sources, including international organisations, non-governmental organisations, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the media. Decisions are based on the specific circumstances of the individual concerned and, while we are aware of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' advice based on a general assessment of conditions in Zimbabwe, that does not mean that it would be unsafe for failed Zimbabwean asylum seekers to return to Zimbabwe. It is clear that there are Zimbabweans in need of international protection, and the asylum system will continue to provide that, but if an asylum and human rights claim is refused, and any appeal to the independent appellate authorities is unsuccessful, that means that it would be safe for that particular individual to return to Zimbabwe.
Voluntary returns have continued throughout the period when enforced returns were temporarily suspended. There is no evidence to suggest that voluntary returnees or those whose return has been enforced since the suspension was ended have suffered any mistreatment on return.
Prison Inspections: Wakefield and Manchester
Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What recent inspections have taken place at HM Wakefield and HM Manchester prisons.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Wakefield prison was last inspected by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) between 13 and 17 October 2003. The report of that inspection was published on 25 March 2004. Manchester prison was last inspected by HMCIP between 5 and 9 July 2004. The report of that inspection was published on 16 November 2004.
Prison Inspections: Wakefield and Manchester
Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the last inspection at HM Wakefield prison took place which resulted in a report measuring the quality of prisoners' lives; what the key recommendations were; and what action has been taken.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: As part of the inspection of Wakefield in October 2003, the inspection team examined the conditions and treatment of prisoners, using their usual four tests of a healthy prison, which are safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement.
The report of the inspection was published on 25 March 2004 and contained nine main recommendations along with a further 73 recommendations. Seventeen areas of good practice were identified. In line with the existing protocol, an action plan is in place to respond to the recommendations made by the inspection team.
Many of the recommendations have been acted upon. These include the provision of adequate first night procedures, a new induction programme reduced to eight weeks, the use of handcuffs only where a risk assessment deems it appropriate, closed circuit television coverage and regular management checks in the segregation unit, staff interaction with prisoners increased and monitored, action to help aged or infirm prisoners, and physical education provision and facilities increased.
Prison Inspections: Wakefield and Manchester
Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the results of audits of security standards in HM Wakefield and HM Manchester prisons; and whether they revealed the need to maintain the present high security standards and the full complement of prison staff at these prisons.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The result of the audit that took place at Manchester in September 2004 was 95 per cent compliance with the Prison Service security standard. The result of the audit that took place at Wakefield in June 2004 was 92 per cent compliance with the same standard. The audits measure compliance with a standard range of key mandatory security practices and processes. The target level for compliance in high security prisons is 90 per cent and any non-compliances found are addressed immediately through a mandatory action planning process. There are no grounds for reducing high security standards in either prison and the complement of staff will reflect this.
Criminal Cases Review Commission
Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the undertaking given in 1997 by the then Home Secretary that the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) would be reviewed by the Home Office "at least every five years to examine critically both the justification for the body on policy grounds and its internal systems of financial management and control" (CCRC Management Statement paragraph 8.2) has been fulfilled; and, if so, when and with what conclusions.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: An interim review of the Criminal Cases Review Commission took place in January 2000. This review found no evidence to suggest that the CCRC was not managing its systems of control effectively, efficiently and economically. An assurance was provided to the departmental accounting officer that there were adequate and effective mechanisms in place for achieving good governance. The commission's accounting officer has also provided annual statements of systems assurance.
For small NDPBs like the Criminal Cases Review Commission, there is no longer a requirement to undertake reviews every five years, nor is a minimum period stipulated. The Cabinet Office has issued new guidance for departments on how to conduct reviews. These vary according to the size and remit of the NDPB concerned but generally will aim to ensure that the NDPB is delivering high quality services efficiently and effectively and fits appropriately into the department's overall delivery structure.
We are satisfied that the retention of the CCRC is justified and that the internal systems are satisfactory. The Home Office Select Committee is also satisfied that the CCRC is an effective organisation.
The management statement and financial memorandum are currently being reviewed and re-drafted and new versions will be published soon. These will reflect the new arrangements for reviews and will also incorporate other changes and amendments which have taken place in respect of the management and governance of NDPBs.
Criminal Cases Review Commission
Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider that the Criminal Cases Review Commission is successfully fulfilling its remit; and in particular whether the time taken for it to process claims is satisfactory.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government believe that the Criminal Cases Review Commission is successfully fulfilling its remit as an independent body investigating miscarriages of criminal justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The commission has won the confidence of its stakeholders and built a solid reputation for its impartiality and thoroughness.
In 80 per cent of cases the time taken to process applications is within weeks and is therefore satisfactory. The remaining cases are complex and require considerable case worker effort to complete, and the number of accumulated cases in this category means that the waiting times are longer than we would like. This is why the commission's priority is to reduce the remaining case accumulation.
HM Chief Inspectors of Prisons
Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list HM Chief Inspectors of Prisons and their terms of office.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Since the office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons was established in its current statutory form, the postholders have been as follows:
Mr William Pearce 1981–82
Sir James Hennessey 1982–87
Sir Stephen Tumim 1987–95
Sir David Ramsbotham 1995–01
The post is currently held by Anne Owers, CBE, who was appointed from 1 August 2001 for a term of five years.
A copy of the full terms of reference for HM Chief Inspector of Prisons is in the Library of the House.
Ministry of Defence: Manpower
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the planned average number of whole-time equivalent service and civilian persons employed by the Ministry of Defence in each of the next three years.
Lord Bach: I refer the noble Lord to the Ministry of Defence report The Government's Expenditure Plans 2004–05—2005–06, copies of which are in the Library of the House. Table five of the report, on page 23, sets out the number of military staff currently employed within the Ministry of Defence and projected figures for the years 2004–05 and 2005–2006.
The MoD has not produced civilian manpower forecasts since introducing the new definition of civilian manpower at the end of July 2004. Forecasts of civilian staff numbers against the previous definition are also included in table five of the The Government's Expenditure Plans 2004–05—2005–06.
The White Paper published in July 2004, Delivering Security in a Changing World, sets out in paragraph 3.6, on page 12, the levels of manpower reductions that are expected and gives an indication of future manpower numbers within the Ministry of Defence. Details on how these reductions will be achieved for the RAF, including a redundancy package, were announced by my right honourable friend the Minister of State for Armed Forces on 9 December 2004 in another place and the requirement for limited redundancy in the Army by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 16 December 2004 in another place. However, further work is required before exact details of the planned drawdowns are finalised. This work is being carried out as part of the department's normal annual planning process which is currently under-way.
Armed Forces: Equal Opportunities Investigation
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is an equal opportunities investigation; who sits on such an investigation; and what powers it has.
Lord Bach: An equal opportunities investigation is an investigation into a complaint of bullying, harassment or discrimination made under the Armed Forces' formal complaints procedures. Investigations are normally commissioned by commanding officers when a formal complaint is made or by a higher authority if the complaint is against the commanding officer.
In most cases complaints are investigated by a team composed of personnel within the unit who are not in the same department or in any of the parties concerned in the complaint and who will be viewed as impartial by the parties, and who have received equal opportunities training.
An investigation team is nominated by the commanding officer or the authority handling the complaint, and commissioned to investigate the allegations made in the complaint. It has authority to interview the parties concerned and any witnesses, and report its findings. The aim of the investigation is to enable the commissioning authority to reach a decision on the complaint and to determine what action to take.
Gulf War Illnesses
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the findings and recommendations of the September 2004 report Scientific Progress in Understanding Gulf War Illnesses, prepared for the United States Secretary for Veteran Affairs by the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War illnesses.
Lord Bach: The Government's response to the report of the United States Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War veterans' illnesses was set out in another place by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans on 6 December 2004 (Official Report, col. 341W), and in my response to the Unstarred Question tabled by the noble Lord for Answer on 21 December 2004 (Official Report, col. 1737).
Army Restructuring: Uniforms
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether funds have been set aside to cover expenses that will be incurred in the change of uniform and regimental embellishments by officers and senior non-commissioned officers in infantry regiments and bands affected by the implementation of the future army plan.
Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence is still working through all of the consequences of recent announcements on the reorganisation of the infantry, including the implications for changes to uniforms and regimental embellishments. Consideration is already being given to amending contracts with clothing suppliers to ensure current stock levels are reduced in a timely manner. It is anticipated that overall costs should be modest and will be absorbed into in-year budgets as they occur.
Iraq: Cost of Military Intervention
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the net additional costs of deploying United Kingdom Armed Forces to Iraq and supporting and sustaining them there will be met from the central reserve for so long as it is necessary to continue such deployment.
Lord Bach: Funding for the additional costs of maintaining UK forces in Iraq will continue to be met from outside the core defence budget.
Aircraft Carriers
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Who is the senior responsible owner for the new aircraft carrier project.
Lord Bach: The senior responsible owner for Carrier strike capability is Rear-Admiral N C F Guild. As SRO for carrier strike he is not only responsible for the new aircraft carrier programme but has wider responsibility for the joint expeditionary air capability represented by joint combat aircraft and for the associated enabling systems.
Aircraft Carriers
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What factors would need to be taken into account in decisions to extend the decommissioning date of HMS "Invincible" from 2010 to 2015 and that of HMS "Illustrious" from 2012 to 2017.
Lord Bach: There are currently no plans to extend the service lives of any of the Invincible class aircraft carriers (CVS) beyond those scheduled. However, in considering the possibility of extending the service life of any ship a number of factors would need to be taken into account. These include certification (fire safety, stability and hull structural strength) of the ship concerned, legislative compliance, general engineering issues (e.g. the viability of extending the life of ship systems), risk and cost.
School Improvement Partners
The Earl of Listowel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they intend to ensure that their proposed school improvement partners have expertise relevant to the particular educational needs of children in local authority care.
Lord Filkin: School improvement partners (SIPs) will be selected for their ability to analyse school performance and to help schools to improve. Within the framework of Every Child Matters they will help schools map out their future priorities for improvement, looking particularly at the attainment and progress of groups of pupils, including vulnerable pupils, such as children in local authority care. We expect SIPs to be serving and recent head teachers or other professionals with relevant experience who have met accreditation standards. Quality assurance of SIPs will be rigorous and they will be accredited only after they have successfully completed their training.
Fuel-related Fraud
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 21 December 2004 (WA 140), what evidence, if any, they have of diesel fuel-related fraud, organised crime or poor security among rail freight operators; and, if there is such evidence, what action they have taken to bring it to the notice of the operators concerned.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: At present Customs have no evidence of organised crime or serious fuel related fraud among rail operators. There are examples of poor security in some instances. Customs are working with those operators and British Transport Police to minimise opportunities for fraud.
Terrorism: Financial Services
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What amount of personal assets is at present frozen on grounds of connection with or ownership by terrorist suspects.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Forty-five accounts, totalling some £378,000.00, are currently frozen by UK financial institutions. All organisations and individuals whose assets have been frozen in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, associated EC regulations and domestic legislation are listed, by HM Treasury instruction, on the Bank of England's financial sanctions website.
World War Debts to US
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much the United Kingdom owes to the government of the United States as a result of the First World War and the Second World War respectively; when the most recent payments were made; and what are the arrangements for repayment.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: On First World War debt due to the United States Government, I refer the noble Lord to the Answers I gave to him on 17 July 2002 (col. WA 159), 30 July 2002 (col. WA 161) 25 October 2002 (col. WA 103–4) and 11 July 2003 (col. WA 66). On Second World War debt due to the United States Government, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to him on 27 May 2002 (col. WA 127), January 2003 (col. WA 73) and 11 July 2003 (col. WA 66).
As at 1 January 2005 principal of 84 million dollars (£43.5 million at the exchange rate on that day) was outstanding on the loans provided by the United States Government in 1945. The most recent repayments were made on 31 December 2004. There remain two more scheduled repayments of interest and principal sums of 142 million dollars in December 2005 million and 83 million dollars in December 2006 that relate to previously deferred interest and principal payments.
Trade Deficit
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they propose to take to reduce the visible trade deficit.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The most relevant measure of the UK trade deficit is not the absolute figure, but the deficit as a percentage of GDP.
The UK trade deficit was 2.9 per cent of GDP in 2003, below the 4.1 per cent of GDP seen in 1989. The current account deficit was 1.7 per cent of GDP in the same period, less than half the peak of 5.1 per cent of GDP in 1989. The Government are committed to free trade and fighting trade protectionism and have put in place a range of measures aimed at boosting productivity and competitiveness. This is the best way to ensure that the UK economy is equipped to meet the challenges and exploit the opportunities of the global economy.
Stamp Duty
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In relation to the estimated overall shortfalls in stamp duty receipts of £0.6 billion in 2004–05 and £0.9 billion in 2005–06 set out in Table B12 of the Pre-Budget Report, what is the breakdown of those (shortfalls between)
(a) stamp duty receipts on residential property transactions;
(b) stamp duty receipts on commercial property transactions; and
(c) stamp duty receipts on transactions in shares.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The following table gives the differences between the Budget 2004 and Pre Budget 2004 forecasts for stamp taxes receipts:
£ billion
Stamp Taxes on: 2004–05 2005–06
Land and Property (Stamp Duty Land Tax) 0.0 –0.3
Shares –0.6 –0.6
Total –0.6 –0.9
No reliable further breakdown of the land and property forecast is available.
Stamp Duty
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In relation to paragraph 55 of Annexe B of the Pre-Budget Report, what were the total stamp duty receipts from residential property transactions in the first seven months of 2004–05; on what total number of residential property transactions these receipts were based; and what were the comparable figures for the first seven months of 2003–04.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The table below gives an estimate of the number of UK property transactions and an estimate of UK receipts from stamp duty on land and property transactions between April and October 2003 and between April and October 2004.
Number of transactions (millions) Stamp duty receipts on land and property (£bn)
April—October 2003 0.9 2.8
April—October 2004 1.2 3.9
No reliable further breakdown of the land and property receipts is currently available for either period.
Psychiatric Hospitals: Non-NHS Providers
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many places in private psychiatric hospitals are currently used by the Government, broken down into categories of secure, medium secure, low secure and open respectively and showing the current average weekly cost of a place in each category, and the overall average weekly cost of each place.
Lord Warner: Information on the number of places in private psychiatric hospitals commissioned by the National Health Service is not collected centrally.
Information on the numbers of occupied bed days incurred by subcontracting activity to, or directly commissioning activity from, non-NHS providers is shown in the tables. The tables also contain information on the national average cost per occupied bed day and a calculated national average cost per week (seven days) for all categories that were reported for mental health inpatient services.
National Schedule of Reference Costs—Non-NHS Providers: Contracted and Commissioned Combined Mental Health -- Services Data
ServiceCode Mental Health Services : Inpatient Data Number of Occupied Bed days National Average Unit cost per OBD £ Calculated National Average UnitCost per Week£
MHIPC1 Children 6,248 486 3,401
Adult
MHIPA1 –Intensive Care 12,686 470 3,289
MHIPA2 –Acute Care 84,379 258 1,809
MHIPA3 –Rehabilitation
41,014 185 1,293
MHIPE1 Elderly 18,578 149 1,044
ServiceCode Mental Health Services : Secure Unit Data Number of Occupied Bed days National Average UnitCost£ Calculated National Average Unit Costper Week£
ScU1 Local Psychiatric Intensive Care Units
261 659 4,610
ScU2 Low Level Secure Services
20,726 399 2,791
ScU3 Medium Level Secure Services:
19,442 420 2,943
ScU41 High Dependency Secure Provision: Women's Services
686 632 4,424
ScU42 High Dependency Secure Provision: Mental Health/ Psychosis
427 784 5,486
ScU43 High Dependency Secure Provision: Learning Disabilities
7,346 391 2,734
ServiceCode Mental Health Services: Specialist Services Inpatient Data Number of Occupied Bed Days National Average Unit Cost£ Calculated National Average Unit Cost per Week£
MHIPAS Autistic Spectrum Disorder
876 431 3,018
MHIPEDA Eating Disorder Services: Adults
3,755 374 2,616
MHIPEDC Eating Disorder Services : Children
1,636 530 3,709
MHIPMB Mother and Baby Units
554 457 3,197
Notes:
1. The data source is Reference Costs 2003 which is based on data for the financial year 2002–03. Data for 2003–04 are not yet available.
2. The data are based on submissions from NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England.
3. The data refer to non-NHS providers, rather than private providers.
4. Tables include all the categories that were reported for mental health inpatient services.
Cancer and Heart Disease: Survival Rates
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they attribute the increase in survival rates for persons suffering from cancer and heart disease to any of their policies; and, if so, to which policy.
Lord Warner: Policies such as Smoking Kills (1998), Our Healthier Nation (1999), the NHS Cancer Plan (2000), and the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease (2000) along with the many initiatives that support them have resulted in substantial progress in the improvement of services for patients with heart disease and cancer. These policies have contributed, and will go on contributing, to improved survival, better outcomes and reduced mortality in heart disease and cancer, of 27 per cent for coronary heart disease and 12.2 per cent for cancer since 1996-97.
Foot and Mouth Disease
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 December (HC Deb, 113WS), if "the eye-witness evidence, collected meticulously by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Institute for Animal Health and local authority officials who were actually present on the farm at the time (February 2001) should be considered paramount", why Ministers did not become aware of that evidence until after the showing of the video made by Northumberland County Council at Robert Waugh's trial in May 2002.
Lord Whitty: The evidence collected by experts from the Institute for Animal Health and officials from Defra and Northumberland County Council is reflected in the Origins of the UK Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic in 2001 report produced by the Chief Veterinary Officer. This report was sent to the FMD 2001: Lessons to be Learned Inquiry chaired by Dr Anderson, before the trial of Robert Waugh and is available on the Defra website.
Foot and Mouth Disease
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 December (HC Deb, 113WS), why "it is not possible to identify with certainty" whether sheep carcasses were to be found on Burnside Farm, given that two department officials were present at the time of the making of the video by Northumberland County Council on 24 and 27 February 2001.
Lord Whitty: It is not possible to identify with certainty from the video whether any sheep carcass was present on the farm. No Defra or Northumberland County Council official found any such carcasses on the farm.
Foot and Mouth Disease
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 December (HC Deb, 113WS), and given the trial date of Robert Waugh in May 2002, why the department did not consider it necessary to obtain copies of the Northumberland County Council video of Burnside Farm, made in February 2001, until February 2003.
Lord Whitty: An official first requested a copy of the video at the time of the trial. Eye witnesses of the conditions at Burnside Farm contributed to the Defra origins report provided to the FMD 2001 Lessons to be Learned inquiry, chaired by Dr Anderson.
Foot and Mouth Disease
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 December (HC Deb, 113WS), whether the swill feed supplied to Burnside Farm was the cause of the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001; and, if so, whether they have ascertained the source of that supply.
Lord Whitty: All possible means for the introduction of FMD into Burnside Farm have been investigated. Investigations have shown no evidence that disease was introduced to the farm by animals, people, vehicles, equipment, vermin, wildlife etc. There was no evidence of disease on premises within three kilometres of Burnside Farm which predates that found there.
Having investigated and eliminated all other possible sources of infection, Defra has concluded that the likeliest source of infection for the pigs at Burnside farm was meat or meat products containing or contaminated with FMD virus and that the virus could have been introduced to the pigs through the consumption of such material in unprocessed or inadequately processed waste food or the consumption of processed waste food contaminated with such material. The source of the material is unknown.
Warfarin
Earl Peel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 11 October (WA 42), what steps they will take to ensure that the anti-coagulant poison, warfarin, will be categorised within Annexe One of the European Union Plant Protection Directive.
Lord Whitty: This use of warfarin is being reviewed under the European Union Plant Protection Product Directive (Directive 91/414/EEC). A draft review report has been prepared by Ireland, which is the rapporteur member state. The European Commission is deliberating whether to propose the inclusion or non-inclusion of warfarin in Annex I.
We have written to the Commission describing the way that warfarin is used in UK forestry and the measures that are taken to protect workers and wildlife. In meetings with the Commission and other member states we have made clear our view that warfarin can be used safely to control grey squirrels in woodlands and that we believe it should be included in Annex I.
Reprocessed Fuel Oil
Lord Sutherland of Houndwood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the consequences for the environment of the restrictions placed upon the use of reprocessed fuel oil by the European Waste Incineration Directive.
Lord Whitty: Given that reprocessed fuel oil is produced from waste oil and remains waste until burnt as fuel, installations burning it have to be capable of complying with the stringent emission limits and other operating requirements specified in the Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC) which are intended to prevent or limit as far as practicable negative effects on the environment from the incineration of waste.
If operators of installations currently burning reprocessed fuel oil conclude that their installations do not meet those requirements, they have the option either of making improvements or of switching to a non-waste alternative fuel.
If they opt to switch, their installations generally will be subject to regulation under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (or corresponding instruments in Scotland and Northern Ireland). Those regulations cover combustion installations with a rated thermal input of 20 megawatts or more and roadstone coating plants which are currently the main users of reprocessed fuel oil. The regulations require emission limits and other operating requirements to be set by the regulator for each installation based upon the application of best available techniques for pollution control and taking into account the technical characteristics of the installation, its location and the local environmental conditions.
Reprocessed Fuel Oil
Lord Sutherland of Houndwood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has carried out an environmental impact assessment of the consequences of stopping the reprocessing of used oils.
Lord Whitty: There are no plans to prevent the processing of waste oil. The Government continue to monitor the decisions by current processors of waste oil in the light of the requirements of the Waste Incineration Directive.
Pesticides
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which pesticide approval holders did not respond to the Pesticide Safety Directorate's questionnaire on possible effects of pesticides on human health; and which product approvals have been suspended or revoked.
Lord Whitty: The following approval holders did not respond to the survey:
Compo GmbH & Co KG SA
Sinon EU Corporation
Top Farm Formulations
Marnoch Ventures Ltd
Nissan Chemical Europe GmbH
Quadrangle Agrochemicals
Chemsearch NCH (UK) Ltd
Indofil Chemicals Company
Tomen France SA
Elf Atochem Agri SA
Atochem Agri BV
Yule Catto Consumer Chemicals Ltd
Unistar Ltd
The following products have been suspended or revoked as a result of the survey:
Clean-Up-360 (M05076)
Floranid Lawn Feed withWeed killer (M11508)
Glister (M11413)
Glyphosate-360 (M05319)
Marnoch Binoxy (M10622)
Marnoch Carbadil 10 (M10338)
Marnoch Chlorothalonil (M09763)
Marnoch Clodim (M09852)
Marnoch Glyphosate (M09744)
Marnoch Kempo (M09918)
Marnoch Mancym (M10130)
Marnoch Metazachlor (M09761)
Marnoch Penor D (M09871)
Marnoch Phonet (M09979)
Marnoch Phorm (M10773)
Marnoch Vinol (M09815)
Poseidon (M11040)
Quadrangle Chlormequat 700 (M03401)
Quadrangle Hinge (M08070)
Systol M (M03480)
Top Farm Carbendazim-435 (M05307)
Top Farm Fluazinam (M07683)
Top Farm Propyzamide 500 (M05484)
Gro-Tard II (M04462)
Manfil (M11093)
Dequiman MZ (M06870)
Triherbicide CIPC (M06426)
Trimangol 80 (M06070)
TWK Total Weedkiller (M06332)
Unistar Glyphosate 360 (M05928)
Unistar Glyphosate 360 (M06332)
PP Captan 80 WG (M11006)
PP Captan 83 (M08768)
Pesticides
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they propose to take any steps to require pesticide approval holders to submit all data relating to human adverse incidents since 1998 to the Pesticides Safety Directorate.
Lord Whitty: The Pesticides Safety Directorate will in future carry out yearly surveys of the potential human health effects of pesticides. We do not propose to collect information retrospectively prior to 2002.
Rural Payments Agency
Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 14 December (WA 81), what plans they have to increase the number of officials in the Rural Payments Agency who have a qualification in agriculture or related sciences above the current number of 308.
Lord Whitty: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is an accredited Investor in People and is fully committed to supporting its staff in the development of agriculture or related science qualifications.
RPA offers a broad range of skills-based training provided in-house and also supports further education undertaken externally by staff in agricultural and other subjects relevant to inspectorate work.
In addition, during 2005 RPA plans to introduce two additional programmes for its inspectorate staff. These are:
A formal vocational qualification in business skills for inspectors at NVQ Level 3;
A BTEC professional diploma for EU-funded rural inspections in the UK.
Arable Land
Lord Rotherwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will decide whether an area set in grass for more than five years will be classed as an arable area under the mid-term review.
Lord Whitty: This issue is dealt with in European Community legislation. Regulation (EC) No 796/2004 provides that land which is used to grow grass, and that is not included in the crop rotation of an agricultural holding for a period of five years or longer, is permanent pasture rather than arable land. However, if the land has been set aside under the old arable area payments scheme or the new single payment scheme during that period, it will be counted as arable land until it has been in grass for five years following the last year it was in set-aside.
Road Closures
Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Health and Safety Executive has made a regulatory impact assessment of the policy of closing by-roads under repair to all traffic as a safety measure for those working on the road; and whether any such assessment included consideration of the length of the detour which motorists would need to make.
Lord Davies of Oldham: Decisions concerning maintenance works on local roads are the responsibility of the local highway authority. It must decide in each case the most appropriate way of carrying out any works, taking into account both the safety of the workforce and the safety of the public, for example, by providing safety clearances between working areas and traffic. Advice on a range of typical situations is provided in the Department's Traffic Signs Manual, chapter eight. Local authorities should carry out risk assessments for each situation. Other factors, including the disruption to traffic and bus services that may be caused by road closures or traffic restrictions, can be taken into account as part of that assessment when considering options for carrying out works.
Road Closures
Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a highway contractor has any legal authority to trap in their vehicles motorists who have inadvertently attempted to use a section of the highway closed to through traffic but still open for local access, when no repairs are being carried out at the time.
Lord Davies of Oldham: If it is necessary for a road to be closed or traffic restricted in order to carry out road works safely, the traffic authority should make a traffic order under Section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to restrict or prohibit temporarily the use of the road. Under that section the authority must have regard to the existence of alternative routes suitable for the traffic which will be affected by the order. The enforcement of such orders is for the police.
Road Workers: Deaths and Injuries
Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many workers repairing minor country roads have been injured or killed whilst carrying out their work in the past five years.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested is not available. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2005-01-19a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2005",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Baroness Amos: Each Northern Ireland department decides whether to charge for Freedom of Information requests on a case by case basis. The Department for Constitutional Affairs has produced guidance on when charging would be appropriate in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and dhe Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. The guidance is available at the following address www.foi.gov.uk/feesguide.htm and additional guidance produced by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister has been placed in the Library.
Baroness Amos: The PSNI have informed me that statistics about road traffic collisions are collated using roundabouts and defined junctions as dividing points, and that it would involve disproportionate cost to split the data in the way requested. However, statistics are available for the number of collisions between Sprucefield roundabout and the Carnbane Roundabout at the north side of Newry City. The figures are set out in the table below and cover the period from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2004.
Numbers
Number of injury collisions 160
Number of persons killed 15
Number of persons seriously injured 46
Number of persons slightly injured 258
Baroness Amos: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the noble Lord in response to this question.
Letter from Dr Malcolm McKibbin to Lord Laird dated 18 March 2005.
You recently asked Her Majesty's Government what figures they have on the volume of traffic using the A1 road in Northern Ireland on the sections (a) between Sprucefield and Loughbrickland; and (b) between Loughbrickland and the land border with the Irish Republic, in each of the past five years [HL1735]. I have been asked to reply as the issue raised falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
Roads Service carries out continuous traffic counting at five sites on the A1 between Sprucefield and Loughbrickland and at six sites between Loughbrickland and the land border. The available data on the average volume of vehicles per day recorded in each of the past five years is shown in the table below.
A1-Sprucefield to Loughbrickland
Location Year
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Sprucefield-Hillsborough n/a 31,090 33,450 34,790 33,980
Lisburn-Hillsborough n/a 31,090 33,450 34,790 33,980
Hillsborough Bypass n/a n/a n/a n/a 27,420
Dromore-Banbridge 21,220 21,120 22,530 23,510 23,720
Banbridge Bypass 16,610 16,960 16,240 17,810 17,730
A1-Loughbrickland to the border Location
Loughbrickland-Newry 16,550 16,940 16,870 17,110 17,980
Newry Bypass Stage I 15,010 16,600 15,040 16,690 17,670
Newry Bypass Stage II n/a 20,860 20,440 22,440 23,210
Newry Bypass Stage III 13,210 14,570 13,640 15,230 15,710
Dublin Road, Newry 17,620 19,320 18,290 19,080 19,680
Newry-Border 18050 18,990 17,720 18,000 17,600
I trust this is helpful.
Baroness Amos: Further to my Written Answer of 7 September 2004 (WA 105), I can confirm that:
(a) Aside from the grant of £250,000 which I informed the noble Lord about in my previous Answer, no further funding was made available to the Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NIACRO) for the purchase of property before December 2004; and
(b) The property in question is nearing completion and the organisation is making arrangements to move its operations into the new building on or around 1 April 2005.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office encourages all British nationals entering Iraq to register their details with the British Embassy in Baghdad. There are currently 736 British nationals registered, the majority of which are in and around Baghdad.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Although Northern Ireland does not have council tax, similar arrangements will be introduced for ratepayers in Northern Ireland. Households in Northern Ireland with someone aged 65 and over who is not in receipt of the guarantee credit element of pension-credit will receive the £200 payment announced in Budget 2005. Similarly households with someone aged over 70 who is in receipt of the guarantee element of pension credit will receive the £50 payment announced at the 2004 Pre-Budget Report
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: As stated in my previous Written Answers, there are no consolidated figures available for applied construction research across government. The DTI is, however, the largest sponsor of applied research.
The DTI's innovation report and business support review recommended its research competitions are no longer linked to individual sectors such as construction, but focus the funds we have available on supporting industry led technological development in areas with clear market focus and delivering broader public benefits.
It is too early to say what level of support the construction industry will be able to obtain, and how this will compare to the previous levels of funding available to the sector.
Expected Spend Forecast:
(a) Research underpinning Building Regulations
2004–05 £5.2 million
2005–06 £6.2 million
(b) Other applied Construction Research (current commitments only)
2004–05 £5.5 million
2005–06 £3 million
In addition, funding of £3.4 million has been approved for projects with a direct construction relevance from the April 2004 competition. The funding year profiles for these projects have yet to be finalised.
The 2005–06 figures will be further augmented by projects successful in the proposed November 2005 and spring 2006 technology competitions. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2005-03-24a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2005",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Advice
Baroness Thomas of Winchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of the extent of the unmet need for independent advice in the United Kingdom; and whether they anticipate that this need will grow over the next five years.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Our understanding of people's need for independent advice draws on several areas of research. In 2006, the Legal Services Research Centre, the independent research arm of the Legal Services Commission (LSC), published the second edition of Causes of Action: Civil Law and Social Justice, which was the most in-depth study ever made of client experiences of civil law, including of the availability and value of advice . The study was funded by the LSC and the then Department for Constitutional Affairs, and followed on from earlier studies. A copy is available in the House Library.
The Government believe that although the successful application of their policies has acted to address the need for some types of advice, substantial need remains. Causes of Action demonstrates that people experiencing a cluster of inter-related problems are at particular risk of social exclusion, and the LSC and other public bodies are developing their strategies for advice provision to tackle this issue.
The Public Legal Education and Support Task Force also considered how to help people recognise when they may need support, what sort of advice is available, and how to go about getting it. The task force published its report Developing Capable Citizens: the Role of Public Legal Education in July 2007. A copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Airports: Heathrow
Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions the Department for Transport has had with BAA since September 2006 in connection with its work on the project for the sustainable development of Heathrow; and whether the Government and the authority have met for this purpose; and
Whether they will include BAA in the list of consultees in the forthcoming consultation on the project for the sustainable development of Heathrow.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Our programme of work since the 2003 air transport White Paper to assess the prospects for further development at Heathrow has been carried out with the involvement of BAA and other key parties, as was explicitly proposed at the time of the White Paper. The Department for Transport has led this work and has continued to draw on the airport operator's technical and operational expertise in regular meetings over the period.
As interested parties BAA will be included in the list of consultees and have the opportunity to respond to the consultation. That the consultation could not have been prepared without appropriate input from BAA should not deprive it of the opportunity to comment on the Government's findings.
Broadcasting: Allocation of Spectrum
Baroness Howe of Idlicote: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will take steps to ensure that charities, educational bodies and other socially valuable organisations will be able to secure spectrum in the auction proposed by Ofcom to allocate spectrum released under the Digital Dividend Review.
Lord Davies of Oldham: Spectrum management is a matter for Ofcom, subject to power of direction from Ministers. The Government have a clear policy of using market mechanisms to allocate spectrum as this is the best way of identifying the most valuable use to which it can be put, and Ofcom's proposal to auction the Digital Dividend spectrum accords with this. If a use of spectrum is deemed to have particularly high social value, it is in principle a matter for relevant stakeholders and their funding bodies to raise the necessary funds in order to access spectrum, if this is what they believe to be the best use of their resources.
The threshold for government intervention in order to secure spectrum for any potential use is extremely high, as it would preclude other, potentially more valuable users from gaining access to valuable capacity.
Broadcasting: Allocation of Spectrum
Baroness Howe of Idlicote: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that proper parliamentary consideration is given before spectrum is sold or allocated by Ofcom as part of the Digital Dividend Review.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The allocation of the spectrum released by digital switchover is a matter for Ofcom, subject to the power of direction from Ministers. There are no current plans for a parliamentary debate on this issue. However, the Government welcome Ofcom's engagement with all interested parties, including honourable Members, throughout the consultation process for the Digital Dividend Review, and expect that this will continue until the publication of Ofcom's statement on this consultation.
Broadcasting: Social Value
Baroness Howe of Idlicote: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to ensure that socially valuable broadcasting content remains freely available across a wide range of channels after the transition to digital broadcasting.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government recognise the social value of diverse high-quality broadcasting as is delivered through the public service broadcasting system. Sustaining plurality of public service broadcasting provision will be a key consideration of the Government's review of funding for PSB beyond the BBC, which will commence once the conclusions of Ofcom's current PSB review are available.
Buses
Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any mechanism exists which could oblige property developers to provide compensation for the physical inconvenience caused to bus travellers when bus stops are suspended for extended periods in order to facilitate commercial redevelopment.
Baroness Andrews: There is no mechanism within the planning system through which compensation could be provided to bus travellers inconvenienced by the suspension of bus stops. However, we would expect the highway authority and bus operator to liaise with each other over the suspension of any bus stop. Some local authorities operate voluntary considerate contractor schemes to encourage building contractors to carry out their activities with due regard to pedestrians and other road users.
Elections: Registration
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, by asking the Electoral Commission to consider the matter or otherwise, they are considering changes to the arrangements for electoral registration in order to avoid potential problems of disenfranchisement of electors in parliamentary elections that may be called in autumn and winter before the coming into operation of the new electoral registers following the annual canvass.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In July 2007, the Electoral Commission issued guidance to electoral registration officers about the 2007 annual canvass in which they recommended procedures to be followed should any type of election be called during this period, to ensure that all eligible electors are registered to vote. This guidance combined with the fact that eligible electors can now personally choose to register up to 11 days before polling day provides opportunities for all electors whose details have changed to be effectively registered. The Government are discussing with stakeholders whether it is necessary to simplify the administrative process of registering electors in the event of any election being called during the annual canvass period and before publication of the revised electoral register on 1 December each year.
Energy: Renewables
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the 20 per cent renewables target agreed with the Council of Europe in March should be taken as the target for domestic energy supply by 2020 as well as an overall European Union target.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: No. EU Heads of Government agreed unanimously in March that differentiated national overall targets should be derived with member states' full involvement, with due regard to a fair and adequate allocation taking account of different national starting points and potentials, including the existing levels of renewable energies and energy mix.
Energy: Sewage
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What new steps they will take to promote the use of new technologies for producing energy and fuel from sewage treatment separation and processing, including sludge conversion, hydrogen output and microbial fuel cells in inorganic residues.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is supporting three principal research activities within UK universities on the production of energy from human sewage treatment.
The Biological Fuel Cells consortium is directly investigating the use of sewage sludge for electricity generation. The project is studying the use of bacteria found in waste and the optimisation of the system through new synthetic enzymes and novel electrode technology.
The UK Sustainable Hydrogen Economy Consortium is investigating the development and optimisation of the biological generation of sustainable hydrogen by dark fermentation of biomass. This work is concerned with sewage as one of a range of waste materials as a hydrogen source.
The Intensified Integrated Bio-Refinery project is a consortium of five universities funded as part of the EPSRC Green Chemistry initiative. In this project, biomass waste such as sewage sludge is converted directly to bioethanol via gasification, producing (together with waste gases) hydrogen and syngas which, after cleaning, can be used as chemical building blocks of larger molecules such as ammonia, ethanol and methanol. Alternatively, syngas can be used as a fuel for internal combustion engine or fuel cells to generate electricity.
Electricity generation from sewage is also eligible for support under the renewables obligation (RO). The Government have consulted on proposals to reform the RO and are considering how best to allocate support to different technologies in light of consultation with all interested groups, including those planning to produce energy from sewage. Details of the obligation and the recent consultation can be found at www.berr.gov.uk/consultations/page13960.html.
Energy: Thermal Cells
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What evaluation they have made of the use of thermal-energy cells in power generation for domestic use.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: We are aware of one company (Ecowatts) which works on "thermal-energy cells". However, it is not the role of government to validate claims from individuals or companies. At the request of the company "Ecowatts", officials from the then DTI's energy group met with them to discuss potential sources of funding for the device developed by the company. It was explained that two government-funded programmes were potentially available:
the DTI's technology programme which offered support for pre-commercial, collaborative research and development projects; andthe DTI's hydrogen, fuel cell, carbon abatement technology programme (HFCCAT) which offered support for technology demonstrations.
Energy: Thermal Cells
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What contact they have had with Ecowatts of Lancing, West Sussex, on the development of thermal-energy cells.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: At the request of the company, officials from the then DTI's energy group met with company representatives last year.
Energy: Thermal Cells
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What contact they have had with the University of York on their research into the technology used in thermal-energy cell power generation.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: None.
EU: Regional Funding
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the European Commission is considering fining the United Kingdom or reclaiming or withdrawing grant in relation to schemes in the North West of England; if so, from which budgets such penalties will be provided; and which schemes will not be funded as a result.
Baroness Andrews: The Commission has indicated that it may impose a financial correction on the North West Objective 2 programme. We are carrying out further work to reassure the Commission as a matter of urgency and to seek to minimise any potential correction before a final decision is taken.
Any potential correction is likely to be deducted from claims already made to the EC and as such would ultimately come from CLG resources. Her Majesty's Government have a contingent liability in place for £62 million in the current year. We will continue to reimburse projects for all eligible expenditure.
Families
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have considered or will consider encouraging a limit to the size of families by the use of incentives.
Lord Davies of Oldham: No. The Government's support for families is based on help for all families, recognising the costs of bringing up children, with more for those who need it most. Financial support for families with children is delivered primarily through child benefit and child tax credits, and is paid in respect of each child.
Government: Regional Assemblies
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their timetable for the abolition of the English regional assemblies.
Baroness Andrews: I refer the noble Lord to the Statement made by my honourable friend the Minister for Local Government on 17 July, (Official Report, col. 161-162) announcing the publication of the review of sub-national economic development and regeneration. The review sets out the Government's proposals for the future of regional institutions including regional assemblies. The Government will consult further later this year on how to implement these reforms.
Government: Regional Bodies
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much each regional assembly spends annually on internal administration; and what is this figure expressed as a total of the annual budget of each assembly.
Baroness Andrews: Information on regional assemblies' administration budgets is not held centrally.
Total Communities and Local Government grant to regional assemblies in 2007-08 is tabled below.
Regional Chambers Fund 2007-08
Regional Assembly Total CLG funding—£'s
North East 2,072,653
North West 3,045,456
Yorkshire and the Humber 2,338,968
West Midlands 2,517,502
East Midlands 2,506,998
East 2,469,407
South East 3,771,142
South West 2,470,164
English Regions Network 244,000
Total £21,436,290
Government: Regional Offices
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which central government departments are represented in each Government Office in each English region; and what is the approved staffing establishment in each regional office (a) from each central government department, and (b) at regional office level not part of a central departmental establishment.
Baroness Andrews: The Government Office Network is sponsored by and represents 11 government departments in the English regions. These are: Department for Communities and Local Government; Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform; Home Office; Ministry of Justice; Department for Children, Schools and Families; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Work and Pensions; Department for Transport; Cabinet Office; Department for Culture Media and Sport; and the Department of Health.
There is no set staffing establishment by department or by Government Office. Staffing is the responsibility of the regional director in consultation with stakeholders to determine the most effective staffing to deliver the outcomes required by the departments. However, the following provides details of staffing by GO and in total for the network as at the end of September 2007.
Headcount Full-time Equivalent
GO East 202 196.1
GO East Midlands 205 200.2
GO London 253 246.9
GO North East 242 232.9
GO North West 272 262.7
GO South East 269 252.1
GO South West 260 244
GO West Midlands 248 237.2
GO Yorkshire and Humber 228 216.3
Total 2,179 2,088.4
Housing: Flood Plains
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to ensure appropriate methods of construction and infrastructure are used during development of new housing in areas prone to flooding; and what co-ordination is taking place with the insurance industry.
Baroness Andrews: The initial stage of protecting development of new housing in areas prone to flooding is through the planning system and requires that planning applications are supported by a flood risk assessment. This assessment will need to show that the development is safe; that it does not increase flood risk elsewhere; and where possible that it reduces flood risk overall.
Where the planning process determines that it is reasonable for the development to proceed there may be a case for using modified forms of construction to mitigate the effects of flooding. Information on this type of construction was published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in May this year.
Infrastructure, particularly electrical substations, is classed as essential infrastructure in planning guidance; this is a key factor in developing risk assessments. At a local level drainage systems should also not increase the flood risk to the buildings they serve.
Sir Michael Pitt is currently investigating the effects of the summer floods and any lessons that emerge from that review will be carefully considered and responded to appropriately. This will include consideration of the need to review building regulations to take greater account of flood risk.
We continue to have constructive discussions with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) at both ministerial and official level to understand and monitor how the insurance industry is dealing with policyholders who have been hit by the floods. Ministers from Communities and Local Government, Treasury, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform most recently met representatives from the ABI on 2 October to discuss recovery from the summer floods. A task group of officials from across the Government and a representative of the ABI meet regularly to address issues relating to the industry's role in the flood recovery process.
Housing: London Gateway
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What amount of funding they are planning for the London Gateway housing developments over the next five years.
Baroness Andrews: Following the recent announcement of the Comprehensive Spending Review, consideration is being given to the precise allocation for the Thames Gateway. We aim to make an announcement shortly.
Isle of Man: Revenue
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 1 October (WA 253), what is the background to the £260,000 paid to the Government of the Isle of Man in 2003 in respect of 26 Far East prisoners of war; and what other examples there are of such repayment.
Lord Davies of Oldham: On 7 November 2000, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence announced a single ex gratia payment of £10,000 to each of the surviving members of the British groups who were held prisoner by the Japanese during the Second World War, in recognition of the unique circumstances of their captivity. There are no other such examples under the contribution agreement in place since 1994.
Isle of Man: Revenue
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 1 October (WA 253) concerning contributions from the Government of the Isle of Man, how the annual voluntary contributions are calculated; and by whom.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The amount is calculated under the terms of the Isle of Man Contribution Agreement 1994. It is initially calculated by the chief accountant of the Isle of Man Government Treasury department, and agreed with the UK.
Northern Ireland: Victims Commissioner
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the review by Peter Scott QC of the appointment of Bertha McDougall as interim victims commissioner for Northern Ireland, whether a copy of the review will be placed in the Library of the House; and whether an opportunity will be provided for a debate on the issue.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Copies of Mr Scott's report were placed in the Library when I made my Statement to this House on 25 July 2007 (Official Report, col. WS 79). There are no plans to hold a debate on the issue.
Post Offices: Closures
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will place in the Library of the House the terms and conditions, including levels of financial compensation, currently being offered by Post Office Limited to the postmasters of post offices identified for closure.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: The Government will fund the compensation to sub-postmasters who leave under Post Office Ltd's network change programme with a package worth up to 28 months' remuneration. The detailed terms and conditions are the subject of an agreement between Post Office Ltd and the National Federation of SubPostmasters and are commercially confidential.
Post Offices: Closures
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the six-week consultation period relating to each round of post office closures currently being conducted by Post Office Limited is long enough to allow suitable and adequate consultations in those communities affected.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: The early stages of the local process will involve detailed area plan development with input from Postwatch and the involvement of local authorities in advance of formal public consultation. We believe that this, together with the subsequent six weeks of public consultation, will enable sufficiently robust consultations to take place at a local area level while reducing uncertainty for customers and sub-postmasters.
Post Offices: Closures
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How the policy of post office closures currently being conducted by Post Office Limited is compatible with its stated goal of reducing both rural and urban exclusion.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: The Government are committed to maintaining a national network with national coverage. Following national consultation, we have introduced a range of criteria that guarantee a national level of access to post office services with additional safeguards for those in need, such as communities in rural and deprived urban areas.
In developing its proposals for post office closures and new outreach service points, Post Office Ltd will take into account the Government's access criteria and wider factors relating to accessibility of post office services.
Post Offices: Closures
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many shops, stores or other enterprises co-located with post offices they estimate will close due to the closures of the co-located post offices planned by Post Office Limited.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: It is impossible to say which co-located shops and other enterprises will close with the associated post office until the implementation of Post Office Ltd's area network change plans is completed. Post Office Ltd's local decisions will need to reflect the Government's aim of supporting a national network and comply with the access criteria requirements.
Pre-Budget Report
Lord Barnett: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What calculations, if any, have been made on the cost of public expenditure allocated to Scotland in the Pre-Budget Report, both in terms of population-based and needs-based cost.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The additions to the Scottish Executive departmental expenditure limit made in the Pre-Budget Report are set out in table D27 of the 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review (Cm 7227). The additions are based on the application of the population-based Barnett formula.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Jopling: asked the Leader of the House:
What action she has taken or intends to take with those departments responsible for answering the eight Questions for Written Answer, tabled in July, which remain unanswered on 11 October.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Departments have continued to work closely with my office to address the number of outstanding Questions for Written Answer and to ensure that they are answered promptly and accurately, wherever possible within the 14-day deadline.
All departments are aware of the importance of responding to Questions for Written Answer from Members of the House within this deadline and I will continue to ensure that Answers are provided in a timely fashion.
Railways: Traffic Management
Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 11 October (WA 24), whether the potential benefits of the European Rail Traffic Management System level 3 might in many instances be achieved by a combination of more efficient train planning, optimised signal spacing and improved driver training.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The key benefits of European Rail Traffic Management System level 3 are:
optimum capacity to speed profile for any train type or service combination; and lower cost, higher reliability and reduced exposure of trackside workers to risk.
These benefits cannot be achieved through alternative measures such as efficient train planning, optimised signal spacing and improved driver training. However, efficient train planning and improved driver training can deliver additional benefit irrespective of the type of signalling system.
Roads: Abnormal Load Bays
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How the Highways Agency ensures that all reasonable steps are taken by motorway service area operators to prevent or discourage ordinary lorries from parking in the abnormal load bay of motorway service areas.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Currently there is no policy requirement for motorway service area (MSA) operators to provide an abnormal load bay, although a number do. The Government will soon be consulting the public on roadside facilities policy, and included in that consultation will be consideration of the need for the provision of abnormal load bays at service areas.
However, MSA service areas are privately run operations and while they are required to comply with policy in order to secure signing from the motorway, it is for the operator to control the parking arrangements within the site. The Highways Agency has no direct powers of enforcement.
Roads: Pricing Schemes
Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their latest policy regarding road-user pricing as it affects (a) motor cars, and (b) lorries.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: There has been no change of policy. No decisions have been taken on national road pricing. The Government continue to explore the potential of road pricing to tackle congestion: first, by working with local authorities that are developing local road-pricing schemes as part of wider packages of measures to tackle local congestion problems; and, secondly, by working with industry to run demonstrations projects to look at systems and technology that are reliable and accurate and that safeguard privacy.
Roads: Recovery of Vehicles
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Department for Transport or the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions commissioned research from any Ministry of Defence research agency into vehicle recovery in advance of the Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2002; and, if so, what hourly cost was attributed to the closing of a motorway in the relevant report.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Defence Research Agency was commissioned to carry out an assessment of heavy vehicle recovery practice which was completed in 1996. The congestion effects of a full motorway closure were not considered, only that of a blocked lane. Congestion was modelled by a computer programme and the report states that the delay costs assumed a cost per vehicle hour of about £7.80.
Telecommunications: Charging
Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will draw the attention of the Office of Fair Trading to the charging by telecommunications companies with minimal notice or consultation of a payment fee on telephone bills not paid by direct debit plus a late payment fee on bills which are not settled within eight days of receipt of the bill by the customer.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: The independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), announced on 6 June that it would carry out a full review of communications providers' additional charges. Ofcom expects to announce the conclusions of its review in the autumn and progress may be monitored on its website www.ofcom.org.uk.
The review covers charges for non-direct debit payments as well as other additional charges including late payment, restoration of service and early termination fees. It also covers fixed and mobile operators and pay TV services. Ofcom is looking at the nature and level of charges levied by communications providers and how well signposted and transparent such charges are. It is investigating how far consumers are aware of additional charges, whether they are able and willing to shop around on the basis of core prices and additional charges rather than just core prices, and whether there are certain groups of consumers who are unable to do this and therefore may be disadvantaged.
On investigating this issue it became clear that it would be wrong to look at BT in isolation. More than 40 per cent of homes are provided with telephony services by operators other than BT, and the differentials for payment by non-direct debit range from no extra charge to £15 a quarter. Some providers provide no payment option other than direct debit.
Waste Management: WEEE Directive
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which waste collection authorities in England have set up arrangements to collect waste electrical and electronic equipment from domestic premises.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: All the English waste disposal authorities have registered their sites as part of the national waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) collection network. Those listed below have either already finalised or are in the process of finalising arrangements with producer compliance schemes for WEEE to be cleared.
Barnsley Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Bath and North East Somerset Norfolk
Bedfordshire North Lincolnshire
Bexley North London Waste Authority
Birmingham North Somerset
Blackburn with Darwen North Tyneside
Blackpool North Yorkshire
Bournemouth Northamptonshire
Bracknell Forest Northumberland
Bradford Nottingham
Brighton and Hove Nottinghamshire
Bristol Oxfordshire
Bromley Peterborough
Buckinghamshire Plymouth
Calderdale Poole
Cambridgeshire Portsmouth
Cheshire Reading
City of London Redcar and Cleveland
Cornwall Rotherham
Coventry Rutland
Croydon Sandwell
Cumbria Sheffield
Darlington Shropshire
Derby Slough
Derbyshire Somerset
Devon South Gloucestershire
Doncaster South Tyneside
Dorset Southampton
Dudley Southend-on-Sea
Durham Southwark
East London Waste Authority Staffordshire
East Riding of Yorkshire Stockton-on-Tees
East Sussex Stoke-on-Trent
Essex Suffolk
Gateshead Sunderland
Gloucestershire Surrey
Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority Sutton
Greenwich Swindon
Hampshire Telford and Wrekin
Hartlepool Thurrock
Hertfordshire Torbay
Isle of Wight Tower Hamlets
Kent Wakefield
Kingston-upon-Hull Walsall
Kingston-upon-Thames Warwickshire
Kirklees West Berkshire
Lancashire West London Waste Authority
Leeds West Sussex
Leicester Western Riverside Waste Authority
Leicestershire Westminster
Lewisham Wigan
Lincolnshire Wiltshire
Luton Windsor and Maidenhead
Medway Towns Wokingham Council
Merton Wolverhampton
Middlesbrough Worcestershire and Herefordshire
Milton Keynes York | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2007-10-24b | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2007",
"language": "en",
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Burma
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conditions are attached to the current provision of training for the Burmese army in regard to (1) the use of child soldiers, (2) sexual violence by the Burmese army, and (3) commitments by the Burmese army that it will lead to a transition to democratic, civilian oversight of the military in Burma.
Lord Astor of Hever: The Government pursues a policy of addressing the issues of child soldiers, sexual violence by the Burmese Army and the civilian control of the military with the Burmese Government at every appropriate opportunity. We continue to make it known that where serious crimes have been committed; those who have perpetrated them should be held accountable for their actions.
Our defence engagement in Burma is focussed on promoting adherence to the core principles of democratic accountability, international law and human rights. We have used initial discussions to encourage the Burmese military to step back from politics, address issues such as the use of child soldiers, and take firm and decisive action to tackle sexual violence in conflict areas.
We have communicated to the Burmese military that our engagement with them is subject to continuous review and satisfaction on the part of Her Majesty's Government of their continued willingness to reform.
Children: Sexual Abuse
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to protect children from sexual abuse.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Child sexual exploitation is an abhorrent form of child abuse no matter how, when or where it occurs, and the Coalition Government is absolutely committed to tackling it.
The Home Office has established a National Group to tackle Sexual Violence Against Children and Vulnerable People. This brings together Government Departments, agencies including the Crown Prosecution Service, the police and key organisations such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Rape Crisis and Barnardo's to better identify children who are at risk and to urgently address missed opportunities by agencies to protect the most vulnerable.
The National Group's first progress report and action plan was published in July 2013 and can be found at the link below. This plan contains specific activity undertaken and future actions to prevent child sexual abuse from taking place.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/230443/Sexual_Violence_against_Children_and_Vulnerable_ People.pdf
Climate Change
Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 8 November 2012 (WA 224–5) stating that “the temperature rise since about 1880 is statistically significant” and the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 21 January (WA 99) stating that the Government do not use “purely statistical models” to analyse global temperatures, whether they will reconsider the earlier assertion that the rise in global temperatures since 1880 is “statistically significant”.
Baroness Verma: With regards to the Written Answer I gave the Noble Lord on 8 November 2012 (Official Report, Column WA 224-5), I have nothing further to add beyond my previous answers on this subject.
Climate Change Act 2008
Lord Howell of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether carbon dioxide reduction targets specified in the Climate Change Act 2008 are conditional on other European Union countries adopting similar targets; and what is their response to the European Commission's decision to aim for different targets from those to which the United Kingdom is currently committed.
Baroness Verma: Under the Climate Change Act 2008, the UK is committed to reducing emissions by 80% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. Government considers this target to be aligned with the EU commitment to keep average global temperature rises below 2 degrees, by reducing EU greenhouse gas emission reductions by 80-95% on 1990 levels by 2050.
The Climate Change Act is not subject to any conditions on action by other countries.
Courts: Jurors
Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last reviewed the categories and levels of support and expenses provided to jurors; and how those amounts compare to the national minimum wage.
Lord Faulks: Juror allowance rates were last reviewed February 2013. The table of juror allowances can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/what-you-can-claim.
Jurors are reimbursed for expenses incurred and the amount of earnings that they actually lost, up to a daily maximum. This is set at £64.95 for the first 10 days, rising thereafter. A number of large employers continue to pay their jurors whilst on jury service.
The national minimum wage is currently set at £6.31 per hour. The daily maximum for the first ten days therefore represents more than ten hours’ work at the national minimum wage.
D-notice System
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will conduct a public consultation on the future of the D-notice system.
Lord Astor of Hever: The scope and conduct of a review into the future of the Defence Advisory Notice System has not yet been determined.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of adult stem cells generated by stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government has not made any assessment of the research recently described in Nature on the generation of adult stem cells by stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP).
The Medical Research Council (MRC) which is funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is one of the main agencies through which the Government support biomedical research. This novel technique is an exciting development offering great promise to the field. However, in order to establish which areas of stem cell research may deliver the most
effective treatments for particular conditions, the MRC's strategy is to support research on all types of stem cells to determine which routes should be pursued in the development of cell-based therapies.
Embryology: Animal Testing
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 23 January (WA 153–4), what other examples they can describe in which the use of non-human primates was abandoned in favour of mice as a preclinical model due to a proposed therapeutic intervention working in the latter but not in the former; what are the known sources of suffering experienced by non-human primates during pronuclear transfer; and to what extent they consider that human patients or their offspring might be expected to have similar experiences through the application of pronuclear transfer.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Any further information about the use of non-human primates being abandoned in favour of mice as a preclinical model is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Employment: Young People
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to help prepare young people for starting a career in the United Kingdom.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Recent changes to post-16 education make it easier for schools and colleges to offer students work experience. The introduction of 16-19 study programmes set clearer expectations on schools and colleges to arrange work experience.
Schools are legally required to secure independent careers guidance for pupils (12 to 18 year-olds), and that includes information on all education and training options. The Inspiration Vision published in September 2013 encourages employers and schools to work more closely together.
Energy: Biodiesel
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support the industry that makes biodiesel from used cooking oil.
Baroness Kramer: I refer the noble Lord to my answer of the 15 January [Official Report, column WA18]. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) post implementation review published in draft for consultation will consider the support provided for biofuels made from wastes, such as biodiesel made from used cooking oil.
That consultation closes on the 7th of February. We will be considering carefully the views offered in response before publishing a final review in the spring, and considering what, if any, changes are necessary to the RTFO to support the use of biofuels made from waste products.
Energy: Electricity
The Lord Bishop of Chester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what amount and proportion of the United Kingdom’s electricity requirement in 2013 was met by inputs through interconnectors with other countries; and how much electricity the United Kingdom exported during 2013.
Baroness Verma: The table below shows UK imports and exports of electricity, in GWh, January 2013 to September 2013. Data for 2013 as a whole will be available on 28th March 2014.
Imports and Exports in the UK for January-September 2013 in GWh
Imports 13,084
Exports 2,065
Net Imports 11,019
-as % of electricity supply 4.00%
Electricity Supplied 275,523
Source: Energy Trends table 5.2 available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-section-5-energy-trends
Energy: Paper and Online Bills
Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they propose that customers who receive paper energy bills should receive billing information twice annually when those who receive online bills should receive them quarterly.
Baroness Verma: The Government's proposals to regulate for minimum frequencies which consumers should receive billing information are part of the Government's proposals for implementing the Energy Efficiency Directive provisions on gas and electricity billing. Annex VII of the Directive states that 'billing information must be
provided to final customers at least twice a year, or at least quarterly at the customer's request or if they are billed electronically.'
In implementing this Directive, the Government is looking to make changes at the lowest cost to consumers, businesses and the industry. The Government's proposals are for minimum frequencies and suppliers are able to provide billing information more frequently.
The Government has set out its approach as part of a consultation on implementing the Energy Efficiency Directive provisions on gas and electricity billing:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/implementing-the-energy-efficiency-directive-provisions-on-gas-and-electrcity-billing
Energy: Prices
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will transfer the whole cost of green subsidies from energy customers to HM Treasury to reduce energy bills.
Baroness Verma: The Government conducted a review of green levies over the autumn and took action to reduce the impact of those levies on consumer bills — resulting in an average £50 reduction in household energy bills. Whilst the Government will continue to monitor the cost of consumer energy bills, it has no plans to change how the current incentives for low carbon investment are delivered. Maintaining this certainty is essential for ensuring the investor confidence that is needed to deliver a low-carbon economy.
EU: Directives
Lord Higgins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government approximately what percentage of European Union directives have been gold-plated on implementation in the United Kingdom.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: This information is not available. The Government is, however, taking steps to root out historic gold-plating from the UK statute book, as part of the Red Tape Challenge.
The Government has also introduced a scrutiny and challenge process to ensure Departments do not gold-plate or place unnecessary burdens on UK business when implementing new EU legislation. A review of draft legislation considered under these new rules over the 18 month period from July 2011 to December 2012 found no instances of additional burdens placed on business as a result of gold-plating. The review can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gold-plating-review-operation-of-the-transposition-principles-in-the-government-s-guiding-principles-for-eu-legislation.
Since then, there has only been one instance where additional burdens have been placed on business as a result of gold-plating. This was at minimal cost to business (some £1.35 million per annum and a one-off cost of £0.23m) and was in order to ensure greater protection for UK consumers.
Government Departments: Expenditure
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to publish their annual total expenditure, including both capital and current costs, on (1) military defence, and (2) conflict prevention, resolution and mediation.
Lord Deighton: Parliament requires each department to provide plans of their expenditure via the Supply Estimates process, and report their actual annual expenditure via their Annual Report and Accounts which are laid before Parliament each year. Through these processes, the Ministry of Defence publishes details of the government's military expenditure; and the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence publish details of expenditure on conflict prevention, resolution and mediation.
The Annual Accounts covering the Financial Year 2012-13 can be found by using the following links:
The Ministry of Defence: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/222874/MOD_AR13_clean.pdf
Foreign and Commonwealth Office:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210136/HC_32_v0_2.pdf
Department for International Development: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/208445/annual-report-accounts2013-13.pdf
Marine Environment: Dolphins, Whales and Porpoises
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further representations they will make to the government of Japan about the recent killing of wild dolphins in Taiji on Japan's Pacific coast and the issue of quotas for the killing of dolphins, whales and porpoises in its coastal waters.
Lord De Mauley: The UK has very recently made representation to the Government of Japan on these issues. On 24 January 2014, HM Ambassador to Japan wrote to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs to
reiterate the UK Government’s opposition to the hunting of small cetaceans and raised concerns over the welfare and sustainability issues surrounding such large-scale hunts. That letter also reiterated this Government’s opposition to the hunting of all cetaceans, other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined subsistence needs.
The Japanese Government is in no doubt as to the strength of feeling in the UK on these matters. The UK Government will continue to make its concerns regarding the hunting of small cetaceans, and our opposition to so called ‘scientific whaling’, known to Japan at every appropriate opportunity, including in the build up to, and at, the next IWC meeting in September 2014.
Minimum Wage
Lord Lea of Crondall: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the strategy adopted by HM Revenue and Customs in respect of prosecuting employers of agency workers who deduct commission from the minimum wage.
Lord Deighton: The Government takes the enforcement of national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforce the national minimum wage legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and has done so since the introduction of NMW in April 1999. It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW.
As part of its compliance strategy, HMRC has brought in dedicated compliance staff with experience of employment agencies, and these staff are being trained to operate in the NMW context. HMRC is currently drawing up a strategic approach and a suite of compliance interventions that will, in the most extreme cases, include prosecutions.
Railways: Diesel Units and Vehicles
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many diesel units and vehicles in use as part of the Northern rail franchise will be released by the currently-programmed schemes of electrification in the north of England; and on what dates they are expected to become available for redeployment to other services within the Northern franchise.
Baroness Kramer: Phase 2 of the electrification of the lines between Liverpool, Manchester and Wigan is under way with completion expected on time by Network
Rail. This will lead to a phased introduction of electric vehicles to replace diesel units over the coming years. It is for the railway industry to assess the most cost effective solutions. It is anticipated that a relatively small number of diesel trains could be released by December 2014 (or shortly thereafter) when the first electric trains become available for passenger service. By February 2016 (the end of the extended franchise) there could be in total a maximum of 14 diesel units becoming available. Northern Rail has submitted a proposal for this which is currently being reviewed by the Department for Transport.
Railways: Diesel Units and Vehicles
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many diesel units and vehicles in each relevant class in use as part of the Northern rail franchise will not meet the requirements for disabled passengers which come into force on 1 January 2020; and whether those vehicles will then still be available for use within that franchise.
Baroness Kramer: The law requires all rail vehicles to be accessible by 1 January 2020. Mandatory access standards have applied to all new trains built since 1998. For fleets built before that time, the Department has set out the level of accessibility that it expects if they are to remain in service after 2019. It is for the Rolling Stock Companies (Roscos) to decide whether to invest in life-extension works, having gauged the future demand for those vehicles. Work on a number of diesel – and electric – fleets currently with Northern has already been proposed as part of the current operator’s bid for an extension to its current franchise till February 2016. After that the next Franchisee will propose which type of vehicles it wants to operate to be compliant with requirements for disabled passengers.
Railways: Diesel Units and Vehicles
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the current shortfall in the number of diesel vehicles within the Northern franchise; and what are their estimates of the shortfall that will occur in each of the next five years.
Baroness Kramer: It is for the operator to manage their fleet capacity to match passenger demand. The Department for Transport has not received any notification from the operator of a shortfall in the number of diesels. For the new franchise (start February 2016), the bidders should base their fleet proposals on existing passenger numbers and anticipated future growth in passenger numbers.
Railways: InterCity Express Trains
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it will be possible to introduce the new InterCity Express Trains if the European Rail Traffic Management System is not commissioned by the planned date of their introduction.
Baroness Kramer: The Class 800 / 801 trains will be fitted with Automatic Train Protection and Train Protection and Warning systems which will allow them to be deployed on routes without European Rail Traffic Management System.
Railways: Northern Rail
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what requirements they will make in the extension of the Northern rail franchise for the new service between Manchester and Burnley, Accrington and Blackburn via the Todmorden curve.
Baroness Kramer: Lancashire County Council (LCC) will be funding this scheme for the first three years. They will be agreeing the passenger service levels with Northern Rail. Northern has submitted a proposal for a timetable to the specification of Lancashire County Council. LCC is currently reviewing this proposal and the associated costs.
Railways: Todmorden Curve
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the line will be open for the potential operation of the new rail service from Manchester to East Lancashire following the installation of the Todmorden curve and the refurbishment of Holme Tunnel; and when they expect the new service to commence.
Baroness Kramer: Network Rail is in the process of getting the infrastructure ready. They have not confirmed a date for full commissioning yet. Lancashire County Council will be funding the services and will be agreeing passenger service levels with Northern Rail and a start date for a full passenger service. With the introduction of the May 2014 timetable, Northern is planning to provide a third service each hour from Manchester Victoria to Todmorden. This will use the new track to turn back the trains at Todmorden.
Railways: Transport for London
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of the case for transferring further rail services to the Mayor of London and Transport for London.
Baroness Kramer: Following discussions with the Mayor of London the Secretary of State for Transport has agreed in principle to the transfer of West Anglia Inner suburban services to Transport for London. This will be subject to agreeing terms with Transport
for London. Although the Mayor had also sought the transfer of certain suburban Southeastern services, the operational complexity of that network precludes transfer at this time.
Royal Mail: Shares
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will be voting their shares in Royal Mail at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Royal Mail's Annual general Meeting (AGM) will normally be held in July each year.
The Government has a retained shareholding in Royal Mail, it has a vote at the AGM and will decide how to exercise that vote.
As set out in the Royal Mail Prospectus, the Secretary of State has confirmed to Royal Mail that he intends to manage HM Government’s shareholding in the company in a commercial manner within the context of protecting and creating value for the taxpayer as shareholder.
Schools: Academies
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria and governance arrangements are currently in place relating to decisions by the Department for Education to defer consideration of a local authority-controlled school’s application to convert to academy status; and how such criteria and governance arrangements have been applied in the case of the proposal by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to discontinue Sulivan Primary School.
Lord Nash: The application form completed by schools wishing to convert to academy status asks whether the school is part of any local authority reorganisation or closure plan and if so, for details. The Department for Education’s website also makes clear that schools should explain whether there are any exceptional circumstances that the Department should consider when assessing the school’s academy application. This information is then taken into account by the Department in reaching a decision about whether a school should convert to become an academy.
Sulivan Primary School’s application form made clear that it was part of plans by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham involving the closure of the school. In order not to cut across the statutory process for the closure of the school, which was well under way, the Department decided in November 2013 to defer a decision on the academy application until the local authority had made a final decision on its plans.
Schools: Academies
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 15 January (WA 29), whether, and when, they have issued, or plan to issue, guidelines concerning the criteria to be applied by local authorities when proposing to discontinue a school seeking to convert to academy status; and whether such guidance covers potential conflicts of interests faced by local authorities, officers and councillors that may have links with other educational institutions in competition with the school to be discontinued.
Lord Nash: Local authorities are under a statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places in their area. To help them meet this duty, they have the power to propose the closure of all categories of maintained schools. The Department for Education issues statutory guidance for local authorities and others on the statutory processes surrounding school closure. Specific guidance on deciding statutory proposals for school closure and the factors that decision makers should take into account in doing so, is contained in the “School Organisation Maintained Schools Annex B: Guidance for Decision-makers” document which is published on the Department’s website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-organisation-maintained-schools
A maintained school may seek to convert to academy status at any point during the statutory process which a local authority must follow in order to close it. The Department does not issue any guidance to local authorities about this. However, the Secretary of State takes into account local authority closure plans in deciding whether to approve an application to convert to academy status. A decision on an academy application would not normally be taken until after the local statutory process had concluded.
Schools: Defibrillators
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Ministers will meet representatives of the Oliver King Foundation to discuss the provision of schools and public buildings with defibrillators.
Lord Nash: The Department will consider invitations from organisations or individuals to discuss these and other educational matters.
Small and Medium-sized Businesses
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans, if any, they have to reduce the burdens placed on small and medium-sized companies by the Companies Act 2006.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Encouraging entrepreneurship and supporting small businesses are central parts of the Government’s growth strategy. In October 2013 we consulted on Red Tape Challenge proposals to improve and simplify the requirements for companies to file certain information with the Registrar of Companies to reduce burdens on business. The Government’s response will be published shortly.
In November, the Government introduced regulations reducing the financial reporting requirements for micro-entities. The new Accounting Directive will further reduce burdens.
Special Educational Needs: Code of Practice
Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 29 January (WA 238–9), why the definition of progress in chapter 6 of the Draft Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, in the section on identifying needs in schools, no longer includes improvement in self-help, social skills and personal skills.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 29 January (WA 238–9), whether relevant information from the Autism Act 2009 statutory guidance will be included in the final Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 29 January (WA 238–9), whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines on assessment and diagnosis of autism will be referenced in the final Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.
Lord Nash: Further to written answer WA 238-9, the Department for Education is in the process of revising the draft Code of Practice. Decisions about the content of the Code will be taken in light of developments during the passage of the Children and Families Bill and the responses to the consultation. Once this work is completed, a revised Code of Practice will be placed before both Houses of Parliament for approval.
Taxation
Lord Brabazon of Tara: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last ten years, what was (1) the starting threshold for the 40 per cent tax rate, (2) the percentage change year-on-year of the threshold for the 40 per cent tax rate, (3) the change in the retail prices index, and (4) the percentage of taxpayers paying the 40 per cent tax rate.
Lord Deighton: The information requested is in the table attached.
Income tax year 1) Higher Rate Threshold (HRT) 2) Year on year change in HRT 3) Retail Price Index (RPI) change in year to Sept 4) Percentage of taxpayers paying 40% tax rate
2004-05 36,145 2.9% 2.8% 11.0%
2005-06 37,295 3.2% 3.1% 11.5%
2006-07 38,335 2.8% 2.7% 11.9%
2007-08 39,825 3.9% 3.6% 11.9%
2008-09 (a) 40,835 2.5% 3.9% 11.8%
2009-10 43,875 7.4% 5.0% 10.4%
2010-11 43,875 0.0% -1.4% 10.4%
2011-12 (a) 42,475 -3.2% 4.6% 12.7%
2012-13 (a) 42,475 0.0% 5.6% 13.7%
2013-14(a) 41,450 -2.4% 2.6% 15.7%
The data is drawn from the following publications:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/*/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/it.htm
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/search/index.html?newquery=*&newoffset=0&pageSize=50&nscl =Retail+Prices+Index&nscl-orig=Retail+Prices+Index&content-type=Reference+table&content-type=Dataset&sortBy=pubdate&sortDirection= DESCENDING&applyFilters=true
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-1.pdf
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120609144700/*/http:/hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/liabilities-april2011.pdf
The numbers in column 4 are estimates based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) outturn for the year concerned. Footnote (a) indicates that these are the latest projected estimates in the absence of the SPI for that year and are subject to revision when the underlying SPI data becomes available.
The reductions in the Higher Rate Threshold since 2011-12 have been in conjunction with substantial increases in the personal allowance.
Taxation
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the impact on income tax receipts of raising the top rate of income tax on earnings over £150,000 from 45 per cent to 50 per cent.
Lord Deighton: The Government has made no estimate of the impact on income tax receipts of raising the top rate of income tax to 50 per cent.
The forecast Exchequer revenue effect of the change in the top rate of income tax from 50 pence to 45 pence is as follows:
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18
Exchequer Effect -£60m -£110m -£110m -£120m -£140m
The revenue effects detailed above are set out in the 2013 Budget document, available at;
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/221885/budget2013_complete.pdf
The HMRC report “The Exchequer effect of the 50 per cent additional rate of income tax” details the rationale for the rate change. The report is published and available at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/excheq-income-tax-2042.pdf.
This was recently endorsed by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Transforming Rehabilitation
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information has been given to probation staff to assist them with the sifting process prior to their assignment to either the National Probation Service or a community rehabilitation company under the Transforming Rehabilitation plans.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what appeal processes are in place should a member of probation staff disagree with their assignment to either the
National Probation Service or a community rehabilitation company under the Transforming Rehabilitation plans.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether probation staff can register a grievance against their assignment to either the National Probation Service or a community rehabilitation company under the Transforming Rehabilitation plans; and if so how many have been lodged to date.
Lord Faulks: Probation Trusts are now completing the allocation of staff to their new roles in either the National Probation Service (NPS) or a Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC). Every Trust is on track to do so by 1 April.
The National Framework on Staff Transfer and Protections, which we published on 13th November 2013, sets out the criteria to be used when allocating staff for posts in the NPS or CRCs and the grounds for appeal against assignment. Staff are able to appeal against their assignment in line with these criteria. Additionally, staff are able to raise a grievance with their Trust concerning any aspect of their employment. These grievances are handled locally by the Trust, and we do not keep records of the number of grievances centrally. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2014-02-05a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2014",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Alcohol: Labelling
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last had discussions with the food and drink manufacturing industries about adding information on calorie contents to the labels of alcoholic drinks; and what was the outcome of those discussions.
Earl Howe: The Government have not met the food manufacturing industry about adding information on calorie contents to the labels of alcoholic drinks.
The department last discussed the inclusion of calorie information on alcohol labels with the Portman Group early in March 2011. The Portman Group's guidelines on alcohol labelling refer (in paragraph 3.11) to the possibility that individual companies may wish to trial presentations of such information on labels.
Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the advantages of European Union accession to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) over the existing World Trade Organisation agreement at Doha.
Baroness Wilcox: Counterfeiting and the piracy of intellectual property rights (IPRs) are recognised as a problem that requires effective action on a global scale. Anti-counterfeiting and piracy measures are not part of the Doha negotiating mandate at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), but minimum standards of IPR enforcement are set out in the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS). The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) will assist the European Union in its efforts to combat IPR infringement by building on the minimum standards set out by TRIPS, establishing common enforcement standards and practices and greater international co-operation between the signatories.
Armed Forces: Atomic Test Veterans
Baroness Brinton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the audit commissioned by the Ministry of Defence into the health needs of atomic test veterans; what conclusions they have drawn from it; and what the next steps will be.
Lord De Mauley: Officials have received a draft of the health needs audit report, which has been produced by Miles & Green Associates. It is intended that a meeting will be held shortly with Miles & Green and the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association to present the final report. We hope to be able to publish the health needs audit report later this year.
Armed Forces: Medals
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 19 July (WA 265), whether they have any plans to follow the Government of Australia in setting up an independent tribunal to review past military awards.
Lord De Mauley: No. There are no plans to replicate Australia's Defence Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal.
Armed Forces: Medals
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there has been any progress on the issuance of the Arctic Star for those merchant seamen who saw service in the Arctic in the Second World War.
Lord De Mauley: As part of the ongoing review of the rules governing the award of medals, consideration is being given to the campaign seeking further recognition for those who served as part of the Arctic convoys. It would be wrong for me to prejudge the final outcome of the review, and I await its final conclusions.
Armed Forces: Nuclear Tests
Baroness Brinton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what scientific research the Ministry of Defence has funded on the effects of ionising radiation.
Lord De Mauley: The Ministry of Defence places a large number of research contracts on a variety of issues, including the effects of ionising radiation. This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: RAF Reserves
Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether qualified former members of the Royal Air Force, who are fit and healthy but have HIV, are able to join the RAF Reserves.
Lord Astor of Hever: Applicants for both the RAF and Royal Auxiliary Air Force with HIV are declined, as it is a known condition that might develop and render them unable to perform their duties and places limitations on their deployability, regardless of previous service. However, personnel with HIV who have left the RAF and have a reserve liability may be called up to serve in particular roles, as required, provided that their health permits, but could not be deployed to forward operations.
Armed Forces: Rowland Study
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Rowland study of nuclear test veterans from the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Lord Astor of Hever: Dr Rowland's study of nuclear test veterans from the Royal New Zealand Navy made a number of interesting observations. However, the study was small and the findings have not been replicated. Many causes of the type of genetic change Dr Rowland suggested have been identified, notably ageing and lifestyle issues such as smoking. The observed generic change does not indicate or predict disease, and the study itself confirms that it was not designed to make any comment on clinical outcomes.
Armed Forces: Suicide
Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the suicide rate in the Armed Forces compared to the civilian population.
Lord Astor of Hever: In order to make this comparison, a Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR) has been calculated. An SMR compares the number of suicides in the Armed Forces to the number of civilian suicides by standardising the Armed Forces population. The SMR is then used to assess the "risk" of death for a sub-population, in this case the Armed Forces.
As part of the calculation, the civilian population is set to a value of 100. A ratio greater than 100 would indicate higher suicide rate in the UK Armed Forces than the comparable UK civilian population. Likewise, an SMR value less than 100 would indicate that the suicide rate in the UK Armed Forces is lower than the corresponding group in the UK civilian population. An SMR value of 55 would mean that the UK Armed Forces were at a 45 per cent decreased risk of suicide.
The following table lists the number of suicides recorded in the Armed Forces in the last 10 years and the corresponding SMR.
Year Number Standard Mortality Ratio
2001 16 37.2
2002 15 34.8
2003 25 60.8
2004 20 51.5
2005 22 63.3
2006 11 29.8
2007 10 30.8
2008 9 26.7
2009 10 30.0
2010 5 14.9
These figures indicate that, in all years, the Armed Forces were at a significantly decreased risk of suicide compared to the civilian population.
Bank of England: Financial Policy Committee
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 13 July (WA 174-5), whether the independent members of the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee (FPC) are not permitted to commission advice from sources outside the Bank or whether requests to acquire such advice require the prior agreement of the Governor; and whether a budget has been set for the cost of providing advice to independent members of the FPC from the Bank's staff.
Lord Sassoon: The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) does not have a dedicated budget for external research. However, the committee is supported by Bank of England staff who are available to undertake research and provide advice, as required by independent members of the committee. A secretariat has been set up specifically to support the committee, including its independent members, with a budget of 6.5 full-time equivalent staff.
Independent members of the Financial Policy Committee may carry out their own research and consider research from any external source. Financial Services Authority staff also play a key role in briefing FPC members and implementing policy actions on behalf of the FPC.
Bank of England: Financial Policy Committee
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Bank of England's current Financial Policy Committee (FPC) can require the Financial Services Authority to disclose information about regulatory entities to support the work of the Committee; and whether such requirements can be issued by the FPC and its independent members or must be issued by the Bank of England.
Lord Sassoon: The interim Financial Policy Committee operates on a non-statutory basis, and so currently has no statutory powers. The Government have published draft legislation that will establish a permanent Financial Policy Committee (FPC). The legislation will also replace the Financial Services Authority (FSA) with the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The Bank of England will have powers to require the PRA and FCA to gather specified information to support the FPC.
Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are monitoring the financial strength of United Kingdom regulated banks offering Sharia-compliant accounts with high annualised rates of return.
Lord Sassoon: Monitoring banks' financial strength is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA supervises and regulates banks incorporated in the UK which offer Sharia-compliant accounts in the same way as any other UK institution with a regulatory permission to accept deposits. These banks are required to comply with FSA rules covering capital, liquidity, complaints and other conduct of business matters and are subject to requirements to participate in the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). For deposit claims, the FSCS can pay up to f85,000 per person per firm in default where a deposit taker fails on or after 31 December 2010.
Banking: Bonuses
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they or the Financial Services Authority (FSA) are collecting data on the extent of bonus claw-backs carried out by United Kingdom banks; and, in particular, whether they or the FSA are aware of any claw-backs made in connection with the mis-selling of Payment Protection Insurance.
Lord Sassoon: Although the Financial Services Authority (FSA) does not collect data on clawed-back bonuses, banks are now required to disclose the aggregate amount of clawed-back bonuses in their annual pillar 3 risk disclosure, which is made available to the public. This is one of a number of remuneration disclosures that were incorporated into the pillar 3 framework under FSA rules from 1 January 2011, implementing the requirements of the capital requirements directive. In line with this disclosure regime, banks' annual reports and pillar 3 disclosures for the 2010-11 financial year do not make reference to claw-backs in relation to payment protection insurance mis-selling.
Belfast Agreement
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 4 July (WA 3) concerning the human rights of British citizens living in the Republic of Ireland, why they indicated that the human rights of British citizens have improved since the Belfast Agreement of 1998.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by the noble Lord, Lord Shutt of Greetland, on 4 July, Official Report, col. WA3.
Benefits
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for an old age pensioner, what are the (a) living allowances per week, (b) living allowance per week for a spouse, and (c) weekly hardship allowance.
Lord Freud: The full basic state pension is currently £102.15 per week. A pension of up to £61.20 per week can be paid for a spouse or civil partner depending on, for example, the age of the spouse or civil partner and any entitlement to pensions they may have in their own right.
The hardship allowance is not a weekly payment. If a person is in hardship because of non-payment of an income, that person may qualify for help from the social fund. Amounts paid by the social fund will vary according to circumstance. Many pensioners also receive additional state pension and/or a workplace pension. Occupational and private pension contributions are given generous tax privileges by the Government.
Some pensioners may also qualify for pension credit, which can top up income to £137.35 a week (£7,142.20 a year) for single pensioners and £209.70 a week (£10,904.40 a year) for couples. These amounts may be higher if pensioners are disabled, have caring responsibilities or certain housing costs such as mortgage interest payments. Many pensioners also receive help with housing benefit and council tax benefit.
The amounts above are exclusive of the annual worth of other pensioner benefits such as, free off-peak bus travel, free eye tests and prescriptions and from the age of 75, the free television licence scheme.
Benefits
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what would be the impact on the numbers affected by the proposed overall benefits cap if (a) carer's allowance, and (b) financial help with childcare costs, were not included in the calculation of the cap.
Lord Freud: The information requested is not available as sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results for those who are receiving carer's allowance, and/or financial help with childcare costs and are subject to the overall benefit cap.
Benefits
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to Macmillan Cancer Support's estimate that their proposals to limit contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) to 12 months will result in 7,000 cancer patients losing up to £94 per week in benefits, and that those whose partners earn £7,500 or more a year could lose their ESA altogether.
Lord Freud: The department has carefully considered the position of people with a range of serious and life threatening illnesses-including cancer-in relation to the benefit system. We do not aim to reduce the levels of support for the most severely ill or disabled people but it is clearly important that we ensure it is well targeted, is fair to those on low pay and that the right money goes to the right people.
Following an internal review we have recently made changes to the work capability assessment (WCA) so that more individuals undergoing certain chemotherapy treatments will automatically be placed in the support group without the need for an assessment. Those in the support group, including many cancer patients, will not be affected by the time-limiting measure.
People will still be able to claim income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) subject to meeting the conditions of entitlement. Access to income-related ESA is not affected by this measure. This measure will not leave people destitute-only those who have alternative resources will not qualify for income-related ESA. Typically they would have a partner in full-time work or have savings in excess of £16,000 in order not to qualify for income-related ESA.
Dependent on individual circumstances, a person may be able to claim a number of benefits, for example housing benefit, council tax benefit, pension credit and tax credits. Additionally, those who do not qualify for income-related ESA will still be able to claim ESA on a "credits only" basis so that they can maintain their national insurance contribution record.
A claimant will also retain any entitlement to disability living allowance, provided they continue to meet the qualifying conditions. Not all those affected with cancer will be financially worse off as a result of this measure as some will be fully or partially compensated by income-related ESA.
Additionally, Professor Harrington, as part of his second independent review, asked Macmillan Cancer Support to look in detail at how the WCA assesses people with cancer and to provide him with recommendations for further improvements. We have recently received these recommendations from Professor Harrington. We are considering them carefully to understand whether they will improve the assessment further for individuals with cancer. We will come forward with any proposals shortly.
We are determined that the social security system should support people who are diagnosed with cancer in the most sensitive, fair and appropriate way and have been working with Macmillan Cancer Support and others to achieve this.
Churchill Medical Centre
Baroness Thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Churchill Medical Centre has deregistered 48 patients from a local care home, some with dementia and others severely mentally disabled.
Earl Howe: I am informed that the Churchill Medical Centre gave notice on 22 June of its intention to deregister 48 residents of Kingston Care Home due to the resources required to support those patients. The National Health Service has a responsibility to ensure that all patients get the support they need and I understand that NHS Kingston has worked to ensure that all the patients affected by the centre's decision have been registered with other general practitioners' practices in the local area.
Companies House: Fraud
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to ensure that Companies House is provided with legal powers to verify the accuracy of information submitted by companies, with a view to preventing fraud.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government currently have no plans to change Companies House's legal powers to verify the accuracy of information submitted by companies.
Consular Death Certificates
Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many consular death certificates in respect of United Kingdom citizens dying abroad were (a) applied for, and (b) granted over the past three years.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Consular death registration is not a mandatory requirement, and an application for registration as well as certified copies of the entry in the form of certificates can be made at any time after the event either from the Post who registered the death or from the respective General Register Office in the UK.
The number of consular death registrations undertaken in the years requested are as follows:
2010: 510
2009: 537
2008: 511
We do not hold records of how many certificates were issued.
Consular death registration can only be undertaken if requested and the deceased held British nationality at the time of death. Therefore we do not grant applications.
Copyright
Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence was considered in the preparation of Supporting Document EE attached to the Government's response to the Hargreaves report on copyright, Economic Impact of Recommendations; and whether they will publish their evidence.
Baroness Wilcox: The evidence used to prepare Supporting Document EE, Economic Impact of Recommendations, was published alongside the Hargreaves review of IP and growth. The methodology used to assess the economic impact of the recommendations is contained within Supporting Document EE in the 64-point reference lists and the data was published alongside the Hargreaves review in Supporting Document FF.
Coroners' Inquests
Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many coroners' inquests have been held over the past three years under the provisions of Section 15 of the Coroners Act 1988.
Lord McNally: The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the completion of inquests directed by the Secretary of State for Justice in the absence of a body under Section 15 of the Coroners Act 1988. However, between 1 January 2008 and 14 September 2011 the Secretary of State made 47 such directions, and we believe that the majority of the directed inquests will have been held.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 9 March 2009 (WA 204-05), from what point is an entity created by nuclear transfer considered to be either a human embryo or an admixed embryo subject to regulation according to Sections 1(1)(a) and 4A(6)(a) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended); whether the viability of embryos created by nuclear transfer is a prerequisite to their definition as embryos under the Act, and if so, how this is established; and what criteria the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority applies when assessing whether an entity is an embryo subject to regulation.
Earl Howe: The meaning of an embryo is set out in Section 1(1) and a human admixed embryo in Section 4A(6) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it has nothing further to add, by way of interpretation, to the definitions contained in the Act or to the Written Answer provided by Lord Darzi of Denham on 9 March 2009, Official Report, column WA 204-05.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision is made by UK DonorLink to assist people born before August 1991 in tracing their biological parents and half siblings; and whether public expenditure cuts will affect this service.
Earl Howe: The department has provided grants to After Adoption Yorkshire to run the UK DonorLink voluntary contact register for pre-1991 donor-conceived people and their donors since 2004. In the current economic climate, the department has to weigh carefully the pressures on and priorities for its funding against the value of the service that UK DonorLink provides.
The department agreed to provide a grant of £60,000 in 2011-12 to support the running of UK DonorLink on the basis that After Adoption Yorkshire would develop, in-year, a transition to operating the service on a self-sustaining basis. The department is disappointed that After Adoption Yorkshire declared in August that it has been unable to move the UK DonorLink service to that self-sustaining status.
The department will be considering other options over the next few months for running a voluntary contact register. In the mean time, the department has offered a further grant to After Adoption Yorkshire, until the end of March 2012, to support the UK DonorLink service while this consideration takes place.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the number of mistakes in IVF treatment has more than trebled in the United Kingdom over the past three years; and how many human embryos have been lost as a result of those mistakes.
Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it holds data only on the number of incidents and near misses reported to the authority by licensed centres. This does not represent the number of perceived mistakes in in vitro fertilisation treatment.
The HFEA has also advised that the number of reported incidents and near misses is included in its annual reports. The total number of reported incidents and near misses has increased over the years. However, the number of more serious grade A and B incidents has fallen during the last two financial years.
The HFEA encourages licensed centres to recognise and report when incidents occur and believes that an increase in the number of reported incidents reflects an increased willingness by centres to recognise and share learning from these.
The HFEA incident reporting system, which focuses on causal analysis and lessons to be learnt, is not designed to account for the number of embryos that might have been affected by reported incidents.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 23 June 2010 (WA 182-3) regarding the use of human oocytes in research projects, whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority permitted the use under research licence R0122 of a primary oocyte from a patient treated between 23 and 27 September 2004 who had seemingly refused consent to participate in this project; and how the patient information and consent forms for research licence R0122 described to patients how their oocytes would be used in this project.
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Thornton on 19 January 2010 (WA 225) and by Earl Howe on 23 June 2010 (WA 182-83), when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) authorised the creation of embryos under research licence R0122; what was the intended use of any embryos under this licence; how the use of embryos might have been deemed to be necessary or desirable if eggs could have been used for the same purposes; and under what circumstances a centre would be expected to report details to the HFEA of research involving hundreds of eggs but no embryos.
Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it has nothing further to add to the Written Answer I gave on 23 June 2010 (Official Report, col. WA 182-83). The HFEA has also advised that if a patient were to report to the authority such a case as described by the noble Lord, the matter would be investigated in accordance with its complaints procedure.
The HFEA has advised that research approved by its Licence Committee is, on each occasion, considered against the criteria prescribed in Paragraph 3A of Schedule 2 to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended. The HFEA is not in a position to add to that consideration.
The HFEA's statutory responsibility with regard to research is also set out in the Act. The HFEA has advised that as this covers only the use of human embryos in research, in no circumstance would a centre be expected to report to the authority research that did not involve human embryos.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 5 July 2010 (WA 12), regarding concerns raised by one of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's peer reviewers, why the total number of embryos destroyed under research licence R0152 appears to exceed that at other licensed centres, according to Appendix 2 of papers published by the Authority pursuant to its meeting on 14 September 2011.
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 19 July 2010 (WA 163-4), why Appendix 2 of papers published by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for its meeting on 14 September 2011 does not contain any data for research licence R0153.
Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the answer to the noble Lord's Questions are in the minutes of the Authority's Research Licence Committee of 18 November 2009 and 18 May 2011, which can be found on the authority's website.
Employment: Agency Workers
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what qualifying period they propose under Article 5(4) of the EU agency workers directive before which agency workers would not be entitled to equal treatment; how this period compares with those proposed in other European Union countries; and whether they are consulting those countries.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The UK is implementing the directive through legislation, on the basis of an agreement between the CBI and the TUC that was reached in May 2008, that there should be a 12-week qualifying period. Formal consultation with other member states happens during negotiation rather than implementation, but I understand that many other EU countries will implement equal treatment from day one of an assignment
Energy: Biofuels
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to support the use of sustainable biodiesel produced from waste products, such as used cooking oil, beyond April 2012.
Lord Marland: We recognise that there are valuable uses of biodiesel in the bioenergy sectors, including those developed from wastes such as used cooking oil.
We stated in the renewable heat incentive document published in March this year that we would consider bioliquids for introduction in 2012. In the renewables obligation (RO), FAME biodiesel that passes the mandatory sustainability criteria is currently eligible for 1 ROC for every megawatt of electricity generated. We expect to publish a consultation shortly that sets the support for all renewable technologies in the RO from 2013, including support for biodiesel.
Subject to the outcome of a recent consultation on proposals to implement the renewable energy directive (RED), we expect to introduce twice the financial support to waste-derived biofuels as will be provided to conventional biofuels, through the award of two renewable transport certificates (RTFCs) per litre of waste derived biofuel. Crop-derived biofuels will continue to receive one certificate per litre, and no support will be awarded to biofuels that do not meet required sustainability standards.
Energy: Renewables
Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many and what percentage of schools have renewable energy generated on site, broken down by type of energy generated and by county.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government do not hold information on the number and percentage of schools that have renewable energy generated on site, by type and by county. Display energy certificates show the amount of energy used by buildings and the percentage of energy from renewables. However, only school buildings over 1,000 square metres are required to maintain and display an energy certificate, and information from these is not analysed centrally.
Energy: Renewables
Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many and what percentage of hospital sites have renewable energy generated on site, broken down by type of energy generated and by county.
Earl Howe: The information is not available in the format requested because the department does not hold data on the number of hospital sites that have renewable energy generated on site. However, the department does collect data, through estates returns information collection (ERIC), on the amounts of renewable fossil and non-fossil energy consumed annually by each National Health Service organisation.
The latest ERIC data available relates to 2009-10, when the NHS reported that the total annual amount of electrical energy that it consumed that was supplied from an eligible renewable energy supply source was 665,017 gigajoules. Over the same period, the amount of non-fossil energy supplied from an eligible renewable energy supply source was 226,616 gigajoules. All ERIC data are publicly available and are published at: www.hefs.ic.nhs.uk. Data relating to the 2010-11 period will be available after 25 October 2011. The information provided has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.
Female Genital Mutilation
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support projects enabling schoolgirls to make films about female genital mutilation, in order to raise awareness of the subject in schools.
Lord Hill of Oareford: Schools have a key role in helping girls and future generations of young women avoid becoming victims of the appalling crime of female genital mutilation. I am aware of the good work done by Kids Taskforce, with government support, in developing a short film and accompanying teachers' resource pack on the subject for use in secondary schools. Schools and local authorities are free to decide on their own policies relating to the production by pupils of films to raise awareness of subjects in schools.
Finance: Clearing Houses
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the consequences for financial system stability of any change of control or ownership of LCH Clearnet.
Lord Sassoon: The Government welcome market developments that will increase efficiency, improve innovation and lower the cost of economic activity. The Government believe that it is important to look at the potential benefits to the market of any deal.
As with any such corporate transaction, the Financial Services Authority will ensure that the owners of the clearing house are fit and proper persons; and that the clearing house continues to meet its recognition requirements as set out in the Recognised Investment Exchanges and Recognised Clearing Houses handbook. These requirements include the corporate governance arrangements and the financial resources, the management and controls of the clearing house.
Gaza
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help the Hamas Government in Gaza prevent action by militants.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Our policy on Hamas is clear; the quartet has set out clearly that Hamas must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements. Hamas must make credible movement towards these conditions, which remain the benchmark against which its intentions should be judged. The clear focus for now must be a return to direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians as soon as possible.
Hamas continues to pursue an ideology of violence and directly to undermine prospects for peace in the region. It is part of the problem. It has yet to provide evidence that it can also be part of the solution, and this must clearly be the case if we are to review our position.
We have no plans to talk to Hamas at present. We are therefore not in a position to assess the extent of Hamas's control in Gaza or to work with it to tackle militancy. We do however raise these issues in our regular dialogue and co-operation on security issues with the Palestinian Authority. We will continue to call on all sides to act with restraint and avoid civilian casualties.
Gaza
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of the Hamas Government in Gaza to maintain security in the region.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Our policy on Hamas is clear; the quartet has set out clearly that Hamas must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements. Hamas must make credible movement towards these conditions, which remain the benchmark against which its intentions should be judged. The clear focus for now must be a return to direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians as soon as possible.
Hamas continues to pursue an ideology of violence and directly to undermine prospects for peace in the region. It is part of the problem. It has yet to provide evidence that it can also be part of the solution, and this must clearly be the case if we are to review our position.
We have no plans to talk to Hamas at present. We are therefore not in a position to assess the extent of Hamas's control in Gaza or to work with it to tackle militancy. We do however raise these issues in our regular dialogue and co-operation on security issues with the Palestinian Authority. We will continue to call on all sides to act with restraint and avoid civilian casualties.
Gaza
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning fishing limits off the coast of Gaza.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK frequently raises with the Israeli authorities the issue of easing restrictions on Gaza, but we have not made specific representations concerning fishing limits off the coast of Gaza. There has been no fundamental change in the crossings regime, and economic stagnation and de-development in Gaza remain the norm, although Israel's decision to move from a list of 120 permitted goods to a list of specific prohibited items was a positive step. We are clear that more needs to be done, including on easing restrictions on exports, construction material imports and the movement of people.
Gulf War Illnesses
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many veterans of the 1991 Gulf conflict have been awarded a war pension on the grounds of suffering from Gulf War illness.
Lord Astor of Hever: The War Pensions Scheme (WPS) provides no-fault compensation for all ex-Service personnel where illness, injury or death is caused by service before 6 April 2005.
As at 31 March 2011, some 4,930 Gulf veterans were in receipt of disablement pensions, but these are not necessarily for anything that relates to Gulf service, as our statistics do not enable us to distinguish the origin of the disablement. Research conducted in the UK and the US has indicated that there is no illness that is specific to Gulf veterans.
Gulf War Illnesses
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many veterans of the 1991 Gulf conflict self-administered Pyridostigmine Bromide; and how many suffered adverse side-effects as a result.
Lord Astor of Hever: It is not possible to verify how many of the 53,409 Gulf veterans self-administered Pyridostigmine Bromide, nor in what dose or duration individuals took the pre-treatment regime of nerve agent pre-treatment sets (NAPs). The uptake of NAPs was addressed in the Ministry of Defence paper Implementation of the Immunisation Programme against Biological Warfare Agents for UK Forces during the Gulf Conflict 1990-1991, published in January 2000, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Health Professions Council
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Health Professions Council is recruiting social workers to its employment before the Health and Social Care Bill has been enacted.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ministers have approved the decisions of the Health Professions Council in recruiting social workers to its employment before the Health and Social Care Bill has been enacted.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the amount of public funds being spent by the Health Professions Council in anticipation of the enactment of the Health and Social Care Bill.
Earl Howe: The Health Professions Council (HPC) is independent of the department. Ministers have therefore not been asked to approve its decisions in recruiting social workers to its employment before the enactment of the Health and Social Care Bill 2011. However, the department would expect the Health Professions Council to take steps to ensure that it is prepared to take on the function of regulating social workers.
The Department's understanding is that the HPC is in the process of recruiting up to 100 partners in advance of the enactment of the Health and Social Care Bill 2011. This is intended to ensure that it has access to the necessary expertise to support the transfer.
The HPC's advertisements make it clear that any appointments made are subject to parliamentary approval of the proposals in the Health and Social Care Bill 2011.
The department provided £0.24 million in the year 2010-11 to the HPC to help it to prepare its systems and processes ahead of the proposed transfer of functions from the General Social Care Council. A similar sum is expected to be allocated to the HPC in the year 2011-12, and a sum of £0.6 million in the first quarter of the year 2012-13. The department is monitoring this expenditure on a regular basis.
Health Protection Agency
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have regarding the future status of the Health Protection Agency.
Earl Howe: The Health Protection Agency will continue in its current role and retain its functions until April 2013 when, subject to Parliament, it will be abolished. The Health and Social Care Bill 2011 confers equivalent functions upon the Secretary of State. Subject to the normal government approval processes for establishing new bodies, we expect those functions to be discharged through Public Health England, an executive agency of the department.
Health: Alcoholism
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether an assessment has been made of the likelihood of rehabilitation of chronic alcoholics; whether research is planned to establish whether benefits above the basic level paid to them in respect of concomitant disabilities are currently spent on alcohol; and whether a review of general policy in this area will be undertaken.
Earl Howe: The term "chronic alcoholics" is not one that is used by the department, although we recognise that there are varying levels of alcohol dependence.
The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007 indicated that in 2006-07 there were around 1.6 million adults showing symptoms of moderate or severe alcohol dependence. Of those, 111,381 people are estimated to have received treatment as indicated in the National Alcohol Treatment Monitoring System Annual Report 2009-10. This shows that 7 per cent of adults showing signs of dependence accessed treatment in that year. This compares to international models of good practice that suggest between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of the dependent population should be able to access treatment in any one year.
The Review of the Effectiveness of Treatment for Alcohol Problems, published by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse on November 2006, indicated that over 25 per cent of clients who participated in the United Kingdom Alcohol Treatment Trials, one of the largest treatment trials conducted in the UK, showed a successful outcome with no alcohol-related problems at follow-up. All the treatments studied produced significant improvements in alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence, alcohol-related problems and aspects of general functioning. It is highly unlikely that in most cases such changes would have occurred as a result of natural recovery processes.
While a person's dependence may have led to unemployment or may have caused or exacerbated a medical condition, benefit payments are never made, or paid at an increased rate, solely because a person is dependent on drugs or alcohol.
Where additional disability benefits are paid, this is in recognition of the fact that there are often additional costs associated with disability such as transport or care costs. The Government do not monitor what individuals spend their benefits on.
The Government are reviewing the general policy towards the prevention and treatment of alcohol misuse in this country, and we will publish the Government's alcohol strategy towards the end of this year.
Health: Contaminated Blood Products
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision is being made for widows and dependants of NHS patients infected by contaminated blood to apply to the Skipton Fund when they are unable to access the required evidence, it having been destroyed or not found.
Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to my Written Answer on 26 April 2011, Official Report, col. WA62.
Health: Contaminated Blood Products
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the criteria for qualification for the Skipton stage 2 (additional) payment for NHS patients infected by contaminated blood and their families.
Earl Howe: There are no plans to conduct another review. However, we will consider potential changes to the Skipton Fund stage 2 eligibility criteria, in the light of new and emerging scientific evidence.
Health: Contaminated Blood Products
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements are in place for the individuals infected with hepatitis C by contaminated blood products and their families living in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to receive payments through the Skipton Fund and the Caxton Foundation.
Earl Howe: The Skipton Fund is currently making payments in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Caxton Foundation has been set up on an England-only basis, but we are currently working with the devolved Administrations to expand its scope to cover the whole of the United Kingdom, when it becomes operational in October 2011.
Health: HIV
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the report of the Select Committee on HIV and Aids in the United Kingdom (HL Paper 118), whether they will commit to retaining the later HIV diagnoses indicator in the final Public Health Outcomes Framework.
Earl Howe: We have employed a set of criteria for selection of indicators for the public health outcomes framework. These criteria were published in the consultation on the public health outcomes framework. They have been further refined by feedback from the consultation and engagement exercises with key stakeholders. In the light of these criteria, Ministers will decide which indicators are included in the final outcomes framework to be published in the autumn.
The department will publish its response to the report of the Select Committee on HIV and AIDS in the United Kingdom, No Vaccine, No Cure: HIV and AIDS in the United Kingdom,in due course. A copy of the Select Committee's report has already been placed in the Library.
Health: Medical Research
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Drayson on 4 November 2009 (WA 60) and by Baroness Wilcox on 31 January 2011 (WA 219-20), what were the specific outcomes of the two independent studies funded by the Medical Research Council; and what plans they currently have to fund further projects involving similar work.
Baroness Wilcox: In 2007, the Medical Research Council (MRC) awarded funding to Professor Mary Herbert at the University of Newcastle for the research project "Improving the efficiency of human somatic cell nuclear transfer" (SCNT). The project involved the MRC reimbursing part of the treatment costs of women undergoing IVF at the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life who chose to donate some of the surplus eggs produced to be used in the research.
Due to the exceptional nature of this research project the MRC also funded an independent social science study to be undertaken alongside the research project to learn from women's experiences and to inform future research involving egg donation and payment of IVF treatment costs. The social science study, "An investigation of the experiences of potential in vitro fertilisation (IVF) donors in egg sharing for SCNT", was undertaken by Professor Erica Haimes, also at the University of Newcastle.
Both studies have now ended and a report from Professor Haimes' social science study will be considered by the MRC's Ethics, Regulation and Public Involvement Committee at its next meeting. The findings from both studies will be reported in published research papers and presented at scientific conferences and meetings. Research papers relating to Professor Herbert's study are currently in preparation, and two papers relating to Professor Haimes' study have been published:
Haimes, E. and Taylor, K., 2011: Researching the Relationships between Tissue Providers, Clinicians, and Stem Cell Scientists, Cell Stem Cell, 8(6) pp. 613-615.Haimes, E. and Taylor, K., 2011: The Contributions of Empirical Evidence to Socio-ethical Debates on Fresh Embryo Donation for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Bioethics, 25 (6) pp 334-341.
The MRC will continue to support research into all approaches to harness the potential of stem cells to treat human disease as it is not evident at present which area of stem cell research may deliver the most effective treatments for particular conditions. More research is needed on all types of stem cells to determine which routes should be pursued in the development of cell-based therapies.
Health: Obesity
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to give appropriate guidance to the public on how personal lifestyle can reduce obesity.
Earl Howe: We want people to know that they can change their own and their families' lifestyle and in doing so they can make a difference to their health. What the Government can do is give the public clear, consistent messages on why they should change their lifestyle, how to do so, and put in place ways to make this easier.
Later this year we will be publishing a document on obesity that will set out how obesity will be tackled in the new public health and National Health Service systems, and the role of key partners. This will also set out the action that the Government will take to help people make healthier choices and improve their lifestyles.
Health: Obesity
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect general practitioners to take the initiative in advising obese patients on how and why they should lose weight, even if the patient has not consulted the doctor on their obesity.
Earl Howe: We encourage general practitioners to implement guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children and, where appropriate, implement their local obesity care pathway to ensure that patients receive the support they need to manage their weight. GPs are currently encouraged through the Quality and Outcomes Framework to identify patients who are obese.
The NICE guidance, available at www.nice.org.uk/CG43, recommends that "Healthcare professionals should use their clinical judgement to decide when to measure a person's height and weight. Opportunities include registration with a general practice, consultation for related conditions (such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease) and other routine health checks".
Health: Obesity
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will commission surveys to establish any correlation between obesity and age, socio-economic grouping, area of residence and occupation in England and Wales.
Earl Howe: The NHS Information Centre (NHS IC) currently collects data on obesity in England. The NHS IC surveys on obesity do not cover Wales. This is the responsibility of the Welsh Government.
The Health Survey for England-2009: Health and Lifestyles report-includes tables showing body mass index (BMI) by age, sex, spearhead primary care trust status and equivalised household income for adults and children. This information is available on the NHS IC website at: www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles-related-surveys/health-survey-for-england/health-survey-for-england-2009-health-and-lifestyles. This document has already been placed in the Library.
Data are also available in the UK Data Archive on obesity; this includes information on sex, age, socio-economic grouping, Strategic Health Authority (SHA), Government Office Region (GOR) and occupation classification. The data in the archive can be accessed at: www.data-archive.ac.uk/.
In addition, the NHS IC collects information from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). Information is available for children in Reception (4-5 years) and year six (10-11 years). The National Child Measurement Programme: England, 2009/10 school year report provides high-level analysis of the prevalence of obese children, by school year, sex, SHA, ethnic category and by GOR, Local Authority County/Unitary Authority and Local Authority District/Former District. This information is available on the NHS IC website at: www.ic.nhs.uk/ncmp. This document has already been placed in the Library.
The National Obesity Observatory (NOO) has undertaken a further analysis of the data from the NCMP. NCMP analysis using the ONS area classification, this is available on the NOO website and can be accessed at: www.noo.org.uk/. This document has been placed in the Library.
Higher Education
Baroness Brinton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for the latest year available, how many adults aged 24 and over in England funded by the Skills Funding Agency were enrolled on (a) Level 3 courses, and (b) Level 4 courses; and in each case how many were studying on (1) a full-time basis, and (2) a part-time basis.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The following table shows the number of learners in further education (learner responsive) aged 24 years and over participating on a government-funded Level 3 or Level 4 and above qualification by mode of attendance in 2009-10, the latest year for which final data is available.
Further education (learner responsive) participation for learners aged 24 years and over by level and mode of attendance, 2009-10
Full-time Part-time Total
Level 3 30,640 158,810 189,400
Level 4 and above 980 29,540 30,500
Total learners 77,500 1,004,400 1,081,900
Source:
individualised learner record.
1. Further education provision in this table covers the learner responsive funding stream only. Learner responsive provision includes general further education colleges including tertiary, sixth form colleges-agricultural and horticultural colleges and art and design colleges, specialist colleges and external institutions. This data does not include participation in apprenticeships, train to gain, adult safeguarded learning or university for industry provision.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except total figures which are rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. The total learners figure includes learners studying on all other levels (Level 2, below Level 2, skills for life, no level assigned).
4. Age is based on age at the start of the academic year.
5. Full-time learners are defined as those learners studying a programme of a minimum of 450 guided learning hours in an academic year.
Information on further education and skills participation and achievement and by level and mode of attendance is published in a supplementary table of a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 23 June 2011: http://www. thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/.
Higher Education: Student Loans
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the maximum amount a student from the least affluent background studying for a three-year course at a university charging the maximum permitted level can borrow under the 2012 student loans arrangements; and what will be the estimated level of debt to be repaid if, five years after graduating, their salary is less than £21,000 per year and the retail price index remains at five per cent.
Lord Henley: Full-time new entrants for courses beginning in 2012-13 will be able to apply for a non-means-tested tuition loan of up to £9,000 for each year of their course, making a total of £27,000 for a three-year course at a university charging the maximum level of tuition fees.
Students can also apply for a maintenance loan for each year of their course. Students with the lowest household incomes (up to £25,000) will be entitled to the maximum non-repayable maintenance grant of £3,250. Their maintenance loan entitlement will be reduced as a result, by comparison with the entitlement of students from higher-income households. Assuming that a student is entitled to the maximum maintenance grant, the maximum amount that the student can borrow is set out below:
Living at the parental home Living away from parental home and studying in London Living away from parental home and studying elsewhere
Total tuition fee loan £27,000 £27,000 £27,000
Maintenance loan year 1 £2,750 £6,050 £3,875
Maintenance loan year 2 £2,750 £6,050 £3,875
Maintenance loan final year £2,395 £5,365 £3,490
Maximum loan available for a 3-year course £34,895 £44,465 £38,240
The above figures assume that the institution is charging the maximum tuition level of £9,000 a year and the student has applied for the maximum amount of maintenance loan available to them. They do not take into account any support available from HEIs for students at the lowest incomes, eg tuition charge waivers or bursaries. Based on these figures, the balance five years after the statutory repayment due date (SRDD), assuming that inflation remains at 5 per cent and no repayments are made, would be:
Students living at the parental home: £52,000.
Students living away from the parental home and studying in London: £66,500.
Students living away from the parental home and studying elsewhere: £57,000.
Homes and Communities Agency
Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what land has been transferred or sold by the Homes and Communities Agency in Lancashire in 2010-11.
Baroness Hanham: The following sites were sold or disposed by the Homes and Communities Agency in Lancashire in the financial year 2010-11:
Address Town Area disposed (hectares) Net price (£) Exchanged date Completion date
Preston East Sector A3 Preston 2.48 1,220,500 01/02/2011 01/02/2011
Preston East Sector C Preston 2.96 53,850 12/08/2010 12/08/2010
Walton Park 10D South Ribble 0.281 0 23/04/2010 23/04/2010
Broughton Business Park Preston 0.403 4,000 05/07/2010 05/07/2010
Ajd East of 78 Longmeanygate South Ribble 0.0642 1 11/08/2010 11/08/2010
6.1882 1,278,351
Furthermore, a land package of amenity land in Preston totalling nearly 133 hectares was transferred by the agency on 31 March 2010, just prior to the start of 2010-11.
Homes and Communities Agency
Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government when was the report by the Homes and Communities Agency regarding the future of Cuerden Valley Park Trust received by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Baroness Hanham: While the Homes and Community Agency's analysis of the trust's position has largely been completed, further work continues on finalising the drafting, and departmental officials have seen and commented on this. The aim is to have the report finalised in preparation for an intended meeting between the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Andrew Stunell MP), Lindsay Hoyle MP and the trust in October.
House of Lords Reform Bill [HL]
Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost of an election to the House of Lords under the single transferable vote as provided for in the draft House of Lords Reform Bill.
Lord McNally: The Government will carefully consider the costs of elections to the reformed House of Lords. The Government consider that these elections should take place at the same time as elections to the House of Commons. This will result in savings compared with two separate elections.
House of Lords: Reform
Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Ministers in the House of Commons and the House of Lords are responsible for House of Lords reform; and which Minister has overall responsibility.
Lord McNally: The Deputy Prime Minister, the right honourable Nick Clegg, has responsibility for House of Lords reform in the House of Commons, and overall responsibility. Lord Strathclyde has responsibility in the House of Lords
Identity Security: Iris Recognition
Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government by what date it is expected that the UK Border Agency will have fully implemented the Iris Recognition System; and what is the total expenditure to date on the Iris Recognition System.
Lord Henley: IRIS has proven to be valuable test bed for the next generation of automation. We are currently considering the future of IRIS in the context of our operating model of the future and our wider automation at the border strategy. As of April 2011 the department had allocated £4.9 million in capital costs and £4.2 million in running costs in respect of the Iris Recognition Immigration System.
Immigration
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 5 September (HL11493), what was (a) the overall cost to public funds in 2010-11 of supporting illegal immigrants in the United Kingdom, (b) the number of illegal immigrants involved, and (c) the per capita cost per week; and how this compares with the years 2007-10.
Lord Henley: It is not possible to state the overall cost to public funds of supporting illegal immigrants in the United Kingdom. This is because the Government are unable to quantify accurately the number of illegal immigrants in the UK as some deliberately evade immigration control in order to remain in the country illegally. It follows that the Government are unable to provide any information on per capita costs of such support.
Immigration
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether illegal immigrants receive any living allowances in the United Kingdom; and, if so, how much.
Lord Henley: It is not possible to state the overall cost to public funds of supporting illegal immigrants in the United Kingdom. This is because the Government are unable to quantify accurately the number of illegal immigrants in the UK as some deliberately evade immigration control in order to remain in the country illegally. It follows that the Government are unable to provide any information on per capita costs of such support.
Immigration
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that the security staff employed by G4S to escort immigration detainees out of the United Kingdom are monitored by the UK Border Agency for the use of racist language or making offensive jokes.
Lord Henley: The UK Border Agency has a team of eight contract monitors who monitor and report on the performance of the escorting service provider. In addition, all service provider vehicles have CCTV fitted with audio capability. Members of the Independent Monitoring Board regularly report to the contract monitors and the Chief Inspector of Prisons also carries out announced and unannounced inspections. We expect the highest standards from our staff and contractors and will take appropriate robust action against those who fail to adhere to them.
Indonesia
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last made representations to the Ggovernment of Indonesia concerning religious freedom; and in particular whether they have received responses about the re-opening of GKI Yasmin Church in Bogor, West Java, and about violent attacks on members of the Ahmadiyya community.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware of the case of the GKI Yasmin Church in Bogor and of attacks on members of the Ahmadiyya community in Indonesia. On 4 August 2011 our embassy in Jakarta raised our concerns at the current freedom of religion situation in Indonesia with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On the same day Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials raised the same concerns with the Indonesian embassy in London.
The European Union has a regular dialogue with Indonesia on human rights and at the last meeting on 29 June in Jakarta, the EU raised freedom of religion and concerns over attacks on Ahmadis in Banten and Christian churches in central Java. On 28 July the EU released a statement on the sentencing of those convicted in attacks on Ahmadis recalling the need to ensure that religious and other minorities are adequately protected by the justice and law enforcement systems.
We will continue to monitor the Indonesian authorities' policies towards freedom of religion and to stress to the Indonesian Government that hate crimes must be robustly investigated and that those found guilty of involvement should receive sentences commensurate with the severity of the crimes. We will also continue to work through the European Union to raise our concerns with Indonesia.
Iraq
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their position regarding current military activity by Iran and Turkey in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government take all attacks across borders seriously and pay close attention to the circumstances in which they occur. We call on all parties to co-operate with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government over the threat in the border areas, and have expressed our concern about indiscriminate Iranian shelling.
Israel
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the fair and equal treatment of Israeli Arabs.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK attaches the highest importance to the values set out in Israel's declaration of independence and basic laws guaranteeing equal treatment to all its citizens, regardless of religion or background.
Our ambassador to Tel Aviv, Matthew Gould, is committed to being an ambassador to all Israelis, including the country's Arab citizens. He regularly raises our concerns about unequal treatment and potentially discriminatory legislation. He recently lobbied the Israeli Minister of Trade and Labour over the affirmative action Bill/military service and its impact on Israeli Arabs, the ultra-orthodox and the disabled.
One of our embassy's strategic goals is to help Israel become more inclusive, in particular through ensuring equal treatment for Israeli Arabs. Visiting UK Ministers routinely meet the Israeli Arab community, most recently the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), in June 2011 and the Minister of State for International Development, my right honourable friend the Member for Rutland & Melton (Mr Duncan), in July 2011, as well as frequent contact with visiting officials and Embassy staff. This year the UK has allocated £225,000 of conflict pool funding to Israeli Arab projects. A "high tech hub" will shortly be launched to help the Israeli Arab community become part of the Israeli economic mainstream through improved opportunities in the high-tech industry.
Israel
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel regarding the release of the three members of parliament sheltering in the Red Cross Headquarters of East Jerusalem.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware that three Palestinian MPs continue to shelter at the International Committee of the Red Cross office in Jerusalem. The three Members are still present and say they will remain there until Israel changes the decision to revoke their Jerusalem residency status.
The UK remains of the view that forcible transfer of people out of the city for political reasons is illegal under international humanitarian law. We regularly raise such practices with the Israeli authorities. However, we have not made representations on these specific cases.
Israel
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the United Nations Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Inquiry on the 31 May 2010 Flotilla incident, published in September, and in particular on its conclusion regarding the legality of the blockade by Israel; and when they last made representations to the government of Israel about access for essential supplies for the population, in particular about building materials for United Nations Relief and Works Agency schools; and with what effect.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UN Palmer report into the Gaza flotilla in 2010 was published on 2 September. The UK supported the UN Secretary-General's establishment of an independent panel of inquiry. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) stated at the time that the UK deeply deplored the loss of life and urged strenuous efforts to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in future.
The report makes clear that the events of 31 May should never have taken place. Turkey and Israel have made public statements on the report. We regret the breakdown in relationships between them and we continue to urge both sides to renew their efforts to find a way forward that will promote reconciliation and enhance regional stability.
The situation in Gaza is of serious concern to the Government. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt) visited Gaza during his visit in June and raised this issue. He saw for himself a United Nations Relief and Works Agency school. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv and other officials regularly discuss the situation in Gaza with Israeli interlocutors, most recently with the Finance Ministry.
While there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, there is an enduring need for humanitarian aid. We have also been clear that actions by both Israel and Hamas have contributed to this status quo. Working closely with the EU and the quartet, we will continue to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access and enable a return to economic normality.
Israel and Palestine
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the drafting of a consensus United Nations resolution to provide a framework for a final settlement between Israel and Palestine.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The best way to resolve this long-standing conflict is through direct negotiations. The UK is working with our European partners to find a way forward that increases the prospects of the Israelis and Palestinians returning to negotiations with the aim of achieving a final settlement. We wish to avoid confrontation at the UN but also to find a way to recognise the progress the Palestinians have made at their state-building efforts.
The UK set out in February, in its explanation of vote on the UN Security Council resolution on settlements, the parameters within which negotiations should be conducted:
An agreement on the borders of the two states, based on 4 June 1967 lines with equivalent land swaps as may be agreed between the parties;Security arrangements that, for Palestinians, respect their sovereignty and show that the occupation is over; and, for Israelis, that protect their security, prevent the resurgence of terrorism and deal effectively with new and emerging threats;A just, fair and agreed solution to the refugee question; and Fulfilment of the aspirations of both parties for Jerusalem. A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states.
The UK will continue to encourage the parties to reach an agreement along these lines. Whatever action is taken in New York, it is important that this increases the prospects for a return to negotiations.
Israel and Palestine
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to support negotiations between Israel and Palestine; and whether they are giving special attention to the possible effects of provocations or spoiling actions arising from any quarter.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK believes that the best way to resolve this long-standing conflict is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, with the aim of giving the Palestinian people the state that they need and deserve and the Israeli people long-term security and peace.
So our focus remains on continuing to push hard for a return to negotiations on the basis agreed by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister and President Obama. That is, borders based on 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps; security for Israel; and the right for Palestinians to govern themselves in a sovereign and contiguous state. We are working hard with our international partners for a return to negotiations on this basis. Failure to return to negotiations now puts at risk the long-term prospects for a solution. Neither Israel nor the Palestinians can afford to let the opportunity for peace slip further from their grasp.
Along with our European Union partners, we are working to build consensus on a way forward that recognises the progress the Palestinians have made on their state-building efforts, that meets Israel's legitimate security concerns and that avoids confrontation in the UN. We continue to stress that whatever action is taken, including in New York, it is important that this increases the prospects for a return to negotiations.
Israel and Palestine
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support the creation of a seat at the United Nations for Palestine; and what assessment they have made of the impact of such a development on Palestine's negotiating position with regard to Israel.
Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Prime Minister made the UK's position on recognition of a Palestinian state clear during the visit of President Obama. He agreed with the President that a Palestinian state was a legitimate goal, and the best way of achieving this was through a comprehensive agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Palestinian action at the UN this month is now looking increasingly likely but it is not yet clear exactly what they are proposing. We are working with partners to build consensus on a way forward that recognises the progress the Palestinians have made on their state-building efforts, that meets Israel's legitimate security concerns, and that avoids confrontation in the UN. Whatever action is taken in New York, it is important that this increases the prospects for a return to negotiations.
We have reserved our position on the question of recognition of a Palestinian state while we continue to urge all parties back to talks. Recognition is a matter for each Government to decide bilaterally, and if needed, we will take a decision nearer to the time, in consultation with EU and other partners.
Justice: Legal Services
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their reasons for deciding not to opt into the European Union Directive on Access to a Lawyer in Criminal Proceedings and on the Right to Communicate upon Arrest at the initial stage of the negotiations.
Lord McNally: The Government do not intend to opt into the European Union Directive on Access to a Lawyer in Criminal Proceedings and on the Right to Communicate upon Arrest at the initial stage of the negotiations because they are of the view that the directive as published by the Commission would have an adverse effect on our ability to investigate and prosecute offences effectively. However, the Government intend to work together with other member states to improve the directive and if our concerns are taken into account during the process of negotiation, the Government will consider opting in once the instrument has been adopted.
Kenya
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 11 August (WA 432), whether records have been retained regarding the number of people hanged in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising.
Lord Howell of Guildford: I can confirm that records relating to the number of people hung in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising are available in the National Archives. Some further records are contained within the Kenya files that are being transferred to the National Archives, from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has undertaken to release every part of every document relevant to the Mau Mau uprising, subject only to legal exemptions.
Libya
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to unfreeze Libyan assets for use by the Transitional National Council; and in particular, how they expect that necessary imports of food will be paid for.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK continues to work with partners at the UN to unfreeze Libyan assets for the benefit of the Libyan people. On 29 August 2011, the UN approved the release of 1.86 billion Libya dinars' worth of bank notes that had been frozen in the UK under the UN asset freeze. Within the existing UN sanctions regimes, there are several exemptions which enable member states, either by notifying or seeking the approval of the UN Sanctions Committee, to release frozen assets for the purchase of food and other necessities. Over the past six months, many requests of this nature have been agreed. There is no food security crisis in Libya but we continue to liaise closely with the World Food Programme, which is leading the UN food security response in Libya, to monitor the situation on the ground and respond appropriately.
Middle East Peace Process
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making within the European Union to work with other member states to utilise the collective financial strength of the European Union to support the Middle East peace process.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The EU and EU member states as a collective are the biggest financial supporters of the Palestinian Authority. In 2010 the EU gave a total of €377.9 million to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) and to Palestinian refugees in the region. The Department for International Development imputed share was €1.79 million. This is in addition to DfID's bilateral support, which totalled £73.1 million.
The EU development programme for the OPTs is supporting a successful Middle East peace process by helping build Palestinian institutions, improving security and promoting economic growth, so that any future state will be stable, prosperous, well run and an effective partner for peace with Israel.
NHS: Clinical Indemnity
Baroness Cumberlege: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 11 August (WA 369), on what date they will publish the proposals to enable non-NHS bodies to take up NHS clinical indemnity arrangements.
Earl Howe: We intend to publish the outcome of the National Health Service litigation authority industry review, alongside a "next steps" document, in the coming months. This will set out broadly how we intend to explore reform of the NHS clinical indemnity arrangements, the detail of which will be subject to further engagement with stakeholders.
NHS: Independent Providers
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether independent providers of NHS services will be public authorities within the meaning of paragraphs 43A and 44 of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Earl Howe: Independent sector providers of public services are not public authorities for the purposes of paragraphs 43A and 44 of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
However, where National Health Service commissioners, as public authorities, contract with independent sector providers for the provision of healthcare services, the NHS standard contract requires that the provider shall assist and co-operate with each commissioner, in complying with its FOIA obligations, by providing the type of information as regards the provision of those services, which would be disclosable under the FOIA.
NHS: Peterborough Primary Care Trust
Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the dates of the public consultation on the East of England Strategic Health Authority's proposal to amalgamate the Peterborough and Cambridge Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) into a single PCT; and what are the healthcare benefits to patients envisaged by the strategic health authority which will become available to patients served by the Peterborough Primary Care Trust as a result of the proposed amalgamation.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The table below shows the number of learners in further education (learner responsive) aged 24 years and over participating on a government-funded Level 3 or Level 4 and above qualification by mode of attendance in 2009-10, the latest year for which final data are available.
Table 1: Further Education (Learner Responsive) participation for learners aged 24 years and over by level and mode of attendance, 2009-10
Full-time Part-time Total
Level 3 30,640 158,810 189,400
Level 4 and above 980 29,540 30,500
Total Learners 77,500 1,004,400 1,081,900
Source:
Individualised Learner Record Notes
Further Education provision in this table covers the Learner Responsive funding stream only. Learner Responsive provision includes General Further Education Colleges including Tertiary, Sixth Form Colleges, Agricultural and Horticultural Colleges and Art and Design Colleges, Specialist Colleges and External Institutions. The data do not include participation in Apprenticeships, Train to Gain, Adult Safeguarded Learning or University for Industry provision.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except total figures which are rounded to the nearest 100.
3. The total learners figure includes learners studying on all other levels (Level 2, Below Level 2, Skills for Life, No Level Assigned).
4. Age is based on age at the start of the academic year.
5. Full-time learners are defined as those learners studying a programme of a minimum of 450 Guided Learning Hours in an academic year.
Information on further education and skills participation and achievement by level and mode of attendance is published in a supplementary table of a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 23rd June 2011: http://www.thedata service.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/.
NHS: Peterborough Primary Care Trust
Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money the Peterborough Primary Care Trust contracted to pay to the Peterborough NHS Hospital Trust in each of the past five financial years; and how much had actually been paid at the end of each financial year.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) permanent, and (b) acting, (1) chairmen, (2) chief executive officers, and (3) chief financial officers, were appointed by the East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) in the past five years; and how many of the appointees had previously worked in the National Health Service in the area for which this SHA was responsible.
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in each of the past five years, and in 2011-12 to date, what healthcare services which were previously made available by the Peterborough Primary Care Trust were withdrawn from availability to patients; and how many of those withdrawals were notified in advance to the East of England Strategic Health Authority.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much extra resources the Peterborough Primary Care Trust (PCT) has had authorised by the East of England Strategic Health Authority in each of the last five years in order to prevent the PCT from breaching its statutory financial responsibilities.
Earl Howe: Peterborough Primary Care Trust (PCT) has not had any transfer of funds authorised by the East of England Strategic Health Authority in each of the past five years in order to prevent the PCT from breaching its statutory financial responsibilities.
In relation to how much money the PCT contracted to pay Peterborough NHS Hospital Trust, this is a matter for the local National Health Service and information is not collected centrally.
In relation to how much had been paid at the end of each financial year, information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows Peterborough PCT's reported view of its expenditure in each of the past five financial years.
Peterborough Primary Care Trust - Expenditure with Peterborough & Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (£,000)
2009-10 91,152
2008-09 77,817
2007-08 76,177
2006-07 81,771
2005-06 90,125
Source:
Peterborough PCT audited summarisation schedules, 2006-07 to 2010-11
Asked by
NHS: Peterborough Primary Care Trust
Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the East of England Strategic Health Authority will formally consult the Peterborough Hospital NHS Trust about its intention to amalgamate the Peterborough and Cambridge Primary Care Trusts.
Earl Howe: This information is not held centrally. This is a matter for the local National Health Service. The noble Lord may wish to raise any further concerns with, Sir Neil McKay, Chief Executive, NHS East of England Strategic Health Authority.
NHS: Reorganisation
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government from which consultancy firms they have commissioned work on re-organising the National Health Service since May 2010; what was the agreed fee for each consultancy firm; what were the formal terms of reference for each consultancy firm; and what discussions they have held with each consultancy firm on the purposes and ethos of the National Health Service.
Earl Howe: The department does hold cost information on the amount spent with external consultants. However, the information captured by this central record does not enable us to readily identify the expenditure that relates specifically to the Health and Social Care Bill and the current reforms to the National Health Service. In order to gather all possible relevant information, we would need to contact each business area and directorate in the department, requiring them to check their records. This undertaking would amount to a substantial effort across the department and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Northern Ireland Office: Consultants
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultants the Northern Ireland Office has employed in each of the last five years; for what purpose; at what cost; and when.
Lord De Mauley: Comparable figures for the department as it is now configured are not available before 12 April 2010, following the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions. Since that time the department has not employed any consultants.
Northern Ireland Office: Staff
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 5 September (WA 11), why Hilary Jackson, the director-general of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), left her position under the Cabinet Office-agreed early departure scheme for civil servants; what were the terms agreed and the costs of her departure; and at what age her pension will become payable.
Lord De Mauley: Following the devolution of policing and justice and the successful establishment of the Northern Ireland Office in its current form, the director-general indicated her intention to move on after six years in the department. She will leave once her successor has been identified. Her departure terms will then be finalised. Her pension arrangements are determined by the principal civil service pension scheme.
Northern Ireland Office: Staff
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 2 September (WA 45) concerning staff in the Northern Ireland Office, at what age Hilary Jackson's pension will become payable.
Lord De Mauley: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 12 September, Official Report, col. WA 45.
Northern Ireland Office: Taxis
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what taxis were used by staff of the Northern Ireland Office on 15 July 2011; by whom; for what; and at what cost.
Lord De Mauley: Taxis were used on four occasions on 15 July 2011 by staff of the Northern Ireland Office. The taxis were used for the purposes of official business. The total cost of these taxis amounted to £85.60.
Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the terms and conditions of appointment of Professor Michael O'Flaherty as chairman of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The appointment of Professor O'Flaherty was announced by way of a press release that included the key points of his terms and conditions of appointment including length of appointment, remuneration and a list of all other ministerial public appointments held. His appointment is also subject to the provisions of Schedule 7 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were interviewed for the position of Chairman of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; how the interviewers were selected; who selected them; and when.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Appointment to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) which requires all stages of a public appointments process to be undertaken by a selection panel that includes a senior official from the sponsor department, a representative from the public body or other interested group, an Independent Public Appointments Assessor and, where appropriate, a technical expert.
A selection panel for the position of Chief Commissioner of the NIHRC was approved by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in advance of the launch of the appointments process. The panel was chaired by Hilary Jackson, Director General of the Northern Ireland Office, and included a senior official from OFMdFM, an independent expert in the field of human rights and equality and an Independent Public Appointments Assessor. The selection panel interviewed six individuals for the position.
Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much time per year it is expected that Michael O'Flaherty, the new chairman of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, will spend at the United Nations in Geneva; and whether this arrangement is set out in his terms and conditions.
Lord De Mauley: As previously stated in the Answer given by the Lord Shutt of Greetland, on 7 September, col. WA 32, Professor Michael O'Flaherty's terms and conditions of appointment require him to work such hours as are reasonably necessary to fulfill his role as chief commissioner. How the new chief commissioner chooses to allocate his time in fulfilling his responsibilities is a matter for him.
Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is the role of the chairman of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to ensure that the legal team of the commission actively seeks complaints from remand prisoners affected by the solicitors' strike.
Lord De Mauley: The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission operates independently of government. Decisions about how it carries out its functions as defined in legislation are a matter for the commission. The noble Lord may wish to contact the commission directly should he wish to pursue this matter further.
Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they approved the reorganisation of senior posts in the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
Lord De Mauley: The organisational structure of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an operational matter for the commission, which operates independently of government. However, the NIHRC is required to seek departmental approval when it wishes to increase staff numbers above the agreed headcount. On this occasion, approval was not required as the headcount was reduced.
Parliamentary Constituencies
Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken in consultation with the Boundary Commission to ensure that the proposed new constituency boundaries are made known to the local media in Counties Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry.
Lord McNally: The Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland published initial proposals for new parliamentary constituency boundaries in Northern Ireland on 13 September. In making their proposals, each of the four independent boundary commissions must comply with the legal duties imposed on them, including the requirement in Section 5 of the amended Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 to take such steps as they think fit to inform people in each proposed constituency of the proposed boundary changes. Additionally, Section 5 requires the boundary commissions to make a copy of these proposals available for inspection at a specified place within each newly proposed constituency. It is a matter for the boundary commissions to judge how to fulfil their statutory obligations most appropriately.
Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011
Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government which provisions of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 can take effect only after orders have been passed by both Houses of Parliament.
Lord McNally: Section 10(6) of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 modifies an existing power in the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 to make delegated legislation, but does not confer a new power. It provides that the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament the draft of an Order in Council giving effect to the final recommendations of the boundary commissions on redrawing the parliamentary constituency boundaries of the UK. This order can take effect only if approved by resolution of each House of Parliament.
The Act contained three more powers under which any orders made would need to be approved by resolution of each House. One of those powers was repealed in July 2011 and the remaining two cannot be exercised after 5 May 2011.
A table summarising orders subject to the affirmative procedure in the 2011 Act has been placed in the library of both Houses.
Passports
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many passports the Belfast Office issued in the first six months of this year.
Lord Henley: For the period January 2011 until June 2011, the Identity and Passport Service issued 239,958 passports in the Belfast office.
Pensions
Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many annual Christmas bonuses were paid to those in receipt of the state pension, and at what administration cost, for the most recent period for which figures are available.
Lord Freud: Around 11 million people in receipt of State Pension received the annual Christmas bonus of £10 in 2010-11.
The majority of Christmas bonus payments are made with a qualifying benefit and, as such, it is not possible to disaggregate the administration cost. However, these costs are minimal as the significant majority of payments are automated. (Source: DWP Benefit Expenditure Business Information Data)
Police: Funding
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police staff hours are represented by the estimated £10 million policing costs of the Dale Farm evictions, and whether they will reconsider the £5.85 million funding grant for this purpose in the light of other demands on police resources.
Baroness Browning: £10 million represents an estimated maximum policing cost that may be necessary to deal with the Dale Farm evictions. It is a matter for Essex Police, with its police authority, to plan for the resource requirements of policing operations.
The Home Office has agreed to support Essex Police in the policing operation linked to the evictions, offering funding that is limited to a maximum of £4.65 million. This amount is final and will not be reconsidered.
Presumed Deaths
Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications for Benjamin orders have been made to the Chancery Division of the High Court over the past three years; and how many were granted.
Lord McNally: The Ministry of Justice does not hold centrally information on the number of applications for Benjamin orders and the number of these that were granted. While such applications and orders will be logged on to the administrative computer systems used in the Chancery Division of the High Court, they cannot be distinguished from other types of applications and orders made. As such, the information requested can be obtained only through the manual inspection of individual case files, held by the courts, at disproportionate cost.
Prisons: Population
Lord Fellowes: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners in England and Wales are currently doubling up in cells designed for one occupant, or held three to a cell in cells designed for two.
Lord McNally: The average number of prisoners held in overcrowded accommodation during 2010-11 was 20,211 (23.8 per cent of population).
Within this total the average number of prisoners doubling up in cells designed for one occupant was 19,268 (22.7 per cent of the total prison population) and there were on average 829 prisoners held three to a cell in cells designed for two (1.0 per cent of population). (Overcrowding in other units of accommodation, such as dormitories, will also contribute to the total).
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Public Procurement
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether differential credit ratings and credit worthiness gave any advantage to Siemens, as the preferred bidder, over Bombardier in the award of the Thameslink contract.
Lord De Mauley: The project was structured as a package, to build, finance and maintain the trains over, potentially, a 30-year contract period. Accordingly, the capability of bidding consortia to finance a deal was analysed as part of the evaluation process. The credit rating of bidding consortia was not a determining factor in the award of the contract.
Public Procurement
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they took to manage any potential conflict of interest for consultants working on the Thameslink rolling stock project who were also working for one or more potential bidders; and what due diligence was performed in these cases.
Lord De Mauley: Consultants and lawyers are required to declare any conflicts of interest as part of the selection process and throughout the life of the contract.
Public Procurement
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are currently employed in train procurement at the Department for Transport; and how many of those employees have (a) engineering, (b) finance, (c) legal, and (d) operational qualifications.
Lord De Mauley: The Department for Transport currently has a core team of nine officials directly employed on rolling stock procurement. The table below sets out the number of employees with (a) engineering, (b) finance, (c) legal, and (d) operational qualifications working on rolling stock procurement.
Engineering Finance Legal Operations
2 3 2 1
Public Procurement
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the public procurement rules contained in the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2006 or the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 were used for letting the Thameslink rolling stock contract; and on what basis the decision was taken to apply the regulations in question.
Lord De Mauley: The letting of the Thameslink rolling stock contract was in accordance with the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2006. It is in the public interest that the decisions taken by the Secretary of State for Transport are taken in a fully informed legal context. Communications between the Secretary of State and his legal advisers are subject to the legal advice privilege.
Railways: European Train Management System
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government from where the proposal to pilot the European Railway Transport Management System (ERTMS) originated; who took the final decision to pilot the ERTMS; and who took the decision to pilot the ERTMS on the Cambrian Line.
Lord De Mauley: The Cambrian Coast was identified as an early deployment site for ERTMS by the Strategic Rail Authority in 2003, after consultation with the rail industry and key stakeholders. Consequently the Rail Regulator, in his Access Charges Review 2003: Final Conclusions, allowed for Network Rail to be funded to commence development during Control Period 3 (2004-05 to 2008-09).
Railways: European Train Management System
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what have been the total costs to date of (a) installing, and (b) operating and maintaining, the European Railway Transport Management System on the Cambrian Line.
Lord De Mauley: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. Network Rail is funded to deliver, operate and maintain the Cambrian ERTMS deployment. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), which is responsible for the economic regulation of the national rail network, will consider the costs of the Cambrian deployment as part of its regular reviews.
Railways: European Train Management System
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government by how much the European Railway Transport Management System has reduced signal failures on the Cambrian Line.
Lord De Mauley: This is an operational matter for Network Rail as it is responsible for monitoring infrastructure performance. Network Rail can be contacted as follows: David Higgins, Network Rail, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG.
Railways: European Train Management System
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government by how much the European Railway Transport Management System has improved punctuality on the Cambrian Line.
Lord De Mauley: This is an operational matter for Network Rail as it is responsible for monitoring performance and punctuality. Network Rail can be contacted as follows: David Higgins, Network Rail, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG.
Railways: European Train Management System
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a cost-benefit analysis of the European Railway Transport Management System (ERTMS) pilot on the Cambrian Line has been undertaken; and what were the results.
Lord De Mauley: A separate cost-benefit analysis has not been undertaken for the Cambrian line as this is a pilot for the planned national ERTMS implementation plan for which there is a positive business case recognised by its inclusion in the industry's investment plans for Control Period 4 (2009-14). The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is responsible for the economic regulation of the national rail network and will consider the Cambrian deployment as part of its regular reviews.
Railways: Thameslink
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the outcome of their technical risk assessment associated with the paper design on which the preferred bidder's tender for the Thameslink contract was based.
Lord De Mauley: The outcome of the assessment was that the Department for Transport is satisfied that the risks associated with the train design submitted can be managed and mitigated by the preferred bidder.
Railways: Thameslink
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what would be the costs associated with the cancellation of the Thameslink contract.
Lord De Mauley: We would expect Network Rail and the Department for Transport to incur significant cancellation costs, but these have not been quantified. Cancelling the Thameslink programme would delay or defer the additional capacity that Thameslink will provide for London commuters and prevent the cascade of around 400 rail vehicles that will be released for redeployment elsewhere and which are urgently needed to address overcrowding.
As there has already been significant expenditure on the Thameslink programme of £1.5 billion to date, with a further £0.7 billion committed, largely on the infrastructure works, any delay would adversely impact on the value for money of this expenditure by adding significant prolongation costs and delaying the realisation of the benefits.
Railways: Thameslink
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the recent press reports that cancelling the Thameslink contract entirely would delay the award of the contract for new trains by up to three years, what is their assessment of the shortest delay that might be incurred by such a cancellation.
Lord De Mauley: The consequences of abandoning the current procurement process would be significant. The Department for Transport could not simply stop the current procurement and immediately start a new one but would need to demonstrate that the current procurement is inappropriate then formulate a revised scope for any future procurement.
Based on experience to date, thereafter a procurement exercise for a train project of this complexity, involving an innovative design with requirements for maintenance, finance and depots would take between two and three years to conclude.
Railways: Thameslink
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government over what time period the calculation was based that the Siemens bid for the Thameslink contract offered best value for money to taxpayers; and what factors were included in the calculations.
Lord De Mauley: The whole life and whole industry cost assessment of the Thameslink bids was based over a 30-year period. The factors that were included in the calculations were:
train leasing costs;
depot leasing costs;
train maintenance costs;
train energy consumption;
VTISM (this is the Vehicle Track Interaction Strategic Model, which calculates the links between inputs, such as track and vehicle characteristics, and outputs, such as rail-life, wheel-life and maintenance regimes);
performance (the assessment of the likely delays caused by each unit type, based upon the bidders train reliability calculations); and
risk adjustments (to the extent that the bidder has indicated, in commercial propositions or its response to the Thameslink rolling stock project agreements, any changes to the levels of liability, performance regime or allocation of risks.
The evaluation criteria and evaluation process are contained in the Thameslink rolling stock project invitation to tender dated 27 November 2008, a copy of which is available on the Department for Transport website at www.dit.gov.uk/pqr/rail/pi/thameslinkrollingstock.
Railways: Train Design
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 5 September (WA 22-23), how the design and manufacture in Japan of the Hitachi trains for the Intercity express programme contract will act as a stimulus to the United Kingdom rolling stock design and building capacity.
Lord De Mauley: Agility Trains (the Hitachi consortium for IEP) propose to assemble the IEP train in a new factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, creating 600 permanent jobs. Only the first few prototype vehicles will be fully assembled in Japan, with the remainder built in the UK. As is consistent with the global nature of the rolling stock supply chain, Agility expect to procure a significant proportion of components for the trains from the UK, Europe and internationally.
Retail: Mary Portas Review
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a consultation document has been issued, or any public evidence sessions held, as part of the review of the United Kingdom's high street being carried out by Ms Mary Portas; and when the outcome of the review will be published.
Baroness Wilcox: No consultation document has been issued as part of the high streets review led by Mary Portas. However, as part of the evidence-gathering exercise members of the public were invited to submit their views either through the BIS or Mary Portas websites on what the Government, local authorities, businesses and the third sector could do to create diverse and sustainable high streets. The deadline for contributions was 31 August and over 2,100 responses were uploaded on to the Mary Portas and BIS websites along with a number of submissions received by mail. In addition, the review incorporates an extensive and ongoing programme of stakeholder engagement, including high-street visits, meetings with key stakeholders, workshops and a meeting with MPs. Mary Portas' review is expected to be published later in the year.
Roads: Advertising Hoardings
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to end the practice of private advertising hoardings being displayed on static vehicles parked on land adjacent to motorways and trunk roads.
Baroness Hanham: Private advertising hoardings can be displayed on static vehicles on land adjacent to a motorway, provided that it is done with the prior permission of the landowner and with express consent from the relevant local planning authority. Local planning authorities have a range of enforcement powers under which they can require the removal of such advertising on either amenity or public safety grounds.
Schools: Religion
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Chief Inspector of Schools has not published a separate report on collective worship in schools since the report of 1992-93, and whether they will request the Chief Inspector to conduct a new inquiry with a view to ascertaining the rates of compliance with sections 70 and 71 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, for comparison with the equivalents in the report of 1992-93.
Lord Hill of Oareford: Ofsted school inspections are primarily concerned with outcomes for pupils. There is therefore no specific requirement on Ofsted to report on the extent to which schools comply with their responsibilities to provide a daily act of collective worship, and no plans to commission Ofsted to report specifically on this matter. As part of school inspections, Ofsted is required to report on the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Where a school's non-compliance with a statutory duty is considered to be having a negative impact on pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, inspectors will reflect this in their assessment of the school.
Schools: Transport
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hill of Oareford on 11 August (WA 476), what steps they are taking to ensure that maximum use is made of existing bus service networks for school and social transport before separate vehicles are hired; and what consideration they have given to advocating approaches such as those being used in Dorset.
Lord De Mauley: We welcome Dorset's innovative approach to procuring bus services, which we understand has both saved money and served as a launch pad for new commercial services. Officials from the Department for Transport will be working with local transport professionals to ensure that such best practice can, where appropriate, be replicated across the country.
Taxation
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 20 May 2008 (WA 186), whether they will publish in the same form the top rate of direct tax on personal incomes in the United Kingdom for each year from 1975-76 to 2010-11.
Lord Sassoon: An updated version of the table given in the reply of the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Oldham, to the noble Lord of 20 May 2008 (WA 186) is given below:
Single/basic, non-aged personal allowance for a man with no children Taxable income above which the highest rate is charged Highest rate of income tax charged Financial year average Retail Price Index Single/basic, non-aged personal allowance for a man with no children at 2010-11 prices Taxable income above which the highest rate is charged at 2010-11 prices
1975-76 675 20,000 98% 35.91 4,257 126,135
1976-77 735 20,000 98% 41.40 4,021 109,408
1977-78 945 21,000 98% 47.19 4,535 100,784
1978-79 965 24,000 98% 51.11 4,276 106,347
1979-80 1165 25,000 75% 59.19 4,458 95,656
1980-81 1375 27,750 75% 68.85 4,523 91,281
1981-82 1375 27,750 75% 76.77 4,056 81,864
1982-83 1565 31,500 75% 82.20 4,312 86,788
1983-84 1785 36,000 75% 86.03 4,699 94,770
1984-85 2005 38,100 60% 90.37 5,025 95,482
1985-86 2205 40,200 60% 95.71 5,218 95,124
1986-87 2335 41,200 60% 98.78 5,354 94,460
1987-88 2425 41,200 60% 102.72 5,347 90,837
1988-89 2605 19,300 40% 108.88 5,419 40,145
1989-90 2785 20,700 40% 117.38 5,373 39,939
1990-91 3005 20,700 40% 128.74 5,286 36,415
1991-92 3295 23,700 40% 134.85 5,534 39,803
1992-93 3445 23,700 40% 139.11 5,609 38,584
1993-94 3445 23,700 40% 141.48 5,515 37,938
1994-95 3445 23,700 40% 145.35 5,368 36,928
1995-96 3525 24,300 40% 150.08 5,319 36,669
1996-97 3765 25,500 40% 153.73 5,547 37,567
1997-98 4045 26,100 40% 158.81 5,768 37,221
1998-99 4195 27,100 40% 163.76 5,802 37,478
1999-2000 4335 28,000 40% 166.35 5,902 38,120
2000-01 4385 28,400 40% 171.33 5,796 37,541
2001-02 4535 29,400 40% 173.88 5,907 38,293
2002-03 4615 29,900 40% 177.52 5,888 38,146
2003-04 4615 30,500 40% 182.48 5,728 37,853
2004-05 4745 31,400 40% 188.15 5,712 37,796
2005-06 4895 32,400 40% 193.11 5,741 37,998
2006-07 5035 33,300 40% 200.32 5,692 37,648
2007-08 5225 34,600 40% 208.58 5,673 37,569
2008-09 6035 34,800 40% 214.78 6,364 36,696
2009-10 6475 37,400 40% 215.80 6,795 39,250
2010-11 6475 150,000 50% 226.48 6,475 150,000
A single personal allowance was replaced with a basic personal allowance in 1990-91.
For 1975-76 to 1983-84, the highest rate charged includes investment income surcharge at 15 per cent, but this total rate would only apply if the taxpayer's income included investment income greater than the threshold for the highest rate of surcharge, which varied between £2,000 in 1973-74 and £7,100 in 1983-84.
From 2010-11 the highest rate of tax is at the additional rate of 50 per cent. The higher rate of tax at 40 per cent is due on taxable incomes exceeding £37,400.
Taxation: Income Tax
Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 5 October 2009 (WA 407), what percentage of the respective populations of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland either paid or are projected to pay income tax in 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, and 2011-12.
Lord Sassoon: The estimated proportions of the total population in each country with an income tax liability are shown in the table.
Year England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland
2006-07 52% 50% 53% 45%
2007-08 53% 51% 54% 46%
2008-09 51% 48% 52% 44%
2009-10 49% 46% 50% 42%
2010-11 49% 47% 50% 42%
2011-12 48% 46% 49% 41%
These figures are based on estimates for the number of taxpayers in 2006-07, 2007-08 and projections for later years prepared by HM Revenue and Customs from the Survey of Personal Incomes. The figures also draw on population estimates from mid-2006 to mid-2010 and projections for later years, prepared by the Office for National Statistics.
Transport: Heavy Goods Vehicles
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to extend the maximum allowed length or cubic capacity of heavy goods vehicles in the United Kingdom.
Earl Attlee: The Government have recently consulted on a proposal to extend the maximum permitted loading length of semi-trailers from the existing limit of 13.6 metres to a maximum of 15.65 metres. This would permit a loading length for articulated vehicles equal to that already permitted for rigid truck/drawbar trailer combination vehicles.
The Government have no plans to extend the maximum allowed overall length of heavy goods vehicles beyond the limit of 18.75 metres already permitted for rigid truck/drawbar trailer combination vehicles. The Government have made it clear that megatrucks (i.e. those typically 25.25 metres long or greater) will not be allowed on the UK's roads for the foreseeable future.
Transport: MoT Scheme
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to announce their consultation on the frequency of MoT studies of vehicles; and when it is expected to conclude.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We expect to be in a position to clarify the scope and timing of the review in the autumn. There will be an opportunity for anyone with an interest to contribute to the debate.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 5 September (WA 13), who were the other businessmen the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Mr Henry Bellingham, met during his visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands in July.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North West Norfolk (Mr Bellingham), also met local politicians and members of the Advisory Council and Consultative Forum, many of who are business men and women. He had specific meetings with Mr Kelly Sullivan, Developer; Mr Courtney Missick, Farmer; and Messrs Giora Israel and John Young of Carnival Cruise Lines.
Universal Credit
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the exact quotation from Wikeley, Ogus and Barendt's The Law of Social Security, to which footnote 1 of Universal Credit Policy Briefing Note 2 refers in support of the argument that "it has been suggested that Government interference in household budgeting arguably undermines individual responsibility".
Lord Freud: The paragraph in The Law of Social Security concerns deductions from benefit at source. The relevant section on page 334 reads as follows, with the pertinent sentence highlighted:
"The underlying policy is to help claimants who have shown themselves, perhaps only temporarily, incapable of budgeting for their own needs. The number of cases involved is considerable. In 1999 there were 606,000 deductions for social fund repayments and 131,000 for overpayment recoveries in a typical week. In all some 29 per cent of income support recipients have deductions from benefit made at source. While a prudent use of these powers can prevent a crisis of eviction or fuel disconnection which might otherwise arise, this type of intervention in a claimant's financial affairs arguably undermines individual responsibility and self-reliance. In addition, the SSAC has drawn attention to the dangers of the proliferation of such deductions, which 'is likely to lead to a large number of items competing for a finite amount or the possibility that creditors' bills are met at the expense of food and other essential items of day to day living'".
Universities: Funding
Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 11 August (WA 450-1), whether there are any legal reasons why university students from England and Wales who study in Scottish Universities are not financially disadvantaged compared with other students from the European Union studying in Scotland.
Lord De Mauley: The tuition fees charged by Scottish universities are a matter for the Scottish Government. Eligible English students studying at Scottish universities will continue to have access to loans of up to £9,000 per year from Student Finance England to cover their tuition costs.
Under EU law, member states cannot discriminate on grounds of nationality against people from other member states in the conditions of access to vocational training, which includes higher education. Where certain residency and nationality conditions are met, EU nationals and their family members qualify for home fee status and will therefore be treated the same for tuition fees as UK nationals who also satisfy the residency conditions.
As Scottish universities do not charge Scottish students for tuition, they therefore cannot charge EU nationals from outside the UK for tuition. EU law does not, however, prevent different treatment within different parts of a member state, so Scottish universities are able to charge for tuition to students from elsewhere in the UK.
It is for the Welsh Assembly Government to decide how they wish to fund Welsh-domiciled students.
Airports: Security
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the average times for European Union (EU, European Economic Area (EEA) and non EU/EEA passengers to pass through UK Border Agency and HM Revenue and Customs checks at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick, (c) Stansted, (d) Birmingham International, (e) Glasgow, (f) Edinburgh, (g) Nottingham East Midlands, (h) Humberside, (i) London Luton, (j) Newcastle, and (k) Belfast International airports in each year from 2005 until records are available.
Lord Henley: Average waiting times at the ports in question, which are only available from August 2007 onwards, are set out below:
Average queue length Aug-Dec 2007 Jan-Dec 2008 Jan-Dec 2009 Jan-Dec 2010 Jan-Aug 2011
EEA NonEEA EEA NonEEA EEA NonEEA EEA NonEEA EEA NonEEA
Belfast International 00:08 00:06 00:07 00:04 00:09 00:06 00:08 00:06 00:09 00:07
Birmingham International 00:07 00:13 00:06 00:08 0005 00:08 00:07 00:12 00:07 00:12
East Midlands (1) - - - - 00:14 00:29 0013 - 00:12 -
Edinburgh 00:15 00:16 00:09 00:07 00:08 00:07 00:07 00:08 00:09 00:09
Gatwick 00:10 00:20 00:08 00:15 00:06 00:09 00:05 00:08 00:05 00:07
Glasgow 00:20 00:18 00:06 00:06 00:06 00:08 00:06 00:08 00:07 00:10
Heathrow 00:05 00:14 00:02 00:07 0002 00:00 00:04 00:12 00:05 00:18
Humberside 00:12 00:14 00:14 00:13 00:13 00:08 00:11 00:09 00:13 00:11
Luton 00:08 00:10 00:07 00:08 00:06 00:07 00:10 00:11 00:09 00:09
Newcastle (2) 00:12 00:11 - 00:09 00:21 00:10 00:25 00:11 00:23
Stansted 00:07 00:09 00:08 00:08 00:06 00:07 00:05 00:08 00:15 00:21
Notes:
(1) Collection of MI for East Midlands commenced in 2009, a single queue system has been in operation since 2010.
(2) Collection of MI for Newcastle commenced in 2009.
The UK Border Agency strives to provide a high standard of customer service at the border and is committed to expediting the entry of legitimate passengers whilst at the same time maintaining security at the border.
As part of the agenda we will publish performance against our measure which is "clearance of passengers at the border within published service standards". Our current target is to clear 95 per cent of EEA passengers within 25 minutes of joining the queue and non EEA passengers within 45 minutes. Current year to date performance sits at 97 per cent.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contingency plans they have made to enable conventional F35C aircraft to remain airborne in the event of blocked flight deck emergencies on their parent aircraft carrier.
Lord Astor of Hever: All Joint Strike Fighter variants, including the F35C, have inherent air-to-air refuelling capabilities in order to both extend their range for operations and to provide contingency in the event of a runway or flight deck emergency. Work is under way to assess the most cost-effective means of delivering an embarked refuelling capability. We anticipate completing this work by March 2012 and will use its output to inform future decisions on the Carrier Strike programme.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government what studies they have made of the possible effects of cat and trap operations from aircraft carriers upon the fatigue life of F35C aircraft.
Lord Astor of Hever: The F35C has been designed as a carrier aircraft, with its structure optimised for catapult take-offs and arrested landings. The Joint Strike Fighter programme has conducted extensive ground and airborne structural testing to demonstrate that the aircraft's fatigue life is sufficient to allow it to operate for its intended lifespan. This testing has culminated in the successful catapult launch of an F35C at Lakehurst Air Force Base in July. The UK maintains a close oversight of this testing regime, using expertise from within Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and QinetiQ.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made for penalty clauses in the contracts to supply an electromagnetic catapult system for their proposed aircraft carriers in the event of delays in delivery or performance shortfalls.
Lord Astor of Hever: We have not yet placed any contracts for the provision of aircraft launch and recovery equipment for the operational Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier.
As part of our ongoing investigations into conversion we are working with suppliers to ensure they are fully aware and capable of meeting our schedule requirement. The nature of any penalty clauses will be dependent on the contracting arrangement we adopt.
We expect final decisions on conversion to be taken in late 2012.
Armed Forces: Atomic Test Veterans
Baroness Brinton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Freedom of Information requests the Ministry of Defence has received from atomic test veterans and their families; and how many have been responded to.
Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence does not record this information.
Armed Forces: Atomic Test Veterans
Baroness Brinton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money has been spent by the Ministry of Defence on litigation in relation to atomic test veterans.
Lord Astor of Hever: The latest estimate of the costs incurred up to 15 April 2011 by the Ministry of Defence in defending the atomic tests veterans' litigation was £4,937,615.98.
This costs estimate included all the work required for the High Court hearing in 2009, the subsequent Court of Appeal hearing in 2010 and some preparatory work for the Supreme Court hearing of the Veterans' application for permission to appeal held on 28 July 2011.
Armed Forces: Defence Estates
Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total value of the assets owned by Defence Estates that have been disposed of in each of the past five years.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what Ministry of Defence projects have been part or fully funded by the sale of assets owned by Defence Estates in each of the past five years.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how often Defence Estates reviews its assets as part of a programme of disposal.
Lord Astor of Hever: The total accrued receipts from the sale of Ministry of Defence (MoD) land and property assets in each of the last five years is shown in the following table:
Financial Year Amount in £ million
2006-07 394
2007-08 1,160
2008-09 110
2009-10 77
2010-11 50
As part of the spending review, the MoD agreed asset disposal targets with HM Treasury and net budgets were set accordingly over each of the past five years. Disposal targets included those arising from the disposal of assets owned by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation but individual projects are not directly linked to funding generated from asset sales.
The MoD benefited from those disposals which, together with other sources of income, contributed towards the overall funding allocated for defence expenditure.
The MoD keeps its estate under constant review to meet present and planned future requirements, with a view to disposing of surplus land and property assets as quickly as possible in accordance with Treasury guidelines as set out in Managing Public Money. The outcome of the department's basing review, announced by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Dr Liam Fox) in the other place on 18 July 2011 (Official Report, Commons, cols. 643-645) confirmed our intent to continue to drive efficiencies in the use of the defence estate.
Armed Forces: Defence Estates
Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government how often they have used consultants to advise on the disposal of assets owned by Defence Estates in the past five years; and what has been the cost.
Lord Astor of Hever: In order to maximise departmental return, and because appropriate skills are not held in-house, the Ministry of Defence has used a variety of consultants, as necessary, to advise on the disposal of land and property assets in the past five years, at a total cost of some 17.9 million including actual legal costs and marketing fees. This represents some one per cent of the department's total receipt.
Armed Forces: Defence Estates
Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Defence Estates has entered any partnership arrangements to handle (a) the sale, and (b) the ongoing management, of assets in the past five years.
Lord Astor of Hever: The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (the successor to Defence Estates) has entered into a number of development partnerships or joint venture arrangements for the sale and ongoing management of surplus assets over the past five years.
Armed Forces: Defence Estates
Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Defence Estates has been asked to provide funding for the maintenance and improvement of service family accommodation and single living accommodation in each of the past five years.
Lord Astor of Hever: The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (the successor to Defence Estates) and its predecessor organisation provided funding for the maintenance and improvement of both service family accommodation and single living accommodation in each of the past five years.
Armed Forces: Drumadd Barracks
Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made with the proposed sale of Drumadd Barracks, Armagh City.
Lord Astor of Hever: Following a marketing campaign, expressions of interest in Drumadd Barracks were received from a number of parties in November 2010. Revised bids were sought in January 2011, as a result of which a preferred purchaser has been identified. The Ministry of Defence is now in the final stage of negotiations to complete the sale.
Aviation: Passenger Duty
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they propose to publish the response to the consultation process concerning air passenger duty.
Lord Sassoon: The Government will publish its response later this autumn.
Bank of England
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government who has responsibility for determining that an independent member of the Court of the Bank of England should be asked to stand down.
Lord Sassoon: Schedule 1 Paragraph 8 of the Bank of England Act 1998 provides that the Bank may, with the consent of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, remove a person from office as a director of the Bank in the circumstances set out in that paragraph. That is, being absent from court meetings for three months without the consent of court, becoming bankrupt or being "unable or unfit" to discharge his or her responsibilities as a member.
Additionally, Schedule 1, Paragraph 7 of the Act provides that a director shall vacate his or her office on becoming a Minister of the Crown or a person serving in a government department in employment in respect of which remuneration is payable out of money provided by Parliament.
Bank of England
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Bank of England is reviewing whether asset bubbles which might threaten financial stability are developing in the United Kingdom.
Lord Sassoon: The role of the Bank of England's interim Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is to identify and monitor systemic risks to stability of the financial system. It focuses particularly on risks to the resilience of the financial system and on unsustainable levels of financial sector leverage, credit growth and debt.
The FPC's latest assessment of risks to financial stability can be found in the Financial Stability Report, June 2011.
Bank of England
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 12 September (WA 39), whether a decision to publish the minutes of the Court of the Bank of England is a matter for the court, the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee, or HM Treasury; and, further to the evidence given to the Treasury Select Committee on 15 March by Sir David Lees, whether Ministers and officials have expressed a view on the matter to Sir David, the governor or other officials at the Bank of England.
Lord Sassoon: The decision on whether to publish the minutes of the Court of the Bank of England is a matter for the court.
Neither Ministers nor officials have expressed a view on the matter to Sir David, the governor or other officials at the Bank of England.
Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many directors and senior employees of United Kingdom banks have been subject to enforcement action by the Financial Services Authority in each of the past five years and in the current year to date.
Lord Sassoon: This is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA), whose day-to-day operations are independent from government control and influence. This question has been passed on to the FSA, which will reply to you directly by letter. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.
Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether John Varley signed the Project Merlin agreement on behalf of HSBC Bank Plc or HSBC Holdings Plc.
Lord Sassoon: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 11 August (Official Report, col. WA 386).
Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Financial Services Authority has considered the impact on United Kingdom banks of a possible withdrawal from the European Union by the Republic of Ireland and the impact on the capital of United Kingdom banks from the unhedged central funding of their Irish subsidiaries.
Lord Sassoon: The Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority monitor the financial system on an ongoing basis. Contingency plans are prepared and maintained for a range for possible scenarios, as part of the normal policy development process.
Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ministers or officials have met representatives of the credit rating agencies Fitch, Moody's or Standard and Poor's individually or collectively to discuss the work of the Independent Commission on Banking in the last three months.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with United Kingdom banks about their approach to the voluntary private sector tender element of the international support programme for Greece.
Lord Sassoon: As part of the process of policy development and delivery, Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations, including banks, investment banks and banking trade associations.
As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.
Banking: Bonuses
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions they have issued to UK Financial Investments Ltd concerning the payments of bonuses to bank staff.
Lord Sassoon: As the majority shareholder in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and the largest shareholder in Lloyds Banking Group (LBG), the Government have made clear that they expect these banks to be back-markers and not market leaders on bonuses.
UK Financial Investments (UKFI) manages the Government's shareholdings in banks on an arm's-length and commercial basis. The UKFI-Treasury Investment Mandate provides that UKFI will seek to ensure compliance with specified remuneration principles as part of .its active engagement with the banks. In particular, UKFI seeks to ensure that remuneration incentives are designed to promote long-term sustainable performance and to ensure that RBS and LBG are at the leading edge of implementing the updated Financial Services Authority remuneration code.
Banking: Equity Underwriting
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 12 September ((Official Report, Commons, col. 776), whether they will address the "uncompetitive" market for equity underwriting.
Lord Sassoon: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) published its market study into equity underwriting in January 2011. The OFT identified features of the market which could potentially restrict, distort or prevent competition. These features typically stemmed from the demand side of the market, information asymmetry and buyer conduct. Following the market study, the OFT decided not to refer the market to the Competition Commission. Instead, the OFT concluded that the issues identified in the market could best be tackled by companies and shareholders doing more to achieve more cost effective outcomes.
The Government are committed to improving competition in the banking sector for the benefit of consumers and businesses. The Independent Commission on Banking made recommendations on competition in its report of 12 September 2011. The Government will provide their initial response to the Commission's proposals by the end of the year.
Banking: Money Supply
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the stagnation of the velocity of circulation of money supply; and what steps they plan to take.
Lord Sassoon: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for monetary policy. The MPC's objective is to maintain price stability. Recent movements in the velocity of circulation of money are analysed in an article which appeared in the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin 2011 Q1 under the title "Understanding the recent weakness in broad money growth". The article can be accessed via the Bank of England's website at: http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/quarterlybulletin/2011.ht.
Banks: First Trust Bank
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 11 August (WA 387) concerning control of the First Trust Bank, whether the Financial Services Authority approved the appointment of those running the bank; and who are those people.
Lord Sassoon: First Trust Bank is a trademark of AIB Group (UK) plc. AIB Group (UK) plc board appointments are a matter for the company and must meet the Financial Services Authority (FSA) Approved Person requirements, including those of its enhanced significant influence function regime. A full list of FSA Approved Persons associated with AIB Group (UK) can be found on the FSA's register: http://www. fsa.gov.uk/register/home.do
Benefits
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that individuals not guilty of any offence will not suffer eviction from social housing or lose benefits.
Lord Freud: Generally prisoners convicted of a criminal offence and detained in prison are not entitled to social security benefits. That means that anyone who is eligible for social security benefits and who is caught, convicted and imprisoned for any offence committed during the recent disorder that has disrupted London and other UK cities will be disqualified from receiving most social security payments. However, housing benefit and council tax benefit can continue to be paid in some circumstances if the period of absence from the home is 13 weeks or less. Furthermore, it is already a ground for eviction in existing legislation if a social tenant or a member of their family is involved in anti-social behaviour or criminal activity that affects their neighbours or local community.
The Department for Work and Pensions is looking at whether further sanctions can be imposed on the benefit entitlements of individuals who receive non custodial sentences. In addition the DWP is considering increasing the level of fines which can be deducted from benefit entitlement. The Department for Communities and Local Government is proposing to extend landlords' powers to evict social tenants for riot related offences, but this would only apply where the tenant or a member of their household has been convicted for such offences. Any changes put in place by either Department would not apply to individuals who have not been convicted of any offence.
Benefits: Disability
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken in response to The Hardest Hit march past both Houses of Parliament on 11 May of campaigners against cuts in disability benefits.
Lord Freud: This Government are fully committed to enabling disabled people to have the same opportunities and choices as non-disabled people. Ministers and departmental officials have made it a priority to regularly meet with disabled people, their families and disabled people's organisations.
Many of the organisations that supported the march are already working closely with the Government to help shape our welfare reforms, including improvements to the work capability assessment and the introduction of personal independence payment to replace disability living allowance. We have met around 60 organisations of and for disabled people. The insight of organisations such as Scope, Mencap, Leonard Cheshire Disability, RNIB, and Mind is immensely valuable. We are also working with user-led organisations such as Radar, UKDPC and People First and value their important contribution.
The department has adopted the principles of user-centred design for universal credit and personal independence payment. This places customers at the heart of the design process to ensure their needs are reflected in the way policies are delivered. For example, in personal independence payment users are being involved in the design of operational processes; how individuals make a claim, how the claimant feeds in to the assessment process, and how a decision is communicated to the individual. This will result in administrative processes which are transparent and easy to use, and will build confidence in benefit award decisions.
We will continue to engage with disabled people and their organisations about matters that affect them.
British Indian Ocean Territory
Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to discuss with the United States State Department the terms on which they would be prepared to renew the Exchange of Letters (due in 2016) between the United Kingdom and the United States Government on the British Indian Ocean Territory; and, if so, when they propose to commence those negotiations.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The 1966 Exchange of Notes between the UK and US Governments concerning the availability for defence purposes of the British Indian Ocean Territory is valid for 50 years and shall continue in force for a further 20 years unless, not more than two years before the end of the initial period, either government shall have given notice of termination to the other, in which case the agreement shall terminate two years from the date of such notice. No formal negotiations have commenced.
Coroners and Justice Act 2009
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many convictions there have been to date under Section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 specifically for holding someone in domestic servitude.
Lord De Mauley: Section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 came into force in April 2010. There have been no reports of any convictions under this Act in 2010 (latest available information).
Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on the Court Proceedings database does not contain information about the circumstances behind each case beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. Information is not held on whether the victim was held in domestic servitude.
Please note that annual court proceedings data for the calendar year 2011 will be available in the spring of 2012.
Crime: Rioting
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether those using the internet to encourage rioting and similar activities may be prosecuted for incitement to violence and crime; and whether they consider it is possible to obtain sufficient evidence to secure convictions in such cases.
Baroness Rawlings: The common law offence of incitement was abolished and replaced with three new offences in relation to the encouragement or assistance of crime under Sections 44 to 46 of the Serious Crime Act 2007, with effect from October 2008. These offences make no distinction between online and offline activity, and could be used to prosecute encouragement by means of the internet. The sufficiency of evidence to mount a prosecution in any individual case is an operational matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Criminal Justice Legislation
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will give effect to the recommendation by the Court of Appeal Criminal Division in Regina v Cooper [2011] EWCA Crim 1872 on improving the process by which legislative and transitional provisions in criminal justice legislation are drafted and implemented.
Lord De Mauley: By its very nature criminal justice legislation can be complicated and often this complexity cannot be avoided. However, the Government are committed to enhancing the clarity of legislation across all fields; and to increasing their engagement with experts and with the public. To that end, we are making use of pre-legislative scrutiny; and that is why we are experimenting with plain English drafting.
Debt
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their forecasts for the improvement in the external surplus if both they and the private sector are to reduce debt.
Lord Sassoon: The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that the rest of the world's financial surplus with the United Kingdom will narrow from 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2010 to 0.4 per cent of GDP in the first quarter of 2016. The corporate sector is forecast to run a financial surplus, which narrows from 6.2 per cent of GDP to 1.5 per cent over this period. Over the same period, the public sector financial balance is forecast to narrow from a deficit of 11.3 per cent of GDP to 1.2 per cent.
Economy
Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the report of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, The Effect of theGreat Recession in the Household Income Distribution, on the likely period over which living standards will continue to decline; and, if they disagree with the findings, whether they will publish alternative figures.
Lord Sassoon: As the Chancellor has stated, the recovery is likely to be choppy and faces significant global headwinds. Despite this, decisive action taken by the Government at the Spending Review and June 2010 Budget will put the public finances and spending on a sustainable footing. This action will serve to support living standards over the long term. The Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast that real household disposable income will grow from 2011.
Economy
Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the report of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, The Effect of theGreat Recession in the Household Income Distribution, that poorest families lose more as a result of the squeeze of public spending.
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the recent Institute of Fiscal Studies report, The Effect of the Great Recession in the HouseholdIncome Distribution, whether they consider that the effect of their deficit reduction policies will be shared amongst socioeconomic groups.
Lord Sassoon: The unprecedented scale of the deficit has meant that the Government have had to make tough choices but it has always been clear that those with the broadest shoulders should carry the greatest burden. Chart A.6 in Annex A of Budget 2011 provides the Government's best estimate of the impact of tax, tax credit and benefit and public service spending changes on households. It is the combined impact of these that provides the best overall view of the impacts on households. This shows that in 2014-15, the top 20 per cent of households are estimated to make the greatest overall contribution towards reducing the deficit as a percentage of their income and benefits in kind from public services.
Economy: Quantitative Easing
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will instruct the Bank of England to publish a report on the effect of quantitative easing before they agree to indemnify the Bank for a further programme.
Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England has published assessments of the effectiveness of quantitative easing (QE) in a number of publications, including the Inflation Report of May 2010 and the Quarterly Bulletin 2011 Q1. In addition, several members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England have provided their assessments of QE in various published speeches since March 2009. The MPC has operational responsibility for monetary policy, including decisions on quantitative easing, in order to meet the inflation target in the medium term.
Energy: Fuel Poverty
Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact on fuel poverty of the forecast £6 billion per annum subsidy to renewable electricity production required to meet targets in the European Union Renewables Directive.
Lord De Mauley: Support for renewable electricity currently adds around £21 to the average domestic electricity bill. The Government are determined to meet our renewable energy and climate change targets and ensure security of supply at least cost to the consumer. That is why we are introducing electricity market reform (EMR) to provide more efficient support to low-carbon power generation and to introduce a capacity payment mechanism to ensure security of supply. The currently estimated £6 billion subsidy for renewable electricity generation will be superseded by the proposals in the EMR White Paper. Modelling for the White Paper estimated that under the feed-in tariff contract for difference package the number of households in fuel poverty could be between 175,000 to 300,000 lower in 2030 compared to what it would otherwise be without EMR.
We are committed to helping households in fuel poverty and have a number of policies which assist low income and vulnerable households heat their homes more affordably.
1 DECC 0010 Estimated impacts of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and hills. Costs quoted in 2009 prices.
Energy: Nuclear Safety
Lord Jenkin of Roding: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the new Nuclear Safety Action Plan put forward by the International Atomic Energy Agency, agreed by its board of governors on 13 September; and what estimate they and the United Kingdom's Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) have made of the impact of the plan on the ONR's current work on the safety and security of the United Kingdom's existing and planned nuclear installations.
Baroness Rawlings: The UK welcomes the Action Plan as a positive step towards enhancing the international nuclear safety framework and achieving the aim of continuous improvement in nuclear safety standards. The Action Plan closely reflects the regulatory approach already being undertaken in the UK which, due to our goal setting approach, takes into account events such as those at Fukushima to ensure all proportionate steps are taken in relation to nuclear safety, security and emergency preparedness. As a result the additional impact of the delivery of the Action Plan on the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is expected to be minimal and will be managed from within ONR's existing budgets
Energy: Oil and Gas
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether production and revenue arising from proposed oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean south of Cyprus will be the property of all the people of Cyprus or exclusively of the Greek Cypriots; and whether, as a guarantor power, the United Kingdom has sought to ensure equality between the two peoples of the island.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have welcomed the indications from President Christofias that he sees the reserves, if they are confirmed, as being an asset to benefit all the communities of Cyprus. We hope that the process of exploration can be managed to support the efforts to achieve a lasting settlement.
EU: Legislation
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support an appeal by the Council of Ministers of the European Union to the European Court of Justice to overturn the General Court's ruling of 22 March 2011 that blanking out the names of the countries making legislative proposals is unlawful; and, if so, what are their reasons.
Lord McNally: The Government support the appeal by the Council to the European Court of Justice against the General Court's judgment of 22 March 2011 in Access Info Europe v Council. The General Court determined that the Council had infringed Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents (the Regulation) by withholding the identities of member states making proposals in relation to a particular ongoing legislative procedure. In doing so the General Court rejected the argument that disclosure of this information would harm the decision making process of the European institutions and ruled that it could not therefore be withheld on the basis of the exception in Article 4(3) of the regulation.
The Government strongly support the right of access provided by the regulation. However it is also important that truly sensitive information is adequately protected. It is the Government's view that, as a general rule, the negotiating positions of member states on European legislation should be protected from disclosure while those negotiations are ongoing. Our concern is that this decision could well undermine that important principle, and could have very significant negative implications for the future use, where necessary, of Article 4(3) of the regulation.
European Court of Human Rights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have complied with Recommendation No. (2000)2 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the re-examination or reopening of certain cases at domestic level following judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
Lord De Mauley: Bearing in mind the specificities of the legal systems of the United Kingdom, there are adequate possibilities to achieve restitution in integrum for a successful applicant to the European Court of Human Rights. While the reopening of concluded proceedings before our domestic courts is not always possible, particularly in civil proceedings given the principle that parties should be able to rely on the outcome of those proceedings once all appeals have been exhausted, there has always in practice been available a combination of compensatory and administrative measures to ensure that individual measures may be taken to the satisfaction of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe following a judgment of the Strasbourg Court.
European Institute for Gender Equality
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 7 September (WA 31), what is their assessment of the benefits to the United Kingdom and its people of the work of the European Institute for Gender Equality.
Baroness Rawlings: The European Institute for Gender Equality has been operating as an independent agency of the EU since June 2010. The UK Government have not at this time conducted an assessment of the benefits of the institution.
We hope that the institute will provide research-based evidence which will assist the European Commission to bring forward proposals that are supported by a strong evidence base.
Finance: Clearing Houses
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the ability of LCH Clearnet unilaterally to set margin requirements and specify "value hair cuts" and the risks so posed to financial stability.
Lord Sassoon: The Government will establish in the Bank of England a Financial Policy Committee (FPC) to identify and monitor systemic risks to the stability of the financial system. An interim FPC is currently considering what tools the permanent FPC might need.
The draft legislation to establish the permanent FPC was published in a White Paper in June 2011 (Cm 8083). The draft legislation also includes detailed proposed changes to the regulatory regime in the Financial Services and Markets (2000) Act applying to recognised clearing houses (RCHs). RCHs that are central counterparties will also be subject to requirements in or under the proposed EU directive on over the counter derivative transactions, central counterparties and trade repositories currently under negotiation in Brussels.
Finance: Equity Markets
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the "cliff edge" volume discounts offered by equity market trading platforms that may promote the creation of false markets.
Lord Sassoon: Regulation of equity markets is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA have assessed that "cliff edge" volume discounts create a risk that participants will be encouraged to trade for improper purposes and, for that reason, that a fee structure that embeds a cliff edge is not compatible with the regulatory responsibilities of trading platforms supervised by the FSA.
Finance: Investors
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 11 August (WA 402) and following the case of United States v Michael Geraud, what steps have been taken by the Financial Services Authority to ensure that all United Kingdom investors have been contacted.
Lord Sassoon: On 3 June 2011, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) wrote to relevant investors based in the UK who had been identified by the US Securities Exchange Committee. The FSA contacted 42 people and has so far received 18 responses.
Finance: Lending
Lord Roberts of Conwy: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to set up a state bank or lending authority to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses, as recently suggested by Adam Posen of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.
Lord Sassoon: The Government are committed to increasing lending to small businesses. As part of the Merlin commitment, the banks have committed to make available £76 billion for small businesses this year, a 15 per cent increase from last year.
The Government have also announced continued support for the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme, which will make available over £2 billion of lending to small businesses with insufficient collateral or track record over the next four years.
Freedom of Information
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government who monitors the activities of the Freedom of Information Commissioner; and how many complaints that person or body has dealt with in the past five years.
Lord McNally: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent regulator with responsibility for monitoring compliance of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. As an independent body, the ICO is accountable to Parliament for the exercise of its regulatory functions and the way that it spends public funds.
Requestors and public bodies can appeal FOI decisions of the ICO to the General Regulatory Tribunal and from there to the Higher Courts. If members of the public are unhappy with the way that the ICO has dealt with a particular case, or the service they have received from the ICO, they may complain to the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO).
Complaints received by the PHSO in relation to the ICO for the years 2006-2010 are detailed in the table below. The figures for 2011 will be published by the PHSO in October 2011.
Complaints Received Accepted for a full statutory investigation Reported on Fully upheld Partly upheld Not upheld
06/07* 53 3 6 0 1 5
07/8 39 0 1 0 1 0
08/9 80 1 0 0 0 0
09/10 80 0 1 0 1 0
*As the PHSO brought in a new business approach in 2007/08 as to how they recorded 'investigations' the figures are not directly comparable with subsequent years.
Gaza
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last discussed with the Government of Israel, and with what result, (a) the ability of the crossing-points into Gaza to deal with the imports and exports of that territory, and (b) the shortage of shekels in Gaza for use as local currency; and whether they will continue to make representations on those matters.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Truckloads entering Gaza are still only 45 per cent (based on June 2011 figures) of what went in prior to June 2007. Most of the increase in imports has been consumer goods. In the last month the average number of trucks entering Gaza a day has been less than 300. There have been only around 200 truckloads of exports in the whole of 2011 so far. The UN reports that Gaza needs to import and export 1,000 truckloads per day under normal economic conditions. Exports remain limited to specific authorized agricultural crops. Following the end of the strawberry and flowers season, no exports left Gaza.
We were encouraged by the Israeli Government's decision to facilitate exports out of Gaza made in February 2011. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development have had talks with Israel about the type and level of exports they hope to achieve in 2011 as well as asking them to ease import restrictions. There has been limited progress and it is important that this now translates into real changes on the ground. We are concerned about the fiscal situation, including the availability of local currency.
We continue to work closely with the quartet and EU partners and to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access and enable a return to economic normality. These issues were most recently raised by the UK at the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting in New York on 18 September, both in the plenary session and in bilateral meetings with the Israeli delegation in the margins of the main event. Our ambassador to Tel Aviv also raises these concerns regularly with Israeli interlocutors.
We are clear that more needs to be done, including on easing restrictions on exports, construction material imports and the movement of people.
Gaza
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last discussed with the Government of Israel, and with what result, the provision of clean water supplies in Gaza and the alleged diversion of some supplies to adjacent parts of Israel; and whether they will continue to make representations on this matter.
Baroness Northover: As I have made clear, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable and unsustainable. DfID and FCO ministers, ambassadors and officials regularly make representations on this issue to the Government of Israel, including at the meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in New York on Sunday 18 September. The meeting welcomed the increase in building material for infrastructure development allowed into Gaza, but called for increased efforts to improve the humanitarian situation and implement long-term solutions to issues over water. We will therefore continue to make representations to the Israeli Government. We are also supporting the Access Co-ordination Unit to work with Israel and other partners to facilitate the transfer of goods and people in and out of Gaza.
Gaza
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last discussed with the Government of Israel, and with what result, the ban on imports of radiotherapy drugs for cancer patients in Gaza; and whether they will continue to make representations on this matter.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware that from a list of 460 essential drugs, Gaza's health ministry medical store is currently missing 170 items, including drugs used to strengthen the bones of cancer patients and other types of cancer-related drugs.
According to an UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs report that was published in August 2011, as of the end of August, approximately one third of the items in the essential drug list and 27 percent of the medical disposable items were at zero level at the Central Drug Store in the Gaza Strip. These shortages directly affect the delivery of health services at facilities run by the Ministry of Health, which provide 40 per cent of primary health care and 80 per cent of hospital care services.
We continue to work closely with the quartet and EU partners, and to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access including access to humanitarian and medical supplies. This was most recently raised by the UK at the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting in New York on 18 September both in the plenary session and in bilateral meetings with the Israeli delegation in the margins of the main event. Our ambassador to Tel Aviv also raises these concerns regularly with Israeli authorities.
Gaza
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last discussed with the Government of Israel, and with what result, the number of children of school age in Gaza without school places; and whether they will continue to make representations on this matter.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We have regularly raised the issue of schooling in Gaza and the need to allow materials in for donor-funded education projects including the building of 100 new UN Relief and Works Agency schools.
We are clear that the situation in Gaza is both a tragedy and unsustainable. Whilst there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, there is an enduring need for humanitarian aid. We have also been clear that actions by both Israel and Hamas have contributed to this status quo. Working closely with the quartet and EU partners, we will continue to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access and enable a return to economic normality.
We are clear that more needs to be done, including on easing restrictions on exports, construction material imports and the movement of people.
Gaza
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last discussed with the Government of Israel, and with what result, the progress on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's building programme, and supply of materials for approved works in Gaza; and whether they will continue to make representations on this matter.
Baroness Northover: As I have made clear, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable and unsustainable. DfID and FCO ministers, ambassadors and officials regularly make representations on this issue to the Government of Israel, including at the meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in New York on Sunday 18 September.
Changes to the access regime announced in June 2010, and the package of measures agreed with the quartet representative in February 2011 were positive steps. However, we are clear that more needs to done, particularly to ease restrictions on construction material imports, to ensure this translates into real change on the ground. We will therefore continue to make representations to the Israeli Government. We are also supporting the Access Co-ordination Unit to work with Israel and other partners to facilitate the transfer of goods and people in and out of Gaza.
Gaza
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last discussed with the Government of Israel, and with what result, restrictions on off-shore fishing in Gaza; and whether they will continue to make representations on this matter.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK frequently raises with the Israeli authorities the issue of easing restrictions on Gaza. But we have not made specific representations concerning fishing limits off the coast of Gaza. There has been no fundamental change in the crossings regime and economic stagnation and de-development in Gaza remain the norm (although Israel's decision to move from a list of 120 permitted goods to a list of specific prohibited items was a positive step). We are clear that more needs to be done, including on easing restrictions on exports, construction material imports and the movement of people.
Gilts
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of historically low real and nominal rates of interest, whether they will instruct the Debt Management Office (DMO) to increase the rate of issuance of long dated gilts; and when Ministers last met the Board and Chief Executive of the DMO.
Lord Sassoon: The Debt Management Office's financing remit for the current financial year was set out in the Debt and Reserves Management Report 2011-12.The planned issuance of long-dated conventional gilts is £37.4 billion (22.3 per cent of total issuance). In addition, planned issuance for index-linked gilts is £38.0 billion (22.7 per cent of total issuance), the greater part of which will be bonds with in excess of 15 years to maturity. A statement on the financing remit will be made alongside the autumn statement on 29 November 2011.
Treasury Ministers maintain a regular dialogue with senior officials from the Debt Management Office.
Global Competitiveness
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take in response to the Global Competitiveness Report for 2011-12 issued by the World Economic Forum, which indicates that the United Kingdom has fallen in ranking from 5th in 1997 to 94th out of 142 countries in 2011.
Lord Sassoon: The Global Competitiveness Report for 2011-12 issued by the World Economic Forum lists the UK as the 10th most competitive country, its highest ranking since 2007. The report lists the UK as 94th least competitive in terms of the extent and effect of taxation.
The Government are taking action to repair the damage done by the previous Government and improve the competitiveness of the UK tax system. At the June Budget 2010, the Government set out their aim to create the most competitive corporate tax system in the G20 and has since set out more detailed proposals in its Corporate Tax Road Map (which is accessible online at: http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/corporate taxreform.htm). This includes four annual one per cent reductions in the main rate of corporate tax which, together with the further one per cent reduction announced in Budget 2011, will see the rate reach 23 per cent by 2014. Critical changes to the scope of corporation tax in order to enhance competitiveness will include the introduction of a patent box, to incentivise the creation of intellectual property in the UK and a new controlled foreign company regime, to make the UK a more attractive base for multinational groups.
The Government recognise that tax competitiveness is not just about rates and incidence of tax and have also committed to restoring the UK tax system's reputation for stability, simplicity and predictability. The Government have made a number of improvements to the way in which they make tax policy, with consultation on policy design and scrutiny of draft legislative proposals as the cornerstones. Further details may be found online at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/tax_policy_ making_new_approach.htm.
Government Departments: Surveys
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 14 September (WA 67), whether they have the names of the people with whom Mori conducted interviews; and, if they do, whether they will place in the Library of the House their names and the names of the FTSE 500 boards on which they serve.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The department does not hold this information. The research was carried out by Ipsos MORI on the basis that participants were to remain anonymous.
Government: Ministerial Meetings
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government who were the businessmen who accompanied the Prime Minister on his recent visit to Moscow; and which companies they represented.
Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Prime Minister led a delegation of 24 business leaders to Moscow on 12 September.
The names of the delegates and the companies and organisations they represented were published on UKTI's website as part of a press release to coincide with the visit. The delegates, in alphabetical order of company, were:
Company Delegate
Aecom Steve Morriss
Allen & Overy David Morley
Arup Philip Dilley
Aviva Igal Mayer
BP Bob Dudley
British Airways Sir Martin Broughton
CBI John Cridland
Celtic Pharma Holdings John Mayo
Ernst & Young Steve Varley
Eversheds Lee Ranson
GT Group Geoff Turnbull
Intercontinental Hotels Group Angela Bray
Investis Helen James
Kingfisher Group Ian Cheshire
London Stock Exchange Xavier Rolet
LOCOG Lord Coe
Pentland Brands Plc Andy Rubin
Plastic Logic Indro Mukerjee
Populous John Barrow
Rolls Royce Sir Simon Robertson
Royal Dutch Shell Peter Voser
Russo British Chamber of Commerce Tim Eggar
Tensar John Kiely
Tyrrells Crisps David Milner
Government: Ministerial Meetings
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ministers have met representatives of Vitol or Trafigura in connection with oil trading with Libya this year.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Full lists of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on government departmental websites.
Government: Ministerial Meetings
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions took place between the Prime Minister and Russian leaders during his visit to Moscow about the disorder and reported human rights abuses in Chechnya and the North Caucasus and their implications for global security; and what was the outcome of those discussions.
Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Prime Minister discussed issues relating to the rule of law and counter-terrorism with both President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin. Various human rights issues were also covered with President Medvedev. The Prime Minister met Russian human rights activists at the Sakharov Centre, with whom he discussed the human rights situation in the North Caucasus, including conflict in the region.
We will continue to engage with Russia on these issues-at ministerial level, through our embassy in Moscow, and through international institutions.
Government: Ministerial Posts
Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to bring forward proposals to reduce the number of Ministers; and, if so, when.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Government will continue to keep the number of Ministers under review.
Gross Domestic Product
Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) spent on defence in each year between 2001 and 2011; and, excluding predicted calls on the contingency reserve for operational purposes, what are their indicative forecasts of the percentage of GDP to be allocated to defence spending in each year between 2012 and 2015.
Lord Sassoon: We calculate the percentage of GDP that we spend on defence every year using detailed rules drawn up by NATO. These ensure that the figures quoted are comparable between NATO nations, and that there is a common basis for assessing which nations are meeting the NATO 2 per cent of GDP target. Calculation on any other basis would not allow for meaningful or rational comparison.
This table shows defence spend as a percentage of GDP calculated on this basis for the past 10 years:
UK Defence spend proportion of GDP
Year percentage
2001 2.5
2002 2.4
2003 2.4
2004 2.2
2005 2.5
2006 2.4
2007 2.5
2008 2.6
2009 2.7
2010 2.7
The NATO definition includes several additional categories of spend, such as military pensions and costs of operations, that are not part of the UK core defence budget set in the government-wide spending reviews.
It is therefore impossible to give any meaningful and comparable forecast of GDP to be spent on defence in future years, as it depends on a range of factors beyond the MoD departmental budget, such as changes to pension costs, the costs of any operations we may be involved in the future, and changes to GDP.
Gulf War Illnesses
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what current research they are funding into Gulf War illness; and when they expect that research to be concluded.
Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence has funded the Cardiff University rehabilitation study on 1990-91 Gulf veterans and I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 20 June 2011 (Official Report, cols. WA 243-244).
The timing of publication is a matter for Cardiff University, but we expect this to be later this year.
Gurkhas
Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what year or years was or were selected for the comparison of Gurkha Pension Scheme pensions with Armed Forces Pension Scheme pensions in the calculation of service credit for Gurkha service before 1997.
Lord Astor of Hever: The year selected for the comparison of benefits through the Gurkha Pension Scheme and the Armed Forces Pension Schemes was financial year 2007-08.
Health: Obesity
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what role they believe that schools can play in helping obese children lose weight.
Lord Hill of Oareford: Through physical education (PE) schools can teach young people to be physically active and to understand the contribution that physical activity can have to their weight management.
Through personal, social health and economic education (PSHE) programmes, schools can teach pupils about personal health and well being. This includes: learning about health and well being; the need for a balanced diet; and how sensible food choices help lead to a healthier life-style.
Schools can also ensure that the food they provide for pupils during the school day meets the statutory nutritional standards for school food. Many schools go much further than this to support healthy food choices in schools.
Schools also have a role to play in supporting the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). The programme aims to take height and weight measurements of every pupil in reception and year 6 in all primary schools in England. Schools take part on a voluntary basis and almost all schools do so, helping to ensure that around 90 per cent of pupils in the target population participate.
Health: Reciprocal Agreements
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 11 August (WA 414), whether they will seek data from other European Union member states on the number of their state pensioners who have payments made to an address in the United Kingdom; and whether these data could be used in assessing the level of United Kingdom claims to other European Union countries for healthcare and social security costs.
Lord Freud: We have no plans to seek such information from other member states as such data would not in themselves form an effective and accurate basis on which to claim healthcare costs. This is because under the provisions of the European Union (EU) Regulation 883/2004:
If someone resident in the UK is in receipt of a UK state pension and also a pension from one or more other member states, the UK is liable for the cost of that pensioner's state healthcare.Where a UK resident is in receipt of a state pension from two or more member states but not from the UK, the member state where that person has the longest record of contributions is liable for their state healthcare costs.
The Government are considering plans to seek information from other member states about citizens for whose healthcare costs those states are responsible. In practical terms those citizens should have been issued with a form S1 by the responsible member states and we are seeking to establish a robust mechanism for registering the forms in the UK, so that we will then be able to ask the relevant member states to reimburse healthcare costs.
Higher Education: Tuition Fees
Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the funding of tuition fees for, and repayment of loans by, students taking second degrees varies from that which applies to other students.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) does not usually provide a funding contribution towards university tuition fees for students that are studying a second degree, although some exemptions apply to students studying subjects rated as exceptional, which currently covers subjects such as: medicine, social work, nursing, and veterinary science. A comprehensive list of such exemptions can be obtained from HEFCE. HEFCE also makes a funding contribution to tuition fees for students that are studying a foundation degree, or are in receipt of disabled students allowance.
Students that already hold an honours degree do not usually qualify for a tuition fee loan. An exception is made for those students that start to study one of the graduate entry accelerated medical and dental programmes in the 2012-13 academic year. Tuition fee loans are also exceptionally made available to students studying a full time course of initial teacher training (ITT) of not more than two years (or a part time course the duration of which does not exceed four years) who have not already gained qualified teacher status (QTS).
Tuition fee loan repayment arrangements for these students will be the same as those that apply to all other students.
House of Lords: Allowances
Lord Marlesford: To ask the Chairman of Committees whether measures are in place to ensure that where any payments of financial support, expenses or travel costs which have been made to any Member of the House of Lords have been ruled as improper, no further expenses are paid to any such member until the full amount owed by that member has been repaid and that any future daily attendance allowances or travel costs which would normally become due are used as a source of repayment of such debt.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: Such situations are managed by the House Committee and the Clerk of the Parliaments on a case by case basis. Routine minor adjustments relating to expenditure on the House of Lords travel credit card are deducted from a Member's next claim.
House of Lords: September Sittings
Lord Hoyle: To ask the Chairman of Committees what has been the total additional cost to the House of sitting from Monday 5 September to Thursday 15 September.
To ask the Chairman of Committees what additional costs, in terms of remuneration of staff and Members, arise out of the sittings of the House of Lords in September.
To ask the Chairman of Committees what estimates have been made of the costs of the disruption of project work by contractors following upon the sittings of the House of Lords in September.
To ask the Chairman of Committees what discussions have taken place with contractors engaged in building work on the Parliamentary Estate as to the effect of the sittings of the House in September.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: The following additional direct costs have been identified, compared with costs which would have arisen if the House had not sat during that period, and ignoring the possibility that the same number of sitting days would have taken place at some other time.
Remuneration of staff
Catering & Retail Services £53,000, offset by gross profit from outlets open for House business of £44,000
Hansard £10,000
There may also be an impact on night duty allowance paid to some staff; but this is calculated on an annual basis, so cannot be identified yet nor attributed to particular sitting days.
Other
Printing & publishing £100,000
Police £15,000
Late night transport £8,000
Electronic publishing £4,000
Paper and toner cartridges £4,000
Catering & Retail Services £2,000
Library materials £2,000
Estates and Works
There was sufficient notice of the September sitting to be able to take this into account when planning the works programme. Early discussions were held between the Parliamentary Estates Directorate (PED) and contractors, which enabled work to be planned around the recess dates, thus minimising the additional costs incurred. However, by breaking up the Summer Recess, September sittings do have an adverse impact on the scheduling of projects and PED is now considering the impact of an accumulating backlog of works.
Financial support for members
The cost of financial support for members for September 2011 will be published in due course.
House of Lords: September Sittings
Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chairman of Committees what representations have been received from Members of the House of Lords on the sittings of the House in September.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: Neither I nor the Administration have received any formal representations from Members of the House. However, the Administration and Works Committee, which I chair, is considering this matter and will be discussing the impact of September sittings on construction and maintenance works at its next meeting.
Human Rights Trust Fund
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have contributed to the Human Rights Trust Fund.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK has not contributed to the Human Rights Trust Fund. We are considering carefully whether we might do so during our chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers.
Independent Commission on Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Independent Commission on Banking has now been wound up.
Lord Sassoon: Under its terms of reference, the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) was asked to produce a final report by the end of September 2011.
As set out in their letters of appointment, individual commissioners' appointments formally came to an end following publication of the commission's final report on 12 September. Some commissioners are likely, however, to undertake a number of ICB-related engagements over the next few months.
A number of the commission's secretariat are continuing to undertake related work for a further period before the office is shut down on 30 September.
Independent Commission on Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the final report of the Independent Commission on Banking, whether they intend to introduce ring-fencing between United Kingdom insurance companies and related reinsurers within the same ownership group.
Lord Sassoon: The Independent Commission on Banking published its final report on 12 September 2011. Its remit was to consider structural and non-structural reforms to the UK banking sector to promote stability and competition.
The Government accept, in principle, the commission's suggestions for: a ring-fence around better capitalised high street banks; bail-in instead of bail-out; and measures to increase competition in retail banking. The Government are considering the commission's report and will issue a response by the end of the year.
Independent Commission on Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the final report of the Independent Commission on Banking, whether they will sell their shares in Northern Rock to private equity or other purchasers on a valuation basis that represents a significant discount to tangible book value.
Lord Sassoon: In order to achieve the best value for the taxpayer, the Government are not providing a running commentary on the sales process and cannot comment on specific bids.
Independent Commission on Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the final report of the Independent Commission on Banking was leaked to the BBC; and, if so, whether they intend to investigate the leak.
Lord Sassoon: The Government are not aware of any leak of the final report of the Independent Commission on Banking to the BBC or any other news organisation.
International Day of Democracy
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask the Chairman of Committees what activities were undertaken in the House of Lords to celebrate the International Day of Democracy 2011.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: The British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) produced a briefing document to mark the day, which was sent to all IPU Members and was also advertised on the parliamentary intranet. On 14 September Viscount Montgomery of Alamein also asked an oral question to Her Majesty's Government on the matter.
Iran
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote through internal and multilevel channels continued negotiations with the Government of Iran on the future nature of their nuclear programme; and what are the latest developments in such negotiations.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK wants a diplomatic solution to address the serious concerns we have about Iran's nuclear programme. We prioritise this issue in all our bilateral discussions with Iran. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary raised it with Iranian Foreign Minister Salehi in the margins of the UN General Assembly on 21 September. We also actively seek resolution of the issue through the E3+3 negotiating group, chaired by EU High Representative Baroness Ashton. E3+3 officials met on 21 September in New York and reaffirmed their commitment to the dual-track strategy of pressure and engagement. They offered to meet Iran at an early opportunity, if Iran is prepared to discuss international concerns about its nuclear programme without the unacceptable preconditions it brought to the last talks in Istanbul in January.
Israel and Palestine: West Bank
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they propose to take, in the absence of direct negotiations, to help bring to an end the occupation by Israel of the West Bank and its blockade of Gaza.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK retains a clear position-that the best way to resolve this long-standing conflict is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, with the aim of giving the Palestinian people the state that they need and deserve and the Israeli people long-term security and peace.
Our focus remains on continuing to push hard for a return to negotiations on the basis agreed by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister and President Obama. That is borders based on 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps; security for Israel; and the right for Palestinians to govern themselves in a sovereign and contiguous state. We are working hard with our international partners for a return to negotiations on this basis.
Failure to return to negotiations now puts at risk the long-term prospects for a two-state solution. Neither Israel nor the Palestinians can afford to let the opportunity for peace slip further from their grasp.
Along with our European Union partners, we are working to build consensus on a way forward that recognises the progress the Palestinians have made on their state-building efforts, that meets Israel's legitimate security concerns, and that avoids confrontation in the UN. We continue to stress that whatever action is taken, including in New York, it is important that this increases the prospects for a return to negotiations.
Libya
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what date they recognised the Libyan Government of Colonel Gaddafi; and against what criteria this decision was taken.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government recognised the Government of the Revolutionary Command Council led by Colonel Qadhafi in Libya on 6 September 1969 in response to its request for recognition of 3 September 1969. In making this decision, the Government of the time took note of the Revolutionary Command Council's stated wish for friendly relations with the UK and their declared intention to respect their international obligations. For their part, the Government also wished to continue friendly relations with Libya. This was in accordance with the practice of the time of recognising governments as well as states.
Libya
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what date they recognised the Rebel Government of Libya; and against what criteria this decision was taken.
Lord Howell of Guildford: On 27 July, the Government announced that they recognised and would deal with the National Transitional Council as the sole legitimate governing authority in Libya. That decision reflected the council increasing legitimacy, competence, success in reaching out to Libyans country-wide, and the level of their popular support.
Libya
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to pursue the Government of Libya for compensation for the IRA murders in Northern Ireland carried out with the use of arms and supplies from Libya.
Lord Howell of Guildford: As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister said on 5 September, we are clear that this will be an important bilateral issue between the United Kingdom and the new Libyan authorities.
Libya
Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what role they have played in any renegotiation of the share of Libyan oil provided to the United Kingdom and other countries; and whether they will publish data on the proportion provided to each country at present and under the previous regime.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The National Transitional Council (NTC) has not sought to renegotiate any oil contracts. Indeed, we have called for the new Government of Libya to honour existing contracts and we support the NTC's public statements to this effect. The split of Libyan crude exports, both currently and when the Qadhafi Regime was in power, is a matter for the Libyan Government.
Mahmoud Abu Rideh
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 16 March (WA 61), what was the duty of confidentiality involved in the decision not to release details of the social security benefits paid to the late Mahmoud Abu Rideh, and to whom; and what constitutes lawful authority for release of social security information on deceased terrorists under section 123 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.
Lord Freud: My department assures all of its customers that it will protect their information and ensure that it is not disclosed inappropriately. This duty of confidence survives a customer's death if there may be a personal representative who could enforce it.
For the purposes of Section 123 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992, a disclosure is made with lawful authority if:
it is made by a civil servant in the course of official duty;it is made by a contractor who is providing services to the DWP in accordance with instructions given by the DWP;it is required by law or a court order; orit is made with the consent of the customer.
Middle East Peace Process
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take within the quartet on the Middle East to produce a framework for Middle Eastern peace, with a timetable for implementation.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK maintains a clear position-a return to credible negotiations is the best way to achieve a comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a Palestinian state. We are discussing all options that best support this objective with our international partners, including in the EU and quartet. Quartet representative Tony Blair and EU High Representative Baroness Ashton have recently been in the region to explore a way forward and will continue discussions in New York in the coming days.
Ministry of Defence: Police
Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the proposed cuts to the Ministry of Defence police budget will not impact on the level of community policing in defence establishments and in large military housing estates.
Lord Astor of Hever: Following the comprehensive spending review, consideration has been given to a range of options that will determine the future Ministry of Defence (MoD) requirement for civil policing services and to focus these valuable resources on those areas where civil policing powers can best mitigate our crime and security risks. This includes the community policing service that is provided by the MoD police at some military establishments. These options are currently the subject of formal consultation with the relevant staff associations and trades unions, and as such it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what response they have given to the letter of support by the Leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Mr Altaf Hussain, of 23 September 2001.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: It is not for this Government to account for the actions of the previous Administration.
National Savings and Investments
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure retail investors are able to purchase inflation-protected savings products from National Savings and Investments.
Lord Sassoon: National Savings & Investments removed Savings Certificates, both fixed and index-linked, from sale at close of business on 6 September 2011
Existing Savings Certificate customers are able to continue their investment into a new term and this option will continue to be available.
NATO
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether NATO has offered support, directly or indirectly, to the Pakistan Taliban or others engaged in conflict against the Pakistani armed forces; and whether NATO has at any time escorted the Pakistani Taliban or those associated with them (whether by air or otherwise) into areas of conflict against Pakistani troops.
Lord Astor of Hever: NATO has not engaged in any of these activities and has no mandate to do so.
Northern Cyprus
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many London-based meetings have (a) been requested and (b) taken place during each of the past three years between United Kingdom Government Ministers and the London Representative of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and its people.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not keep a record of such meeting requests. Although the UK does not recognise the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, officials have met the London-based representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community on an ad hoc basis to discuss issues surrounding the Cyprus settlement negotiations in order to maintain a balanced approach to the UK's support for a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus.
Northern Cyprus
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many meetings have (a) been requested and (b) taken place during each of the past three years between the Prime Minister or other United Kingdom Government ministers and visiting ministers representing the people of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not keep a record of such meeting requests. Although the UK does not recognise the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, ad hoc meetings with representatives from the Turkish Cypriot community have taken place in order to provide a balanced approach to the UK's support of the Cyprus settlement negotiations. The last meeting with a UK Minister took place in June when the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) visited the island and met Dr Eroglu.
Northern Cyprus
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what promises were made by the United Kingdom and European Union to Turkish Cypriots on condition that they voted in favour of the 2004 Annan Plan; and which, if any, of those promises have not been fulfilled.
Lord Howell of Guildford: There were no promises made by the United Kingdom or the European Union to the Turkish Cypriots on the condition that they voted in favour of the 2004 Annan Plan. However, since 2004, the EU has worked to bring the Turkish Cypriots closer to Europe through a package of financial aid and trade liberalisation, increasing the potential for future Cypriot reunification. The UK continues to support the efforts of both communities towards a settlement, which would offer significant benefits to all Cypriots.
Northern Cyprus
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what diplomatic arrangements they have with Northern Cyprus.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government do not recognise the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and consequently do not have any diplomatic relations with it.
Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Cabinet Office was satisfied that none of the staff in the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission expressed an interest in voluntary redundancy; and on what date the full terms of an offer were made to relevant staff.
Lord De Mauley: Employers are required to obtain Cabinet Office approval before launching exit schemes under the terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme. The responsibility for the implementation and delivery of any such scheme rests entirely with the employer. The Cabinet Office has no role in determining whether or not staff at any employer expressed interest in a voluntary redundancy scheme. Nor does the Cabinet Office have a role in monitoring the date at which any offer is made.
Pakistan
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are monitoring any dissident Pakistani political leaders based in London; whether they are aware of any such dissidents inciting and encouraging violence in Karachi or threatening journalists; and what action they will take to prevent such actions.
Baroness Rawlings: It is long-standing government policy to neither confirm nor deny the specific activities conducted by or on behalf of Her Majesty's Government to protect the UK's national security.
More broadly the Government are concerned about the situation in Karachi-it is in no-one's interest that the violence continues. We strongly sympathise with the loss of life and the Government will continue to engage with the authorities in Pakistan on these issues.
Palestine
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the European Union and other partners in relation to the continuation of the provision of aid to Palestine, alongside trade and investment opportunities as incentives to unity among the various Palestinian groups.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Resolution of the Middle East peace process is a high priority for the UK Government. The EU and EU member states as a collective are the biggest financial supporters of the Palestinian Authority. In 2010 the EU gave a total of €377.9 million to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) and to Palestinian refugees in the region.
The UK works closely with the EU and a range of other partners, such as the United Nations and the Office of the quartet representative, in the OPTs. We hold regular discussions with all partners through a variety of aid co-ordination fora. We also continue to encourage collective consideration of trade and investment opportunities.
The EU development programme for the OPTs aims to support the Middle East peace process by helping build Palestinian institutions, improving security and promoting economic growth, so that any future state will be stable, prosperous, well-run, and an effective partner for peace with Israel. We urge other partners to continue their support.
Passports
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom citizens hold a valid British passport.
Lord Henley: The number of British Citizens currently holding a valid passport issued in the United Kingdom is estimated at 48.5 million. An exact figure cannot be given because lost and stolen passports may not be replaced immediately.
Pensions
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take any action to respond to the number of pension saving plans being cancelled by those in the private sector on low and moderate earnings.
Lord Freud: The Government want to help individuals by having a stable economy with sustained and balanced growth, which is why we are taking action to tackle the deficit, support business in creating jobs with most competitive tax system in the G20, to make the UK the best place in Europe to start finance and grow a business, to encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy and to create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe. The Government's Growth Review will continue for the rest of this Parliament, providing ongoing focus on what the Government can do to support growth.
We believe that pension provision is important, and that is why we are introducing workplace pension reform. Automatic enrolment will be introduced from 2012 requiring all employers to enrol eligible workers into workplace pension saving and to make an employer contribution.
The aim of automatic enrolment is to encourage people to start saving, continue saving and save for longer to meet their retirement needs. As a result of automatic enrolment we expect there to be around 5 to 8 million people newly saving or saving more in all forms of workplace pension scheme.
Automatic enrolment is widely recognised as the best way to overcome people's savings inertia-rather than having to make an active decision to save in a workplace pension, an employee has to make an active decision not to save. Even where an individual opts out, the employer is required to re-enrol them every three years, encouraging individuals to rethink about the need to save for their retirement.
A programme of communications and information is being designed to help people understand the need to save to meet their aspirations for retirement, build awareness of the changes and support a behavioural shift amongst working age people so that saving in a pension becomes the norm.
In addition, the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) has been established to provide access to suitable, low cost pension provision for all employers, and will be particularly suited to the needs of those workers on low to moderate incomes.
And for future pensioners the Government are looking at reforming the state pension system which would be simple, easy to understand, efficient to deliver, affordable-providing a firm foundation for workplace saving.
Presumed Deaths
Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications were made under Section 8 of the Social Security Act 1998, in relation to a person's missing spouse who is presumed to have died, in each of the past three years; and of those how many were successful.
Lord Freud: Information is not collected on the number of applications made under section 8 of the Social Security Act 1998 in relation to a person's missing spouse who is presumed to have died.
Presumed Deaths
Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications were made under Section 3 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 to receive bereavement benefit in respect of a person whose death is difficult to establish, in each of the past three years; and, of those, how many were successful.
Lord Freud: Information is not collected on the number of applications made under Section 3 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 in relation to a person whose death is difficulty to establish.
Prisoners: Sentences
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are currently held in prisons in England and Wales whose sentences are for rest of life.
Lord De Mauley: As of 20 September 2011, there are 42 prisoners held in prisons in England and Wales and a further five detained in hospital under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 who have been sentenced to life imprisonment and given a whole life tariff by the Courts.
Public Expenditure
Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much public expenditure above agreed departmental budgets has been agreed by HM Treasury and taken from the Treasury reserve in the current financial year.
Lord Sassoon: £3,950 million was added to total departmental expenditure limits for 2011-12 from the Treasury reserve in the 2011 main estimate.
Public Infrastructure: Investment
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what public infrastructure investment yielded an economic return in excess of the Government's current long-term cost of capital.
Lord Sassoon: The Government do not hold this information. Decisions on public investment projects are based on the methodology for economic appraisal set out in the Treasury's Green Book. This involves assessing the net present value to the UK of a proposal's costs and benefits.
The 2010 spending review set out the Government's capital spending plans.
Republic of Ireland: Financial Support
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what conditions were attached to the funding that they provided to the Republic of Ireland as support in the recent financial crisis.
Lord Sassoon: The terms of the UK bilateral loan to Ireland are as set out in the loan agreement that was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 10 January 2011.
The agreed conditionality includes fiscal consolidation to reduce the general government deficit to below 3 per cent of GDP before 2015, reforms to the banking sector and other structural reforms. The bilateral loan agreement also includes a condition for the Irish to consult with the Treasury before finalising its bank restructuring plan. This consultation has taken place.
Rome: British Embassies
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Vatican concerning the creation of one embassy in Rome.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK Government have made no representations to the Vatican concerning the creation of one embassy in Rome. The UK maintains separate embassies to the Republic of Italy and to the Holy See, as it is the diplomatic practice of the Holy See not to accept cross-accreditation of ambassadors to these two appointments.
Schools: A-Levels
Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of candidates achieved an A grade or A* grade at A level examinations in 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of candidates were unclassified at A level examinations in 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The table below shows the percentage of A-level examination entries given grade A* or A or unclassified in 1966, 1970, 1980, 1996, 2000 and 2010. There are no equivalent figures available for 1960 and 1990.
Percentage of entries given the grades A*, A and unclassified at GCE A level
Grade A*1 Grade A Unclassified4
19663,5,7 N/A 8.7% 12.6%
19703,5,8 N/A 8.7% 14.2%
19803,6,9 N/A 8.8% 15.5%
19966,10 N/A 16.2% 14.4%
20002,6,11 N/A 18.0% 10.5%
20102,6,11 8.0% 18.9% 1.7%
1. Grade A* was introduced in 2010
2. Figures from 2000 onwards are for students aged 16-18 at the beginning of the academic year in schools and FE sector colleges in England.
3. Figures for 1966 to 1980 are for all students who took GCE A level examinations in that year and are based on a sample of pupils from the School Leavers Survey.
4. Includes ungraded, no award (absent/declined) and pending.
5. Coverage: England and Wales
6. Coverage: England
7. Source: Statistics of Education: GCE, CSE & School leavers, Summer examinations, 1966 Vol 2, DES. England and Wales, Table 5.
8. Source: Statistics of Education: School leavers CSE and GCE, Summer examinations, 1970 Vol 2, DES. England and Wales Table 28.
9. Source: Statistics of Education: Statistics of School leavers CSE and GCE, 1980, DES. England, Table C29.
10. Source: Statistical Bulletin: GCSE & GCE A/AS Examination Results 1995-96, DfEE. England, Table 15.
11. Source: GCE/Applied GCE A/AS and Equivalent Examination Results in England. 2009-10 (Revised), DfE. Table 12.
Schools: Music
Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the budgetary provision for this year and the next two years for the Music and Dance Scheme enabling gifted children to attend specialist music boarding schools; and what impact they expect the funding to have on the availability of scholarships.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The Music and Dance Scheme currently provides training for gifted children at eight specialist music and dance schools and through a network of 15 centres for advanced training. The Music and Dance Scheme paid bursaries to over 2000 students in 2010-11.
The total budget for the MDS in 2011-12 is £29.5 million. The Government are committed to the long-term future of the scheme and will announce Music and Dance scheme funding for future years in due course.
Schools: Nurses
Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many school nurses are employed in (a) primary schools, and (b) secondary schools.
Lord Hill of Oareford: School nurses are generally employed by primary care trusts, although some school nurses will be directly employed by state or independent schools.
The latest monthly workforce statistics published by the NHS Information Centre in August show that in May 2011 there were 1,135 FTE school nurses working for the NHS in England and 1,478 head count school nurses.
Second World War: Pardons
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of the Republic of Ireland concerning the pardoning of former members of the Irish army who were court-martialed by that army because of their role in fighting on the Allied side in World War II.
Lord Howell of Guildford: No representations have been made to the Government of the Republic of Ireland concerning the pardoning of former Irish soldiers who left the Irish Defence Forces to fight on the allied side in World War II. This is a matter for the Irish Government and one which the Irish Minister for Defence recently stated in the Dail that he was "giving active consideration to ...". The British Government are grateful for the contribution made by Irish soldiers during the Second World War. During the State Visit in May, Her Majesty the Queen and President McAleese laid wreaths together at the Irish War Memorial Gardens in memory of the Irish soldiers who died in the World Wars.
Somalia and Kenya
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they, or any international aid agencies, received a warning about the likelihood of drought and famine in Somalia and Kenya in 2010; and, if so, what steps were taken to prepare in advance for any humanitarian disaster.
Baroness Rawlings: From late 2010 the UK-supported United Nations Food Security Nutrition Analysis Unit forecast a likely deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Somalia due to poor rains, high food prices, insecurity and reducing access for humanitarian agencies. Following poor rains again in early 2011 and a failed harvest in much of South Somalia, the severity of the forecasts intensified to include localised famine conditions. The Famine Early Warning System also warned of the impact of the drought in Kenya.
The UK Government allocated £35 million between October 2010 and February 2011 to support humanitarian efforts reach 1.2 million people in Somalia and 300,000 people in Kenya to mitigate some of the worst effects of the drought. This included an additional £19 million, in light of the warnings we were receiving.
South Sudan
The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to support the training and strengthening of civil society in South Sudan as outlined in the South Sudan Development Plan 2011-13; and through which organisations.
Baroness Rawlings: DfID is currently considering provision of support through NGOs that will focus on civil society capacity development to strengthen their ability to advocate for better education and health service provision (both at national and state levels); to act as an advocate for marginalised groups (particularly women); and to act as a monitor of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan's policy of decentralisation. As the programme is currently under preparation it is too early to say which NGOs or civil society fora may implement this project.
The ongoing South Sudan Peace Building Programme, which is funded by DfID and managed by the NGO PACT (Private Agencies Co-operating Together) South Sudan, includes a component for increasing the capacity of communities, including local administration and civil society, to respond to threats to community stability in a timely and effective manner. Direct training has been provided to local non-governmental peace building organisations in grant management, financial management, and monitoring and evaluation.
South Sudan
The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide direct budget support to the government health sector in South Sudan; and how they will ensure that current standards set up largely by non-governmental health organisations will be maintained.
Baroness Rawlings: The UK Government are not planning to provide direct budget support to the health sector in South Sudan. We support health service delivery in South Sudan mostly through the Basic Services Fund (BSF), a pooled multidonor fund for which DfID is the trustee.
The BSF ends shortly and DfID is currently working with the South Sudanese Government and other donors to both design a one year extension to this project and the subsequent funding mechanism for future donor support to the health sector. This mechanism would continue to support the service delivery, much of which is currently implemented by non-governmental organisations, whilst also building the capacity of the Republic of South Sudan to manage health services.
South Sudan
The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support the expansion of the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in South Sudan; and what improvements have been made to the operation of the Common Humanitarian Fund.
Baroness Rawlings: Following secession and the establishment of a new country office in Juba, DfID South Sudan is in the process of reviewing and developing its humanitarian portfolio. We are considering supporting the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in South Sudan, but it is too early to confirm such support. The development of a South Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund is at an infant stage. DfID is maintaining a close watch on the process as it goes forward and will offer guidance and support to UNOCHA if this is deemed necessary.
State Recognition
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria are applied in their recognition of a country concerning the land area claimed by that country.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The normal criteria applied to the recognition of a state were described in the Written Answer by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mr Sainsbury (Official Report, House of Commons, 16 November 1989, col. 494). These include the criterion that a state should have, and seem likely to continue to have, a clearly defined territory with a population.
Student Loans Company
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost to public funds of the Student Loans Company.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The total amount of grant in aid funding provided to the Student Loans Company (SLC) from public funds, namely from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, can be found in the SLC's annual reports and accounts. In the past three financial years this was as follows:
Financial Year Grant in aid funding provided to SLC from the BIS and the devolved Administrations
2008-09 £85,168k
2009-10 £93,076k
2010-11 £90,207k
Student Loans Company
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial contributions were made to the Student Loans Company by the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive in the last three financial years.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: Each of the devolved Administrations is separately responsible for agreeing a budget with the Student Loans Company (SLC) in light of their department's overall public expenditure priorities and policies.
The following table confirms the financial contributions made to the Student Loans Company (SLC) by the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive in the past three financial years:
Financial Year Government Body Funding Contribution provided to SLC*
2008-09 Scottish Government £4,575k
Welsh Assembly Government £5,536k
Northern Ireland Executive £3,535k
2009-10 Scottish Government £4,119k
Welsh Assembly Government £5,957k
Northern Ireland Executive £3,868k
2010-11 Scottish Government £3,600k
Welsh Assembly Government £6,158k
Northern Ireland Executive £3,254k
*Source: Grant in aid funding for financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10 paid from the devolved Administrations directly to SLC (SLC annual reports and accounts 2008 09 and 2009-10). For 2010-11, BIS funded SLC directly as lead sponsor department in order to comply with Treasury Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, and the figures in the table above represent funding from the devolved Administrations to reimburse BIS for SLC expenditure incurred on their behalf.
Student Loans Company
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the financial implications for the Student Loans Company of the decisions of the Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly Government and Northern Ireland Executive with regard to student fees.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: There are no financial implications for the Student Loans Company in terms of funding for the student fees themselves. Ownership of the budgets for student fees in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland remains with the Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly Government and Northern Ireland Executive respectively, and any financial implications arising from their decisions on student fees will be a matter for each Administration to confirm.
There may be financial implications for the Student Loans Company's administration costs, in terms of the feasibility and implementation of policy changes related to decisions on student fees. However, higher education (HE) and HE student funding is a devolved matter and each of the devolved Administrations is separately responsible for agreeing an appropriate budget with the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the light of their department's overall public expenditure priorities and policies.
Sudan
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to South Kordofan and Blue Nile in Sudan.
Baroness Northover: We continue to urge both the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (North) to allow full and unfettered access for humanitarian relief to Southern Kordofan State and Blue Nile State. Minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham made this clear in his statement of 24 August, where he called for immediate humanitarian access to Southern Kordofan. During his visit to Sudan 18-20 July he also reminded the Government of Sudan of their obligation to protect civilians and to allow humanitarian access to those in need.
Sudan
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to help facilitate credible mediation efforts between the National Congress Party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement northern sector.
Lord Howell of Guildford: As the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my honourable friend the Member for North West Norfolk (Mr Bellingham) set out in his statements of 2 September and 24 August, and during his visit to Sudan in July, we continue to make clear to the Government of Sudan and to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (North) that long-term peace in Sudan can be found only through negotiation and dialogue. We fully support the efforts of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in his work to bring the two parties together and to establish a process of negotiation.
Haile Menkerios, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and the African Union High Level Implementation Panel can also play a positive role in encouraging negotiation between the parties: we stand ready to support them.
Taxation: Income Tax
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were, for the most recent years for which figures are available, the number of United Kingdom taxpayers whose personal taxable incomes exceeded (a) £30,000, (b) £50,000, (c) £75,000, (d) £100,000, (e) £150,000, (f) £250,000, (g) £500,000, (h) £750,000, (i) £1 million, (j) £2 million, (k) £3 million, (l) £4 million, (m) £5 million, and (n) £10 million.
Lord Sassoon: Estimated numbers of income tax payers with total income exceeding these thresholds in 2011-12 are shown in the table below.
The estimates provided are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes and projected to 2011-12, using economic assumptions consistent with the Office of Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
Taxpayers by range of total income, 2011-12:
Total income exceeding: Taxpayers (Thousands)
£30,000 8,950
£50,000 3,020
£75,000 1,270
£100,000 712
£150,000 351
£250,000 133
£500,000 42
£750,000 22
£1 million 14
£2 million 4
£3 million 2
£4 million 1
£5 million 1
£10 million Negligible
Taxation: Income Tax
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the estimated tax receipts by year of a top rate of income tax of (a) 40p, (b) 45p, and (c) 50p, for the next five years.
Lord Sassoon: At Budget 2011, the following estimates were made:
Total income tax receipts 1 4 (£ billion)
Additional rate of Income Tax2 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16
40 per cent3 164.5 177.0 189.2 201.5
45 per cent 165.2 178.8 190.9 203.4
50 per cent 165.7 180.0 192.1 204.6
1. Gross of tax credits. Income tax includes Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and self assessment receipts, and also includes tax on savings income and other minor income tax components.
2. Table shows additional rate of tax on total income excluding dividends income; additional rates of tax on dividends income are 42.5, 37.5 and 32.5 per cent respectively.
3. See Budget 2011 Table C.3.
4. Potential second order effects of a change in the additional rate on the wider economy and tax revenues are not included in these figures.
At Budget 2011, the Chancellor stated that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs will assess the revenue raised by the 50p rate, once self-assessment data for 2010-11 are available.
The table above shows revenues with different top rates starting in 2012-13. Because of the timing of self-assessment returns, revenues from income tax rate changes are not fully realised in the first year.
The figures provided cannot be used to infer anticipated yield from the additional (50 per cent) rate introduced in 2010-11.
Expected revenues from the additional rate were set out in the March 2010 Budget document (table Al1, page 140) available at: http://webarchive. nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100407010852/http://www. hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/budget2010_complete.pdf
Taxation: Income Tax
Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cost to public revenue of raising the income tax threshold to £10,000.
Lord Sassoon: Increasing the personal allowance for those aged under 65 from £8,105 to £10,000 in 2012-13 is estimated to cost £10.5 billion.
Estimated exchequer costs are on an accruals basis and assume that the basic rate limit remains at £34,370. The higher rate threshold is assumed to increase by the same amount as the personal allowance.
The estimates assume no accompanying changes in the upper thresholds of national insurance contributions.
This estimate is based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes data projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
The estimate excludes possible behavioural responses which are likely to be small relative to the estimate provided.
Treatment of Detainees
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it was their intention in setting up the detainee inquiry that it would be conducted in accordance with the United Kingdom's international obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Lord McNally: The Government have made clear that they stand firmly against torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. Torture is not condoned and other Governments are not asked to carry it out on the UK's behalf. The detainee inquiry has been established to consider allegations of UK involvement in the mistreatment or rendition of detainees held overseas by other countries. The Government are confident that the inquiry will conduct a thorough and independent examination into these issues, as it has been asked to do by the Prime Minister. The inquiry will not establish legal liability, nor will it order financial settlement. It was not set up to comply with, or respond to, any perceived international legal obligations.
Tunisia
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they, or international institutions of which they are a member, are holding frozen Tunisian funds; if so, whether they are taking action to release them in order to aid the Tunisian economy.
Lord Howell of Guildford: An EU-wide asset freeze was imposed against 48 Tunisian individuals on 4 February. The Treasury subsequently introduced criminal penalties for breaches of the asset freeze and notified the financial sector of the measures. The Treasury also added the list of Tunisia targets to its consolidated list of financial sanctions which is checked by the sector against client and customer databases.
A small amount of assets have been frozen within the UK. We cannot disclose further details at this stage but are working with the Tunisian Government to ensure they understand the legal processes involved in releasing and repatriating these assets. Assets have been frozen in other jurisdictions across Europe.
Uganda
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 19 July (WA 290), when the decision on United Kingdom budget support to Uganda for financial year 2011-12 will be taken.
Baroness Northover: We have last week confirmed to the Government of Uganda that the UK will provide a maximum of £77.5 million budget support to Uganda over the period 2011-2014/15. Our budget support will decline over the four-year period and will represent 14 per cent of our aid to Uganda by 2014/15 down from a peak of over 50 per cent under the last Government. It will comprise both general support to the budget worth a maximum of £50 million and sector support to health worth up to £27.5 million. Through UK budget support, we will strengthen budgetary processes and public investments, improve value for money in public service delivery; increase tax collection; and ensure better transparency and accountability for the management of oil revenues. These steps will ultimately pave the way for Uganda's independence from development assistance. In addition, our health sector support will increase the number of attended births by over 100,000, immunise almost 125,000 children and ensure over 700,000 children to get rapid access to malaria treatment. We will link a proportion of both general and health sector payments to performance in these areas.
We see the next four years as a critical window of opportunity in which the UK can continue to play an important part in helping the Government of Uganda strengthen public institutions and financial management systems so that Uganda's oil revenues can be managed effectively, efficiently and equitably.
During his recent visit to Uganda, the Secretary of State for International Development received assurances from the President, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance that the Government of Uganda shares the UK's interest in optimising the benefits of oil for all Ugandans.
To safeguard British taxpayers' money, general budget support to Uganda will be paid in quarterly instalments.
UK Trade and Investment
Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of United Kingdom trade is with (a) countries in the eurozone, and (b) other countries in the European Union.
Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: Forty-four per cent of UK trade in goods and services is with countries in the eurozone (EMU members), and a further 6 per cent is with the rest of the EU (2009).
This is taken from the UK Balance of Payments (Pink Book) published by the Office for National Statistics. Data for 2010 will be published on 1 November 2011.
More recent data (Quarter 2 2011), for trade in goods only, show that 45 per cent of trade in goods is with eurozone (EMU members), and a further 7 per cent with the rest of the EU.
This is from the UK Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics July 2011 edition, published by the Office for National Statistics on 14 September 2011.
Zimbabwe
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what pressure they are putting on the Government of Zimbabwe to end human rights abuses in the diamond sector and to hold perpetrators to account.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are deeply concerned by the continuation of human rights violations in Zimbabwe, including in the Marange region, which includes the use of intimidation, violence and arbitrary arrests, as well as repressive legislation and limited media freedom.
We have made our views known to the Government of Zimbabwe and urge all parties, including the security forces and the prosecuting authorities, to act in an impartial manner and respect the rule of law. We continue to call, both bilaterally and within the EU member states, for an end to all such abuses and the restoration of internationally accepted human rights standards in Zimbabwe.
Following the allegations made in the BBC "Panorama" programme, we have urged the Kimberley Process, through the EU, to investigate the allegations. The Kimberley Process chair has written to the BBC asking it to pass its evidence for consideration, and to the Government of Zimbabwe requesting clarification of the allegations.
We also call on the Zimbabwean authorities to transparently investigate this footage. Until all Marange mines meet Kimberley Process standards, the UK will continue to argue for a robust international response to Zimbabwe's failure to comply.
There are limitations to the Kimberley Process's ability to deliver on issues such as human rights and there is a need to reform the Kimberley Process to make it a more effective mechanism. We are working with European Union partners to explore ways to strengthen and enhance the Kimberley Process to ensure it remains effective, accountable and relevant. In particular, we support reform of the Kimberley Process that would enable it to take human rights abuses by states more explicitly into consideration.
Zimbabwe
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, as a member of the European Union backing sanctions against Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC), they are issuing warnings to importers not to buy diamonds from Canadile Miners or Mbada Diamonds, which are 50 per cent owned by ZMDC.
Lord Howell of Guildford: It is for all businesses to assess whether their proposed business activities are compliant with existing restrictive measures and seek appropriate independent legal advice. The restrictive measures imposed on Zimbabwe prohibit the making available of funds or economic resources to directly or indirectly listed entities. Marange Resources (formerly Canadile Miners) and Mbada Diamonds are not themselves designated entities. However, if making resources available to them conferred a significant financial benefit on a designated entity such as ZMDC, as would often be the case with joint ventures, this would be a breach of the measures.
There are also restrictions under the Kimberley Process (KP) on diamonds exports from the Marange region in which the mining operations of Marange Resources (formerly Canadile Mines) and Mbada Diamonds are located. Given the continuing absence of a KP agreement allowing Zimbabwe to export Marange diamonds, the EU Chair of the Working Group on Monitoring (WGM) has issued a statement to all KP participants which makes clear that until consensus is reached, KP participants should not trade in Marange diamonds. We have informed the UK diamond industry of this statement by the WGM chair.
Zimbabwe
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what efforts they are making to introduce reforms of the Kimberley Process to improve the scheme's decision-making process, increase transparency and enhance monitoring.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Kimberley Process was originally designed to combat the trade in conflict diamonds, defined as rough diamonds being sold by rebel groups to fund conflict. In this respect, the Kimberley Process has had considerable success; conflict diamonds now represent less than 1 per cent of the global trade in rough diamonds, compared to 15 per cent in the 1990s. However, given the narrow definition of conflict diamonds, which does not include the actions of states, and the fact that the Kimberley Process operates by consensus, there are limitations to the Kimberley Process's ability to deliver on issues such as human rights and transparency.
We accept therefore that there is a need to reform the Kimberley Process to make it a more effective mechanism. We are working with European Union partners to explore ways to strengthen and enhance the Kimberley Process to ensure it remains effective, accountable and relevant. In particular, we support reform of the Kimberley Process that would enable it to take human rights abuses by states more explicitly into consideration.
In addition to Kimberley Process reform, we are also exploring alternative and complementary schemes to work alongside and strengthen the Kimberley Process, including industry-led regulatory initiatives to provide a higher level of assurance across the diamond supply chain, taking into account issues such as human rights. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2011-10-03a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2011",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Agriculture: Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions have been undertaken by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency to review the current integrated pollution prevention and control changes for poultry and pig producers; and whether any adjustments are forthcoming.
Lord Rooker: I recently met representatives of the intensive livestock rearing industry to discuss permit charges and, in particular, how annual charges might be reduced through streamlined approaches to inspection. The Environment Agency (EA) and the National Farmers' Union are currently considering options, including what greater use might be made of assurance scheme visits.
The Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 require permit applications to be accompanied by the prescribed fee. The EA must seek to recover its full costs in accordance with HM Treasury guidance. The EA will review the costs when the majority of the applications have been assessed and the full extent of the work is known.
Agriculture: Sheep
Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will seek a derogation to allow United Kingdom sheep farmers to work under fewer and simpler regulations, bearing in mind that the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mariann Fischer Boel, has stated her priority to simplify the common agricultural policy and allow farmers "to get out of their offices and into the fields".
Lord Rooker: The UK currently operates under a temporary derogation from the requirement to double-tag under EC Regulation 21/2004. Subject to a regulatory impact assessment, the UK will consider other derogations within the scope of the regulation, which will benefit the UK sheep industry while maintaining protection of the public interest.
The UK welcomes the priority that Commissioner Fischer Boel places on simplifying the common agricultural policy. We are working closely with the Commission and the member states to ensure that this initiative results in a reduction of red tape in the agriculture sector.
Air Pollution
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What their reporting arrangements are for pollutants under local authority air pollution control; and whether they have plans to integrate this information with Environment Agency pollution inventory data.
Lord Rooker: The system of local authority pollution prevention and control covers air pollution from industrial installations known as "Part Bs". Permit applications from industrial operators must be advertised and permits must be put on a public register, as well as any monitoring information required supplied to the local authority. Authorities also collect and publish data about Part B processes as part of their air quality management responsibilities. The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory also contains information about emissions from Part B processes, and we are considering the feasibility of expanding it. However, we do not currently have any plans to integrate data from Part B installations with Environment Agency pollution inventory data.
Ambulance Service: London
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they have recognised the work of the professional and voluntary ambulance crews who worked in London responding to the terrorist activity in July 2005.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Following the events of July 2005, the Cabinet Office asked departments to consider putting people forward who had played a part in the aftermath of the incidents on 7 July as part of the normal submission of the New Year honours list 2006. The department submitted four nominations at MBE level for ambulance personnel and one at OBE level
Separately, the department has recently requested that the Cabinet Office Honours and Decorations Committee consider a business case proposal for the introduction of a Queen's ambulance service medal. This would recognise individuals working in the ambulance service who have gone beyond the call of duty. Similar medals exist for the police and fire services.
Animal Welfare: Wild Birds
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much the United Kingdom has spent in each of the past five years on monitoring the status of CITES-listed birds in their countries of origin.
Lord Rooker: It is difficult to gauge how much money is directly spent on the monitoring of CITES-listed species in their country of origin, as much of the Government's financial assistance that might meet this description is part of a range of broader projects that focus on building capacity in developing countries to conduct this work. However, the Government with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), the statutory adviser on international nature conservation, provided £42,000 in 2005-06 and £7,957 in 2006-07 toward research conducted in Guinea to survey the occurrence and relative abundance of diurnal raptors subject to international trade. In addition, in 2006 the Government provided £20,000 of funding toward the African-Eurasian waterbird agreement to help to develop an international partnership that will support work associated with population assessments of waterbirds, including species listed on CITES, such as the Egyptian goose, red-breasted goose, Cape teal, Eurasian widgeon, giant heron, great egret, slender-billed curlew, greater flamingo and the demoiselle crane.
In addition, through the Darwin Initiative, the Government have provided funding for a range of projects that aim to assist monitoring generally through capacity building, monitoring and population assessment focused generally at wild birds, not just CITES-listed species. The Darwin Initiative seeks to assist countries that are rich in biodiversity but have scarce financial and other resources to fulfil their obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
As part of the Government's support for biodiversity in the overseas territories, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, jointly with the Department for International Development, provides funding to a broad range of programmes under the Overseas Territories Environment Programme, which assists in environmental management and the implementation of environmental charters in the overseas territories.
The Government recognise the need to assist developing countries in conserving biodiversity and therefore support the Global Environment Facility (GEF), established in 1991, to help developing countries to fund projects and programmes related to biodiversity, among other things.
Animal Welfare: Wild Deer
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the population of wild deer within the United Kingdom; whether the population is increasing or decreasing; and at what rate.
Lord Rooker: The most recent deer population estimates are:
England1 Wales1 Scotland Estimated annual percentage increase
1. Red deer 15,000 <500 No data 6 to 7 per cent
2. Sika deer 3,000 <100 No data 1.5 to 2 per cent
3. Fallow deer 180,000 <5,000 No data 3.5 to 4 per cent
4. Roe deer 250,000 <1000 No data 4.5 to 5 per cent
5. Muntjac 150,000 <250 No data 14 to 15 per cent
6. Water deer 5,000 0 No data 12 to 13 per cent
1 The Deer Initiative (2006)
Estimating the number of deer in a particular area has always been problematic and the quality of records varies greatly. The Deer Commission for Scotland no longer publishes populations estimates and concentrates only on impacts of deer. There are no specific population figures for wild deer numbers in Northern Ireland, although the perception is that overall numbers are increasing. The general trend for all species throughout the UK in recent years is that they are increasing.
Armed Forces: Coroners' Inquests
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that all information available to a service inquiry into accidents involving the death of a member of the Armed Forces is also available to the coroner for the inquest on that person; and
Who within the Ministry of Defence is responsible for making available to the coroner conducting an inquest on the death of a member of the Armed Forces all the information held by the Government or to which the Government have access.
Lord Drayson: The MoD takes seriously its duty to assist coroners in their preparations for inquests into the deaths of service personnel. Internal service inquiry reports are provided to coroners to assist them with their preparations for their own independent inquiry. These internal investigation reports may be service police reports, boards of inquiry, ship or land accident investigations or air accident reports, dependent on the service involved and what was required by the circumstances surrounding the death of the service person. Exhibits and unused material are included, or an explanation provided as to their exclusion. However, third-party information and UK-sensitive material is provided on an in-confidence basis, with a clear explanation of how such material should be handled and protected. The MoD seeks to co-operate, subject to any operational, security and third-party considerations, with additional requests from a coroner for disclosure of material held by the MoD. Where it is necessary to explain the operational context or to cover security-sensitive material, briefings from subject-matter experts are arranged.
It is the responsibility of the relevant service organisations to provide a copy of their internal investigation reports to coroners in a timely manner so as to provide helpful background on the circumstances of an incident and to assist coroners in conducting their own investigation and in identifying whom to call as witnesses or subject-matter experts to give oral evidence.
Armed Forces: Military Covenant
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Ministry of Defence has considered extending the Army's military covenant across all services; and when they next intend to update the covenant.
Lord Drayson: The Army uses the term "military covenant" to describe the mutual obligation between the nation, the Army and each individual soldier: an expectation of personal sacrifice and the forgoing of some personal rights and freedoms on the one hand, and of fairness, respect and appropriate terms and conditions on the other. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force do not use the term "military covenant", but share the same understanding. The Army last reviewed the military covenant in 2005 and no further review is planned at present.
Aviation: Ministerial Air Travel
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will add further to the advice of the Chancellor of the Exchequer that senior Ministers should set an example by avoiding personal air travel as much as possible.
Lord Davies of Oldham: It is the responsibility of everyone, wherever possible, to think about how we can avoid and reduce emissions. As part of the Government's carbon offsetting commitment, carbon emissions arising from official and ministerial air travel have been offset since April 2006.
Aviation: Security Alert
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people have been charged with offences in connection with the major security alert in early August 2006 at United Kingdom airports.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There were 25 people arrested, resulting in 17 individuals being charged. Two individuals who were charged with failure to disclose information have since had their cases dismissed by the judge due to insufficient evidence.
Children: Abuse
Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider introducing further legislation to prevent the abuse of children accused of being possessed by the devil by pastors in certain religious groups.
Lord Adonis: There are already explicit laws in place to protect children from maltreatment and these laws can be used against anyone who aids or abets abuse. Under Section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, it is an offence for any adult with responsibility for a child to wilfully assault, ill-treat, neglect or abandon the child in a manner likely to cause him unnecessary suffering or injury to health, or to counsel or procure such suffering or injury. The maximum penalty on conviction of either offence is 10 years. It is also an offence for anyone to aid or abet someone who causes a child suffering or injury. A belief in "spirit possession" is relatively widespread, although abuse linked to such beliefs is rare. The Government published guidance for consultation on 2 February which aims to help local agencies to apply their general child protection procedures to such cases so as to most effectively safeguard and promote the welfare of the children involved.
Colombia: Coal Mining
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make representations to the Government of Colombia about the compulsory displacement of 3,200 inhabitants from the village of Tabaco, La Guajira, Colombia as a result of coal-mining development at El Cerrejon, now owned by three London-listed companies.
Lord Triesman: A group of Colombian citizens, including members of the Tabaco community, and British non-governmental organisations raised their concerns in relation to the Cerrejon opencast mine in northern Colombia with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials on 30 January in London. Their concerns included claims of being forcibly displaced. Our embassy in Bogota has contacted Cerrejon in Colombia to pass on the concerns that the group expressed to the FCO. We regularly raise with the Colombian Government the importance that we attach to adherence to socially responsible business practices by extractive companies around the world, and will relay the concerns around the Cerrejon mine mentioned above to the Colombians.
Colombia: Coal Mining
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make representations to the Government of Colombia and the British-based mining companies concerned to minimise the damage done to the environment and the local communities caused by operations in the Cerrejon opencast coalmine.
Lord Triesman: A group of Colombian citizens, including members of the Tabaco community, and British non-governmental organisations raised their concerns in relation to the Cerrejon opencast mine in northern Colombia with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials on 30 January in London. Their concerns included claims of being forcibly displaced, lack of compensation and damage to the environment. Our embassy in Bogota has contacted Cerrejon in Colombia to pass on the concerns that the group expressed to the FCO. We regularly raise with the Colombian Government the importance that we attach to adherence to socially responsible business practices by extractive companies around the world, and will relay the concerns around the Cerrejon mine mentioned above to the Colombians.
Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What estimates the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has made of the total amount of fines that the Government may have to pay to the European Commission due to their failure to pay the 2005 single farm payments within the required timescale; and when these fines are due to be paid.
Lord Rooker: The Government have explained to the European Commission why they believe that late-payment penalties in respect of the 2005 single payment scheme (SPS) would be inappropriate and, should the Commission make any relevant proposals in due course, will continue to defend the UK's interests. Nevertheless, the possibility of late-payment penalties was reflected in Defra's resource 2005-06 accounts, as laid before Parliament on 30 October 2006.
Compensation
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the cost of the independent assessor responsible for determining the amount of awards payable in the case of criminal offences; and how many such award recommendations have been overturned by the Secretary of State.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: In the latest completed financial year, 2005-06, £58,541 was paid in fees to the independent assessor of compensation for miscarriages of justice. Under Section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, the Secretary of State has no locus to overturn any assessment made by the independent assessor in respect of awards made under that section. As regards awards made under the now-abolished ex gratia scheme, successive Secretaries of State have agreed to be bound by the assessments made by the independent assessor.
Constitution
Lord Norton of Louth: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many constitutional lawyers are employed in the Cabinet Office.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Cabinet Office does not employ constitutional lawyers as such. The First Parliamentary Counsel, who is in charge of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (which is organisationally located within the Cabinet Office), has a personal responsibility to provide advice on a range of legal and related issues including certain constitutional matters to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office also obtains legal advice from the Treasury Solicitor's Department on various matters which can sometimes involve the consideration of constitutional questions.
Crime: Rape
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have carried out any studies on rape conviction rates in Germany, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and the United States compared to the rates for the United Kingdom, and on the reasons for any differences in these rates.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Home Office Research Study 293, A Gap or a Chasm? Attrition in Reported Rape Cases, published in 2005, includes information about rape conviction rates for Finland, Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Iceland, Denmark and the US. The report suggests that while some core problems link adversarial and investigative legal systems, including declining rates of conviction, most of these countries have higher prosecution and conviction rates than the UK.
The report does not offer reasons for these differences and any international comparisons need to be treated with caution as the criminal justice processes, definition of rape and data collection processes are not necessarily comparable between countries.
Crime: Rape
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority has reclaimed the award of £11,000 paid to the accuser in the Leslie Warren rape case; and
Whether the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority has reclaimed the award of £7,000 paid to the accuser in the Warren Blackwell rape case.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I refer the noble Lord to the Answers given on 23 January (col. WA 219) and 1 February (col. WA 73). CICA cannot release information about whether any applications have been made in particular cases.
Crime: Rape
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have carried out any studies on rape conviction rates in Australia and New Zealand compared to the rates for the United Kingdom, and on the reasons for any differences in these rates.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Home Office Research Study 293, A Gap or a Chasm? Attrition in Reported Rape Cases, published in 2005, includes information about rape conviction rates for Australia. The report identifies similar attrition patterns to those documented for England and Wales. The Government have not carried out any studies on rape conviction rates for New Zealand. International comparisons need to be treated with caution, as the criminal justice processes, definition of rape and data collection processes are not necessarily comparable between countries.
Crime: Religiously Aggravated Offences
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith on 9 January 2006 (WA26), whether the further review and consultation on whether to record the religion or belief of the perpetrator and victim of religiously aggravated crimes have now taken place; and, if not, what is the expected date of commencement and completion.
Lord Goldsmith: The further review and consultation have now taken place. This formed part of a wider Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) review of the information that the CPS records in the area of hate crime.
The outcome of this review and consultation is that, from April 2007, the CPS will record the religion or belief of the perpetrator and the victim of all crimes, including religiously aggravated crimes.
Crime: Religiously Aggravated Offences
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to publish statistics on racially and religiously aggravated crime for 2005-06.
Lord Goldsmith: Her Majesty's Government published statistics on cases of racially and religiously aggravated crime that occurred during 2005-06 on 4 December 2006. On that date, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published the Racist Incident Monitoring Annual Report,which contained information on prosecution decisions and outcomes in all cases identified by the police or the CPS as racist or religious incidents.
Crime: Sexual Offences
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there is consistency in the services offered by sexual assault referral centres and in the response of police constabularies to their operations.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Home Office has agreed with the national steering group for sexual assault referral centres' (SARCs) recommended minimum elements of service for SARCs. These are accessible on the Home Office website and were included in national service guidelines on developing SARCs (2005). All SARCs endeavour to provide these services, although the model through which they are delivered varies according to local demographics and circumstances. SARCs are normally operated by police and health services, often in partnership with the voluntary sector.
Crime: Sexual Offences
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the estimated cost of the national tracking project for sexual offences proposed by the Jamieson research project in 1998.
Lord Evans of Temple Guiting: The study by Jamieson et al, The Attrition of Sexual Offences in the Criminal Justice System: A Report of a Pilot Study Monitoring Cases from First Report to the Police Final Outcome (unpublished), was submitted to the Scottish Office in 1998. This research was a small-scale pilot study conducted in two Scottish police forces and no details of the cost of implementation of the recommendations are provided in the paper. Following publication of that report, the then Scottish Executive Minister for Justice announced that the priority was to produce legislative proposals to improve the protection of victims in sex offence cases.
Demonstrations
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Under Section 134(7)(b) of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, when a person who is in contravention of the particulars specified in an authorised demonstration is guilty of a crime.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: It is for the courts to decide when a person is guilty of an offence. Under Section 134(7)(b), a person who takes part in or organises a demonstration in the designated area is guilty of an offence if he knows, or should have known, that the demonstration is carried on otherwise than in accordance with the particulars set out in the authorisation. There are defences for a person accused of an offence under Section 134(7)(b) that the divergence from the particulars arose from circumstances beyond his control, or from doing something done with the agreement, or by the direction, of a police officer.
Domestic Workers
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they will take to ensure that their proposals for accompanied domestic workers do not add to existing problems.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We have already stated that, in line with the Government's policy to phase out low-skilled migration, we will be terminating the overseas domestic worker in private households category.
Limited provision will, however, be made to allow visitors to the UK to be accompanied by their "domestic assistants" under revised business visitor arrangements. These are not migrant workers but people who are ordinarily employed and resident outside the United Kingdom.
As part of our continued work to combat trafficking, our emphasis will be on developing robust procedures, including appropriate safeguards, such as the identification of cases of possible abuse at the pre-entry stage to minimise the risk of subsequent exploitation.
Egypt: Identity Cards
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will propose to the German presidency of the European Union that the agenda for the next meeting to discuss progress on the European Union-Egypt Association Agreement should include an item on the recently introduced computerised identity card system, which requires a person to state that he is Muslim, Jewish or Christian.
Lord Triesman: We raised this matter with the German presidency of the European Union on 7 February and it is currently exploring the most appropriate way of taking this forward.
Energy: Co-firing
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of United Kingdom research into combined biomass and fossil-fuel firing in existing and future power plants.
Lord Truscott: The DTI has commissioned a number of reports into biomass co-firing, the most recent being two independent reports as part of the energy review and review of the renewables obligation: Evaluating the Sustainability of Co-firing in the UK, Themba Technology Ltd, 2006, http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file34448.pdf, and The Economics of Co-firing, IPA Energy Consulting, 2006, http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file34449.pdf. Preparation of these reports involved consultation with industry and reviewing existing literature. Other reports include Best Practice Brochure: Co-Firing of Biomass, May 2005, http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file20737.pdf; Low Cost Utilisation of Biomass, March 2005, http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file15015.pdf; and Co-firing Sewage Sludge and Biomass, Power Generation Technology Centre, November 2005, http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file29951.pdf.
Energy: Solar Power
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will hold discussions with researchers in the public and private sectors to examine the modalities of enhancing surface productivity on photovoltaic solar cell units, to bring the carbon dioxide coefficients closer to the life cycle emissions for stronger and longer sunlight areas in southern Europe.
Lord Truscott: The DTI's technology programme, which includes support for collaborative research between academia and industry, supports all areas of research in photovoltaic cells, with an ongoing focus on improved cost and efficiency of all types of cell. This will help to improve the energy output of photovoltaic cells and hence reduce their financial and carbon payback time. To help to achieve these objectives, officials work closely with key researchers in the UK and internationally.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council also funds the SUPERGEN (Sustainable Power Generation and Supply) initiative, which is a programme of research at UK universities. The SUPERGEN PV group is looking at photovoltaic materials for the 21st century. More information on this work is available at http://www.pv2l.org/intro.htm.
EU: Gendarmerie Force
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the proposed strength of the European Gendarmerie Force; what is its intended purpose; how is it being financed; and how much will it cost.
Lord Triesman: The European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) is an initiative of five EU member states (France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain). The UK is not a member of the EGF and therefore does not have detailed information about the force.
I understand that the purpose of the EGF is to make available rapidly deployable paramilitary police units able to perform a variety of policing roles, primarily in support of EU crisis management operations. It has a permanent headquarters (HQ) of 30 staff based at the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units, in Vicenza, Italy. The HQ consists of a multinational core that can be reinforced as needed by agreement of the contributing states.
Apart from the HQ, the EGF is not a standing force, but will be generated and deployed on an ad hoc basis as needed. It is designed to be capable of deploying a police task force of up to 800 police officers, including a rapidly deployed HQ in the field, within 30 days. The police units that will form the EGF are drawn from existing national police resources from the five participating states; current commitments suggest that the EGF could reach a total nominal strength of 2,300.
I do not have details of how the EGF will be financed. Costs would presumably depend on the nature of any EGF deployment. To date, the force has not deployed in a live operation.
Firearms: Licensing
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many (a) shotguns, and (b) rifles are currently recorded on the National Firearms Licensing Management System.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I understand that as at 31 January there were 181,933 rifles and 973,870 shotguns recorded on the system.
Food Standards Agency
Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What role and purpose the Food Standards Agency now has in view of the fact that its findings have been overruled by the European Union Food and Veterinary Office.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Food Standards Agency remains the central competent authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the negotiation, implementation, application and enforcement of food hygiene legislation.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Mr Carne Ross
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Ministers and officials have had contacts with Mr Carne Ross since the termination of his Foreign and Commonwealth Office appointment in September 2004; and, if so, whether such contacts included discussions on Iraq.
Lord Triesman: We owe a duty of confidence to serving and former members of staff. It would not be appropriate to comment on any contacts between Ministers and officials with serving or former members of staff, which are conducted on an in-confidence basis.
Further Education and Training Bill
Baroness Murphy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish a disability equality impact assessment of the provisions contained within the Further Education and Training Bill.
Lord Adonis: The DfES intends to publish the disability equality impact assessment of the further education system reforms, including the provisions outlined in the Further Education and Training Bill, during 2007.
Gangmasters
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many gangmasters have so far been licensed; who ensures that they comply with minimum wage rates and prescribed orders of conduct; and how many prosecutions of gangmasters and labour contractors have so far been initiated.
Lord Rooker: As at 6 February 2007, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) has licensed 940 gangmasters. A further 64 licence applications are being processed.
Any person employed to work in agriculture, anywhere in England and Wales, is entitled to be paid at least the appropriate agricultural minimum wage rate set out in the Agricultural Wages Order. This includes all foreign nationals legally entitled to work in the United Kingdom. The Agricultural Wages Order is enforced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England and by the National Assembly for Wales agriculture department in Wales. If a worker considers that he or she might have been underpaid, they should contact the Agricultural Wages Team on 0845 0000 134 and it will arrange for the matter to be investigated. The national minimum wage, which is enforced by HMRC on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry, applies where non-agricultural work is undertaken. It is a condition of a GLA licence that the business to which that licence relates should pay at least the agricultural or national minimum wage.
The GLA, on behalf of the Secretary of State, is currently preparing four prosecution cases (involving multiple businesses) and is investigating and monitoring 64 further cases.
Gulf War Illnesses
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many serving British Armed Forces personnel have illnesses arising from the Gulf War 1990-91 which have only manifested themselves in recent years; and whether any such illnesses have manifested themselves in serving personnel in the past two years.
Lord Drayson: I refer my noble friend to the Answer that I gave on 30 January 2007 (Official Report, cols. WA 35-36) to my noble friend Lord Roberts.
Health: Motor Neurone Disease
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have received on the urgency of the need for increased funding for motor neurone disease research over the next two years; what replies they have made; and what action they are taking.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The department has received a number of representations on this subject, mostly from or prompted by the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The response to them has described the nature and level of government investment in research into the disease, and the fact that the Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Network (launched in September 2005 as part of the UK Clinical Research Network) will give patients from every motor neurone disease clinic in England the opportunity to take part in national clinical trials. In addition, the department will respond to a request for matched funding from Government to support the association's research strategy.
Health: MRSA
Lord Goodlad: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were reported in National Health Service hospitals in (a) 2005, and (b) 2006.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Since April 2001, all acute National Health Service trusts in England have been obliged to report all cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemias under the mandatory surveillance scheme.
National, regional and individual trust data were published for the years 2001-02 to 2005-06 (the latest available data) in the Health Protection Agency's Mandatory Surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infections Report 2006, available at www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/MandSurvHCAI2006.pdf.
The annual total of MRSA bacteraemias for the period April 2004 to March 2005 was 7,233. The annual total of MRSA bacteraemias for the period April 2005 to March 2006 was 7,087.
MRSA data for the period up to September 2006 have been published on the Health Protection Agency website, available at www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Results_Jan_2007.htm.
A copy of the document referred to above has been placed in the Library.
Health: MRSA
Lord Goodlad: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were reported in National Health Service mental illness hospitals in (a) 2005, and (b) 2006.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This information is not collected centrally. National Health Service mental health trusts are not included in the mandatory surveillance schemes for healthcare-associated infections, including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Health: Multiple Sclerosis Nurses
Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many multiple sclerosis nurses were in post at the beginning of 2006; how many are currently in post; and what are their expectations about the growth or fall in numbers of multiple sclerosis nurses in 2007.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The annual National Health Service workforce census does not separately identify multiple sclerosis nurses from the rest of the nursing workforce. It is for NHS employers and strategic health authorities to determine how many multiple sclerosis nurses are required to meet local service needs.
Health: Respiratory Diseases
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 29 January (WA 10), what information relating to (a) childhood asthma, and (b) adult respiratory disease is collected centrally.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Information is collected, available via the quality and outcomes framework website at www.ic.nhs.uk/services/qof/, on the number of patients registered with a general practitioner and diagnosed with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In addition, data are collected, via the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) system, on hospital activity for those diagnosed with a wide range of respiratory conditions, including asthma. That information is available on the HES website at www.hesonline.nhs.uk.
Health: Urology
Baroness Darcy de Knayth: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why they are proposing that urology patients should no longer receive home delivery of appliances and other complimentary services relating to Part IX of the Drug Tariff in contrast to their decision in relation to stoma patients.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The department has been reviewing Part IX of the Drug Tariff since October 2005. Two consultations are currently open that seek views on proposed arrangements for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances, and related services, to primary care. Both consultations close on 2 April 2007. They are entitled: Arrangements for the Reimbursement Pricing of Stoma and Incontinence Appliances under Part IX of the Drug Tariff;and Arrangements for the Remuneration of Services Relating to Appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff. The proposals contained within the consultation documents reflect the information that had been made available to the department by the date of publication of the consultations themselves, particularly by dispensing appliance contractors. As the department is in the process of consultation, no decisions have been made about any of the arrangements, and all responses and the views contained therein will be carefully considered. It is also a stated objective of the review that patient care will be maintained or, where appropriate, improved.
House of Lords: Public Appointments
Lord Tyler: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many Members of the House of Lords, by party and from the Cross-Benchers group, occupy salaried positions in government departments, government agencies and public bodies funded in part or wholly from national taxation.
Lord Davies of Oldham: There are 20 members of the House of Lords who hold salaried ministerial office. In addition, one special adviser is a member of the House of Lords. All are from the governing party. The other information requested is not held centrally.
Immigration: English Language Courses
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration they are giving to the representations made by Asylum Link Merseyside to the Department for Education and Skills about the restriction of access by refugees and asylum seekers to English for Speakers of Other Languages courses.
Lord Adonis: Documents submitted to the Home Office and forwarded to the Department for Education and Skills in November 2006 have been passed to officials leading the race equality impact assessment on the proposed changes. Information is being fed into that process and will be taken into account when the final report is published later in February.
Immigration: Harmondsworth Removal Centre
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ask the prisons ombudsman to conduct an independent inquiry into the aetiology of the 27 November 2006 disturbances at Harmondsworth immigration removal centre.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The investigation into the circumstances of the recent disturbance at Harmondsworth immigration removal centre is being carried out by Mr Robert Whalley CB, a retired senior civil servant. The investigation will establish the lessons to be learnt from this event for the management of the immigration detainees and of the immigration detention estate. It will take full account of the separate police inquiries that are continuing and will be conducted in a way that does not impede any criminal prosecution. Subject to ensuring that any possible criminal prosecutions are not prejudiced, I will arrange for the outcome of the investigation to be available to the House.
Immigration: Migrant Workers
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What evidence they have received concerning migrant workers in Lincolnshire, particularly with regard to their working hours and the condition and rent level of their tied accommodation.
Lord Rooker: The Defra earnings and hours survey collects information about the hours worked by agricultural workers. This information is available on the Defra website; however, migrant workers are not separately identified.
Where agricultural workers are supplied by a gangmaster, the gangmaster will require a licence from the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to operate legally. To obtain a licence, a gangmaster must satisfy the conditions attached to a licence. These require that any accommodation provided by the gangmaster should conform to current legislation. There should be no evidence of poor or overcrowded conditions or failure to conform to local housing regulations on housing of multiple occupation. Any charges for accommodation must be compliant with the national and agricultural minimum wage regulations. The Gangmasters Licensing Authority will be monitoring compliance with these licence conditions and will report on the operation of the licensing scheme annually.
Immigration: Migrant Workers
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What support they are providing for local authorities and voluntary organisations working with migrant workers who have fallen ill or lost their jobs and are threatened by destitution and homelessness.
Baroness Andrews: Some migrant workers would retain eligibility for local authority housing and income-related benefits if they lost their job as a result of illness or accident or became involuntarily unemployed, and consequently should not face destitution or homelessness. However, to assist the small number that do end up sleeping rough on the streets, the Government have given £497,000 to date to central London local authorities to support their work with this group and in recognition of the potential impact on their homelessness services from mainly A8 nationals. No funding has been given direct to the voluntary sector to date.
Ministers have agreed that officials should put together proposals for targeted work to address homelessness among nationals from the new European accession states (A8s), involving work both with voluntary organisations, particularly in London, and with organisations in the source countries to facilitate returns.
Immigration: Rape
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why rape is not regarded as torture when considering detainees for removal or deportation.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Rape, whether actual or threatened, can constitute torture in certain circumstances, but, whether or not it is torture, it is certainly inhuman or degrading treatment.
In accordance with our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, we would not remove an individual where there are substantial grounds for believing that there is a real risk that he or she would be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
The decision to remove a person from the United Kingdom is taken only after full and careful consideration of individual circumstances.
Immigration: X-rays
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will refrain from conducting any pilot studies of the use of dental X-rays as an aid to age determination of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors, in view of the statement by the British Dental Association on the shortcomings of these procedures.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We will shortly publish a consultation paper that will contain proposals for the reform of the immigration and support system for unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors. The views of expert professionals, including the British Dental Association, will form an important part of the consultation process.
Immigration: Yarl's Wood
Baroness Williams of Crosby: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Who is responsible for healthcare at Yarl's Wood detention centre following the bankruptcy of the previous provider, Veritas.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The overall responsibility for the healthcare at Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre lies with Global Solutions Limited (GSL), and was subcontracted to Veritas. Following the bankruptcy of Veritas, the contract to provide healthcare has now been subcontracted to Medacs.
Iraq: Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution
Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the relationship between the Badr Brigade militia and the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq.
Lord Triesman: The Badr Brigade originated as an armed wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). In 2003, the Badr Brigade declared itself to be a political party and renamed itself the Badr Organisation. We welcomed the promise by SCIRI's leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, that it would disarm. However, we believe that some Badr members have either failed to lay down their arms or have infiltrated the Iraqi security forces and are engaging in sectarian violence. SCIRI and Badr remain closely linked and we believe that SCIRI leaders could do more to reduce violence by Badr elements. We continue to impress on all Iraq's political leaders that armed militias have no place in a democratic Iraq.
Iraq: Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution
Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many Ministers in the Government of Iraq are members of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq; and what are their portfolios.
Lord Triesman: There are presently three members of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq serving as Ministers in the Government of Iraq:
Adel Abdul Mehdi (Vice-President);
Baqir Jabr al-Zubaydi (Minister of Finance);
Dr Akram al-Hakim (Minister of State for National Dialogue).
Israel and Palestine: Detention
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made representations to the Government of Israel about the release of those elected members of the Palestine Legislative Council now being held in detention, and about the return of other members at present in exile; and, if so, with what result.
Lord Triesman: We support the call at the 22 January General Affairs and External Relations Council for the immediate release of Palestinian Ministers and legislators detained in Israel. We have not made any recent representations to the Israeli Government on this matter.
Israel and Palestine: Negotiations
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will support the request of the French Foreign Minister at the meeting of the Middle East quartet in Washington DC on 2 February for quartet action to return to full negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
Lord Triesman: We understand that French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy has called for direct negotiations between the parties. The quartet (US, UN, EU and Russia) met on 2 February and reiterated its call for a renewed political process with the aim of launching meaningful negotiations, and welcomed the upcoming meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, Palestinian President Abbas and US Secretary of State Rice. The quartet also reaffirmed its commitment to meet regularly at both the principals' and envoys' levels. We support these developments and hope that they will lead to substantive negotiations between the parties. A copy of the quartet statement can be found at: http:/www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/february/79867.htm.
Mental Health: Convicted Persons
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that pre-sentence reports draw attention to mental ill health and learning difficulties when these affect convicted persons.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Probation staff who prepare pre-sentence reports are expected to draw the court's attention to any issue that is relevant to its sentencing decision.
Multiculturalism
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of their policy of integration rather than multiculturalism, they will discourage the promotion or continuation of groups based on race, colour or creed in the public service.
Baroness Andrews: The Government do not believe that integration need be at the expense of multiculturalism, and we will continue to encourage public sector agencies to celebrate diversity. Valuing diversity is central to our approach to community cohesion and is necessary in a society that recognises that an important part of a person's identity is formed through collective association. At the same time, our approach also means highlighting our common values across groups: respect for the rule of law; freedom of speech; equality of opportunity; respect for others and responsibility towards others. These are clearly values that all agencies—and individuals—within the public sector should share.
NHS: Deficit
Lord James of Blackheath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Warner on 8 January (WA 32-33), whether strategic health authorities and National Health Service trusts created individual contingencies or provisions at the outset of the current financial year.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In 2006-07, strategic health authorities (SHAs) have established a contingency through their prudent management of NHS central budget programme funding devolved to them by the department. At quarter 2, the value of this contingency was £350 million, though SHAs reported their ability to create an additional £100 million through continued active management of central budgets. In addition, for 2006-07, SHAs have had the power to create local reserves held at SHA level to help them to balance the overall financial position across their health economy. Primary care trusts (PCTs), which make a contribution to their SHA reserve, will be repaid, normally within the three-year allocation cycle, when organisations currently in deficit start producing surpluses. SHAs have been asked to ensure that PCTs with the greatest health need are the first to be repaid.
Official Gifts: Mr Philip Anschutz
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the value of gifts, paid for out of public funds, that the Deputy Prime Minister gave to Mr Philip Anschutz during the visit to his ranch in July 2005; and
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 10 October 2006, what gift was deemed appropriate for the Deputy Prime Minister to give Mr Philip Anschutz during his visit to Mr Anschutz's ranch in July 2005; and
What gifts the Deputy Prime Minister has given to Mr Philip Anschutz or any of his associates in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Lord Davies of Oldham: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave him on 1 February (Official Report, col. WA 77).
Passports
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a record is kept of those persons who have made more than one application for the replacement of a passport; and, if so, what additional safeguards are used to prevent fraudulent applications by such persons.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) notes every instance of an application for the replacement of a passport. IPS does not, however, routinely collate this information and does not collate information relating to those people who have made more than one application for a replacement passport. All passport applications received by IPS are subject to a variety of system and manual checks to detect and prevent fraud. Applications for replacement passports must be accompanied by an additional declaration and details relating to the loss or theft that gave rise to the application. These additional details are used to conduct further checks in the event that the passport application is not straightforward or appears suspicious.
Passports
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the UK Passport Agency informs the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office of all new passports issued and all those reported lost, stolen or destroyed.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) provides details of all processed reports of lost, stolen and destroyed British passports to the Immigration Service, which also has access to IPS's main passport record database.
Passports
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether all passport control posts at airports, seaports and rail terminals have online access to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) database; and, if not, how the control posts are able to check the travel documents of United Kingdom passport holders.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Immigration officers at ports of entry are able to identify UK passports reported as lost, stolen or suspect.
The Identity and Passport Service has made its database available to immigration staff at ports of entry and staff in IND.
Where a document is thought to be misused, immigration officers may check the details on the IPS system and determine from the details therein what action they should take.
Passports
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Identity and Passport Service database has a facility to suspend the validity of the passports of United Kingdom passport holders who have been given custodial sentences until such time as they have been released from custody; and, if so, whether they will use such a facility.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Identity and Passport Service can and does cancel passports in appropriate cases. Cancellations are recorded on the database and shared with other agencies such as Interpol and border control. To use the cancellation facility to suspend passports temporarily would be impractical. Agencies such as border control authorities in other countries require clarity in the status of a particular passport and once they are notified of a cancellation there is no guaranteed way of reactivating it.
Pensions: Civil Service
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been (a) the average, and (b) the median age of death of retired members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, for males and females in each of the past 10 years.
Lord Davies of Oldham: For the period 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2003, the average age at death of retired members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme was 80 (males) and 81 (females). The median figures for the same period were also 80 and 81 respectively. Information for the period from 1 April 2003 and for the period from 1 April 1997 to 31 March 1999 is available only at disproportionate cost.
Pensions: Expatriates
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On how many occasions since the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998 there has been a review of the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations, which freeze the pensions of some United Kingdom pensioners living overseas; and
What assessment has been made of the compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998 of the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations, which freeze the pensions of some United Kingdom pensioners living overseas.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations are part of the annual uprating process and have been reviewed on a general basis each year since 1998. It is normal practice to review new legislation for compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights.
In addition, the provisions on the non-uprating of UK state pensions for some pensioners living abroad have been the subject of litigation in the domestic courts, all of which found in favour of the Government. The issue is now the subject of an application for a hearing to the European Court of Human Rights.
People Trafficking
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why Moldova and Albania are considered safe countries for trafficked women returned from the United Kingdom in view of evidence that they are at risk of being re-trafficked.
Lord Triesman: It is not the Government's policy automatically to return victims of trafficking. Each situation is dealt with on an individual basis, with the victim's welfare and the assessed risk of re-trafficking always the paramount concerns. In accordance with its international obligations, the UK would not knowingly put a victim's life in danger, nor put victims in a position where they would be liable to be trafficked again. The Albanian Government have taken steps to address the trafficking and re-trafficking of persons, especially women, and introduced increasingly stringent laws and safeguards for those who may face trafficking. The Moldovan Government have also made significant efforts to combat trafficking and mistreatment of women, and are a signatory to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.
Planning: Green Belt
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to implement the proposals outlined in the Barker Review of Land Use Planning, which was commissioned by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to allow housing and commercial development in green belt areas; and whether they intend to limit local government to a consultative role in such planning decisions; and
What are their plans for the future for existing town centres when green belt development is permitted; and how they intend to cope with town centre blight; and
Whether they have carried out any environmental evaluation in respect of the assessment of the Barker Review of Land Use Planning on the green belt as "low-value agricultural land with little landscape quality and limited public access"; and, if so, whether they will publish the results; and
Whether the proposals outlined in the Barker Review of Land Use Planning to allow development in the green belt contrasts with the recent Policy Planning Statement 14 pronouncement in Northern Ireland by Lord Rooker, which proposes a presumption against rural development.
Baroness Andrews: The Government believe that the green belt plays a vital role in the planning system that must continue. The Government will set out the response to Kate Barker's report later this year.
Planning: Thornborough Henges
Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to protect Thornborough henges and the landscape in light of the recent planning application in favour of Tarmac Northern Limited.
Baroness Andrews: Parliament has entrusted local planning authorities with responsibility for day-to-day planning control in their areas, including the consideration of applications for development. The Government will intervene to decide planning applications only in very rare cases where issues of more than local importance are involved and those issues need to be decided at national level.
I understand that the planning application to which the noble Lord refers is a revision of an earlier planning application for the extraction of sand and gravel from an extension to the existing Nosterfield quarry to the north of the scheduled ancient monument of Thornborough henges. North Yorkshire County Council, as the mineral planning authority, refused that application in February 2006. I further understand that the county council is satisfied that the revised application, for reduced mineral extraction on a smaller site, addresses its concerns about the original application and in particular avoids the area in that application assessed as containing nationally important archaeological remains. In January 2007, the county council therefore resolved to approve the revised application, subject to ratification of a Section 106 planning agreement on several matters, including protection of archaeological interests and appropriate restoration and aftercare. Any permission that may be granted will also be subject to a number of planning conditions to mitigate the environmental, including landscape, impact of the sand and gravel extraction.
I understand that, in reaching its decisions on the applications, the county council took account of all material planning considerations, including representations about the impact of the workings and proposed restoration on archaeology and the landscape, the Government's policies on the handling of archaeological remains within the planning system (Planning Policy Guidance Note 16: Archaeology and Planning) and the views of English Heritage, the Government's statutory adviser on heritage and archaeology.
Police: Disciplinary Proceedings
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many police officers nationally have been subject to (a) disciplinary proceedings, and (b) proceedings for attempting to pervert the course of justice in the last 24 months for which figures are available; and how many of the actions under (a) and (b) separately arose out of investigations and trials of persons accused of rape or serious assault offences.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The collection and publication of police complaints and disciplinary statistics are the statutory responsibility of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
Police: Reorganisation
Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 26 January (WA 267), what criteria caused the minority of police authorities to be less than fully reimbursed for their costs over the Government's police merger plans; and why some were underfunded more than others.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: An upper limit of £100,000 was applied to contributions to meet costs incurred for each police authority. Police authorities that did not have their claim for costs fully met were those that claimed to have incurred costs above this threshold. The threshold ensured that the majority of claims were met in full and a significant contribution was made to costs incurred by a minority.
Pollution
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of the findings of the University of Southern California on pollution, which were recently published in the Lancet.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We assume that the noble Lord refers to a paper produced by the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California, which was published in the Lancet online on 26 January 2007 and entitled "Effects of exposure to traffic on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age: a cohort study". This is one of a series of papers from that cohort study. The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants will review the paper referred to in the Question at its next meeting, on 23 February 2007.
Post Office: Kirkwhelpington
Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many post office branches are currently open in Kirkwhelpington.
Lord Truscott: I understand from Post Office Ltd that there is one post office branch open in Kirkwhelpington.
Post Office: Kirkwhelpington
Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What research they have carried out on the number of people using post offices in Kirkwhelpington.
Lord Truscott: No research has been carried out by the Government on the number of people using post offices in Kirkwhelpington.
Post Office: Kirkwhelpington
Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consultation has taken place with the local communities regarding the future of post offices in Kirkwhelpington.
Lord Truscott: None. But comments from them and from any other interested parties on the consultation on the future of the post office network are welcome.
Prisons: Chelmsford
Baroness Stern: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to increase the number of workshop places in HM Prison Chelmsford as the population rises to 700 prisoners.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: A new workshop and education facility has been provided at HMP Chelmsford to meet the increased requirements of greater numbers of prisoners.
Prisons: Escapes
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many convicted inmates escaped from open prisons in each of the last five years, broken down by escapes in the areas of the government offices for the regions.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: It is not possible to escape from open conditions as there are no physical constraints. Prisoners are classed as "absconders" if they absent themselves from Prison Service custody without lawful authority. All prisoners in open prisons have been convicted. The information requested is set out in the table.
Absconds from open prisons 2001-02 to 2005-06 by area of government offices for the regions
GORs 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 No. Establishments**
East Midlands 117 102 154 110 125 2
East of England 8 14 36 40 18 2
London 0 0 0 0 0 0
North-East 0 0 0 0 0 0
North-West 298 360 343 210 179 2
South-East 109 197 292 187 192 4
South-West 19 33 114 102 66 1
West Midlands 15 23 31 24 24 1
Yorkshire and the Humber 148 169 243 159 91 3
N/A * 5 8 35 19 9 1
*Wales is not a government region. Absconds for Usk/Prescoed are shown under N/A.
**Moorland and Hatfield counted as one establishment
Prisons: Quality of Life
Lord Ramsbotham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the cost of Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) conducted by HM Prison Service; how many staff are involved; and how this compares with the cost and staffing of HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The cost of Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) in 2005-06 was £297,133. There are nine staff engaged in conducting and reporting of MQPL surveys. The cost for all aspects of the work of HM Inspectorate of Prisons in 2005-06 was £3,134,077. The staff complement during that period was 41 full-time employees and eight fee-paid part-time specialist inspectors and editors.
Prisons: Quality of Life
Lord Ramsbotham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the role and purpose of Measuring the Quality of Prison Life(MQPL).
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) is a questionnaire survey of prisoners' perceptions. Its role is to provide an indication of the state of important aspects .of prison life. These aspects include whether prisoners feel that they are treated equitably, with decency and fairness; whether they feel safe; and the quality of the staff/prisoner interface. The survey results are used internally by prison managers to identify problems and to improve prison performance generally, and as a contribution to the service's benchmarking programme.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Department of Health has been unable to answer Lord Pearson of Rannoch's Question for Written Answer of 15 November (HL36) after nine weeks, when the target time is two weeks; and, in light of the fact that 17 out of the 52 questions awaiting a late answer are questions to the Department of Health, what steps they are taking to remedy this.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: An Answer was given on 22 January (Official Report, col. WA 209), and I regret the delay in replying.
Roads: Children's Health
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of the report by Dr James Gauderman of the University of Southern California which concluded that children who grow up near major roads are more likely to develop asthma and other respiratory diseases.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have made no assessment of this research, published in the Lancet on 26 January 2007, showing that children growing up alongside freeways in California risk having their lung development impaired. The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants will review the paper referred to in the Question at its next meeting, on 23 February 2007.
Royal Mail: Territorial Army
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Royal Mail requires its employees to leave the Territorial Army; and, if so, in what circumstances and for what reasons.
Lord Truscott: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail. Adam Crozier, chief executive of Royal Mail, has written as below.
Letter from Adam Crozier, chief executive of Royal Mail.
Royal Mail is very proud of its people who are serving in the Territorial Army and in the other Reserve Forces and we are determined to continue doing all we can to support them. Currently, several hundred of our people are serving in the Territorial Army. We grant two weeks' additional paid leave to employees in the TA to cover the annual active service commitment, as well as unpaid leave as needed to travel to their weekend exercises.
Royal Mail, like a great many other major employers, is covered by the legal requirements on drivers' hours and we will, of course, meet our legal obligations. We also work very hard to ensure we are doing all we can to protect the health and safety of our people.
From 11 April 2007, Royal Mail will be required by law to ensure that our drivers have weekly rest including during those weeks when there is weekend training or exercises with the Reserve Forces. However, we want our people to continue to be able to serve in the Reserve Forces and we are very willing to discuss with any individual how best this can be achieved. There are a number of options we can consider, including giving the individual the option of moving to other duties within the company, and offering the facility of taking unpaid leave. We want to be flexible and to see our people continue to serve in the TA, but we also must ensure we comply with the law. Our commitment to supporting our people in the Reserve Forces remains strong.
Royal Navy: Fleet Transformation
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What working arrangements are in place between the staff of the Royal Navy's fleet transformation process and staff working on the concurrent naval base and defence training reviews.
Lord Drayson: The fleet transformation programme's primary role is to streamline the Royal Navy's force generation and management processes. Other change programmes, such as the naval base review and defence training review, are being taken fully into account in the fleet transformation work, both at working and programme board levels.
Royal Navy: Fleet Transformation
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What arrangements will be put in place to ensure that the new Defence Equipment and Support Organisation meets the Royal Navy's fleet transformation requirements for an agile force generation and management process.
Lord Drayson: We are putting in place new planning arrangements involving the Fleet HQ, defence equipment and support and the MoD, which will build on existing relations between the Fleet HQ and the Defence Logistics Organisation and Defence Procurement Agency. A key element is that the Fleet HQ will in future be responsible for programming the costs of in-service equipment support over the first four years of the defence planning period. These arrangements will be embedded in the transformed management structure.
Royal Navy: Fleet Transformation
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the 88 concurrent initiatives compromising the Royal Navy's fleet transformation process.
Lord Drayson: At the outset of the fleet transformation programme, an informal exercise was conducted by the programme team to identify the change initiatives already affecting the fleet TLB. This exercise found at least 88 actions in hand at various levels across the TLB, although many were subsets of larger programmes. Both fleet transformation and the concurrent initiatives reflect the priority being given across the Ministry of Defence to efficiency, effectiveness and the shift in resources towards the front line.
Royal Navy: Fleet Transformation
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any reductions in personnel are expected to result from the Royal Navy's fleet transformation process.
Lord Drayson: Yes. The fleet transformation programme will redesign the Fleet Headquarters' force generation and management processes to create more agile, command-oriented, operationally focused support to the front line. Personnel reductions will be achieved as each part of the fleet's support area reviews its structure and functions in the coming months and years.
Royal Navy: Fleet Transformation
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What impact the merger of the Defence Logistics Organisation and the Defence Procurement Agency and resultant manpower reallocation is having on the Royal Navy's fleet transformation process.
Lord Drayson: Any change in Defence Logistics Organisation and Defence Procurement Agency manpower as a result of their merger into Defence Equipment and Support will have no impact on the Royal Navy's fleet transformation process.
Royal Navy: Fleet Transformation
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Royal Navy's fleet transformation process will have an impact on reviews of ship and platform numbers.
Lord Drayson: No. The fleet transformation programme is intended to rebalance resources between the Royal Navy support area and the front line. It is looking at the fleet's command and management processes and organisation, and will not affect planned platform numbers.
Royal Navy: Naval Base Review
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the naval base review is expected to be completed; and whether any preliminary conclusions or recommendations have already been made.
Lord Drayson: No conclusions or recommendations have been presented to Ministers, nor are they expected to be before spring 2007, after which they will be subject to the MoD's internal scrutiny and approvals process. The current expectation is for an announcement in summer 2007. Final decisions will also be subject to formal trade union consultation.
Schools: All-age Institutions
Baroness Walmsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have commissioned a literature review of the benefits, or otherwise, of all-age (five-to-sixteen years) schools; and what research evidence they have taken account of, or rejected, in their support of all-age schools in the academies programme.
Lord Adonis: We have not commissioned a literature review of the benefits of all-age schools. However, the small number of open all-age schools in England presents a generally positive picture. Each proposal for an all-age academy is looked at on its individual merits. We look at a large number of factors, which, as a minimum, would need to show that the inclusion of primary provision in an academy would be likely to have a positive educational and social impact on both primary and secondary pupils, without adverse impact on the wider school community.
Schools: PSHE
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Adonis on 16 January (WA 146), whether the guidance currently issued by the Department for Education and Skills about the significance of marriage and stable relationships as key building blocks of society requires that equal values should be given to lasting relationships between persons of either the same or opposite sex as to marriage.
Lord Adonis: Schools are required to have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State on sex and relationship education. Sex and relationship education guidance issued in 2000 advises that pupils should learn about the importance of marriage for family life and for bringing up children, and the significance of marriage and stable relationships as the key building blocks of community and society. The guidance makes it clear that care must be taken to ensure that there is no stigmatisation of children based on their home circumstances. The guidance does not attribute a relative value to marriage as opposed to lasting relationships. It is for schools to decide on the detailed content and delivery of their sex and relationship education programme, taking account of the views of parents and the needs of pupils.
Schools: Risk Taking
Lord Pendry: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will take further steps to encourage risk taking and healthy rivalry in schools so as to prepare young people for risks faced later in life.
Lord Adonis: Within the school curriculum there are increasing opportunities for pupils to understand and manage risk and take part in competitive activities. Outdoor and adventurous activities are one of six activity areas within the national curriculum for physical education. These activities enable pupils to experience a degree of challenge and risk which can develop the confidence to travel and manage the body in potentially hazardous environments. The Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto, which the Government launched last November, aims to provide young people with opportunities to engage in similar activities beyond the classroom.
Pupils are taught to understand and manage risk and how to behave responsibly as part of their personal, social and health education. We also want pupils to learn how to be enterprising and to apply risk-taking and risk-management skills to business in order to understand the importance of economic well-being.
Secretary of State for Transport
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many official visits the Secretary of State for Transport has made to Scotland since 1 December 2006.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend has not visited Scotland in his official capacity as Secretary of State for Transport since 1 December 2006.
Shipping: Antarctic
Viscount Montgomery of Alamein: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, following the recent cruise ship accident in Antarctica, they will take action through the Antarctic Treaty consultative system to persuade the International Maritime Organisation to prohibit single-hull vessels in Antarctic waters.
Lord Triesman: The UK's shipping experts consider that ice strengthening, rather than double-hulling, is a more important issue for ships operating in ice-covered waters. The UK is very concerned about the increasing number and size of non-ice-strengthened vessels visiting Antarctica and has been pressing the issue within the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) over recent years. In 2004, the treaty parties agreed guidelines for ships operating in Arctic and Antarctic ice-covered waters and transmitted them for consideration by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). These guidelines are intended to ensure that ships operating in ice-covered waters meet appropriate standards of maritime safety and pollution prevention. They include the recommendation that operations in Antarctic waters take due account of ship class, among other factors. It is hoped that the IMO will endorse the guidelines by this summer.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working closely with the Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to consider further measures for ensuring ship safety within Antarctic waters, including the issue of ship suitability (ice strengthening and hull type). The UK will continue to raise the issue of ship safety in Antarctic waters within the ATCM and the IMO as appropriate
Shipping: Antarctic
Viscount Montgomery of Alamein: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make representations to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators to raise the tariff on cruise ships visiting Antarctica.
Lord Triesman: The Antarctic Treaty preserves Antarctica for peace and science. Within this framework, however, safe and environmentally responsible tourism is a legitimate activity. There are no tariffs levied on tourist visitors to Antarctica.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) is a member organisation providing a self-regulatory framework for tourism in Antarctica. The vast majority of Antarctica tour operators are members of the organisation and pay membership fees based on passenger numbers. The level of such fees is a matter for IAATO. IAATO sets stringent environmental standards for Antarctic tourism operators and manages the annual tourism traffic to Antarctica. The UK supports this self-regulatory framework, for example by restricting access to UK historic sites and bases to IAATO operators, and works with IAATO to further enhance the management of Antarctic tourism.
SnOasis
Baroness Scott of Needham Market: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will assist Mid-Suffolk District Council with the costs of the planning inquiry into the SnOasis proposal.
Baroness Andrews: Under Section 250(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and Section 42 of the Housing and Planning Act 1986, the Secretary of State can recover the costs of an inquiry. It is long-standing practice not to recover them fully, in return for local authorities providing inquiry accommodation free of charge and employing a programme officer where that is necessary. No reason is seen to depart from this practice in this case.
Sport: Medicine
Lord Addington: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the current availability in the National Health Service of sports medicine expertise is sufficient to encourage physical activity within the working age population; and
What level of expertise within the National Health Service in sports medicine is appropriate to provide support to back up their anti-obesity strategy.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Sports and exercise medicine is primarily a clinical specialty aimed at providing high-quality medical care to people who have injury due to exercise. The specialty will also contribute to fighting obesity by promoting exercise. However, this specialty is only one part of the medical support required to address obesity. In addition to this specialty, general practitioners, consultants and a range of clinical specialties will encourage physical activity.
As part of the workforce contribution to Delivering the NHS Improvement Plan, we are moving away from centrally prescribed national targets. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to analyse their local situation and develop plans, in liaison with their local National Health Service trusts and primary care providers, to deliver high-quality NHS services. Local development plans will need to include action to recruit and develop the appropriate staff required to deliver services.
Sport: Skills Shortages
Lord Pendry: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to address skills shortages in the sport and fitness industries.
Lord Adonis: From 2002, the Government established the Sector Skills Development Agency and a network of 25 sector skills councils (SSCs) to address sectoral-specific skills issues. SkillsActive, the SSC for the active leisure and learning sector, is licensed by the Government to lead the productivity drive across the sport and fitness, outdoors, playwork and caravan industries. Following consultation and research with employers, training providers and other partners, the recently published sector skills agreement for the sector has set out the priorities for addressing skills shortages and developing the skills of the workforce. SkillsActive is involved in a variety of initiatives to address skills shortages and to develop the skills of the workforce. These include: preparing a submission for a national skills academy; developing a sport and leisure diploma; developing an advanced apprenticeship in sporting excellence and a young apprenticeship for the sport and active leisure sector; and working with the sector and employers to develop national occupational standards.
Terrorism
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they will respond to the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions on the need to avoid "war on terror" phraseology in public statements.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We agree that using appropriate language and communications can help to undermine terrorist propaganda and unite communities against a common threat. Phraseology is carefully considered in the Government's communications around counterterrorism.
UN: Peacekeeping Forces
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have studied (a) the report on sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations personnel serving in peacekeeping forces by Prince Zeid Al-Hussein of March 2005, and (b) Barracks and Brothels by Sarah Mendelson of February 2005, concerning peacekeepers and human trafficking in the Balkans; and what steps the Government, NATO and the European Union are taking to prevent and eliminate the behaviour to which these studies draw attention.
Lord Triesman: The UK, with EU partners and other like-minded countries, worked closely with the UN General Assembly's Special Committee on Peacekeeping to ensure that recommendations in Prince Zeid's report were adopted as a matter of urgency in 2005. Relevant provisions for prevention, monitoring and investigation of misconduct cases are included in the establishment of new mission mandates and the renewal of existing mission mandates. It is the responsibility of the UN Secretary-General and member states to take necessary steps to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse and to ensure that the UN standards of conduct are adhered to. There are signs that the major troop-contributing countries are now taking this issue seriously and withdrawing contingents accused of misconduct. The UK and EU member states continue to work together on this issue in the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping to ensure that work based on the report's recommendations continues and is completed successfully. The committee met in special session last month to continue to ensure that progress is made on this issue.
The UK provides support to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations both to develop policy and to fund training programmes to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation, and regularly raises the issue in talks with major UN troop contributors. The UK works to ensure that personnel whom we deploy on peacekeeping operations continue to uphold the highest standards. It is the responsibility of all EU and NATO member states to ensure that steps are taken to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation by their personnel, to end impunity and to prosecute those responsible for sexual and gender-based violence.
Universities: Science Courses
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate for the current year and next year of the number of degree courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics offered at United Kingdom universities and the number of students studying these courses.
Lord Adonis: The department does not hold information on courses offered by higher education institutions. The latest available information on student enrolments is given in the table.
Undergraduate enrolments at UK higher education institutions1
2004-05 2005-06
First Degree Other Undergraduate First Degree Other Undergraduate
Subject Area
Medicine and dentistry 38,155 420 40,720 470
Subjects allied to medicine 109,140 145,715 116,795 143,735
Biological sciences 102,245 8,500 107,360 8,075
Veterinary science 3,545 15 3,600 0
Agriculture and related subjects 7,490 4,395 7,835 6,465
Physical sciences 48,985 3,620 50,820 4,190
Mathematical sciences 20,275 825 20,930 585
Computer science 73,925 22,590 65,850 20,740
Engineering and technology 78,215 16,715 78,010 16,725
Architecture, building and planning 28,310 7,445 32,335 8,965
Total science, technology, engineering and mathematics 510,285 210,240 524,255 209,950
Other 642,355 237,370 667,015 238,135
Total all subject areas 1,152,640 447,610 1,191,270 448,085
Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record data.
Figures have been rounded to the nearest five; components may not sum to totals.
1 Excludes the Open University
War Pensioners: Medical Treatment
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to ensure that war pensioners receive priority treatment from National Health Service trusts and local health authorities for conditions for which they receive a pension or have received a gratuity; and what mechanism is in place to resolve any breakdown in arrangements for priority treatment.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Standing National Health Service guidance on the right of war pensioners to generally receive priority treatment in NHS hospitals in respect of the condition or conditions for which they receive a pension or received a gratuity is published by the department in a circular in the health service guidelines series numbered HSG(97)31. War pensioners can use the NHS complaints system to resolve any alleged breakdowns in arrangements for priority treatment. This includes ultimately asking the Health Service Commissioner to investigate their case.
Young Offender Institutions: Outdoor Exercise
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time juveniles spend in outdoor exercise each day in Wetherby young offender institution.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Young people spend an average of 0.87 hours in outdoor exercise per day at Wetherby. In addition, they are afforded a minimum of three hours per week physical education and additional enrichment activities such as football, basketball and the Duke of Edinburgh award. There are no systems in place to record how much of this activity takes place in the open air.
Young Offender Institutions: Outdoor Exercise
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time juveniles spend in outdoor exercise each day in Brinsford young offender institution.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Young people at Brinsford have on average 1.5 hours of outdoor physical education each week. This is in addition to 1.5 hours of indoor physical education per week.
Young Offender Institutions: Outdoor Exercise
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time juveniles spend in outdoor exercise each day in Castington young offender institution.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Young people at Castington are offered one hour of outdoor exercise per day, Monday to Friday, and two hours per day at the weekend, weather permitting. This does not include scheduled physical education sessions, which vary from week to week.
Young Offender Institutions: Outdoor Exercise
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time juveniles spend in outdoor exercise each day in Feltham young offender institution.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Each young person is offered three hours of gymnasium per week with additional periods of sports and games given outside at weekends, weather permitting. Feltham currently has no designated outside exercise areas, other than sports fields, but exercise areas are currently under construction for all juvenile units. Work is due for completion in spring 2007, from which time the establishment will be able to offer young people at least one hour each day in the open air.
Young Offender Institutions: Outdoor Exercise
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time juveniles spend in outdoor exercise each day in Hindley young offender institution.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Young people at Hindley are offered approximately 30 minutes in the open air on a daily basis, weather permitting. Furthermore, young people have at least three hours' physical exercise per week and some of these activities are undertaken outside. Young people can also participate in recreational physical activities and again some of this is undertaken outside.
Young Offender Institutions: Outdoor Exercise
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time juveniles spend in outdoor exercise each day in Lancaster Farms young offender institution.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Young people at Lancaster Farms spend approximately 30 minutes most mornings in outdoor exercise, and approximately 30 minutes every day walking to and from activities.
Young Offender Institutions: Outdoor Exercise
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time juveniles spend in outdoor exercise each day in Warren Hill young offender institution.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Juvenile trainees on the Carlford Unit site have the opportunity to spend 45 minutes of planned outdoor exercise per day. At Warren Hill, the maximum outdoor exercise is currently 48 minutes per day and 1.3 hours of programmed outdoor PE per week. Building work is currently under way, however, to facilitate formal exercise on a daily basis in dedicated areas. This will significantly increase the opportunity to spend time outdoors.
Young Offender Institutions: Outdoor Exercise
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time juveniles spend in outdoor exercise each day in Stoke Heath young offender institution.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Juveniles at Stoke Heath engage in an average of 30 minutes of outdoor PE activities per week. A further hour is available to all juveniles to spend time in the open on Saturday mornings. Outdoor exercise will increase as the weather improves, with circuit training, softball, cricket and field runs becoming available. Funding is being sought to fence off the external areas of the juvenile wings to provide additional access to outdoor exercise.
Young Offender Institutions: Outdoor Exercise
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time juveniles spend in outdoor exercise each day in Thorn Cross young offender institution.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Thorn Cross is an open establishment and as such young people have keys to their own rooms and have free movement within the boundaries of the establishment. There are no specific outdoor exercise periods built into the core day, as there is a full programme of purposeful activities, including periods within the gymnasium. Break times have been built into the education regime so young people can spend time outside.
Young Offender Institutions: Outdoor Exercise
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time juveniles spend in outdoor exercise each day in Ashfield young offender institution.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: HMP and YOI Ashfield is a male juvenile establishment. All boys have access to a minimum of one hour of outdoor exercise every day from Monday to Friday, and at weekends this is increased to 1.5 hours.
Young Offender Institutions: Strip Searching
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 January (Official Report, col. 8), what measures have been taken, or are planned, to comply with the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Wainwright v United Kingdom in relation to strip searches.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: HM Prison Service searching policy, as set out in the national security framework, will shortly be updated to include key learning from the Wainwright judgment.
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Breast Cancer
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the publication of Breast cancer: an environmental disease—the case for primary prevention by the United Kingdom Working Group on the Primary Prevention of Breast Cancer, what powers the Health Protection Agency has to prioritise the primary prevention of disease and to reduce the exposure of the population to toxic substances.
Lord Warner: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has an advisory and not a regulatory role with respect to control of chemicals to which the public may be exposed. It is the role of other government departments and agencies to enforce regulations to reduce the exposure of the population to toxic substances. These regulatory powers reside with the Health and Safety Executive for occupational safety, the Department of Trade and Industry regarding safety from consumer products used in the home etc, and the Environment Agency regarding environmental exposure from various sources. However, the advisory role of the HPA means that if it did have concerns it could influence the department/agency with the policy lead.
There are many recognized risk factors for breast cancer. Some of the most clearly established are reproductive, and other known risk factors are age, ethnic group, family history of the disease, history of benign breast disease, socio-economic status, use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy; also, in postmenopausal women, obesity. In addition, the Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC) made a statement in 2004, showing that alcohol consumption can cause breast cancer (www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/coc/alco04.htm). The COC has also looked in detail on a number of occasions at the evidence to support the hypothesis that breast cancer is causally related to persistent organochlorine pesticides. It has consistently concluded that there the evidence does not support a causal association.
The view of the Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division of the HPA is that there is no evidence to support the view that exposure to specific chemicals is a cause of breast cancer. Thus, the agency would not argue a case for any prioritization in this area.
Companies: Operating and Financial Review
Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When and how they will formally remove from companies the requirement for an operating and financial review, in accordance with the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 28 November at the conference of the Confederation of British Industry.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Article 4(1) of the delegation order places consultation requirements on the designated body, the Professional Oversight Board for Accountancy (the POBA), to consult in respect of regulations which it makes under the powers in the order. Article 4(2) provides that these requirements do not apply where the POBA considers that the delay involved in complying with them would be prejudicial to the public interest.
However, it is expected that reliance on the provision in Article 4(2) of the order would rarely, if ever, occur. The requirements in respect of consultation are in line with those set out in the Cabinet Office Better Regulation Code of Practice on Consultation (publication ref: 270621/0805/D5), which also provides for circumstances when full consultation may not be appropriate.
In addition, the Financial Reporting Council (of which the POBA is part) has committed to the Better Regulation Task Force principles that require regulators to be proportionate, targeted, consistent, transparent and accountable.
Employment Tribunals: Department of Health
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What costs have been incurred by the Department of Health in contesting cases of unlawful discrimination in employment tribunals over the past 18 months.
Lord Warner: The Department of Health has incurred the following costs contesting cases of unlawful discrimination in employment tribunals over the past 18 months:
Counsels' fees: £515,731.68
Legal/Solicitor costs: £114,347.50
EU: Northern Dimension
Lord Bowness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was decided at the first ministerial meeting under the Second Northern Dimension Action Plan held under the United Kingdom presidency of the European Union on 21 November.
Lord Triesman: The 21 November ministerial meeting under the Second Northern Dimension Action Plan agreed Guidelines for the Development of a Political Declaration and a Policy Framework Document for the Northern Dimension Policy from 2007. The political declaration and policy framework will be jointly drafted and adopted in 2006 by the EU, the Russian Federation, Norway and Iceland. They should provide a stable and permanent basis for the future development of the Northern Dimension, replacing the three-year action plan currently in place.
Extraordinary Rendition Flights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will investigate the allegations made by the Guardian on 22 November that British airfields have been used by the Central Intelligence Agency for extraordinary rendition flights to transport individuals to foreign countries where they may risk torture or inhumane treatment.
Lord Triesman: The Government are not aware of the use of UK territory or airspace for the purposes of "extraordinary rendition", nor have the Government received any requests, nor granted, any permissions, for the use of UK territory or airspace for such purposes. We are aware of media allegations about "extraordinary rendition" operations allegedly conducted by the US authorities, and my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has written to the US Secretary of State on behalf of EU partners.
Under UK and international law, carriers on technical stopovers are not obliged to provide a passenger list.
The Government's policy is not to deport or extradite any person to another state where there are substantial grounds to believe that the person will be subject to torture or where there is a real risk that the death penalty will be applied.
Glyphosate Poisoning
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the report of a death following exposure to glyphosate, reported in the combined annual report of the National Poisons Information Service 2004–05, whether the exposure was intentional or accidental; what was the route of exposure; who reported the incident and on what date; and what was the reference number of the coroner's inquest or procurator fiscal's report, if held.
Lord Warner: The case referred to relates to an individual patient. Neither the Department of Health, the National Poisons Information Service nor the Health Protection Agency is at liberty to release information on individual patients' cases—this is an issue of patient confidentiality.
Health Inequalities
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What study the Department of Health has made of households receiving the lowest statutory minimum incomes below the poverty thresholds in terms of (a) levels of income; (b) the extent to which housing is affordable; and (c) levels of debt; and
What study the Department of Health has made of (a) income levels; (b) affordability of housing; and (c) levels of debt in households receiving the lowest statutory minimum incomes below the poverty thresholds; and whether any such study has assessed the link between these factors and ill health.
Lord Warner: The Department of Health has made no specific study of the links between income levels, housing quality and affordability, and levels of debt.
The independent inquiry into inequalities of health (Acheson) report (1998), commissioned by this department, reaffirmed that shelter is a pre-requisite for health and that people who are disadvantaged suffer both from a lack of housing and from poor quality housing. Accordingly, housing is a key element of the national health inequalities strategy—the Programme for Action (2003).
The recently published Status Report on the Programme for Action (2005) reviewed the key indicators that contribute to health inequalities. It showed that on child poverty, the proportion of children living in low income households has fallen by nearly a fifth (in relative terms) between 1998–99 and 2003–04, and on housing quality, the proportion of vulnerable households living in non-decent housing has fallen by a third since 1996, reducing the gap with the national average by five percentage points.
A copy of the status report and the Programme for Action are available in the Library.
Indian Passports: Confiscation
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will place in the Library of the House the letter of the British High Commission in Nairobi dated 7 February (ref: PPT/16/2004) on the subject of impounding Indian passports, as well as the response of the High Commission of India dated 9 February.
Lord Triesman: A copy of the letter from the British High Commission in Nairobi reference PPT/16/2004 has been placed in the Library of the House.
The letter of 9 February from the Indian High Commission in Nairobi is exempt from disclosure because it is confidential information obtained from a state other than the United Kingdom or from an international organisation or international court.
Intellectual Property Crime
Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they will respond to Europol's claim in the 2005 report on organised crime that, in respect of fraud against intellectual property, some 200,000 jobs are lost yearly in the European Union economy.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government have identified IP crime as a growing international threat. Work has been moving forward on a range of initiatives:
the implementation by the Patent Office of the National IP Crime Strategy which sets up a multi-agency IP Crime Group, involving government, police, trading standards, HM Revenue and Customs, the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and key industry sectors to deliver better-targeted enforcement action;
a new IP crime intelligence database;
better training for enforcers—trading standards officers and police are already receiving practical training with the help and support of the Patent Office;
greater collaboration between national and international government agencies;
annually updated assessments of IP crime and progress reports overseen by Ministers will ensure accountability and continuing delivery in this area.
Furthermore, the Government have supported a number of legislative changes in recent years, such as stronger penalties for copyright and trade mark crime. We have also agreed a statement with our G8 colleagues defining a programme of work to help combat IP crime.
Investors in People: Schools
Lord Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many (a) primary; (b) infant; and (c) secondary schools in England and Wales have current Investors in People status.
Lord Adonis: On the basis of the information provided by Investors in People UK (IiP UK) data are not held separately for infant schools. Figures for these are included in the primary school figures: 7,257 primary schools (including infant schools) in England and Wales have IiP status; 2,541 secondary schools in England and Wales have IiP status.
Investors in People: Schools
Lord Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the general approach of the Department for Education and Skills towards the Investors in People scheme.
Lord Adonis: The Investors in People (IIP) standard has been a major UK success story since its introduction in 1991. It is a business development tool which sets out a level of good practice for the training and development of people in order to achieve business goals and improve performance. Its expansion is a key element of the Government's Skills Strategy.
The department funds Investors in People UK (IiP UK) through grant in aid as a non-departmental public body (NDPB). The department also funds the Learning and Skills Council to provide local services in the support of the take up of the Investors in People standard.
The department maintains the integrity of the standard by requiring IiP UK to maintain, review and develop it to ensure its continued relevance within the wider area of workforce development to all organisations in all sectors. IiP UK's vision is to strengthen the UK economy by improving the way in which organisations manage and develop their people, leading to business improvement and better public services.
IiP UK is currently engaged in a fundamental review of the standard and its route to market. This relies currently on a number of intermediaries and is considered too complex, particularly for the collection of reliable management information. Ministers and officials are working closely with IiP UK to help locate the standard more firmly within the Skills Strategy and to explore options for repositioning the standard, including through partnership working with UK Skills and with sector skills councils.
Investors in People: Schools
Lord Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the Department for Education and Skills annual budget for the Investors in People scheme.
Lord Adonis: The department does not have a separate budget line for IiP activity. IiP forms part of wider workforce development activities. The budgets for these activities reside with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC has advised that for the financial year 2004-05 it has spent approximately £38 million to support IiP activity locally.
Additionally the department funded Investors in People UK £5.2 million directly in 2004–05 to protect the integrity of the standard. This is achieved by marketing, maintaining, reviewing and developing the standard to ensure its continued relevance within the wider area of workforce development to all organisations in all sectors.
Investors in People: Schools
Lord Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have plans to widen the participation of educational organisations in the Investors in People scheme.
Lord Adonis: Participation in the Investors in People standard is voluntary. Currently over a third of all schools in the UK are participating in and benefiting from the standard. Government actively encourage all organisations, including educational organisations, to take up the Investors in People standard.
DfES officials are actively engaged with Investors in People UK in discussing the development of IIP UK's new five year plan. This is expected to identify the education sector as one of its main priorities.
Investors in People: Schools
Lord Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many head teachers have been involved in the Investors in People scheme over the past five school years.
Lord Adonis: On the basis of the information provided by Investors in People UK, data are not held on the numbers of head teachers who have been involved in the Investors in People scheme. However, in the past five years the total number of schools in England and Wales that have been involved in the Investors in People scheme is 13,819, approximately 50.6 per cent of all schools in England and Wales. The total number of schools in the UK that have been involved in Investors in People is 14,264, approximately 41.5 per cent of all schools in the UK.
Head teachers are involved in managing the introduction and retention of the standard in their schools. However, the above figures will not take account of turnover of head teachers within schools. It could be assumed that the number of head teachers that have been involved in the standard exceeds the number of schools that have been involved with the standard.
Iraq: Cluster Bombs
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the guidelines for the dropping of cluster bombs in Iraq in 2003; and whether these guidelines conformed to international human rights standards.
Lord Drayson: Cluster bombs are lawful weapons and are always used by United Kingdom forces in a manner consistent with our obligations under international law.
Israel: Bethlehem
Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Israeli Government to ensure that pilgrims visiting Bethlehem will not be turned back at the checkpoint at Rachel's Tomb.
Lord Triesman: We are concerned about the checkpoints and current route of the barrier around Bethlehem, just as we are concerned about free movement issues elsewhere. We continue to raise freedom of movement issues across the board with the Israeli Government.
Israel: Occupied Territories
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make representations to the government of Israel concerning the political and economic situation in the city of Hebron in view of the isolation of some local residents within artificial gates and walls.
Lord Triesman: We recognise the difficulties experienced by Palestinian residents of Hebron in their daily lives as a result of the presence and activities of Israeli settlers and the accompanying security measures. We also recognise the damage that has been done to the economic life of the old city by the restrictions imposed on the residents by these measures. We will continue to make representations to the Israeli Government to ease restrictions on movement in Hebron and elsewhere.
Israel: Occupied Territories
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
To whom the long-term international civilian observers in the city of Hebron report; whether remedial action has been taken, when violence and human rights abuses have been recorded by the observers; and, if so, by whom.
Lord Triesman: The mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) is to observe and report, but not to intervene in incidents or to take any other action. The TIPH produces reports for the Israeli authorities, the Palestinian authorities and the governments of the six member countries, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. The TIPH's reports are not made public. We continue to make representations to the Israeli Government concerning violations of human rights in the Occupied Territories.
More information on TIPH is available from its website at www.tiph.org.
Israel: Occupied Territories
Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Israeli administration of the Occupied Territories complies with the Geneva Convention and United Nations human rights conventions; and, if not, what representations they have made to the Israeli Government.
Lord Triesman: We do not believe that Israel complies rigorously with international law. We frequently raise our concerns with the Israeli Government about their actions in the Occupied Territories, including the routing of the barrier on occupied land, continuing settlement activity and other practices such as targeted killings and house demolitions. We stress that Israel must respect international law.
Mental Health: Suicide Risk Assessment
Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What system have they put in place to ensure that the risk management training recommended in the Five-year Report of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness; Safety First (2001) is being undertaken by all front line staff in mental health trusts in England and Wales; and
What is their response to the proposal that the standard of suicide prevention in the National Health Service framework on mental health, which indicates that training for staff in specialist mental health services and risk assessment management should be updated at least every three years, should be revised to indicate that the training must be updated at least every three years; and
In view of the contents of the Five-year Report of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness; Safety First (2001), what action has been taken and guidance given to ensure the continuity of risk assessment by front-line staff in England and Wales, to assist in communication between services, and to move towards a unified system of case notes for all professional disciplines.
Lord Warner: The Department of Health published the National suicide prevention strategy for England in 2002 to ensure that we are doing all we can to prevent suicide in pursuit of the department's public service agreement target to reduce mortality rates from suicide and undetermined injury by at least a fifth by 2010. The National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) is taking forward implementation of this strategy as one of its core programmes of work.
The National Suicide Prevention Strategy specifically recommends that all care staff in contact with patients at risk of self-harm or suicide receive training in the recognition, assessment and management of risk at intervals of no more than three years. The training is expected to be comprehensive and continuously evaluated.
Preventing suicide: a toolkit for mental health services, published in 2003 by NIMHE, provides guidance to help mental health services in England to measure systematically the extent to which they are addressing the recommendations of the national confidential inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness report Safety First, including the recommendations about unified case notes and the training of staff in risk assessment and management.
It is for mental health services to satisfy themselves that staff receive the appropriate training in risk assessment and management.
As stated in Effective care coordination in mental health services (Department of Health, 1999) risk assessment is an ongoing and essential part of the care programme approach and all staff, when in contact with service users, have a responsibility to consider risk assessment and risk management as a vital part of their involvement, and to record those considerations.
As part of the Healthcare Commission's annual health check, trusts will be assessed against all of the national targets as described in National Standards, Local Action; Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/2006–2007/2008 (Department of Health, 2004) including the national target on suicide reduction.
Mental Health: Suicide Risk Assessment
Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In view of the statistics in the Five-year Report of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness; Safety First (2001) on the number of persons who had been refused admission to hospital in the 24 hours prior to them committing suicide, what steps they have taken to ensure that mental health trusts are making local provision to accommodate all acutely ill patients when a request to be admitted is made.
Lord Warner: As set out in standard five of the National Service Framework for Mental Health (Department of Health, 1999) each service user, who is assessed as requiring a period of care away from their home, should have timely access to an appropriate hospital bed or alternative bed or place, which is in the least restrictive environment consistent with the need to protect them and the public.
In many areas, crisis resolution teams will assess individuals with acute mental health problems and refer them to the most appropriate service. As part of the Healthcare Commission's annual health check, trusts will be assessed against all of the national targets as described in National Standards, Local Action: Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/2006–2007/2008 (Department of Health, 2004) including the existing national target to ensure that all patients who need crisis resolution services have access by December 2005.
NHS Professionals
Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 28 June (WA 19), whether they have now determined the future status of NHS Professionals; and, if so, whether they will now provide substantive answers to the Written Questions (HL742) and (HL743) tabled by the Baroness Noakes; and
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 28 June (WA 19), whether they have now determined the future status of NHS Professionals; and, if not, what is the reason for the delay.
Lord Warner: The future of NHS Professionals will be determined by the end of the financial year. The focus this financial year has been on restructuring to become more efficient.
NHS: Mental Illness and Obesity
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the cost to the National Health Service of treatment for (a) mental illness, and (b) obesity, for each of the past 20 years; and
What is the estimated cost to the National Health Service of (a) poverty-related mental illness, and (b) poverty-related obesity, for each of the past 20 years.
Lord Warner: Information is not available in the requested format. Information on the gross expenditure on mental illness elements of the National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Services budget in each of the past 20 years is shown in the table. This information does not include expenditure on people with mental health problems seen solely in primary care. Information on the estimated cost of poverty-related mental illness to the NHS is not held centrally by the Department of Health.
Information on the amount spent by the NHS on treating conditions for which obesity is a contributory factor is not held centrally. However, the National Audit Office report, Tackling Obesity in England, published in 2001, estimated that the direct cost to the NHS of treating obesity and its consequences in 1998 was £480 million. As part of its inquiry into obesity, the Health Select Committee estimated that in 2002 the direct cost to the NHS was between £990 million and £1,225 million.
Gross Expenditure (£ million) -- (cash terms)
Year Mental Illness Day Patient Mental Health In-Patient Mental Health Out-Patient Community Mental Illness Nursing Total Mental Health
1983–84 60 849 56 — 965
1984–85 66 901 62 — 1,029
1985–86 72 937 68 — 1,077
1986–87 80 998 71 — 1,149
1987–88 89 1,146 67 — 1,302
1988–89(a) 107 1,262 68 — 1,436
1988–89(b) 107 1,262 68 120 1,557
1989–90 112 1,321 75 154 1,662
1990–91 129 1,386 85 184 1,785
1991–92 158 1,689 130 208 2,185
1992–93 190 1,757 150 253 2,350
1993–94 206 1,699 171 274 2,351
1994–95 218 1,644 196 319 2,377
1995–96 247 1,672 222 371 2,511
1996–97 289 1,722 300 459 2,770
1997–98 303 1,754 312 521 2,891
1998–99 318 1,819 334 580 3,051
1999–2000 328 2,044 370 670 3,411
2000–01 338 2,303 411 775 3,826
2001–02 318 2,444 490 810 4,062
2002–03 344 2,689 655 911 4,598
2003–04 316 2,857 882 1,033 5,088
Figures from 1987–88 onwards may not be entirely consistent with those for earlier years, owing to the changes in the data collection systems.
Expenditure categories were revised in 1988–89.
Pensions
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
If the number of contributory national insurance years required for a full basic state pension was reduced to 25 years, what number and percentage of men and of women would qualify for a full state pension in (a) 2005; (b) 2010 and (c) 2020; and
If the number of contributory national insurance years required for a full basic state pension was reduced to 20 years, what number and percentage of men and of women would qualify for a full state pension in (a) 2005; (b) 2010 and (c) 2020; and
What number and percentage of women would, on the basis of (a) 30 years; (b) 25 years; and (c) 20 years of national insurance contributions, be excluded from a full basic state pension in (i) 2005; (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2020; and for what reasons; and
If home responsibility protection were to be made a credit, what number and proportion of women in (a) 2005; (b) 2010; and (c) 2020 would (i) acquire a full basic state pension based on 30 years of contributions; (ii) acquire a full basic state pension based on 25 years of contributions; (iii) acquire a full basic state pension based on 20 years of contributions; and (iv) fall short of a full basic state pension in their own right; and by how much of those in category (iv) would fall short; and
If the number of contributory national insurance years required for a full basic state pension were reduced to 30 years, what number and percentage of men and of women would qualify for a full state pension in (a) 2005; (b) 2010 and (c) 2020.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: As my noble friend will be aware, the department recently published Women and pensions—the evidence which includes new estimates that the Government Actuary's Department has made available on projected basic state pension entitlements. As the Government Actuary's Department and departmental statisticians are continuing to work through the implications of the new estimates, we are not in a position at this stage to provide the information requested. These are important questions however to be considered as part of the national pensions debate and I will write to the noble Baroness with the information as soon as it becomes available.
Pesticides
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What resources, in terms of laboratories with appropriate accreditation, the Department of Health has identified for people who need or wish to be tested biochemically to assess the extent of their exposure to pesticides or other chemicals; and what are the names and addresses of the approved laboratories.
Lord Warner: The Department of Health has not identified accredited laboratories for people who wish to be tested biochemically to assess exposure to pesticides or other chemicals. There are a number of laboratories that undertake such work on a commercial basis and they advertise their services. The department does not maintain a list of these laboratories and it is not within the remit of the department to make recommendations in this area.
Pesticides
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the public health aspects of pesticides in the Prague Declaration on Endocrine Disruption of May 2005 and to the scientific journal Nature's criticism of that declaration on 10 November.
Lord Warner: The Department of Health shares the concerns of the declaration of Prague with respect to the potential health effects of endocrine disrupters and we agree that further research is necessary. The department supports the ongoing Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development programme to validate test methods to identify compounds with significant endocrine disrupting potential.
Prisoners: Mental Health
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of the prison population is estimated or known to be in need of mental health services intervention.
Lord Warner: This information is not available centrally. Primary care trusts and the prisons in their locality jointly assess mental health need and commission services accordingly. The assessment that prisoners receive on reception will identify those at risk of having a significant mental illness. For those so identified, or who present later with mental health needs, follow up will include primary mental health care or assessment and intervention by the specialist mental health in-reach team. Across the National Health Service in England, 360 mental health in-reach staff are now in post and providing services to 102 prisons. This exceeds the NHS Plan commitment for 300 such staff to be in post by the end of 2004. The care programme approach aims to help to ensure continuity of care upon release. In 2003, 721 prisoners whose mental illness was too severe were transferred to hospital. Work is ongoing to improve this process so that prisoners can be transferred more quickly.
There is good information about the prevalence of mental disorder in the prison population because in 1997 the Office for National Statistics undertook a survey of mental ill health in the prison population in England and Wales. This survey indicated that 90 per cent of prisoners have at least one mental health disorder.
Royal Military Police: Special Investigations Branch
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the establishment strength of the Special Investigations Branch of the Royal Corps of Military Police; and how it is organised in terms of (a) units; (b) command structure; and (c) supporting services.
Lord Drayson: The establishment of the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch (RMP SIB) is 218 posts. The RMP SIB is commanded by the Provost Marshal (Army) and is formed into two main headquarters, SIB (UK) and SIB (Germany). Each headquarters is divided into regions and these regions are made up of sections. The SIB has integral support and does not have supporting services as such. Tasks, such as crime scene examination, are carried out by staff on the establishment of the SIB.
Royal Military Police: Special Investigations Branch
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the numbers in post of the Special Investigations Branch of the Royal Corps of Military Police; and how its establishment strength compares with the counterpart units in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.
Lord Drayson: The numbers of staff on the establishment of each special investigation branch by service are:
Service Establishment Numbers
Special Investigation Branch Royal Navy 16
Special Investigation Branch Royal MilitaryPolice 218
Special Investigation Branch Royal Air Force 42
Schools: Sex and Relationship Education
Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect all schools to provide annual sex relationship education for all age groups; and
How many schools currently provide sex relationship education.
Lord Adonis: All maintained schools are obliged to meet the requirements of statutory national curriculum science, which includes elements of sex and relationship education. Beyond the statutory requirements, schools are able to use the non-statutory framework for personal social and health education to deliver sex and relationship education, taking into account the views of parents and the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the children.
Toxicity Tests
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the recent observation in the scientific journal Nature on 10 November that most animal tests overestimate or underestimate toxicity, or do not mirror toxicity in humans well.
Lord Warner: Animal studies provide useful data and are the best models that we have, if it is accepted that there are differences between species and a few types of adverse effects that are seen in humans cannot be identified in animal studies. It is recognised that there will be some differences in the results seen in various species, which may be interpreted as over or under-estimating toxicity. Nevertheless, this is allowed for using uncertainty factors, to allow for extrapolation between species and individual variation in the response in humans, using expert judgment to account for the uncertainties involved.
Trident
Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the cost of maintaining the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent between 1990 and 2005.
Lord Drayson: Since the Trident nuclear deterrent became operational in 1994 and 2004–05, annual expenditure for capital and running costs, including the costs for the Atomic Weapons Establishment, has ranged between 3 and 4 per cent of the annual defence budget. Comparable information on the costs of the UK's nuclear deterrent before 1994 is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate effort.
Wheels to Work Schemes
Lord Cameron of Dillington: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why neither of their agencies, Connexions or Jobcentre Plus, supports Wheels to Work schemes in Devon and Cornwall, given the role of those schemes in enabling the agencies to meet their targets.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Connexions Cornwall and Devon do support the Wheels to Work scheme through providing referrals for young people to the scheme.
Funding for the voluntary sector is the responsibility of each individual Connexions Partnership and it is for them to judge priorities against the needs of their local area. Connexions Cornwall and Devon have taken decisions about their engagement with the voluntary sector and this has helped them to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in the number of young people not in education, employment or training during the period November 2002 to November 2004.
Jobcentre Plus has also supported Wheels to Work schemes in Cornwall. Jobcentre Plus were able to provide substantial funding (£34,100) to the Wheels to Work scheme in West Cornwall, in its initial stages, for the financial year 2004–05. This was funded through the Transport Projects Fund, which is a national fund accessible only to action teams. To date the project has supported 130 people; 49 referrals to the project have come via Jobcentre Plus offices or European Social Fund (ESF) providers. Of these referrals, 61 have gone into employment and 17 are attending training courses at various colleges in west Cornwall.
In Devon, Jobcentre Plus has provision under the District Manager's Discretion Fund to consider funding for local projects. Wheels to Work schemes could be considered under this fund, but Jobcentre Plus has not received any such requests for funding, either from local offices or from the Wheels to Work schemes themselves.
Youth Justice Board: Use of Restraint
Baroness Stern: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 15 November (WA 143–44), whether Mr Peter Boatman, employed as a consultant by the Youth Justice Board, is also the Director of Operations of Pro-tect Systems, established in 2000 to act as the sole United Kingdom distributor for all Taser International products.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I understand that he is. The Youth Justice Board retained Mr Boatman's services because he is a recognised expert on restraint techniques. He and his fellow consultant Mr Tony Bleetman, a consultant surgeon, had earlier provided advice to the police inquiry into the death of Gareth Myatt. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2005-12-05c | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2005",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Abortion
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to ensure greater accuracy in gathering gender-correlated abortion statistics.
Earl Howe: Sex of the fetus is not recorded on the HSA4 forms submitted to the Chief Medical Officer; the gender of the fetus is not known for most abortions.
The Department’s latest analysis of birth ratios data published in May found no evidence of sex selection taking place in the United Kingdom. However, we will continue to monitor birth ratios and consider any other evidence that comes to light.
Abortion
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what protection they are offering to vulnerable women who feel under pressure to have a sex-selective abortion for fear of injury to their physical or mental health should they give birth to a girl.
Earl Howe: Women who present for an abortion should always have the opportunity to speak to a health professional or trained pregnancy counsellor on their own at some point during the consultation to determine the degree of certainty of their decision. Staff will take this opportunity to identify whether there is any pressure to terminate the pregnancy from others. Where pressure or coercion is identified, pathways should be in place to refer the woman for support from specialist services.
Ambulance Services: City of Westminster
Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current London Ambulance Service response times to life-threatening incidents (category A calls) within the City of Westminster.
Earl Howe: The performance standard for ambulance trusts responding to Category A calls is that an ambulance resource should arrive within eight minutes of the call 75% of the time.
We understand that this year to date (1 April 2014 -28 November 2014) the London Ambulance Service has achieved a response rate to ‘category A’ calls in Westminster of 69.58%.
We are providing extra support to the National Health Service – including £50 million to help ambulance trusts with additional demand and help them to return to meeting the standard as quickly as possible.
EU External Trade: Tunisia
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether duties on goods from Tunisia entering the European Union have been eliminated; and if not, to what extent they will be reduced in the coming year.
Lord Deighton: Following the signing of an Association Agreement with the EU in 1995, the import Tariffs on industrial products originating from Tunisia have been eliminated. The same Agreement also resulted in greater liberalisation in the Tariffs on agricultural and fishery products.
A preparatory process for launching negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) is on-going.
Financial Services: ICT
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the financial services industry to ensure that the information technology infrastructure is fit for purpose.
Lord Deighton: Responsibility for information technology infrastructure in the UK finance sector is primarily for the firms themselves. The Financial Authorities have a role to play in supporting, coordinating and driving change to improve the operational resilience of the sector.
In addition to on-going supervisory oversight of technology risk within firms by the Authorities, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) jointly launched, in October 2014, a review of firms’ critical infrastructure and technology resilience. The review focuses on the most significant UK retail deposit-taking organisations and is expected to conclude in mid-2015.
Financial Services: Regulation
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the rules governing short selling.
Lord Deighton: The rules governing short selling are set out in the Short Selling Regulation (SSR) - a directly applicable EU regulation which entered into
force on 1 November 2012. Article 45 of the Regulation requires the European Commission to carry out a review of the Regulation.
The European Commission published a report in December 2013 setting out its findings. That review concluded that “…it is too early, based on available evidence, to draw firm conclusions on the operation of the SSR framework which would warrant a revision of the legislation at this stage”. The report concludes that a further review could be carried out based on more empirical evidence by 2016.
Floods: Somerset
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to construct the River Parrett Barrier near Bridgewater to help protect the Somerset Levels from further flooding.
Lord De Mauley: The main purpose of constructing a tidal surge barrier on the River Parrett would be to protect Bridgwater from tidal flooding. This would provide some benefit to the Somerset Levels and Moors because pumping would be able to continue at the peaks of the very highest tides should they coincide with a fluvial flood event.
A tidal surge barrier was originally planned for delivery between 2030 and 2050 as described in Sedgemoor District Council’s Core Strategy.
The 20-year Somerset Levels and Moors Action Plan identified potential benefits of accelerating this delivery. Subject to the availability of finance and the required consents being granted, experience from similar projects suggests it would be feasible to complete construction of the barrier within eight years.
Garages and Petrol Stations
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that petrol stations are located at sufficiently regular points along United Kingdom roads.
Baroness Verma: DECC published a report from Deloitte LLP in December 2012, ‘Study of the UK petroleum retail market’, which considered long term changes to the retail market for road fuels in the UK, and the implications of these changes to our energy resilience. The market has changed significantly over the last decade. However, the findings of the report do not suggest that changes to the size and shape of the retail market for road fuels have significantly reduced the access of UK motorists to a local supply of fuel. The report found that in 2011, 98% of postcode sectors had a petrol filling station within a 10 minute driving time, and 92% had more than two within the same travel time.
Decisions on the location of individual petrol filling stations are for local planning authorities to make. As the market develops we will continue to monitor the situation.
Garages and Petrol Stations
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what authorisation is necessary before a petrol station can be closed.
Baroness Verma: No specific authorisation is required to close a petrol station.
Government Departments: Staff
Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the number and cost, in both absolute terms and as a percentage of the total departmental workforce, of non-payroll staff in the Home Office for each of the last 18 months for which data are available.
Lord Bates: The number and cost of non-payroll staff in the Home Office in absolute terms and as a percentage of the total workforce for each of the last 18 months are set out in Table 1 and Table 2 below.
Over the period the number of non payroll staff each month has varied between 2,175 and 2,850 and their cost between £3.2m and £13m.
As a percentage of total workforce, the number of non payroll staff has varied between 7.7% and 9.5% and their cost between 3.6% and 11.5%.
Table 1 - Home Office Headcount Full Time Equivalent for April 2013 to October 2014
HC FTE
Headcount Marker Apr-13 May-13 Jun-13 Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13 Oct-13 Nov-13 Dec-13
Non Payroll 2,175.48 2,331.61 2,439.47 2,268.09 2,473.57 2,371.27 2,563.46 2,603.63 2,705.11
Departmental Total 28,250.39 28,443.71 28,590.66 28,852.87 29,073.54 29,008.95 29,263.92 29,329.86 29,451.95
Non Payroll % of total workforce 7.7% 8.2% 8.5% 7.9% 8.5% 8.2% 8.8% 8.9% 9.2%
HC FTE
Headcount Marker Jan-14 Feb-14 Mar-14 Apr-14 May-14 Jun-14 Jul-14 Aug-14 Sep-14 Oct-14
Non Payroll 2,743.15 2,825.95 2,832.39 2,850.05 2,715.64 2,792.27 2,759.52 2,844.01 2,815.21 2,649.04
Departmental Total 29,402.04 29,675.40 29,879.41 30,028.32 30,052.15 30,346.49 30,609.09 30,829.62 31,269.43 31,252.67
Non Payroll % of total workforce 9.3% 9.5% 9.5% 9.5% 9.0% 9.2% 9.0% 9.2% 9.0% 8.5%
Data Source: Data View - the Home Office’s single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data.
Period Covered: 1st April 2013 to 31st October 2014.
Extraction Date: 1st day of each following month.
Organisational Coverage: Figures include core Home Office (including Border Force, UK Visas & Immigration and Immigration Enforcement) and the Executive Agencies; Her Majesty's Passport Office and the National Fraud Authority
Employee Coverage: Departmental total is based on headcount FTE of all paid, unpaid civil servants and non civil servants who were current on the last day of each month. Non payroll data are non civil servants which includes Agency, Contractor non paid and Incoming Secondment Unpaid (Non OGD)
Table 2 - Cost of payroll and non-payroll staff April 2013 to October 2014
Cost (£m) Apr-13 May-13 Jun-13 Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13 Oct-13 Nov-13 Dec-13
Payroll staff 88.2 87.9 87.6 87.7 88.1 87.5 87.3 127.7 89.2
Non-payroll staff 4.2 3.3 5.9 6.7 3.6 5.7 5.3 6.8 8.2
Grand Total 92.4 91.2 93.5 94.4 91.6 93.2 92.7 134.6 97.4
Non-payroll % of total cost 4.5% 3.6% 6.3% 7.1% 3.9% 6.1% 5.8% 5.1% 8.4%
Cost (£m) Jan-14 Feb-14 Mar-14 Apr-14 May-14 Jun-14 Jul-14 Aug-14 Sep-14 Oct-14
Payroll staff 89.7 89.9 99.9 94.4 90.4 93.0 96.8 96.6 96.9 95.3
Non-payroll staff 7.6 9.3 13.0 6.2 6.1 6.5 7.3 6.1 5.5 8.2
Grand Total 97.3 99.2 112.9 100.6 96.5 99.5 104.2 102.8 102.4 103.5
Non-payroll % of total cost 7.8% 9.4% 11.5% 6.2% 6.3% 6.5% 7.0% 6.0% 5.4% 7.9%
Data Source: Data View - the Home Office’s single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data.
Period Covered: 1st April 2013 to 31st October 2014.
Extraction Date: 1st of each following month.
Organisational Coverage: Figures include core Home Office (including Border Force, UK Visas & Immigration and Immigration Enforcement) and the Executive Agencies; Her Majesty's Passport Office and the National Fraud Authority
Employee Coverage: Payroll staff data is based on cost of all paid and unpaid civil servants, who were current on the last day of each month. Non-payroll staff costs are based on contingent labour and consultants/consultancy and does not include Incoming Secondments (Non OGD).
Immigration
Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what calculations they have made of the fiscal impact of immigration into the United Kingdom.
Lord Deighton: In order to inform policy making, the government reviews and notes the wider evidence on the economic and fiscal impacts of immigration on an ongoing basis. This evidence base includes the wider academic literature, and a range of reports commissioned or produced by the government looking at specific impacts, for example those produced by the independent Migration Advisory Committee. In addition, policies that influence migration are assessed using the government's impact assessment process which models the economic impact of the policy change using assumptions based on a range of evidence and the academic literature. Home Office Impact Assessments are published on gov.uk.
Medical Records
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether clinical commissioning groups, general practitioner surgeries or any other National Health Service bodies have the legal right to provide insurance companies, or anyone else outside the National Health Service, with patients’ details, including their medical details; if so, which legislation permits such action; and, if any payment is received for supplying such information, to whom it is made.
Earl Howe: In the vast majority of cases National Health Service organisations may only provide confidential information about a patient to insurance companies and other third parties such as employers with the explicit consent of the patient. However, there may be a small number of cases where disclosure may take place without seeking consent, for example where there is a court order. Healthcare professionals who supply medical reports to insurance companies and employers may charge a fee for doing so; NHS organisations that supply copies of medical records may charge a fee that covers their costs.
Mental Health Services: Nurses
Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many mental health nurses were employed in (1) community services, and (2) in-patient services, in the National Health Service in each of the last five years.
Earl Howe: Mental health nurses are not identified separately in the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s (HSCIC) workforce statistics. Mental health nurses work predominantly in psychiatric services but also across a range of settings and the independent sector.
The following table shows the full time equivalent number of nurses who work in the community psychiatry and other psychiatry areas of work in the National Health Service in each of the last five years. The data is taken from the HSCIC’s monthly workforce statistics and is for 31 August in each year.
Nurses working in Community Psychiatry and Other Psychiatry August 2010 to August 2014
Number of Full-time Equivalent Nurses in England as at 31 August
Area of Work 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Community Psychiatry 15,999 15,572 15,677 15,651 15,404
Other Psychiatry 25,372 24,517 23,649 22,977 22,405
Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre
Multiple Births
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 8 April 2010 (HL3233 and HL3235) and by Earl Howe on 17 November (HL2643), what assessment they have made of the outcomes following foetal reduction in cases of multiple pregnancy in China compared to England and Wales over the past decade; to what extent they consider
any such differences to be due to China's one-child policy or other factors; and when they last made representations to the government of China about the one-child policy.
Earl Howe: The Department publishes Abortion Statistics, England and Wales annually. Information on selective terminations in cases of multiple pregnancy can be found at 2.29 on p16 of the Abortion Statistics for England and Wales: 2013; a copy has already been placed in the library.
No assessment has been made of selective reduction abortions performed in other countries, including China, compared to those in England and Wales.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a broad range of human rights concerns in China which is raised regularly with the Chinese authorities. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has raised specific concerns around the one-child policy during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 19-20 May 2014. It also highlighted the issue, alongside other women’s rights concerns, in the China section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy :
www.gov.uk/government/publications/china-country-of-concern/china-country-of-concern
A copy has already been placed in the library.
National Income: South West
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much revenue (1) the South West of England, and (2) Bristol, have been responsible for as a percentage of the United Kingdom's gross national product since May 2010.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Nick Vaughan, Director, National Accounts & Economic Statistics, Office for National Statistics to Baroness Royall of Blaisdon dated December 2014.
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking Her Majesty’s Government how much revenue (1) the South West of England, and (2) Bristol, have been responsible for as a percentage of the United Kingdom’s gross national product since May 2010. (HL3066)
ONS does not produce regional estimates of Gross National Product (GNP), which is now more commonly referred to as Gross National Income (GNI), but does produce annual regional estimates of Gross Value Added (GVA) for geographical areas according to the European classification Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS). GNI includes the balance of employment, property and entrepreneurial income
with the rest of the world, whereas GVA measured using the income approach includes only the income earned by resident individuals and corporations in the production of goods and services.
GVA measured using the income approach – GVA(I) - is available at current basic prices for regions, sub-regions and local areas. Note that in these estimates income is allocated to the area where people work and not where they live. Current basic prices exclude taxes and subsidies on products that would be included in estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current market prices. The table below shows GVA(I) for the South West of England region and City of Bristol local area and their share in the UK total for 2010, 2011 and 2012. Only current price estimates of GVA(I) are available because changes in income cannot readily be split between changes in prices and changes in volume.
2010 2011 2012
South West
GVA(I) (£million) 100,372 100,392 101,576
GVA(I) as a percentage of UK GVA(I) 7.6% 7.4% 7.3%
Index of real GVA(P) (2010 = 100) 100 99.4 n/a
Bristol, City of
GVA(I) (£million) 11924 11550 11740
GVA(I) as a percentage of UK GVA(I) 0.9% 0.8% 0.8
These figures are taken from:
Regional GVA (Income Approach) statistical bulletin published in July 2014
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/regional-accounts/regional-gross-value-added--income-approach-/december-2013/stb-regional-gva-2012.html
Network Rail
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of Network Rail's ability to deliver infrastructure projects.
Baroness Kramer: The independent regulator, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), is responsible for overseeing and enforcing Network Rail’s obligations, including the delivery of infrastructure projects. On 20 November ORR published its assessment, in the ‘Network Rail Monitor’, of Network Rail’s performance in the first two quarters of Control Period 5 (2014-19) covering the period 1 April to 11 October 2014. ORR reported that following a period of relatively successful delivery in Control Period 4 (2009-14) Network Rail has not made the expected progress in the early stages of certain enhancement projects in Control Period 5. ORR has asked Network Rail to produce an improvement
plan to demonstrate how it will change its approach to make up for these delays and will hold Network Rail to account for its delivery. DfT is working extremely closely with ORR and Network Rail to ensure that the vital passenger benefits in the Rail Investment Strategy are delivered.
NHS: Pay
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they place a limit on the daily payment of doctors, nurses and other professionally qualified staff hired by the National Health Service from the private sector.
Earl Howe: It is not for the Department to place a limit on the daily payment of doctors, nurses and other professionally qualified staff hired by the National Health Service from the private sector.
The Department expects trusts to have a strong grip on their finances, and manage their contract and agency staffing spend responsibly through effective and efficient workforce planning and management.
Trusts have access to these staff at appropriate prices through frameworks managed by the Crown Commercial Service and the 4 NHS procurement hubs and we are working with, for example, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority, to encourage trusts to use these frameworks.
Following the Francis report many trusts have increased their spend on temporary staffing to meet safe staffing levels.
Where appropriate, we shall also be using the newly published section 42 guidance, for trusts requiring financial support, to expect those trusts to reduce their spending on agency staffing over the course of the next financial year.
Pancreatic Cancer: Drugs
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the proposed re-evaluation of treatments on the Cancer Drugs Fund list, what assurances they can provide to patients with pancreatic cancer that the latest medicines will continue to be made available to them on the National Health Service.
Earl Howe: The Government is committed to ensuring that patients have access to effective treatments, including those for pancreatic cancer, on terms that represent value to the National Health Service and the taxpayer.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing advice to the NHS on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health technologies.
NICE has recommended gemcitabine as a treatment option for pancreatic cancer in technology appraisal guidance published in May 2001, subject to certain clinical criteria, and has been asked to appraise a number of other pancreatic cancer drugs. NHS commissioners are legally required to fund treatments recommended by NICE technology appraisal guidance.
Where a pancreatic cancer drug is not routinely available on the NHS, patients may be able to access it through the Cancer Drugs Fund.
NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund panel plans to assess, on the basis of the latest evidence, whether certain drugs, including Abraxane (albumin bound paclitaxel) for advanced pancreatic cancer, should continue to be made routinely available to new patients through the Fund and to consider a number of new drugs for potential addition to the Fund.
NHS England has assured the Department that no patient whose treatment is currently being funded through the Fund will have funding withdrawn, as long as it is clinically appropriate that they continue to receive that treatment. In addition, no drug will be removed from the Fund where it is the only therapy for that condition.
We are committed to maintaining the Cancer Drugs Fund until the end of March 2016. We will carefully consider with NHS England what arrangements should be put in place for the long term.
Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments that may be used for pancreatic cancer are commissioned by NHS England. NHS England’s pancreatic cancer service specification clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective pancreatic cancer services.
NHS England has also committed to make up to £6 million available over the next three years to support six trials by Cancer Research UK - one of which will be on pancreatic cancer - into the use of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR), an innovative radiotherapy treatment. This will allow patients to receive SABR treatment where clinicians think they could benefit. At the same time doctors can fully assess the effectiveness of this treatment so that, if it proves to be effective, it will be available for patients on the NHS where appropriate.
We are also commissioning an external review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for NHS patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices.
Pancreatic Cancer: Drugs
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that all treatments for advanced pancreatic cancer shown to be effective are made available to patients on the National Health Service.
Earl Howe: The Government is committed to ensuring that patients have access to effective treatments, including those for pancreatic cancer, on terms that represent value to the National Health Service and the taxpayer.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing advice to the NHS on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health technologies.
NICE has recommended gemcitabine as a treatment option for pancreatic cancer in technology appraisal guidance published in May 2001, subject to certain clinical criteria, and has been asked to appraise a number of other pancreatic cancer drugs. NHS commissioners are legally required to fund treatments recommended by NICE technology appraisal guidance.
Where a pancreatic cancer drug is not routinely available on the NHS, patients may be able to access it through the Cancer Drugs Fund.
NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund panel plans to assess, on the basis of the latest evidence, whether certain drugs, including Abraxane (albumin bound paclitaxel) for advanced pancreatic cancer, should continue to be made routinely available to new patients through the Fund and to consider a number of new drugs for potential addition to the Fund.
NHS England has assured the Department that no patient whose treatment is currently being funded through the Fund will have funding withdrawn, as long as it is clinically appropriate that they continue to receive that treatment. In addition, no drug will be removed from the Fund where it is the only therapy for that condition.
We are committed to maintaining the Cancer Drugs Fund until the end of March 2016. We will carefully consider with NHS England what arrangements should be put in place for the long term.
Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments that may be used for pancreatic cancer are commissioned by NHS England. NHS England’s pancreatic cancer service specification clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective pancreatic cancer services.
NHS England has also committed to make up to £6 million available over the next three years to support six trials by Cancer Research UK - one of which will be on pancreatic cancer - into the use of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR), an innovative radiotherapy treatment. This will allow patients to receive SABR treatment where clinicians think they could benefit. At the same time doctors can fully assess the effectiveness of this treatment so that, if it proves to be effective, it will be available for patients on the NHS where appropriate.
We are also commissioning an external review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for NHS patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2014-12-05a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2014",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department of Health and Social Care
Menopause: Employment
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to inform and educate employers and occupational health professionals of the specific workplace adaptations that women experiencing menopause symptoms may require, and what assessment they have made of working conditions for frontline health workers experiencing menopause symptoms.
Lord Markham: As set out in the Government’s Women’s Health Strategy, improving care and support for women experiencing menopause symptoms is a priority for the Government. Helen Tomlinson has been appointed as the Government’s first Menopause Employment Champion and is working with employers to increase understanding of menopause in the workplace and support for women. In October 2023 Helen published a report, No Time to Step Back, which provides guidance to help recruit, support and retain women experiencing the menopause and stop women considering giving up their employment.The Government has also launched a new online only space for guidance on the Help to Grow website, providing businesses, large and small, with the resources they need to help educate their organisation and workers about the menopause.In the 2023 Autumn Statement, the Government published the response to the Occupational Health: Working Better consultation and set out plans to imminently set up an expert group to support the development of a voluntary minimum framework for quality occupational health provision. The voluntary framework will take account of existing initiatives that support those with health conditions and disabilities in the workplace and aims to set out the minimum level of quality occupational health provision that employers can adopt to help employees return to work from sickness absence, and prevent health-related job loss.The Government also announced that it will identify longer-term options to build multidisciplinary workforce capability in work and health, building on existing work with the sector and exploring opportunities for businesses and providers to improve support for their employees. The Occupational Health Workforce Expansion Funding Scheme launched in July 2023 funds doctors and nurses to undertake occupational health training courses and qualifications with 99 Doctors and Nurses funded as part of the first round of applications.In terms of frontline health workers, a key focus of the NHS England National Menopause Care Improvement Programme is the development of a retention programme for the National Health Service workforce, which is looking at how best to support menopausal staff and line managers in NHS settings. In November 2022, NHS England launched Supporting our NHS people through menopause, a guidance document developed for NHS line managers and colleagues. They have launched two e-learning packages, for general guidance and occupational health colleagues, and are developing one for human resources and line managers. A health and wellbeing app, Shiny Mind, is available to the nursing workforce, and launched a menopause specific section in November 2023.
Infant Foods: Cost of Living
Baroness Goudie: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve access to infant formula forfamilies who need it but are finding that rising costs are making it unaffordable.
Lord Markham: We are committed to promoting a healthy diet for children and providing support to families who need it the most through our Healthy Start scheme, which can be used towards the cost of infant formula. In April 2021, the value of Healthy Start rose from £3.10 to £4.25 per week, providing additional support to pregnant women and families on lower incomes to make healthy food choices. Children aged under one year old receive £8.50 in total per week, a rise from £6.20 a week.Infant formula legislation under the Retained Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127 sets robust nutritional and compositional standards to ensure that all infant formulas, including cheaper options, provide all the nutrients a healthy baby needs.The Government launched the Household Support Fund in 2021 which was distributed by councils in England to directly help vulnerable households meet daily needs such as food, clothing, and utilities. The Government announced an extension of the fund to March 2024, which means since 2021 the fund has made £2.5 billion available to families most in need of support.
Ministry of Justice
Hate Crime: Alternatives to Prison
Lord Laming: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that non-custodial sentences command public and judicial confidence by ensuring that, when offenders undertake such interventions, they are demanding, well organised, purposeful, and with the clear intention of reducing recidivism.
Lord Bellamy: The Government is committed to the effective delivery of non-custodial sentences, and it is important that both judges and the public have confidence in the delivery of these sentences. Courts have the power to impose a range of requirements to sentences served in the community. All community orders must have a compulsory punitive element to ensure that offenders are punished for their crime, and to deter further reoffending. For example, Unpaid Work (UPW) ensures offenders are making visible reparations for their crimes, such as cleaning graffiti. We have invested up to £93m in Community Payback over a three-year period to boost delivery of UPW hours. We have also relaunched the UPW nominations website on GOV.UK to make it easier and more accessible for the public to have a say in how and where UPW hours should be used. Electronic monitoring is a well-established tool available to courts and probation staff to strengthen offender management in the community. We are increasing the number of defendants and offenders that can be tagged at any one time to 25,000 by March 2025. Community Sentence Treatment Requirements (CSTRs) can also be imposed as part of a community sentence for offenders with mental health, drug or alcohol issues, offering a robust alternative to custody which addresses the root causes of offending. We have recruited Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators across all probation regions to ensure strong links between probation and healthcare to support these requirements. Public confidence is maintained by ensuring our staff are equipped with the right tools so that they can make the most of their expertise and judgement. We have increased funding for the Probation Service by an additional £155m a year to recruit record levels of staff, so that we can bring down caseloads, and deliver better and more consistent supervision of offenders in the community. We recognise the importance of ensuring the public is properly informed about sentencing as a whole and that the public has access to a range of information to enable this. We are also building and maintaining the confidence of the judiciary by improving arrangements to increase understanding and transparency in probation delivery at national, regional and local levels.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Insulation: Housing
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government how many householdsthey aim to help with home insulation measures in the next 12 months; and what budget is available to support this.
Lord Callanan: While the Department does not hold precise estimates of how many households will be treated in next twelve months, we estimate around 450,000 will be supported via the Energy Company Obligation Scheme from April 2022 to March 2026 with the scheme funding approx. £1 billion per calendar year. The Government also estimate over 300,000 homes will be supported via the Great British Insulation Scheme from April 2022 to March 2026 with £1 billion funding available across that period.
Housing: Insulation
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government how many householdsthey have helped with home insulation measures in the last 12 months.
Lord Callanan: From 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023 (latest available data), around 97,100 insulation measures were installed in domestic properties under the following schemes: Energy Company Obligation, Great British Insulation Scheme, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Green Homes Local Authority Delivery and Home Upgrade Grant. Under these schemes, some households may have had more than one type of insulation measure installed. Statistics for each of these schemes are published on the gov.uk website. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2024-02-02 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2024",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Lord Bach: As of 26 April, just under 57,000 or 47 per cent. of claims were still not fully validated.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Available information for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is given in the tables.
:TITLE3:Table A: Findings of guilt at all courts, for motoring offences1,
England and Wales, 1995–2004
Year Total number of offences
1995 1,537,300
1996 1,492,400
1997 1,475,300
1998 1,464,500
1999 1,415,200
2000 1,364,600
2001 1,325,800
2002 1,382,700
2003 1,549,600
2004 1,549,200
1 Includes speed and traffic-light offences detected by camera devices.
Table B: Obstruction, waiting and parking fixed penalty notices issued by the police and traffic wardens and penalty charge notices issued by local authorities, England and Wales, 1995–2004 -- Number of offences
Year Fixed penalty notice1 Penalty charge notice2 Total
1995 2,271,000 3,148,000 5,419,000
1996 2,282,000 3,523,000 5,805,000
1997 2,199,000 3,769,000 5,968,000
1998 2,118,000 3,872,000 5,990,000
1999 1,808,000 3,956,000 5,764,000
2000 1,595,000 4,655,000 6,250,000
2001 1,325,000 5,303,000 6,628,000
2002 1,165,000 6,413,000 7,578,000
2003 1,044,000 7,123,000 8,167,000
2004 883,000 7,653,000 8,536,000
1 Issued by police (including traffic wardens).
2 Issued by local authorities (under the decriminalised parking enforcement scheme).
Lord Adonis: People throughout the country, including in London, benefit from the substantial resources which the Government make available to support children and adults with particular learning needs, including dyslexia.
Local authorities in England estimate that expenditure on the education of school-age children with special educational needs (SEN) has increased from £2.8 billion in 2001–02 (when data were first available) to £4.1 billion in 2005–06. This is about 13 per cent. of all education spending. It is estimated that almost £750,000 was spent last year in London. In addition, the Government provide funding to schools through the School Development Grant (SDG), which can be used for activities in support of children with SEN. The SEN element of the SDG in 2004–05 was £84 million (it is not ring-fenced; schools decide how it should be used). The total SDG for 2005–06 was £674 million. This will increase by 3.4 per cent. per pupil in 2006–07 and 3.7 per cent. in 2007–08.
In respect of learners in further education, my department does not allocate separate budgets at local or regional level to meet particular learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Young people and adults with dyslexia in England can access mainstream programmes where their needs are met through core funding, with additional funding support where required. In 2004–05, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) supported 641,000 learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities at a cost of around £1.5 billion. The figures for 2005–06 are not yet available. There is a separate budget for specialist colleges for learners with the most severe needs. We are providing £158 million for this purpose in 2006–07. Support for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is a key priority identified in our grant letter to the LSC and is in turn reflected in the LSC's annual statement of priorities.
In addition, in 2004 my department's Skills for Life Unit has produced a publication, A Framework for Understanding Dyslexia, as part of the Government's national strategy for improving adult literacy skills. This framework provides general information on the nature of dyslexia, a review of theories about dyslexia, and an overview of approaches and programmes used by specialists who support dyslexic learners. This work has been followed up by a second project, Supporting Dyslexic Learners in Different Contexts.
Disabled students' allowances (DSAs) can help pay the extra costs students may incur to attend a course of higher education, as a direct result of a disability or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia. The allowances can help pay the cost of major items of specialist equipment, a non-medical personal helper, travel and other course-related costs. DSAs are paid in addition to the existing standard support package. They are not means tested and do not have to be repaid.
The Government remain committed to increasing resources for the education of people with learning difficulties at all levels.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: A prisoner's record is maintained by the establishment which detains him or her and is divided into the core file and the inmate medical record. The record is kept by the prison from which the prisoner is released. The following table sets out retention periods.
Inmate MedicalRecords All Personal HealthRecords 10 years afterconclusion oftreatment or death
Mental disorder treated under the Mental Health Act 1983 20 years after treatment no longer considered necessary; or eight years after the patient's death if patient died while receiving treatment.
Maternity records 25 years
Inmate Core File For lifers and records selected for special retention 20 years from date of discharge
For prisoners sentenced to a total of three months or over in respect of any one period of custody Six years from date of discharge
For any other prisoner received into custody (either after sentence or on remand) One year from date of discharge
Baroness Andrews: South Yorkshire secured Objective 1 status in 1999 for a seven-year programme (2000–06) which would invest a total of £1.8 billion in the economy, including £750 million of European funds. The overall objective of the programme was to kick-start the economic transformation of the area by investing in significant south Yorkshire-wide projects.
Almost 100 per cent. of the funds have now been committed and actual delivery will take place up to 2008. Around 80 per cent. of the funds have been committed to pan-south Yorkshire projects which benefit all four local authority districts. To date the programme has been responsible for creating over 20,000 jobs, assisting over 7,000 businesses in the region and helping over 250,000 individuals to improve their skills. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2006-05-02a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2006",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Freedom of Information Act Training
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the timetable for the training of Ministers and civil servants to give effect to the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and by whom is such training to be provided.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: A seminar for Ministers on the implications of the Freedom of Information Act is being arranged by the Centre for Management and Policy Studies in the Cabinet Office. We expect this to take place in January next year.
The training of officials is a matter for each department. Officials in the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Division in my department (formerly in the Home Office) have undertaken awareness seminars in a wide range of departments, including the Cabinet Office, the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Scotland Office and in the Northern Ireland Civil Service, as well as in my department, and have also participated in courses at the Civil Service College and courses arranged by other organisations.
I expect to provide further details of training in my statutory report to Parliament in November.
Judicial Appointments Annual Report
Lord Plant of Highfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to publish the third Judicial Appointments Annual Report.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: The Judicial Appointments Annual Report, covering the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001, is published today. The report includes comprehensive narrative descriptions together with statistics on appointments to the judiciary, Queen's Counsel, lay magistrates and General Commissioners of Income Tax. It also includes information on my appointments policies and procedures; and on the progress in implementing Sir Leonard Peach's recommendations, such as the appointment of the First Commissioner for Judicial Appointments.
Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The report is also available on the following website: http://www.lcd.gov.uk
Court Service Review
Lord Plant of Highfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to begin the quinquennial review of the Court Service.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: I am today formally launching the first review of the Court Service, which was established as an executive agency in April 1995. The terms of reference have been agreed and copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. My department would like to hear from those who wish to contribute to the review. It is intended that the review should be completed by spring 2002.
Medical Records: Subject Access
Lord Plant of Highfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to keep under review the fee for individuals to gain access to their medical records under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: The maximum fee for subject access to medical records held in computerised form is £10. For the time being, the Data Protection (Subject Access) (Fees and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2001 maintain at £50 the maximum fee for subject access to medical records held in other forms. The Government believe that, in the light of current technology and record-keeping practice, the £50 maximum strikes the proper balance between ensuring that cost is not a barrier to subject access and avoiding the diversion of resources from patient care. The Government are committed to working with the Information Commissioner, in consultation with other key interests, with the aim of finding a long-term solution.
Convicted Prisoners: Change of Plea
Baroness Seccombe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their policy on reviewing the convictions of prisoners who change their pleas from guilty to not-guilty after their conviction.
Lord Rooker: In conferring the right of appeal, the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 does not distinguish between persons convicted following a guilty plea and those convicted by a jury. However, the Court of Appeal is rarely prepared to grant leave to appeal if the applicant pleaded guilty in the Crown Court.
The Home Secretary's powers to consider alleged miscarriages of justice came to an end on 31 March 1997. These were replaced by new powers vested in an independent body, the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which has a main responsibility under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 to review suspected miscarriages of justice and to refer a conviction, verdict, finding or sentence to the appropriate court of appeal when the commission considers that there is real possibility that it would not be upheld. In making its decisions, the commission applies the same tests as the Court of Appeal.
Asylum: Language Analysis
Lord Tomlinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will make an authorisation under Section 19D of the Race Relations Act 1976 on a language analysis pilot.
Lord Rooker: In light of evidence that some asylum applicants are falsely posing as nationals from countries with high grant rates of asylum or exceptional leave, we have decided to undertake a language analysis pilot at the start of November 2001.
The purpose of language analysis is to provide expert evidence which helps to identify the place of origin of asylum seekers. Language analysis is used in a number of European countries and the results are generally successful. We will be piloting the scheme to see how well language analysis works in the United Kingdom, and for the purposes of the pilot we will be covering asylum seekers of three nationalities where we believe the problem of false nationality claims to be most pronounced. Those nationalities are Afghanistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
The authorisation I made will enable staff in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, where there are objective reasons for doubting the nationality of a person claiming to be from one of these three countries, to request them to undertake a further interview which will be taped and sent to a language expert for analysis. Individuals may refuse to consent to this further interview but this refusal can be taken into account when determining whether the applicant has established the facts of their case. This may lead to their claim being refused.
We will review the need for this authorisation once the pilot has been completed. In addition, the race monitor to be appointed under Section 19E of the Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended) will report to Parliament via the Secretary of State on the likely effect of authorisations made by Ministers and on how they are operated in practice by officials.
A copy of the additional authorisation has been placed in the Library. Any future additional or amended authorisations will also be placed in the Library.
Armed Conflict
Baroness Wilcox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Question by Lord Strathclyde (H.L. Deb., col. 283) and the reply by Lord Williams of Mostyn (H.L. Deb., col. 286) on 8 October, whether it is legally correct to state that the United Kingdom is at war; and, if so, with whom.
Baroness Amos: The military coalition is engaged in an armed conflict in self-defence against those who perpetrated the terrorist attack of 11 September and those who harbour and sustain them.
Development Strategies
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action is being taken to ensure that development strategies will not be disrupted following the World Bank's recent economic assessment that the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States will affect economic growth in developing countries, resulting in as many as 10 million more people living in poverty next year.
Baroness Amos: The UK will continue to work for international co-operation to bring benefits to all. The launch of a development Round in the WTO is essential in order to ensure greater access to global markets for developing countries' goods and services and will enable these countries to increase their share of foreign investment.
Kuwaiti Missing Files
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the latest information on the whereabouts and well-being of Kuwaiti and other prisoners of war still unaccounted for by Iraq; and what recent initiatives they have taken or supported to secure their release.
Baroness Amos: Iraq has only provided information sufficient to close three Kuwaiti missing files so far. The UK continues to take an active role in the Tripartite Commission to establish the whereabouts of 605 Kuwaiti and other nationals still missing since the occupation of Kuwait, but the Government of Iraq currently refuse to co-operate with the process.
Joint Strike Fighter Contract
Lord Taylor of Blackburn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made in the selection of the prime contractor for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the joint strike fighter programme.
Lord Bach: It was announced in Washington on Friday 26 October that Lockheed Martin has been selected for the contract award.
The UK participated fully in the selection process, and the decision is good news for our Armed Forces and for UK defence companies teamed with Lockheed Martin.
The aircraft, which will meet our future joint combat aircraft (FJCA) requirement, will incorporate advanced stealth technology and will be able to conduct multi-role operations from the sea and from the land. The decision represents a further important step, following the Strategic Defence Review, to provide the UK with up-to-date flexible expeditionary air power capability.
UK industry stands to gain substantial benefits. The value of the work for UK companies over the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase is of the order of £3 billion, with much further work in production and support activities in years to come. Lockheed Martin assesses that up to 3,500 jobs could be sustained or created during EMD, rising to 8,500 in the later phases.
Aviation Security
Lord Janner of Braunstone: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have consulted the United States Federal Aviation Authority as to further measures to be taken to deter hijackers; and, if so, with what results.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The department liaises very closely with the US Federal Aviation Authority on aviation security measures, including those to deter hijackers.
Scotland's Railway
The Earl of Mar and Kellie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What importance they place on the linking of the reopening of the Stirling Alloa Dunfermline railway with the creation of a European ferry terminal at Rosyth; and
Which section of the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions will be responsible for railway re-openings in Scotland, in the light of the announcement during the Railtrack Statement on 15 October (H.L. Deb., col. 393) that the new company limited by guarantee will deal only with the operation, maintenance and repair functions of Railtrack; and
Whether they will rank in order of priority the following network-expansion projects in Scotland: (a) Edinburgh Crossrail; (b) Larkhall; (c) Stirling Alloa Dunfermline; and (d) Edinburgh Borders Carlisle.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Priorities for developing the GB rail network, including railway re-openings, are for the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), and will be set out in the SRA's Strategic Plan, which will be published in November. The SRA works closely with the Scottish Executive on proposals for investment in Scotland's railway, with Railtrack, and with other stakeholders involved in individual schemes.
The Railways Sponsorship Division of the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions is responsible for paying grant to the SRA to enable the SRA to carry out its statutory functions. The SRA can provide funds for railway re-openings, and the Scottish Executive also has powers to fund schemes in Scotland directly.
As network controller, Railtrack is a key stakeholder in all infrastructure projects. The Government have made a funding agreement with Railtrack plc's administrator to ensure that Railtrack's network responsibilities continue to be fulfilled during administration. The administrator is working to prioritise those projects already programmed by Railtrack. The Government have stated their intention of putting a proposal to the administrator for a company limited by guarantee (CLG) to take over Railtrack's railway assets and its role as network operator. This successor company would continue to be responsible for smaller-scale enhancements, possibly including re-openings. Major enhancements may be taken forward and financed by project companies called special purpose vehicles, and would not then have to rely for their funding on the CLG. This approach should help ensure better use of resources, with projects delivered on time and within budget.
Scotland's Railway
The Earl of Mar and Kellie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, with particular reference to Longannet Power Station, it is a perverse incentive that a railway re-opening project which reduces freight train mileage is seen as unattractive because the new shorter route would earn less in track access charges than the existing longer route; and whether this situation will change for Railtrack's successor.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: There is no such perverse incentive. The reduction in variable track access charges which Railtrack would receive as a result of freight operators being diverted to a shorter route are offset by a reduction in their variable costs. Fixed costs of the existing network (maintenance and renewal) are allocated to franchised passenger operators and will not be affected by freight operators using the new route. In addition, the freeing up of capacity on the existing route will enable Railtrack to offer new paths for passenger trains and earn an additional return from them.
Pedestrian Protection
Viscount Simon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any estimate has been made of the percentage reduction in pedestrian deaths and serious injuries that would have occurred if the requirement set out by the four European Enhanced Safety of Vehicles Committees test for pedestrian protection had been in force when the official period of consultation closed; and, if so, what conclusions they have drawn.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Past research estimated that the benefits obtained from the full EEVC proposals would be in the range of an 8 per cent reduction in pedestrian fatalities and a 21 per cent reduction in pedestrian serious injuries. Other studies suggest a wider range of possible benefits. However, we would expect the full benefits to be achieved only after the majority of cars on the road meet the requirements--some 10 to 15 years after implementation. In the early years following implementation the overall casualty reductions would be significantly lower.
Railtrack Land Holdings
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the names, locations and approximate areas of land holdings of over five hectares adjacent to or connecting to railway lines owned on 7 October by (a) Railtrack plc (b) Railtrack Group.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government do not possess details of Railtrack's land holdings.
Railtrack Land Holdings
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that no lands owned by Railtrack plc or Railtrack Group on 7 October are disposed of for non-transport purposes without consultation with the wider rail industry; and whether they will ensure that a procedure is set up to achieve such consultation.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government have no powers in relation to Railtrack Group. However, the great bulk of railway land is held by Railtrack plc. The Rail Regulator has proposed, and Railtrack has accepted, a new network licence condition, the purpose of which would be to prevent disposal of land by Railtrack plc if that land may be important to the continuing operation and further development of the network and services relating to railways.
Strategic Rail Authority Contracts
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 16 October (WA 90), in respect of each consultancy contract valued at over £50,000 for work undertaken in the last year and let by the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority or the Office of Passenger Franchising, what is the name of the company, the scope of work, the value of the contract and the timetable.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Between 29 October 2000 and 1 February 2001, six consultancy contracts with a value of £50,000 or more were let by the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority, as shown in the table below. Some timetable information has been excluded where it is considered to be commercially sensitive. All contract values are exclusive of VAT. My previous Answer gave details of those contracts let by the SRA after 1 February.
Consultant Project Contract value £,000s Time table (completion date)
Babtie CTRL technical advisers >£50 Commerically sensitive
GIBB Ltd Extend the PLANET model £100 July-01
GIBB Ltd Technical advisers for Wessex >£50 Commercially sensitive
MDS Transmodal Company Neutral Grant Schemes £78 July-01
Mouchel East London Line Project (freight) >£50 May-01
PricewaterhouseCoopers Anglia Railway financial viability £50 November-00
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consult the Advertising Standards Agency with a view to helping it to combat the activities of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who have distributed thousands of leaflets within schools to stop students from drinking milk.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) upheld three complaints against the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on 5 September 2001. Any further action resulting from PETAs non-compliance with the ASA's adjudication would be a matter for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). As PETA distributed the offending material outside of school premises, both schools and the Department for Education and Skills must rely on the ASA and OFT to deal with any complaints.
Early Literacy Support Programme
Lord Prior: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in view of alleged flaws in the early literacy strategy, the scheme will be withdrawn.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: We are committed to raising literacy standards for all primary aged children, including the lowest achieving. In literacy, effective early intervention is the key for many pupils and that is why the Early Literacy Support programme is being introduced in all primary schools from this September. The programme has been trialled extensively in schools in 50 LEAs and has been well received. We do not intend to withdraw it.
Early Learning Framework: Montessori Qualifications
Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions have taken place with the Montessori schools prior to the active consideration, referred to by Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 22 October (H.L., Col. 909), to include Montessori qualifications within the new early learning framework.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My officials met representatives from the Montessori organisations in September. Officials of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority also attended. At this meeting my officials gave reassurance that Montessori qualifications, although not on the framework, would continue to be accepted as meeting the National Day Care Standards which came into effect from 1 September, at the same time making clear that in the longer term we wished to see Montessori qualifications finding their place on the framework.
AS-level Examinations
Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What modifications have been made to AS-level courses and examinations for the current year.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: On 12 September, the Secretary of State announced changes which will reduce the burden of assessment on candidates taking their AS examinations next year. These are standardisation in length of some examination papers, with most lasting one hour; many AS examinations will be available in a single half-day session of up to three hours; and reduction of examination timetable clashes, thus easing the administration of examinations in schools and colleges.
AS-level Examinations
Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What advice has been given to schools and to students who will be taking AS-levels in the current year.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: On 12 September, the Joint Council for General Qualifications (JCGQ) published detailed guidance of the changes to AS-level examinations. This has been sent to schools and colleges.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has also published detailed guidance Managing Curriculum 2000 for 16-19 students, for schools and colleges and Review of Curriculum 2000, for students and parents. Both are available on QCA's website.
Abandoned Vehicles
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many vehicles are abandoned in the United Kingdom each year; and what is the net cost of disposing of them.
Lord Whitty: Local authorities are responsible for dealing with abandoned vehicles. Although the department currently holds no central records of the number of vehicles abandoned each year, we estimate that some 350,000 are abandoned in the United Kingdom each year.
The net cost of disposing of abandoned vehicles is estimated to be between £30 and £50 per vehicle. The total annual net cost of their disposal would therefore be in the range of £10 million to £17 million.
More up to date information on the number of abandoned vehicles removed by local authorities is being collected in the department's 2000-01 Municipal Waste Management Survey which should be published in July 2002.
Livestock Diseases: Insurance
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether or not they are still considering requiring farmers to insure against future outbreaks of animal disease.
Lord Whitty: The Government are continuing to study the options for insurance against the consequences of outbreaks of livestock diseases.
Edmonton Incinerator: Dioxin Content of Ash
Lord Hughes of Woodside: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action has been taken in respect of allegations made by the Newsnight programme on 3 July 2001 concerning the dioxin content of ash used for construction from the Edmonton incinerator.
Lord Whitty: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Environment is grateful for the opportunity to clarify the Answers he gave on Tuesday 11 July 2000 (H.C. Deb., 11 July, cols. 496-7W) and Monday 26 March 2001 (H.C. Deb., 26 July, col. 565W). Until August 2000, the Edmonton incinerator mixed bottom ash and precipitator ash. From August 1998 to May 1999, this mixed ash was reprocessed and used in the production of concrete building blocks. This ash has also been used as an aggregate.
As the reply to the first of these two questions said, neither the Department nor the Environment Agency routinely held information on the dioxin content of ash from incinerators. However, in July 1998 the Environment Agency was given an estimate of the dioxin content of the mixed ash, based on a 1997 analysis of the fly ash. My right honourable friend was not advised about this when he replied to the second of these Questions and regrets any consequent inaccuracy in his answer. He has written to both MPs and has placed a copy of the letter and the analysis in the fax in the Library of the House.
The Environment Agency is currently carrying out a full and thorough investigation into the destination of ash from incinerators, the environmental implications of its use and what steps may be needed in the light of these findings. This thorough investigation will establish the true picture for all municipal waste incinerators, its results will be made public and any necessary action will be taken.
Universal Banking Services
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are proposing to restrict the number of people who can access the universal bank.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Together with the planned expansion of commercial network banking through post offices, Universal Banking Services will be available comprehensively to ensure that we meet our commitment that both before and after the change to ACT, those benefit and pension recipients who wish to continue to collect their benefits money in cash, in full, across a post office counter, will still be able to do so.
Universal Banking Services
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the original estimated cost of setting up the universal bank; and what was the original estimated running cost of the scheme per year.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Universal Banking Services consists of two elements: access through post offices to basic bank accounts provided by financial institutions; and, for those who are unable or unwilling to use even a basic bank account, a Post Office card account (POCA) for the encashment of benefit and tax credits. For the basic bank accounts, the costs will be met by the banking industry. For the POCA, it would not be appropriate to disclose current estimates of the cost as this is subject to commercial negotiations between Consignia and the Paying Departments, and between Consignia and the potential supplier of the banking engine for POCA.
Palace of Westminster: Works of Art
Lord Marlesford: asked the Chairman of Committees:
Who is the legal owner of works of art and other artefacts in the Palace of Westminster; and who would be able to decide to sell any such articles.
Lord Tordoff: Under powers granted by the Parliamentary Corporate Bodies Act 1992, the Government transferred ownership of property to the Corporate Officer of each House. In the case of the House of Lords, the Corporate Officer is the Clerk of the Parliaments. At no time has the Corporate Officer disposed of works of art or other artefacts, nor are there currently any plans to do so. However, there would not appear to be any legal bar to disposal, should the appropriate domestic committees so decide.
Social Exclusion Unit
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Social Exclusion Unit in ensuring that the joined-up problems of social exclusion receive a joined-up response.
Baroness Morgan of Huyton: The Social Exclusion Unit was set up to help improve government action to reduce social exclusion by producing "joined-up solutions to joined-up problems". The unit has published reports on five key areas: truancy and school exclusions; rough sleeping; neighbourhood renewal; teenage pregnancy; and bridging the gap: 16 to 18 year-olds not in education, training or employment.
The unit was reviewed in the summer of 1999. The review said that, while it was then too early to judge the impact on the ground of the unit's reports, external feedback and the group carrying out the review produced a broad measure of agreement that the unit had been a success so far and was well conceived. The quality of the unit's reports and analysis was widely praised; its recommendations were accepted as sound and were being implemented, and the unit was having a broader impact on raising the profile of social exclusion and pioneering new ways of working.
The Prime Minister announced the results of this review in December 1999 and decided the unit would continue in existence. Since then the unit has worked closely with other government departments or cross-cutting units that implement its reports. The strategies in the reports are for the long-term but there is already strong evidence of real change. For example, numbers of people sleeping rough in England have fallen by 62 per cent since 1998; conception rates for under-16s in England fell by 7 per cent in 1999 compared with the previous year, and by 4 per cent for under-18s; the number of teenage parents out of education, training or work came down from 84 per cent in 1997 to 69 per cent in 2000; and numbers of pupils permanently excluded from school were down by a third in 1999-2000 compared to 1996-97. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2001-10-30a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2001",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
UNRWA
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to be notified of the outcome of the investigation into allegations that some staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) were involved in the Hamas attacks against Israel on 7 October 2023; and what steps they are taking to ensure that the humanitarian response in Gaza is not adversely affected as a result of the suspension of donor country funds to UNRWA.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's pause in any future funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) will remain in place until we review the allegations, and we are looking to our partners in the UN to carry out a robust and comprehensive investigation. Any future funding decisions will be taken after this point. We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it, and our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands, and we are getting on with aid delivery through funding multiple implementing partners including other UN agencies and international and UK NGOs. This support is helping people in Gaza get food, water, shelter and medicines. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.
Ethiopia: Humanitarian Aid
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government howmuch money was allocated to tackling humanitarian crises in Ethiopia in (1) 2019–20, (2) 2020–21, (3) 2021–22, and (4) 2022–23.
Lord Benyon: The UK has been an overseas development assistance (ODA) donor to Ethiopia over the last four years. Our overall ODA allocations have been: £300 million in 2019-20, £254 million in 2020-21, £134 million in 2021-22 and £90 million in 2022-23. Since 2019, the UK has allocated over £400 million to tackle humanitarian crises in Ethiopia. UK funding has provided 950,000 Ethiopians with medical supplies and is delivering lifesaving nutrition, health, water and sanitation and protection support to the most vulnerable. In February 2024, Minister Mitchell announced an extra £100 million in humanitarian aid during his visit to Ethiopia in response to the worsening humanitarian situation.
Pakistan: Development Aid
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any UK aid to Pakistan isdirected specifically towards supporting persecuted religious minorities; and if so, how much.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We prioritise our aid to achieve maximum impact for the people of Pakistan in line with our strategic priorities, including promoting the rights of religious minorities. Examples include our Aawaz II programme, which is allocated £39.5 million (2018-2024) and brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance; and our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme, which works to protect marginalised communities from hate speech online.
India: Demolition
Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations theyhave made to the government of India to cease the demolition of properties owned by Muslims suspected of involvement in communal violence in that country.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Any reports of discrimination against religious minorities are a matter for the Indian police and legal system. The British High Commission in New Delhi continues to monitor the situation in India.We engage India on a range of human rights matters, working with Union and State Governments, and with civil society, to build capacity and share expertise to promote human rights for all. Where we have any issues, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level.
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Lord Foster of Bath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of putting the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association on a statutory footing.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The CPA (Commonwealth Parliamentary Association) is a valued partner of the FCDO and we greatly appreciate the important work being done by the organisation and its regional branches across the Commonwealth.The FCDO is delighted to support the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill which would enable the Government to treat these organisations in a manner comparable to that of an international organisation of which the UK is a member.The Bill was read a second time on 19 January and will now progress to Committee stage.
Kyrgyzstan: Civil Society
Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Kyrgyzstan regarding the protection of civic activism in that country.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary has raised his concerns over the Foreign Agents bill directly with the Kyrgyz government. His Majesty's Ambassador in Bishkek continues to raise these concerns with the government of Kyrgyzstan. We encourage Kyrgyzstan to protect fundamental rights, particularly in the area of freedom of expression and assembly, which is essential to the long-term health of democracy.
Kyrgyzstan: Civil Society and Human Rights
Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Foreign Representatives Bill in Kyrgyzstan, with regards to (1) civic activism, and (2) human rights obligations, in that country.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO is following the progress of the Foreign Representatives Bill closely. We share the concerns previously raised by the United Nations that it could contravene Kyrgyzstan's international obligations in relation to rights and freedoms. We encourage Kyrgyzstan to protect these fundamental rights, particularly in the area of freedom of expression and assembly, which is essential to the long-term health of democracy.
Home Office
Belfast Agreement: Human Rights
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill does notundermine their commitments under the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Safety of Rwanda(Asylum and Immigration) Bill does not undermine the UK's duty to incorporate theEuropean Convention on Human Rights into the law of Northern Ireland, including facilitating both (1) direct access to the courts, and (2) remedies for breaches of the Convention.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they havetaken to ensure that the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill conforms with the requirements of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whenthey will publish the explanatory memorandum on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill’s compliance with Article 2 of the Windsor Framework.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way it does in the rest of the UK. This is set out on the face of the Bill, reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter. There is nothing in the Windsor Framework that affects that. The Bill does not engage the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, including the rights chapter – those rights seek to address longstanding and specific issues relating to Northern Ireland’s past and do not extend to matters engaged by the bill. The Government remains fully committed to that Agreement in all its parts. I have written to Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in relation to this. The letter will be published in the House Library in due course. To provide further reassurance on these points, the published factsheet on this Bill has been updated to reflect this: Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: factsheet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Bill factsheet (pdf, 266.9KB)
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Solar Power and Wind Power
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the amount of power that will be generated from wind and solar energy by (1) 2030, (2) 2040, and (3) 2050.
Lord Callanan: Two indicative Net Zero consistent scenarios for the GB power sector are published as Annex O of the Energy and Emissions Projections.[1] Renewable generation in these scenarios is: Annual Generation (TWh)203020402050Net Zero Lower282427483Net Zero Higher307494591 [1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6463addee140700013b6e048/annex-o-annex-j-all-power-producer-generation.odsEnergy and Emissions Projections (xlsx, 38.2KB)
Environment Protection: Climate Change
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to ensure that climate policies remain effective in driving emission reductions, and (2) to promote investment into renewable energy.
Lord Callanan: The UK has halved its emissions, ahead of every other major economy. The transitions set out in the Net Zero Strategy for every sector of the UK economy keep it on track for Carbon Budgets 4, 5 and 6, the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution, and net zero by 2050. The Government has consistently seized the opportunity to attract investment in renewables, with around £120 billion of new investment since 2010 alongside around £80 billion of UK levy funded support. For example, it continues to support new renewable deployment through the Contracts for Difference Scheme, which now runs on an annual basis.
Ministry of Justice
Prisoners: Men
Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask His Majesty's Government how many men aged (1) 70–72, (2) 73–75, (3) 76–79, and (4) 80 and above, were held in prisons nationally in each year since 2010; and of those, how many in each age category were diagnosed with progressive dementia.
Lord Bellamy: Annual data on the number of men in prison in the specified age groups are set out in the table attached. Information about prisoners diagnosed with dementia is collected by the NHS. It is not collated in the form requested and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.Health services for those in custody, including dementia support, are the responsibility of the NHS, which is required to provide services of a standard equivalent to that which is available to the general population.HMPPS works in partnership with the NHS and Adult Social Care services to support prisoners with dementia. Examples include awareness training for staff, cognitive exercises such as reminiscence activities, and cognitive stimulation therapy. Additionally, the Ministry of Justice has published guidance on the circumstances under which applications can be made for prisoners to be considered for early release on compassionate grounds subject to specific criteria being met. This can be accessed on gov.uk or using the link provided: www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-release-on-compassionate-grounds-policy-framework. HL2183_table (xlsx, 17.0KB)
Department of Health and Social Care
Fractures: Health Services
Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 9 February (HL2206), whethera specific body will be set up to leadtheir joint exploration, with NHS England, of supporting the provision of fracture liaison services.
Lord Markham: As per the Major Conditions Strategy: Case for change and our strategic framework, the Government, together with NHS England, will explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison services. The Government has no current plans to set up a specific body to lead this joint exploration, as this is part of the ongoing policy engagement between the Department and NHS England.
Medicine: Apprentices
Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government how muchfunding has been provided for medical apprenticeships by (1) Health Education England, and (2) other sources.
Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government whatdiscussions they have had with (1) medical royal colleges, and (2) medical professional bodies, about the establishment of medical apprenticeships.
Lord Markham: NHS England is providing £150,000 of funding per medical degree apprentice over the term of the programme, as an Employer Support Fund, for cohorts that commence in 2024 and 2025.Medical schools will receive the Strategic Priorities Grant, funded by the Office of Students, for cohorts commencing in 2024 and 2025. Employers can utilise their apprenticeship levy up to a maximum of £27,000 over the term of the programme as a contribution to medical school tuition fees.The Department has regular discussions with the medical royal colleges and medical professional bodies about a range of issues, including the introduction of the medical degree apprenticeship.
Medicine: Apprentices
Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the General Medical Council regardingthe regulation of medical apprenticeships.
Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, tofurther regulate medical apprenticeship programmes.
Lord Markham: The Department has regular discussions with the General Medical Council (GMC) on a range of issues, including all aspects of the introduction of the medical degree apprenticeship. People who undertake and successfully complete the medical degree apprenticeship will receive the same medical degree as those who study through a full-time university medical degree route and will need to achieve the same outcome standards set by the GMC.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Import Controls: Northern Ireland
Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government which Minister will have responsibility for the operation, staffing and maintenance of border inspection posts in Northern Ireland upon their completion.
Lord Douglas-Miller: The UK Government already assumed responsibility for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Inspection Facilities in Northern Ireland last year. As set out in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, the Government will take powers at Westminster to direct NI bodies to protect the UK internal market in the operation of the Windsor Framework. We will set out further details in due course. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2024-02-16 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2024",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Congo: UK Contribution to Multinational Force in Bunia
The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the present United Kingdom contribution to the new European Union force in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; and what plans they have to vary or increase it.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My right honourable friend the Minister for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) said in another place on 23 June (Official Report, col. 702) that the UK is sending about 70 Royal Engineers to the Interim Emergency Multinational Force in Bunia (north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo). With support staff and headquarters-based officers, total UK deployment will be around 85 personnel.
There are no plans at this stage to vary or increase this contribution.
Sudan
Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Who is currently in charge of the verification and monitoring team (VMT) in Sudan; and what response the VMT is making to recent reports of helicopter gunship deployment by the Government of Sudan to Eastern Upper Nile.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Special Envoy, Lt-General Sumbeiywo, is in charge of the verification and monitoring team (VMT). The VMT is investigating an alleged breach of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cessation of hostilities in the Mading area in Eastern Upper Nile on 3 June. The MoU Channel of Communications Committee has been briefed on the status of current investigations but at this stage the VMT's findings remain confidential to Lt-General Sumbeiywo.
Sudan
Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they will take if reports of helicopter gunship deployment by the Government of Sudan to Eastern Upper Nile are verified.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We will await the outcome of the verification and monitoring team's final report into the alleged incident in Mading in Eastern Upper Nile on 3 June before considering what response we may make. I will write to the noble Baroness once I have seen this report.
EU: Decision-making Procedures
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 17 June (WA 90), whether they will set out in the Official Report the policy areas which became subject to qualified majority voting or co-decision after entry into force of the Single European Act 1987.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Under the Single European Act, 12 articles were either moved to, or were introduced subject to, qualified majority voting:
altering or suspending autonomously duties in the Common Commercial Tariff;
free movement of workers;
freedom of third country nationals established in the Community to provide services;
co-ordination of exchange policies to liberalise movement of capital;
extension of the Treaty Title on Transport to sea and air transport;
guidelines and conditions for establishing the internal market;
measures establishing the internal market (other than fiscal provisions, those relating to the free movement of persons or the rights and interests of employed persons;
mutual recognition of national measures in areas affecting the internal market that had not yet been harmonised;
health and safety of workers;
implementing decisions relating to the European Regional Development Fund;
adoption of specific R&D programmes within the unanimously agreed multi-annual framework programme; and
adoption of certain measures in Environment Title if this had been approved unanimously in the Council.
No articles were subject to the co-decision procedure as this was introduced by the Treaty of Maastricht.
EU: Decision-making Procedures
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 17 June (WA 90), whether they will set out in the Official Report the policy areas which became subject to qualified majority voting or co-decision after entry into force of the Treaty on European Union 1993 (Maastricht).
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: In the Treaty of Maastricht, 30 articles were either moved to, or introduced subject to, qualified majority voting:
decisions implementing common foreign and security policy joint actions, if use of QMV is agreed unanimously by Council;
decisions implementing Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) joint actions, if use of QMV is agreed unanimously in Council;
potentially, application of Article 100c of EC Treaty to some aspects of JHA, if unanimously agreed by the Council;
movement of capital to or from third countries;
safeguard measures;
movement of capital and payments to implement sanctions;
establishing a list of third country nationals who require visas;
broad economic guidelines;
bail-out fund in the event of a natural disaster;
definitions for applying prohibition on assuming financial liability;
excessive deficits procedure;
harmonising coins;
ECSB statutes;
exchange rate agreements;
Economic and Financial Committee;
consultation of Economic and Monetary Institute (EMI);
mutual assistance in the event of balance of payments difficulties;
decision on the position of the Community at international level as regards issues of particular relevance to EMU;
protective measures (EMU);
moving to stage III of EMU;
stage III EMU derogations;
education;
public health;
consumer protection;
TENs guidelines;
development co-operation;
regulations and conditions for performance of ombudsman's tasks;
allowances of members of ESC;
measures to implement sanctions;
transport safety;
certain environmental measures; and
determination of salaries, allowances and pensions of officials of Commission, ECJ and Court of Auditors.
Fifteen articles were made subject to the co-decision procedure:
free movement of workers;
right of establishment;
treatment of foreign nationals;
mutual recognition of diplomas;
provisions on the self-employed;
free movement of services;
internal market measures;
mutual recognition in the internal market context;
education;
culture (with unanimity);
public health;
consumer protection;
TENs guidelines;
multi-annual framework R&D programmes (with unanimity), and
environment.
EU: Decision-making Procedures
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 17 June (WA 90), whether they will set out in the Official Report the policy areas which became subject to qualified majority voting or co-decision after entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam 1999.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Under the Treaty of Amsterdam, 24 articles were moved to, or were introduced subject to, qualified majority voting (QMV):
suspension of member state rights (including voting rights) if breach of fundamental principles is established by unanimity, and subsequently variation or revocation of such measures (Treaty of European Union (TEU) & Treaty Establishing the Economic Community (TEC));
adoption of common foreign and security policy (CFSP) joint actions, common positions or any other decision based on a common strategy (subject to an emergency brake, and no QMV for decisions have military or defence implications);
any decision implementing a CFSP joint action or common position (subject to an emergency brake, and no QMV for decisions have military or defence implications);
measures to implement certain Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) decisions;
authorisation of closer co-operation to develop the area of freedom, security and justice (subject to an emergency brake);
authorisation of closer co-operation in the TEC (subject to emergency brake);
compensatory aid for imports of raw materials;
co-ordination of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action for special treatment for foreign nationals (right of establishment);
establishing list of third countries whose nationals who are exempt from visas (only European Parliament (EP) consultation) and a uniform format for visas;
procedures and conditions for issuing visas and rules on a uniform visa (five years from e.i.f. of Amsterdam Treaty);
adoption of the Research Framework Programme;
adapting or supplementing the Research Framework Programme;
setting up of joint undertakings in R&T development;
employment guidelines (only EP consultation);
employment incentive measures;
Customs co-operation;
social exclusion;
approval of agreements concluded by management and labour;
equality of opportunity and treatment of men and women;
public health;
transparency (access to documents);
combating fraud against the Community's financial interests;
statistics;
establishment of an independent advisory body on data protection; and
outermost regions.
Under the Treaty of Amsterdam, 27 Articles were made subject to the Co-decision procedure:
employment incentive measures;
rules to prohibit discrimination on grounds of nationality;
provisions for facilitating the exercise of citizens' rights to move and reside freely within the territory of the member states (with unanimity);
internal market-related rules on social security for Community immigrant workers (with unanimity);
certain directives on training and access to the professions (with unanimity);
co-ordination of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action for special treatment of foreign nationals;
co-ordination of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in member states concerning the taking up and pursuit of activities as self-employed persons;
procedures and conditions for issuing visas and rules on a uniform visa (five years from e.i.f. of Amsterdam Treaty);
common rules applicable to international transport to and from the territory of a member state or passing across the territory of one or more member states; the conditions under which non-resident carriers may operate transport services within a member state; and measures to improve transport safety;
transport policy (sea & air transport);
employment incentive measures;
customs co-operation;
social policy articles formerly in the Social Protocol, except for those aspects subject to unanimity;
equal opportunities and treatment for men and women (social policy);
implementing decisions relating to the European Social Fund;
measures to contribute to the achievement of vocational training objectives;
public health: minimum requirements regarding quality and safety of organs; veterinary and phytosanitary measures with the direct objective of the protection of public health;
public health: other measures;
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) implementing decisions;
adoption of certain research measures;
Community action in order to achieve its environmental objectives;
development co-operation;
general principles for transparency (access to documents);
combating fraud affecting the financial interests of the Community;
statistics, and
establishment of independent advisory authority on data protection.
EU: Decision-making Procedures
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 17 June (WA 90), whether they will set out in the Official Report the policy areas which became subject to qualified majority voting or co-decision after entry into force of the Treaty of Nice 2002.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Under the Treaty of Nice 46 Articles were moved to, or were introduced subject to, qualified majority voting:
determination that there is a clear risk of a serious breach by a member state of fundamental principles (four-fifths majority required) (Treaty on European Union (TEU) Art. 7(1));
appointment of common foreign and security policy (CFSP) special representatives (TEU Art. 23(2)) with emergency brake;
conclusion of international agreements in order to implement a CFSP joint action of common position, or on matters covered by TEU Titles V and VI for which QMV is required for the adoption of internal decisions or measures (TEU Art. 24);
procedure for authorising enhanced co-operation under TEU Title V (TEU Arts. 27(c) & 44) with emergency brake;
decision to hold in abeyance a member state's request to participate in a CFSP enhanced co-operation activity (TEU Art. 27(e));
procedure for establishing enhanced co-operation under TEU Title VI, following referral to the European Council (TEU Art. 40a);
procedure for authorising enhanced co-operation under the Treaty Establishing the Economic Community (TEC), following referral to the European Council (TEC Art. 11);
incentive measures (excluding harmonisation) to combat discrimination (TEC Art. 13(2));
provisions facilitating the exercise of the right of citizens of the Union to move and reside within the territory of the member states—with caveats (TEC Art. 18);
measures establishing standards and procedures for carrying out checks on persons at external borders (following agreement on measures concerning the crossing of such borders) (from 1 May 2004) (Political Declaration on TEC Art. 67);
measures establishing the conditions under which third country nationals shall have the freedom to travel during a period of no more than three months (from 1 May 2004) (Political Declaration on TEC Art. 67);
criteria and mechanisms for determining the member state responsible for considering asylum applications (TEC Art. 63(1)(a)), provided that the Council has already unanimously defined common rules and basic principles;
minimum standards on reception of asylum seekers (TEC Art. 63(1)(b)), provided that the Council has already unanimously defined common rules and basic principles;
minimum standards with respect to the qualification of third country nationals as refugees (TEC Art. 63(1)(c)), provided that the Council has already unanimously defined common rules and basic principles;
minimum standards on the procedures in member states for granting or withdrawing refugee status (TEC Art. 63(1)(d)), provided that the Council has already unanimously defined common rules and basic principles;
minimum standards for giving temporary protection to displaced persons/refugees (TEC Art. 63(2)(a)), provided that the Council has already unanimously defined common rules and basic principles;
measures on illegal immigration and illegal residence (from 1 May 2004) (Political Declaration on TEC Art. 67);
measures improving and simplifying co-operation in civil law matters (except family law cases), inc. cross-border service of judicial documents, evidence taking, recognition/enforcement of decisions (TEC Art. 65(a));
measures promoting the compatibility of the rules applicable in member states concerns the conflict of laws and of jurisdictions (except family law cases) (TEC Art. 65(b));
measures eliminating obstacles to the good functioning of civil proceedings (except family law cases) (TEC Art. 65(c));
measures to ensure co-operation between the relevant departments of the administrations of the member states, and between those departments and the Commission, in the areas covered by Title IV (from 1 May 2004) (TEC Art. 66);
measures in the event of severe difficulties in the supply of certain products (TEC Art. 100(1));
community financial assistance, under certain conditions, to a member state which is in difficulties or is seriously threatened with severe difficulties caused by natural disasters or exceptional circumstances beyond its control (TEC Art. 100(2));
measures necessary for the rapid introduction of the euro in member states without a derogation (TEC Art. 123(4));
negotiation and conclusion of international agreements on trade in services and trade-related aspects of intellectual property (with caveats) (TEC Art. 133(5));
potentially, measures in some areas of social protection, following agreement by unanimity to move to QMV (TEC Art. 137(2));
measures supporting the action of member states on industry matters (TEC Art. 157(3));
specific actions for economic and social cohesion outside the structural funds (Tec Art. 159);
From 1 January 2007 asks, priority objectives, organisation and rules applicable to the structural funds (TEC Art. 161(1));
creation of a cohesion fund (delayed deadline) (TEC Art. 161(2));
economic, financial and technical co-operation with third countries (TEC Art. 181a);
approval of the MEPs' statute (except rules or conditions relating to the taxation of MEPs) (TEC Art. 190(5));
laying down regulations governing political parties at European level, inc. funding (TEC Art. 191(2));
appointment of the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General of the Council (TEC Art. 207(2));
extension of the scope of Art. 210 to cover the salaries, allowances and pensions of the members and Registrar of the Court of First Instance (CFI) (TEC Art. 210);
nomination and appointment of the President and members of the Commission (TEC Art. 214);
filling a vacancy in the Commission caused by death, compulsory retirement or resignation (TEC Art. 215);
approval of the European Court of Justice's rules of procedure (TEC Art. 223(6));
approval of the CFI's rules of procedure (TEC Art. 224(5));
approval of the Judicial Panels' rules of procedure (TEC Art. 225a(5));
appointment of the members of the Court of Auditors (TEC Art. 247(3));
approval of the Court of Auditors' rules of procedure (TEC Art. 248(4));
appointment of the Economic and Social Committee members (TEC Art. 259(1));
appointment of the Committee of the Regions members (TEC Art. 263); and
financial Regulations/rules concerning the responsibility of financial controllers, authorising officers and accounting officers as of 2007 (TEC Art. 279(1)(a&b)).
Under the Treaty of Nice, 16 articles and key sub-articles were made subject to the co-decision procedure:
incentive measures (excluding harmonisation) to combat discrimination (TEC Art. 13(2));
measures on the crossing of external borders establishing standards and procedures for carrying out checks on persons at such borders (following agreement on measures concerning the crossing of external borders) (Political Declaration on TEC Art. 62(2)(a));
measures establishing the conditions under which third country nationals shall have the freedom to travel during a period of no more than three months (from 1 May 2004) (Political Declaration on TEC Art. 62(3);
criteria and mechanisms for determining the member state responsible for considering asylum applications (TEC Art. 63(1)(a));
minimum standards on reception of asylum seekers (TEC Art. 63(1)(b));
minimum standards with respect to the qualification of third country nationals as refugees (TEC Art. 63(1)(c);
minimum standards on the procedures in member states for granting or withdrawing refugee status (TEC Art. 63(1)(d));
minimum standards for giving temporary protection to displaced persons/refugees (TEC Art. 63(2)(a));
measures on illegal immigration and illegal residence (from 1 May 2004) (Political Declaration on TEC Art. 63(3)(b));
measures improving and simplifying the system for cross-border service of judicial documents (except family law cases) (TEC Art. 65(a));
measures promoting the compatibility of the rules applicable in member states concerning the conflict of laws and of jurisdictions (except family law cases) (TEC Art. 65(b));
measures eliminating obstacles to the good functioning of civil proceedings (except family law cases) (TEC Art. 65(c));
potentially, measures in some areas of social protection, following agreement by unanimity to move to QMV and codecision (TEC Art. 137(2));
measures supporting the action of member states on industry matters (TEC Art. 157(3));
specific actions for economic and social cohesion outside the structural funds (TEC Art. 159); and
laying down regulations governing political parties at European level, inc. funding (TEC Art. 191(2)).
Turks and Caicos Islands: General Election 24 April 2003
Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the outcome of the two petitions filed after the general election in the Turks and Caicos Islands on 24 April 2003.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Following General Elections in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) on 24 April, which saw the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDM) returned for a third term, the opposition Progressive National Party (PNP) filed election petitions against the results in two of the 13 constituencies. On 19 June, the Chief Justice declared the results in both districts void with the result that a fresh election was required in each one. This put the governing PDM in a minority in the Legislative Council. The Chief Minister, the Hon. Derek Taylor, asked the Governor to dissolve the Legislative Council and to call a new general election.
The Governor, acting in accordance with the Constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands, told the leaders of both parties on 23 June that he was denying both the PDM's request for a new general election and the PNP's request for the immediate appointment of their leader as Chief Minister, and that he would issue writs for by-elections in the two constituencies affected to be held on 7 August.
This was a difficult decision to take. The Governor weighed the arguments carefully. We support the Governor's decision.
Future Rapid Effect System and FV430 Vehicles
Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will make an announcement concerning the next stage of the Future Rapid Effect System; and when the last of the FV430 series of vehicles will be withdrawn from service.
Lord Bach: We are currently considering the Initial Gate for the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) assessment phase and we expect to make an announcement shortly.
The withdrawal from service of the FV430 series of vehicles is linked to wider work on the future composition of the armoured fighting vehicle fleet. This is currently under consideration.
RAF Stations: Brize Norton, Lyneham andSt Mawgan
Lord Merlyn-Rees: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a decision has been reached following the strategic review of RAF Brize Norton, RAF Lyneham and RAF St Mawgan.
Lord Bach: On 9 November 2001, in another place, my right honourable friend the Minister for the Armed Forces announced a strategic review of the future roles of RAF Brize Norton, RAF Lyneham and RAF St Mawgan, anticipating the arrival of the future strategic tanker aircraft and the A400M around the end of the decade. The introduction of these modern aircraft will provide enhanced operational capability whilst creating spare capacity at RAF Brize Norton and RAF Lyneham. The airfield at RAF St Mawgan was included in the review as it too was recognised as having spare capacity.
The first stage of the review was the selection of a base for the A400M. My right honourable friend announced on 16 August 2002 that he had accepted the study team's recommendation that RAF Brize Norton represented the best use of defence assets in this respect, at the optimum cost to the taxpayer. Prior to this, he announced in another place on 13 February 2002 (Official Report, cols. 363–364W) that the future strategic tanker aircraft would also be based at Brize Norton.
We are now able to inform the House that the second stage of the review, looking at the future use of the three stations in the light of these earlier decisions, has now concluded. We have considered the recommendations and have decided that the RAF's air transport and air refuelling fleets should be based at RAF Brize Norton by 2012. This includes the Hercules C130J aircraft currently based at RAF Lyneham which will transfer to RAF Brize Norton. We intend that the C130K fleet will remain at RAF Lyneham until the aircraft goes out of service by 2012, after which, if no further defence use is identified for RAF Lyneham, the station will be closed and disposed of. The tactical communications wing, currently located at RAF Brize Norton, will be relocated to an alternative site by 2006. Concentrating the aircraft fleets at RAF Brize Norton will enable us to make the most efficient and effective use of the defence estate and allow the adoption of modern working practices.
In respect of St Mawgan, where only the airfield was under consideration, we have concluded that this should be retained, subject to further work to explore the commercial opportunities for its use and so offset the cost of its operation to defence.
The net effect of these changes, when complete, will be a reduction of around 1,780 service and 360 MoD civilian posts together with a move of around 620 personnel of the tactical communications wing. Approximately 580 lost posts relate directly to the closure of RAF Lyneham with the other manpower reductions a result of the introduction of the new manpower-efficient aircraft. At RAF Brize Norton, MoD manpower numbers will remain much as they are now. The number of contracted personnel has yet to be determined.
We understand that this decision will be disappointing for the dedicated military and civilian personnel at Lyneham who have contributed so much to recent operations. We recognise too the disappointment that will be felt by those in the local area who give the station much-valued support. RAF Lyneham has a long and proud history. However we must make best use of defence resources, including by regular review the Defence Estate to ensure we retain no more than is required to meet defence needs.
Pensions: Public Sector
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether their proposed £1.4 million lifetime limit for preferential tax treatment on the capital value of the pension which someone could receive will apply to:
(a) the Prime Minister;
(b) the Speaker of the House of Commons;
(c) the Chancellor of the Exchequer; and
(d) all other individuals whose pensions are paid from public funds;
and, if the answer to any of these is no, why not.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I refer the noble Lord to my Answer on 13 March 2003 to Lord Tebbit, Official Report, WA 190.
Plasma Transfusions
Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Andrews on 4 April (WA 154), why a recent case of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) was settled by the National Blood Service out of court; and how many other cases of TRALI have been settled and at what total cost to the Department of Health; and
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Andrews on 4 April (WA 154), how the provision for future compensation claims relating to transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) will be reconciled with the continuing risk to patients of serious illness or death from fresh frozen plasma transfusions.
Lord Warner: The National Blood Authority (NBA) is a special health authority. In this case of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) the NBA admitted liability; It was advised, therefore that liability should be admitted and a settlement negotiated. This is a matter for the NBA.
The reduction of incidents of TRALI continues to be a high priority. We have not undertaken an assessment on the cost of possible compensation claims for TRALI.
Plasma Transfusions
Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why they are not funding a commercially available fresh frozen plasma which is treated in such a way that there is no risk of SARS, or other unknown, potentially fatal emerging (lipid-enveloped) viruses, being transmitted; and
Why they will not consider funding a pharmaceutically licensed, virally inactivated, pooled, fresh frozen plasma, which could eliminate the risk to patients of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) and the risk of infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Lord Warner: The safety of blood and blood products used in the National Health Service is of paramount importance. Although most United Kingdom fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is not virally inactivated, high levels of safety are achieved by using single unit, as opposed to pooled plasma, by screening out potential high risk donors and by testing every unit of donated blood for the presence of infections such as HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C before it is released to hospitals. In addition, the National Blood Service is conducting an options appraisal of means to minimise the risk of transfusion-related acute lung injury from FFP.
The decision taken to import FFP from the United States for young babies and children born after 1 January 1996 will provide additional protection to the most vulnerable group who will not have been exposed to bovine spongiform encephalopathy through the food chain. The National Blood Authority is currently involved in negotiating for supplies of FFP for this group of patients and plans to have it available later this year. A commercially produced FFP product, sourced from the United States, is also available for the National Health Service to purchase.
The Government's Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissue for Transplantation will continue to review the risk of new emerging viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on the blood supply. There is no evidence that SARS can be transmitted by blood transfusion. John B
Plasma Transfusions
Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Andrews on 1 May (WA 126–27), why they do not think that high levels of safety are achieved through pooled plasma products, despite them being virally inactivated; and what evidence they have against pooled products to support this view; and
Why they have recommended a virally inactivated fresh frozen plasma for specific sub-groups of transfusion patients when a licensed, virally inactivated product is commercially available; and
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Andrews on 1 April (WA 123–24), what scientific evidence they have to support the belief that non-virally inactivated single unit plasma (which is currently used in the United Kingdom) is preferable to virally inactivated pooled plasma.
Lord Warner: United Kingdom single unit fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is already a very safe product. To minimise the risk from viruses, it is made only from previously tested blood donors. Since the year 2000, an additional test for hepatitis C has been added. As a result the risk from a single unit of FFP is estimated to be one in 5 million for HIV and lower than one in 1 million for hepatitis C. As a precautionary measure all FFP from UK blood donors has been leucodepleted to remove the white cells which evidence suggests may carry the greatest risk of transmitting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The decision taken to import virally inactivated single unit FFP from the United States for young babies and children born after 1 January 1996 was made to provide additional protection to this most vulnerable group who have not been exposed to bovine spongiform encephalopathy through the food chain. Over 300,000 units of FFP are issued annually and it is only given in life-threatening situations to prevent or stop haemorrhage associated with abnormal blood clotting.
Virally inactivated pooled FFP is subjected to a single virus reduction step. Two viruses (hepatitis A and parvovirus) are not susceptible to this form of inactivation. It is also possible that a new virus could appear that is not susceptible to the inactivation treatment and could spread to those transfused via the pooling of many donations.
The Government's expert Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissue for Transplantation has considered the relative risks and safety of the different types of fresh frozen plasma available and has recommended the use of UK single unit FFP but clinicians are free to choose which product to use. John B
Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, Manchester
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What contacts health ministers have had with the Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre in Manchester in regard to its potential, through a partnership between the University of Manchester, the Christie Hospital Trust and Cancer Research UK, to play the role of a national centre with networks of collaboration offered by Cancer Research UK and the Government's National Cancer Research Institute.
Lord Warner: Department of Health Ministers have had no such contacts.
Genetically Modified Foods
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
As regards genetically modified plants and food, whether there is evidence that antibiotic genes in modified plants could increase antibiotic resistance in humans; and
As regards genetically modified plants and food, whether there is evidence that consumers of genetically modified foods are suffering increased allergies, especially through eating soya products; and
How they assess the views of the Royal Society on the potential dangers of genetically modified foods in baby foods and to pregnant and breast-feeding mothers, elderly people and those with chronic diseases; and what are the risks of genetically modified DNA transferring itself to bacteria in the human gut, with adverse consequences for metabolism, organ development, and the immune and endocrine systems.
Lord Warner: All genetically modified foods approved for sale in the United Kingdom have undergone a rigorous pre-market safety assessment by independent scientific advisers. This is carried out on a case-by-case basis and takes into account the implications for certain sectors of the population, such as those groups mentioned above. These foods would not be approved if the safety tests raised concerns.
Scientific evidence does not support the view that the antibiotic resistance genes in modified plants could increase antibiotic resistance in humans.
There is no evidence that the consumption of genetically modified food has caused an increase in allegenicity.
The available evidence does not indicate that GM DNA transfer to gut bacteria has adverse consequences for metabolism, organ development, and the immune and endocrine systems. DNA is consumed as part of our normal diet.
Cochlear Implants
Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many, and which, primary care trusts currently inform adults requiring cochlear implants that there are no funds for the foreseeable future.
Lord Warner: While the Department of Health does not collect figures on the numbers of cases where funding for cochlear implants is delayed or refused, we understand that the Institute for Hearing Research surveys specialised centres about cochlear implant services. The last such survey was at the end of 2001. Primary care trusts came into existence in October 2001 and full-year figures for the services they fund are not yet available.
Great Western Railway Line Closure: 19 June 2003
Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Great Western Railway line near Slough was closed for approximately 24 hours following the fire on 19 June; and who gave the instruction to close it for so long; and
Whether the decision to close the Great Western Railway line on 19 June was reviewed at any point in the ensuing 24 hours; and
Whether, following the closure of the Great Western Railway line on 19 June, any assessment was made of the safety implications and cost to travellers of using alternative routes or modes of transport.
Lord Davies of Oldham: On 19 June the Berkshire Fire Brigade discovered that oxy-acetylene cylinders were involved in a fire at a residential property close to the Great Western Railway line at Slough which were in danger of explosion.
The line was closed following a risk assessment, which included the economic and social costs, by the Berkshire Fire Brigade of the initial and ongoing incident carried out by their incident commander and was taken in accordance with the Fire Services Inspectorate's guidance on oxy-acetylene cylinders. Network Rail has advised that the Berkshire Fire Brigade required it to close the line.
Early on the afternoon of 20 June, the Berkshire Fire Brigade, with the assistance of British Oxygen Company experts, re-examined the oxy-acetylene cylinders involved in the fire for any sign of "hot spotting". Shortly afterwards the line was re-opened.
River Craft Safety Checks
Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What safety checks are made, and by which body, on river craft operating on the River Mersey in all its reaches.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) carries out an annual survey and at least one general inspection of all domestic passenger ships carrying more than 12 passengers. The MCA also undertakes random inspections on a cross-section of domestic non-passenger vessels in commercial use.
Navigation authority and competent harbour authority safety checks also apply. The Mersey Docks and Harbours Board is the competent harbour authority for the Port of Liverpool which covers the River Mersey up to Warrington Bridge. It carries out safety checks for vessels over 50 gross tons including carriage of VHF radio; carriage of radar; vessels with mechanical, equipment or structural defects; and vessels carrying hazardous cargoes.
The Manchester Ship Canal Company is the navigation authority for the River Mersey from Warrington Bridge to the Mersey Weir at Irlam on the Manchester ship canal. Pleasure vessels and those not classed and required to register for operation in the harbour and port of Manchester, are inspected by an approved marine surveyor for a certificate of seaworthiness. The harbour master of the Manchester Ship Canal Company has powers to inspect vessels.
River Craft Safety Checks
Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What safety checks are made, and by which body, on river craft operating on the River Thames in all its reaches.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) carries out an annual survey and at least one general inspection of all domestic passenger ships carrying more than 12 passengers. The MCA also undertakes random inspections on a cross-section of domestic non-passenger vessels in commercial use.
Navigation authority and competent harbour authority safety checks also apply. The Port of London Authority (PLA) is the competent harbour authority for the River Thames as far as Teddington Lock and is responsible for the administration of the craft registration system and "fitness for purpose" inspections for all vessels submitted for initial registration and subsequent renewal. All commercial vessels that fall within the scope of the by-laws and PLA vessels are inspected. Power-driven vessels are inspected annually and non-power driven craft biennially.
Above Teddington Lock, the navigation authority is the Environment Agency. Independent marine surveyors examine all craft for issue of a boat safety certificate. All power driven vessels and houseboats are liable to informal or formal check inspections by navigation officers.
Regional Airports
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What priority is given to expanding regional airports to redress the economic imbalance between the South East and the rest of the United Kingdom; and what consultation Ministers have had with the regional airports on this matter.
Lord Davies of Oldham: In the 1998 integrated transport White Paper A New Deal for Transport—Better For Everyone; the Government stated that they would:
"encourage the growth of regional airports to meet local demand for air travel where consistent with sustainable development principles".
We remain committed to that objective and will set out our proposals for regional airports in the forthcoming air transport White Paper.
The consultation which we have undertaken to inform preparation of the White Paper has been one of the biggest ever undertaken on transport and has included discussions with regional airports themselves and a wide range of regional and national stakeholders, business representatives, environmental and residents' groups. The consultation concluded on 30 June 2003.
Light Dues
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to modify or end light dues.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government issued a consultation document, entitled Light Dues Review: Meeting the Costs of Marine Aids to Navigation, last summer seeking the views of the maritime industry on the structure of UK light dues. One of our aims was to see whether we could identify changes to the current structure that would distribute costs more accurately among users.
The results of the consultation exercise were inconclusive, with no consensus of opinion on the way forward. In March the Government announced a programme of further work on a number of issues, which will allow further consideration of options for modifying the present light dues system. We have no plans to end light dues, and we remain committed to a cost-recovery system. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2003-07-04a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Department for Education
Refugees: Children in Care
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer given by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 25 January (HL Deb, cols 665–6), what assessment they have made of the report in the Independent, on 17 April 2016, of at least 239 refugee children in the UK having disappeared from care facilities in the UK, and the report by ECPAT UK Heading back to harm: A study on trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing from care in the UK, published in November 2016, claiming that from September 2014 to September 2015, 593 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children went missing from care at least once.
Lord Nash: The Government has a comprehensive framework for safeguarding children, including unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children. In light of the recent increase in arrivals of refugee children into the UK, we have been working with local authorities, non-government organisations and other public bodies to make sure that looked after migrant children receive the immediate support they need. This support has included making sure local authorities are aware of the heightened risk that they may go missing due to being trafficked. We are also funding the Refugee Council and ECPAT to deliver training for foster carers and support workers of unaccompanied migrant children, who may be at risk of trafficking, to ensure they can also offer the appropriate support to the children in their care. On 1 November we announced through a written ministerial statement our plans to publish a strategy, by 1 May 2017, for the safeguarding of unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children in England. In developing this strategy, we will consult local authorities to identify any further action that might be taken to prevent these children going missing.
School Milk
Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers by Lord Nash on 25 January (HL Deb, cols 662–3), what guidance has been provided to primary and secondary schools to ensure compliance with the milk requirements of the standards for school food in England, published on 9 September 2016; and how schools are required to demonstrate that they have complied with those requirements.
Lord Nash: Departmental advice on the School Food Standards, which includes the requirements for milk, is attached and available on Gov.uk. A summary of the standards and a practical guide are available from the School Food Plan website. Governing boards are legally responsible for meeting the School Food Standards.From previous surveys of compliance against the previous standards, we are confident that almost all schools are following the new standards appropriately.
School_Food_in_England
(PDF Document, 134.31 KB)
Asylum: Children
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the strategy for safeguarding unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children announced on 1 November 2016 will include (1) the provision of independent guardians for all unaccompanied children in the UK, and (2) a commitment to continue to fund local authorities which support unaccompanied children at the same, or higher, rate as they currently receive.
Lord Nash: The safeguarding strategy for unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children will be published by 1 May 2017. It will set out further detail on how these children should be safeguarded and have their welfare promoted. In developing the strategy, the Government has committed to review the information currently provided to asylum seeking and refugee children about their rights, their current circumstances, and the role of local authorities in caring for them. We have also said that we will regularly review the funding provided to support and care for unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children, working closely with the Local Government Association and local authorities.
Literacy
Baroness Rebuck: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have undertaken to better understand the impact on literacy levels of initiatives undertaken by voluntary sector organisations; and how they intend to ensure that funding is targeted where it will be most effective.
Lord Nash: The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), which was set up in 2011 through a £125 million grant from the Government, received £10 million from the Department in 2012 specifically to fund and evaluate 24 projects focused on interventions to improve the literacy of pupils who do not achieve the expected standard in English at the end of primary school. To date, the EEF has published evaluation reports on 26 literacy-related projects. Of these, 11 involved voluntary sector organisations. Details of all of these projects and the individual evaluation reports are published on the EEF website at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/school-themes/literacy. The findings from evaluations of these and other EEF funded projects are incorporated into the EEF’s teaching and learning toolkit. This provides school leaders and teachers with an accessible summary of evidence from robust research studies on the impact and cost effectiveness of a range of educational interventions. This information can be used by voluntary sector organisations to inform their own approaches. The toolkit is published on the EEF website.
Asylum: Children
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the written ministerial statement by the Minister of State for Vulnerable Children and Families, Mr Edward Timpson, on 1 November 2016 concerning a safeguarding strategy for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children (HCWS232), what that strategy will contain; and when it will be published.
Lord Nash: The safeguarding strategy for unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children will be published by 1 May 2017.The strategy will set out how we will continue to support local authorities and other agencies to care for these young people, through increasing placement capacity, encouraging the use of supported lodgings, addressing additional training needs and revising statutory guidance on how to support and care for these children. In developing the strategy, we will also evaluate procedures for the safe transfer of children from Europe, identify further action to prevent these children going missing, review information provided to these children about their rights, and review the funding provided to local authorities to assist them in supporting and caring for these children. The strategy will cover not only unaccompanied children who will become looked after, but also children who are seeking to be reunited with family.
Pay
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of claims that UK professionals from working-class backgrounds are paid almost £7,000 less on average each year than those from wealthier families.
Lord Nash: We recognise that all too often family background determines success in later life, even when in a good job. We are determined that education should play a central role in reversing that by ensuring all young people have access to the right knowledge and skills, high quality, timely advice, and opportunities for challenging, life-shaping experiences. Employers also need to do more to attract and draw out the talents of employees from all backgrounds.
Private Education: Insolvency
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mechanisms are in place to support and safeguard a student if the private college they attend goes into liquidation.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Private providers of higher education must meet robust financial sustainability standards in order to be designated for student support. Providers that have not been trading for three years must submit a plan to ensure that students can achieve their academic outcomes if they are unable to fully deliver their course.In cases of significant financial failure where a private provider goes into administration, the department may grant temporary designation to the new owners to protect the student interest and to allow students to complete their studies.The UK quality code for higher education sets out the responsibility of degree awarding bodies when providers delivering their courses become insolvent, cease trading or the agreement is terminated. Degree awarding bodies ensure that adequate contingency plans are in place against these possibilities, but where they occur, a range of solutions may be possible for ensuring that students who wish to complete their course can do so.The Higher Education and Research Bill will ensure that in future the Office for Students (OfS) has the necessary powers to require student protection plans are in place for all approved and approved (fee cap) providers, and to intervene if there are signs that quality in any HE institution is failing. The OfS will take a ‘risk based’ approach to student protection, ensuring that the level of protection required in the plan is proportionate to each provider. It is intended that the OfS will monitor the financial health of institutions, alongside other potential ‘triggers’, and will require student protection measures to be implemented whenever there is a risk to student’s continuity of study. We expect these student protection plans to be available to all students, and to set out the protections students can expect if a course closes, or in the rare instance where an institution decides to exit the market.
Boarding Schools: Disadvantaged
Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress of the scheme to provide vulnerable children with free places in state and independent boarding schools.
Lord Nash: As reported by the media, Buttle UK announced on Friday 3 February that they have had to cancel their research project, which was aiming to measure the educational and well-being outcomes of using boarding, due to lack of referrals from local authorities. However, we continue to believe that boarding can have great benefits for the right children, and want to see more vulnerable and disadvantaged children able to take advantage of the high quality provision that boarding schools provide. We will continue to work with the sector to encourage more local authorities to consider boarding as an alternative where it is right for the child.
Ministry of Defence
Reserve Forces: Health Services
Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are encouraging the retention and motivation of Armed Forces reserve medical professionals.
Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the pivotal contribution that Reserve medical professionals make to the Defence Medical Services (DMS) and we are doing a number of things to ensure their recruitment, retention and motivation. It is estimated that over 50 per cent of DMS Reserves specialists are recruited by their peers. A financial incentive is now available to encourage every DMS Reservist to be a recruiter and for them to support their peers through to the completion of Phase 1 training. A 'Golden Hello' payment is also being proposed for Reserve Medical Officers, Dental Officers and nurses/Allied Healthcare Professionals, the value and eligibility criteria of which is currently being considered by the single Services. Concerning retention, the MOD is determined to ensure that Reserve medical professionals feel valued and have the opportunity to take full advantage of the offer to them. Engagement with employers is critical to retention and our dialogue with several organisations has led to standardised HR policies across the country on the employment and use of Reserves. This is reflected in the fact that 36 NHS Trusts have received the MOD's Employers Recognition Award. The MOD is able to monitor the morale and motivation of medical Reserves through the annual DMS Continuous Attitude Survey. This enables action plans and initiatives to be explored through the single Services and heads of cadre.
Department of Health
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders on the early years development of children, their behaviours and their life chances.
Lord O'Shaughnessy: It is recognised that Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) can have a significant impact on the early years development of children, their behaviours and their life chances. The Department has been exploring the feasibility of commissioning new research in the area of FASD. However, identifying methodologically feasible and robust new research in this area is challenging, expensive and faces ethical challenges. The World Health Organization is starting a global prevalence study on FASD, recognising that this information is lacking in many countries. There are a number of challenges on the feasibility of estimating prevalence, which should be addressed in this study. We welcome this study and will consider the lessons for further work in the United Kingdom.
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they have developed for the treatment and support of children and young people affected by foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the measures adopted in Scotland which provide guidance and support for children and young adults affected by foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Lord O'Shaughnessy: Early intervention services can help reduce some of the effects of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and prevent some of the secondary disabilities that result. Responsibility for commissioning these services lies with clinical commissioning groups. The Department will consider the impact of the measures adopted in Scotland to support children and young adults affected by FASD and whether there are any lessons for England. The United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines provide the public with the latest information about the health risks of different levels and patterns of drinking. The guidelines enable people to make informed choices about their drinking.
Air Pollution
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost to the NHS of medical problems caused by breaches of air pollution limits.
Lord O'Shaughnessy: Whilst there is already evidence of the impacts of air pollution on health, and ongoing work to quantify these impacts, the associated costs to the National Health Service and social care budget are less understood. Public Health England (PHE) has commissioned a consortium, led by the UK Health Forum, to carry out a project on the estimation of costs to the NHS and social care due to the health impacts of air pollution as part of PHE’s Health Economics Commissioning Framework. The aim is to enable air pollution to be assessed against other public health threats and to support the strategic priority setting process.
Department for International Trade
Exports
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they are spending per annum on the promotion of UK exports from 2016–17 until the end of this Parliament in 2020–21.
Lord Price: The Department for International Trade is made up of UK Export Finance (UKEF), International Trade and Investment (ITI), Trade Policy Group (TPG) and the GREAT campaign. UKEF is the UK’s Export Credits Guarantee Department and TPG is the trade policy and negotiating capacity. ITI focusses on increasing the value and volume of trade overseas, increasing Foreign Direct Investment into the UK, encouraging UK exporters to export and the promotion of British good and services overseas. The budget for ITI for 16/17 is £244,294,883. The budget for subsequent years will be published in due course.
Exports
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Trade has any plans to change the ways in which they provide assistance to UK companies to encourage exports.
Lord Price: The Department keeps its assistance for exporters continually under review. In November 2015 the Government launched its Exporting is GREAT campaign. Our new digital platform launched last November will provide new and experienced exporters with a range of information and services through great.gov.uk and the department will continue to grow its digital support for businesses. Expanding our services for exporters on great.gov.uk allows DIT to offer more relevant advice helping more businesses expand into new markets. DIT is also looking at how it can change its regional delivery to reach more exporters and deliver more through digital channels. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2017-02-10 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Leader of the House of Lords
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and Home Office: Written Questions
Lord Jopling: To ask the Leader of the House what plans he has to seek explanations from (1) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and (2) the Home Office, concerning their failure to respond to Questions for Written Answer tabled in June and July, contrary to the convention that answers should be provided within 10 working days.
Lord True: As Leader of the House, I shall take my responsibility to ensure all Ministers provide full, timely and accurate responses to Questions for Written Answers (QWAs) very seriously.On 7 September 2022 there were four overdue QWAs directed to the Home Office (HO), and one directed to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). As of 28 September 2022, the number of outstanding QWAs from June and July had reduced: the Home Office had two late answers and the FCDO had none.My office contacted the FCDO who explained that a technical error prevented their response from being uploaded to the website by the deadline. They have confirmed that a response was issued on 20 July 2022 and a copy was sent via email to the Peer.Similarly, the HO has confirmed their two outstanding QWAs were cleared on 11 July but due to a separate technical error, were not uploaded to the website. This issue is being investigated by the HO to prevent it reoccurring. The tabling Peer has been contacted.As Leader, I will undertake to remind colleagues of the importance of answering QWAs within the 10 day target, as well as their obligation to the House and Parliament’s important role in scrutinising the Government. My office will continue to work closely with all Departments across Government, and, upon the House’s return, I will write to colleagues to ensure all Ministers in the House of Lords are aware of their duties and what is expected of them in fulfilling their duty to be accountable to your Lordships’ House.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Genocide
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of identity-based violence and mass atrocities in (1) Nigeria, (2) Myanmar, (3) Ukraine, (4) Iraq, (5) northern Syria, (6) China, and (7) India; and when such an assessment was conducted last for each of these countries.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The risk of mass atrocities in countries affected by conflict is covered in an FCDO global conflict and instability risk assessment process which is undertaken multiple times a year.
Development Aid: Conflict Prevention
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made by the Office for Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation in creating a dedicated hub to (1) design, and (2) test, a comprehensive approach to upstream conflict and conflict-related atrocity prevention.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Office for Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation (OCSM) has established a Conflict and Atrocity Prevention Department that leads on anticipating and mitigating conflicts and mass atrocities. The department focusses on tackling the underlying drivers of emerging conflict and mass atrocities, rapidly responding to crises and supporting the UK's efforts to deny adversaries space in conflict to advance their interests. The department is deepening analysis in key contexts, testing and improving our monitoring capabilities and implementing conflict prevention interventions in a small sample of countries, working with geographic teams to drive ambitious UK policy built on evidence.
Dengue Fever: Research
Baroness Northover: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that cuts to Official Development Assistance have had on research projects concerning dengue fever in the UK.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government, through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, have made significant investments in global health research for novel health technologies and implementation research to combat diseases of poverty, including HIV, TB and malaria as well as Neglected Tropical Diseases. The FCDO has not supported direct research on dengue fever although it is addressed indirectly through our health systems research programmes and our support to technology development programmes such as the Liverpool based Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC).
Tigray: Armed Conflict
Baroness Goudie: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure the withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Tigray, given the renewed fighting in that region.
Baroness Goudie: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with international partners regarding the involvement of Eritrean Defence Forces in the renewed conflict in Tigray.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The breakdown of the truce between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian Government and the renewed involvement of Eritrea is catastrophic for Ethiopia. The UK encourages international efforts to de-escalate conflict, stressing the need for a political solution, humanitarian access and accountability.On 22 September, in a meeting with Ethiopia's Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Development raised the impact of renewed conflict on the humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia and reiterated calls for a truce, restoration of humanitarian access to Tigray and for Eritrean forces to leave. Following this, the Minister for Africa tweeted about the escalation of fighting and the involvement of Eritrean forces, again calling on them to leave Tigray. Our Embassies in Addis Ababa and Asmara continue to engage with parties to the conflict to deliver these messages.
Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue a formal pledge to assist the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK remains a committed supporter to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) and will formally announce a pledge in support of the Global Fund's seventh replenishment (2023-2025) in the coming weeks.
Israel: Palestinians
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding a raid by the Israeli Defence Forces on St Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ramallah on 18 August; and whether they have asked them to undertake an investigation into that incident.
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding a raid by the Israeli Defence Forces on the offices of seven Palestinian civil society organisations in Ramallah on 18 August.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We believe the Israeli government's decision to designate six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organisations and the raids on their offices and on St Andrew's Church in Ramallah are deeply troubling developments. Civil society organisations play an important role in upholding human rights and democracy, they must be able to operate freely in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We continue to engage with a number of these organisations and the UK stands in solidarity with Christian communities in the OPTs. The UK remains committed to working with all parties across the Holy Land to ensure the safety and security of the holy sites and all who worship there, including Christians from all nations. During her recent visit to Israel and the OPTs in June 2022, the former Minister of State for Asia and the Middle East met with human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organisations to discuss the pressures they face in the region.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Water Companies: Regulation
Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the joint working of Ofwat and the Environment Agency in regulating water companies; and what assessment they have made of (1) the effectiveness of such working, and (2) whether the division of responsibilities has led to weaker sanctions being applied.
Lord Benyon: HM Government considers that the interests of both the environment and consumers are best protected with separate bodies for environmental and economic regulation. There are regular discussions between Ofwat and the Environment Agency to facilitate regulation of water companies, as well as with the Drinking Water Inspectorate and Defra. Ofwat’s price review process incentivises and penalises companies in relation to their performance, resulting in companies having to return money to customers where they fail to meet relevant performance commitments. Ofwat and the Environment Agency work closely to agree those performance commitments related to environmental performance. Enforcement action against water companies is strengthened because of Ofwat and the Environment Agency having differing routes and tools for sanctions. Ofwat can take enforcement action where companies either fail to comply with their statutory duties and licence obligations or are likely to do so. Ofwat’s enforcement sanction options include enforcement orders, and it can directly impose financial penalties, secure formal undertakings from companies (that previously included money being returned to their customers in respect of their failings) and fines paid to the Treasury’s Consolidated Fund. The Environment Agency’s enforcement powers are focused more on individual incidents and sites and include intervention orders, civil sanctions and criminal proceedings, when fines can be imposed as part of the sentencing. Since 2015, the Environment Agency has brought 54 prosecutions against water companies, securing fines of almost £140 million. In June 2019, Ofwat imposed a penalty package on Southern Water of £126 million for spills of wastewater into the environment from its sewerage plants and for deliberately misreporting its performance, which contravened both statutory obligations and licence conditions. £3 million was paid as a fine, while £123 million will be reimbursed to Southern Water’s customers. They received a £17 rebate in 2020/21 and will receive an £11 rebate in each of the following four years. In parallel, the Environment Agency brought a criminal case against Southern Water for widespread and long-term breaches of environmental law. The case saw pollution offences from 16 wastewater treatment works and one storm overflow brought together in a single prosecution. The £90 million fine was the largest imposed against a water company, because of a prosecution bought by the Environment Agency. In November 2021, the two regulators launched the largest ever criminal and civil investigations into water company operation of their sewage treatment works, considering over 2200 treatment works. This followed new data coming to light because of increased monitoring programmes the Environment Agency and Ofwat had required and funded. To date, Ofwat has opened enforcement cases with six companies, whilst all other water and sewerage companies in England and Wales remain subject to its ongoing investigation. HM Government will always consider the learning and outcomes of reports and inquiries to ensure effective regulation and enforcement in the water sector. This will include the outcomes of the House of Lord’s Industry and Regulators Committee’s current inquiry ‘The Work of Ofwat’, which is considering the regulator’s relationship with HM Government and the other regulators. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2022-10-11 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Home Office
Human Trafficking
lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have topromoteWorld Day against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July; and what priority they give to trafficking in person in their serious and organised crime policies.
baroness williams of trafford: To promote World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July the Government used social media to raise awareness of the global scale of modern slavery and human trafficking and UK missions abroad hosted events to mark the day.The Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and bringing those individuals responsible to justice. This is a key part of the Government’s overall strategy to tackle serious and organised crime.In May 2020 at the Prime Minister’s Virtual Summit on Hidden Harms, the Government reiterated the absolute priority that we place on preventing and protecting those at risk from hidden harms, including modern slavery.
Ministry of Justice
Prison Accommodation
lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prison cells are being shared; in which prisons such cells exist; and what steps they are taking toend overcrowding in prisons.
lord keen of elie: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 May 2020.The correct answer should have been:
Upon arrival into custody, all prisoners’ suitability to share a cell is risk assessed. These assessments are based on numerous factors including index offence, health concerns and security information (such as beliefs and prejudices).As at 24th April 2020 14,65314,885 cells in prisons in England and Wales were occupied by prisoners on a shared basis. The detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. The following prisons in England and Wales held prisoners on a shared basis as at 24 April 2020. ALTCOURSEHATFIELDPRESCOEDASHFIELDHAVERIGGPRESTONASKHAM GRANGEHIGH DOWNRANBYAYLESBURYHIGHPOINTRISLEYBEDFORDHINDLEYROCHESTERBELMARSHHEWELLRYE HILLBERWYNHOLLESLEY BAYSENDBIRMINGHAMHOLME HOUSESPRING HILLBRINSFORDHULLSTAFFORDBRISTOLHUMBERSTANDFORD HILLBRIXTONHUNTERCOMBESTOCKENBRONZEFIELDISISSTOKE HEATHBUCKLEY HALLISLE OF WIGHTSTYALBULLINGDONKIRKHAMSUDBURYBUREKIRKLEVINGTON GRANGESWALESIDECARDIFFLANCASTER FARMSSWANSEACHANNINGS WOODLEEDSSWINFEN HALLCHELMSFORDLEICESTERTHAMESIDECOLDINGLEYLEWESTHE MOUNTCOOKHAM WOODLEYHILLTHE VERNEDARTMOORLINCOLNTHORN CROSSDEERBOLTLINDHOLMEUSKDONCASTERLITTLEHEYWAKEFIELDDOVEGATELIVERPOOLWANDSWORTHDOWNVIEWLONG LARTINWARREN HILLDRAKE HALLLOW NEWTONWAYLANDDURHAMLOWDHAM GRANGEWEALSTUNEAST SUTTON PARKMAIDSTONEWERRINGTONEASTWOOD PARKMANCHESTERWETHERBYELMLEYMOORLANDWHATTONERLESTOKEMORTON HALL IMMIGRATION REMOVAL CENTREWHITEMOOREXETERNEW HALLWINCHESTERFEATHERSTONENORTH SEA CAMPWOODHILLFELTHAMNORTHUMBERLANDWORMWOOD SCRUBSFORDNORWICHWYMOTTFOREST BANKNOTTINGHAM FOSTON HALLOAKWOOD FRANKLANDONLEY FULL SUTTONPARC GARTHPENTONVILLE GARTREEPETERBOROUGH GRENDONPETERBOROUGH FEMALE GUYS MARSHPORTLAND We remain committed to reducing crowding across the prison estate. In the year to March 2019, the proportion of prisoners held in crowded accommodation was 22.5%, down from 24.2% the previous year and levels of around 25% experienced since 2004.Our plan for reducing prison crowding is to replace prisons that are operating over their certified normal accommodation levels with new accommodation that is safe, decent, and uncrowded and close current (crowded or partially crowded) capacity. The first steps in this direction have already been taken with the opening of 2,100 uncrowded prison places at HMP/YOI Berwyn; 206 uncrowded places in a houseblock at HMP Stocken; and a commitment to construct modern, decent, uncrowded prisons at the former HMP Wellingborough and HMP Glen Parva sites, which are due to open in 2021 and 2023, respectively, as well as a new prison to be built at HMP Full Sutton alongside the existing establishment.
lord keen of elie: Upon arrival into custody, all prisoners’ suitability to share a cell is risk assessed. These assessments are based on numerous factors including index offence, health concerns and security information (such as beliefs and prejudices).As at 24th April 2020 14,65314,885 cells in prisons in England and Wales were occupied by prisoners on a shared basis. The detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. The following prisons in England and Wales held prisoners on a shared basis as at 24 April 2020. ALTCOURSEHATFIELDPRESCOEDASHFIELDHAVERIGGPRESTONASKHAM GRANGEHIGH DOWNRANBYAYLESBURYHIGHPOINTRISLEYBEDFORDHINDLEYROCHESTERBELMARSHHEWELLRYE HILLBERWYNHOLLESLEY BAYSENDBIRMINGHAMHOLME HOUSESPRING HILLBRINSFORDHULLSTAFFORDBRISTOLHUMBERSTANDFORD HILLBRIXTONHUNTERCOMBESTOCKENBRONZEFIELDISISSTOKE HEATHBUCKLEY HALLISLE OF WIGHTSTYALBULLINGDONKIRKHAMSUDBURYBUREKIRKLEVINGTON GRANGESWALESIDECARDIFFLANCASTER FARMSSWANSEACHANNINGS WOODLEEDSSWINFEN HALLCHELMSFORDLEICESTERTHAMESIDECOLDINGLEYLEWESTHE MOUNTCOOKHAM WOODLEYHILLTHE VERNEDARTMOORLINCOLNTHORN CROSSDEERBOLTLINDHOLMEUSKDONCASTERLITTLEHEYWAKEFIELDDOVEGATELIVERPOOLWANDSWORTHDOWNVIEWLONG LARTINWARREN HILLDRAKE HALLLOW NEWTONWAYLANDDURHAMLOWDHAM GRANGEWEALSTUNEAST SUTTON PARKMAIDSTONEWERRINGTONEASTWOOD PARKMANCHESTERWETHERBYELMLEYMOORLANDWHATTONERLESTOKEMORTON HALL IMMIGRATION REMOVAL CENTREWHITEMOOREXETERNEW HALLWINCHESTERFEATHERSTONENORTH SEA CAMPWOODHILLFELTHAMNORTHUMBERLANDWORMWOOD SCRUBSFORDNORWICHWYMOTTFOREST BANKNOTTINGHAM FOSTON HALLOAKWOOD FRANKLANDONLEY FULL SUTTONPARC GARTHPENTONVILLE GARTREEPETERBOROUGH GRENDONPETERBOROUGH FEMALE GUYS MARSHPORTLAND We remain committed to reducing crowding across the prison estate. In the year to March 2019, the proportion of prisoners held in crowded accommodation was 22.5%, down from 24.2% the previous year and levels of around 25% experienced since 2004.Our plan for reducing prison crowding is to replace prisons that are operating over their certified normal accommodation levels with new accommodation that is safe, decent, and uncrowded and close current (crowded or partially crowded) capacity. The first steps in this direction have already been taken with the opening of 2,100 uncrowded prison places at HMP/YOI Berwyn; 206 uncrowded places in a houseblock at HMP Stocken; and a commitment to construct modern, decent, uncrowded prisons at the former HMP Wellingborough and HMP Glen Parva sites, which are due to open in 2021 and 2023, respectively, as well as a new prison to be built at HMP Full Sutton alongside the existing establishment.
Prison Accommodation
the lord bishop of gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners are currently sharing a cell with one or more others, broken down by prison.
lord keen of elie: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 June 2020.The correct answer should have been:
On arrival into custody, all prisoners’ suitability to share a cell is risk assessed. These assessments are based on numerous factors including index offence, health concerns and security information (such as beliefs and prejudices). Since March, we have introduced strong measures to avoid thousands of prisoners and staff becoming infected with COVID-19. This includes restrictions on movement between jails, the early release of low-risk offenders and the temporary expansion of the prison estate. These measures have helped to contain the spread of the virus and limit deaths. This action has helped to reduce the prison population, allowing establishments to implement ‘compartmentalisation’. We are installing over 1,000 temporary cells to increase space and help reduce the spread of the virus. These units are being placed where there are the highest number of shared cells, a lack of in-cell sanitation and where there are high numbers of vulnerable prisoners. We have also opened an Annex at HMP/YOI Rochester to hold up to 70 men. As at 29 May 2020, 35% of the prison population are sharing cells holding two or more people and this is broken down by establishment in the table below. The detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. PrisonTotal number of prisoners sharing cellsProportionPrisonTotal number of prisoners sharing cellsProportionAltcourse68464%Leicester21968%Ashfield15237%Lewes17633%Askham Grange00%Leyhill00%Aylesbury00%Lincoln42271%Bedford24268%Lindholme33636%Belmarsh47658%Littlehey13412%Berwyn1,05661%Liverpool41259%Birmingham58264%Long Lartin00%Brinsford29053%Low Newton124%Bristol21745%Lowdham Grange61%Brixton53274%Maidstone529%Bronzefield10423%Manchester28439%Buckley Hall7216%Moorland25829%Bullingdon73769%New Hall329%Bure102%North Sea Camp16441%Cardiff39858%Northumberland00%Channings Wood447%Norwich25036%Chelmsford30245%Nottingham40248%Coldingley00%Oakwood81041%Cookham Wood00%Onley15422%Dartmoor00%Parc73646%Deerbolt144%Pentonville66872%Doncaster76070%Peterborough39847%Dovegate22419%Peterborough Female7427%Downview00%Portland12826%Drake Hall4117%Prescoed3617%Durham74482%Preston44169%East Sutton Park8698%Ranby32233%Eastwood Park8026%Risley17817%Elmley68362%Rochester21835%Erlestoke6413%Rye Hill15824%Exeter33471%Send00%Featherstone11017%Spring HillSpringhill2126144%Feltham13044%Stafford50871%Ford0212042%Standford Hill00%Forest Bank80158%Stocken24023%Foston Hall14246%Stoke Heath30242%Frankland00%Styal23562%Full Sutton00%Sudbury23250%Garth223%Swaleside00%Gartree223%Swansea25471%Grendon00%Swinfen Hall6211%Guys Marsh9823%Thameside68062%Hatfield165%The Mount22022%Haverigg00%The Verne214%High Down63356%Thorn Cross3611%Highpoint23618%Usk20784%Hindley24844%Wakefield00%Hewell50864%Wandsworth1,12077%Hollesley Bay4410%Warren Hill00%Holme House72463%Wayland28630%Hull55557%Wealstun00%Humber26027%Werrington00%Huntercombe20845%Wetherby00%Isis24642%Whatton11214%Isle Of Wight15615%Whitemoor00%Kirkham163%Winchester23850%Kirklevington Grange00%Woodhill245%Lancaster Farms12023%Wormwood Scrubs60156%Leeds74675%Wymott162%Grand total 27,84528,18135%
lord keen of elie: On arrival into custody, all prisoners’ suitability to share a cell is risk assessed. These assessments are based on numerous factors including index offence, health concerns and security information (such as beliefs and prejudices). Since March, we have introduced strong measures to avoid thousands of prisoners and staff becoming infected with COVID-19. This includes restrictions on movement between jails, the early release of low-risk offenders and the temporary expansion of the prison estate. These measures have helped to contain the spread of the virus and limit deaths. This action has helped to reduce the prison population, allowing establishments to implement ‘compartmentalisation’. We are installing over 1,000 temporary cells to increase space and help reduce the spread of the virus. These units are being placed where there are the highest number of shared cells, a lack of in-cell sanitation and where there are high numbers of vulnerable prisoners. We have also opened an Annex at HMP/YOI Rochester to hold up to 70 men. As at 29 May 2020, 35% of the prison population are sharing cells holding two or more people and this is broken down by establishment in the table below. The detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. PrisonTotal number of prisoners sharing cellsProportionPrisonTotal number of prisoners sharing cellsProportionAltcourse68464%Leicester21968%Ashfield15237%Lewes17633%Askham Grange00%Leyhill00%Aylesbury00%Lincoln42271%Bedford24268%Lindholme33636%Belmarsh47658%Littlehey13412%Berwyn1,05661%Liverpool41259%Birmingham58264%Long Lartin00%Brinsford29053%Low Newton124%Bristol21745%Lowdham Grange61%Brixton53274%Maidstone529%Bronzefield10423%Manchester28439%Buckley Hall7216%Moorland25829%Bullingdon73769%New Hall329%Bure102%North Sea Camp16441%Cardiff39858%Northumberland00%Channings Wood447%Norwich25036%Chelmsford30245%Nottingham40248%Coldingley00%Oakwood81041%Cookham Wood00%Onley15422%Dartmoor00%Parc73646%Deerbolt144%Pentonville66872%Doncaster76070%Peterborough39847%Dovegate22419%Peterborough Female7427%Downview00%Portland12826%Drake Hall4117%Prescoed3617%Durham74482%Preston44169%East Sutton Park8698%Ranby32233%Eastwood Park8026%Risley17817%Elmley68362%Rochester21835%Erlestoke6413%Rye Hill15824%Exeter33471%Send00%Featherstone11017%Spring HillSpringhill2126144%Feltham13044%Stafford50871%Ford0212042%Standford Hill00%Forest Bank80158%Stocken24023%Foston Hall14246%Stoke Heath30242%Frankland00%Styal23562%Full Sutton00%Sudbury23250%Garth223%Swaleside00%Gartree223%Swansea25471%Grendon00%Swinfen Hall6211%Guys Marsh9823%Thameside68062%Hatfield165%The Mount22022%Haverigg00%The Verne214%High Down63356%Thorn Cross3611%Highpoint23618%Usk20784%Hindley24844%Wakefield00%Hewell50864%Wandsworth1,12077%Hollesley Bay4410%Warren Hill00%Holme House72463%Wayland28630%Hull55557%Wealstun00%Humber26027%Werrington00%Huntercombe20845%Wetherby00%Isis24642%Whatton11214%Isle Of Wight15615%Whitemoor00%Kirkham163%Winchester23850%Kirklevington Grange00%Woodhill245%Lancaster Farms12023%Wormwood Scrubs60156%Leeds74675%Wymott162%Grand total 27,84528,18135% | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2020-08-27 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2020",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Aviation: UK Operations Abroad
Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the financial value of United Kingdom aeroplane companies’ operations abroad.
Baroness Kramer: The Government does not hold information on the financial value of United Kingdom aeroplane companies operations abroad.
Bullying: Cyber and Racist Bullying
Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported rise in cyber and racist bullying, particularly among young people; and what plans they have to address this issue.
Lord Nash: The Department for Education does not collect data on the number of children who have been subject to racist or cyber-bullying specifically. Estimates from an evidence review carried out by the Childhood Wellbeing Centre (at the Institute of Education, University of Kent and Loughborough University) for the Department in 2011, found that between 8% and 34% of children and young people in the UK had been cyber-bullied.
A number of expert organisations, such as the Diana Award and NSPCC, have undertaken surveys to try to measure the problem of cyber-bullying. These surveys reveal a wide variation in the incidence of cyber-bullying.
The Department keeps abreast of research in these areas and is funding a series of questions about bullying and cyber-bullying in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 Crime Survey for England and Wales. This will give us a baseline estimate of prevalence and will help us to track trends over time.
The Government has made tackling all forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying and racist bullying, a top priority. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying amongst pupils. Under the current Ofsted framework school inspectors consider how well schools prevent bullying, harassment and discrimination.
In the Education Act 2011 we strengthened teachers’ powers to discipline pupils for poor behaviour, including bullying. They can now issue same day detentions, confiscate banned items and search for, and if necessary
delete, inappropriate images on mobile phones. Many schools choose to limit mobile phone use during the school day.
We are also providing £4 million of funding over 2 years from spring 2013 to four organisations: Beatbullying, The Diana Award, Kidscape and the NCB to develop effective initiatives to prevent and tackle bullying. These organisations have in place separate evaluations, which will report on the effectiveness of their initiatives.
The Government has pressed for progress through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) and works to protect children online, including from the risk of cyber-bullying. UKCCIS brings together the most important internet organisations, such as Facebook and Microsoft, and is chaired by Government Ministers, including Edward Timpson, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families.
From September 2014 pupils in all four key stages will be taught about e-safety as part of the new curriculum. This will empower young people to tackle cyber-bullying through responsible, respectful and secure use of technology. The new curriculum offers other opportunities to address bullying; for example the new citizenship programme of study sets out a requirement for pupils to be taught about the diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding.
Charities
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they are giving to United Kingdom charities about their communications being monitored by GCHQ.
Baroness Warsi: It is the long-standing policy of successive governments not to comment on matters of intelligence.
Climate Change
Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made on whether members of the Committee on Climate Change have or have had financial interests which may conflict with their independence.
Baroness Verma: The Department’s assessment is that members of the Committee on Climate Change do not have and have not had financial interests which may conflict with their independence whilst in post.
Members are bound by a code of practice and with the rules relating to the use of public funds and to conflicts of interest, set out by the Cabinet Office. One of their responsibilities is to ensure that they must not misuse information gained in the course of their public service for personal gain or for political profit, nor seek to use the opportunity of public service to promote their private interests or those of connected persons or organisations.
DVLA: Medical Advisers
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 11 December 2013 (WA 116), how many (1) full-time, and (2) part-time, doctors are employed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency as Medical Advisers; and whether (a) medical records can be accessed, and (b) medical assessments are ever made, by personnel who are neither qualified medical practitioners nor licensed by the General Medical Council.
Baroness Kramer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) currently employ 14 full time Medical Advisers, six part time Medical Advisers and one full time Senior Medical Adviser.
The DVLA does not have direct access to an individual’s medical record. The DVLA obtains medical information relevant to driving and road safety either from an individual or with their consent, from their GP or consultant.
The information obtained is accessed and assessed for the purposes of making a decision on whether a driving licence should be issued. The assessment may be made by a DVLA Medical Adviser or by a trained official who follows instructions authorised by the Medical Advisers. These trained officials are not qualified medical practitioners or licensed by the General Medical Council.
Employment: Training and Rehabilitation
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to secure the future of Finchale Training College in Durham following the expiry of its contract with the Department for Work and Pensions in August.
Lord Freud: We are continuing to explore all options for Residential Training provision, and no decisions have yet been made on contracts beyond August 2014. In the coming weeks, the Minister for Disabled People, my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead, Mike Penning MP,
intends to meet with all contracted Residential Training Colleges, including Finchale College, to discuss the way forward.
Energy Act 2013
Baroness Worthington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they undertook an assessment of the impact of introducing technology banding to the allocation of Final Investment Decision Enabling Investment Contracts under the Energy Act 2013.
Baroness Verma: The affordability assessment published in Update 3, including the technology-based rules, was developed taking account of the need to deliver a mix of technology in line with the 2020 renewables target and the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan.
Link to Update 3:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263169/FID_Update_3_Contract_Award_Process.pdf
Energy: Biodiesel
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to develop the use of biodiesel made from waste food products.
Baroness Kramer: The Government amended the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in December 2011 to provide extra support to waste-derived biofuels through the award of two Renewable Transport Fuel Certificates (RTFCs) per litre of waste-derived biofuel.
We are assessing the available data and other evidence regarding the impact of these and other changes made to the RTFO in a post implementation review. We published a draft version of that review on 16 December for consultation with industry, this is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/renewable-transport-fuel-obligation-a-draft-post-implementation-review. The final review to be published in the spring will inform decisions on what, if any, changes are necessary to the RTFO to support the use of biofuels made from waste products.
The Department for Transport also published a call for evidence on Advanced Fuels on 12 December, this is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/advanced-fuels-call-for-evidence.
The call for evidence seeks views on what is needed to develop the use of advanced fuels in different transport sectors, including potentially advanced fuels derived from waste.
Energy: Electricity
Baroness Worthington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government at what point the decision was taken to introduce technology banding into early Contracts for Difference in the electricity market; and whether stakeholders were consulted about that decision.
Baroness Verma: The consideration of a mechanism designed to ensure that a range of different technologies benefit from Investment Contracts was included in the publication Final Investment Decision (FID) Enabling for Renewables: Update 1: Invitation to Participate (March 2013) and restated in Update 2: Investment Contract Allocation (July 2013). The process itself was set out in Update 3: Contract Award Process (December 2013).
The affordability assessment published in Update 3, including the technology based rules, was developed taking account of the need to deliver a mix of technology in line with the 2020 renewables target and the ranges consulted on and published in the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan.
Link to Update 1:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/141873/FIDeR_update_doc_Invitation_to_Participate_2013_-_03_ -_14_FINAL.pdf
Link to Update 2:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209367/2013_-_06_-_27_FIDe_Update_2_Master_Draft__2_.pdf
Link to Update 3:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263169/FID_Update_3_Contract_Award_Process.pdf
Energy: Electricity
Baroness Worthington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what impact the decision to limit the number of early Contracts for Difference in the electricity market awarded to biomass conversion projects will have on (1) the security of the United Kingdom electricity supply, (2) wholesale electricity prices, (3) the cost of meeting legally binding European Union renewable energy targets, and (4) the likelihood of meeting legally binding European Union renewable energy targets.
Baroness Verma: Her Majesty’s Government has not taken a decision to limit the number of Investment Contracts awarded to biomass conversion projects. The technology-based rules included in the FID Enabling for Renewables affordability assessment are designed to ensure that the process supports at least a minimum amount of each technology type (which have met the qualifying and minimum threshold criteria).
Final Investment Decision (FID) Enabling for Renewables is one of the measures under the Government’s Electricity Market Reform programme
designed to ensure a reliable, diverse and low-carbon power market. DECC has robust plans to deal with security of supply, working jointly with National Grid and the energy regulator Ofgem.
The FID Enabling for Renewables process was developed taking account of the need to ensure that value for money should be delivered whilst averting investment hiatus and delivering a mix of technology in line with the 2020 renewables target and the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan.
Energy: Electricity
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how often electric power cables to houses are inspected and renovated; and what advice they give to householders where cables are not functioning and there is danger of electrocution.
Baroness Verma: Distribution Network Operators have a statutory duty to ensure their networks provide a safe and reliable electricity supply so far as is reasonably practicable. Inspection and replacement should be of sufficient frequency to comply with that statutory duty. Householders are advised to immediately inform their Distribution Network Operator of any supply interruption or dangerous situation. Details of how to contact the appropriate Distribution Network Operator can be found on electricity bills, on the DECC and Electricity Networks Association websites and in local telephone directories.
Energy: Fracking
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in their review of fracking, they predicted and costed the requirements both of clean water and of cleaning the water discharged by the process, and also the requirement for new roadways to and from the fracking areas.
Baroness Verma: The Government has recently published for public consultation an Environmental Report as part of the process of conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for further onshore oil and gas licensing in Great Britain. This assesses the potential environmental impacts of activities which may be carried out on further licences, on the basis of scenarios of high and low activity for both conventional and unconventional oil and gas. It includes estimates of water consumption and waste water volumes of these scenarios. It does not assess the costs of water supply and water treatment, both of which would fall on the licence holders. The Report can be accessed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/environmental-report-for-further-onshore-oil-and-gas-licensing.
It is not possible at the SEA stage to make any assessment of requirements for new roadways, as those requirements will be entirely dependent on the specific
locations of the activities which may subsequently be proposed and the proximity of those locations to existing roads. Those locations are not ascertainable at this stage.
Oil and gas licences do not convey permission for any actual activities. Such permission depends, among other things, on compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements. In particular, it depends on the obtaining of planning permission. All relevant land use issues, including the implications of the proposed activities for relevant roads, will be taken into account by the relevant planning authority, and the proposals will be subject to public consultation, before any decision is made on the grant of planning permission.
The Environmental Report is open for public consultation until 28 March 2014. All responses to the consultation will be carefully considered before Ministers make any decision about further onshore licensing.
Energy: Nuclear Power Stations
Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 16 December 2013 (WA 152), whether they will now answer the question which was asked.
Baroness Verma: Negotiations over the proposed investment contract, which are based on commercially confidential information, have yet to be concluded.
Should an investment contract be agreed for Hinkley Point C, it would be laid before Parliament subject to the redaction of confidential data in accordance with the provisions set out in the Energy Act together with summaries of the Government’s value for money assessment including an assessment of project returns.
Energy: Nuclear Power Stations
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are in place to evacuate populations from (1) within the three-mile designated emergency planning zone, and (2) the wider thirty-mile zone, around nuclear power plants, in the wake of significant radiation release from an accident in cases where roads within both zones are impassable due to (a) widespread flooding, or (b) heavy snow cover.
Baroness Verma: Detailed off-site plans for responding to reasonably foreseeable radiation emergencies are developed by local authorities hosting nuclear sites in accordance with Regulation 9 of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 (REPPIR). These plans focus upon areas surrounding nuclear sites known as Detailed Emergency Planning Zones (DEPZs). The sizes of these DEPZs differ from site to site, ranging from 1km to 3.5 kilometres in radius.
Local Authorities hosting nuclear sites are advised to draw up plans to enable them to extend measures described in their detailed plans if necessary (e.g. in response to very severe emergencies). These are known as “extendibility” plans. Further information about extendibility planning is available on the gov.uk website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69113/NEPLG_guidance_ch_9_-_extendibility.pdf.
Off-site plans cover the application of a range of counter-measures, one of which is evacuation. Local Authorities must ensure that their off-site plans are resilient to a range of weather conditions (e.g. those leading to, or involving, flooding or heavy snow).
In accordance with REPPIR, off-site plans are reviewed and tested on a regular basis, to assess their accuracy and effectiveness, and are continually updated and improved. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is responsible for ensuring that such reviews and tests take place. Further information about REPPIR is available on the Health and Safety Executive's web site : http://www.hse.gov.uk/radiation/ionising/reppir.htm.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) also continually assess the UK's overall preparedness in terms of planning for, and being able to respond to, nuclear emergencies.
Following the events at Fukushima in Japan in 2011, ONR carried out a detailed assessment of the implications of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami for the UK (the Weightman Report), which included analysis and recommendations concerning preparedness for severe and prolonged emergencies. The 2011 report and the assessment of progress against the report can be found on the Health and Safety Executive’s website:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/fukushima/.
Forestry and Woodlands Advisory Committees
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are taking steps to ensure that the collective knowledge and experience of Regional Advisory Committee staff is being retained within the new Forestry and Woodlands Advisory Committees.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they anticipate that the new Forestry and Woodlands Advisory Committees will have a role in extending and improving community involvement in woodlands; and, if so, how.
Lord De Mauley: Around 40% of the current Forestry and Woodlands Advisory Committee membership previously served on the Regional Advisory Committees. Each Committee has a minimum of four members with previous experience.
Forestry and Woodlands Advisory Committees will have a role in extending and improving community involvement in woodlands where this aligns with their core remit. This includes advocating and championing woodlands partnership working at local level.
Government Departments: Administrative Costs and Salaries
Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the administrative costs, including salaries, of the private offices of each Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for the last year for which figures are available.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The administrative costs for each of the BIS Ministers’ private offices during financial year 2012/2013 were:
£
Dr Vince Cable 625,400
Norman Lamb MP / Jo Swinson MP 326,456
Rt Hon David Willetts MP 448,328
John Hayes MP / Matthew Hancock MP 206,560
Baroness Wilcox / Lord Marland / Lord Younger 198,512
Mark Prisk MP / Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP 384,586
Lord Green 300,632
The above costs, where relevant, include both Ministers and private office staff pay costs, travel and transport related costs. Other administrative costs are centrally funded and could only be separated out at disproportionate cost.
Housing: Funding
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider extending discretionary housing payments to the rural areas with the smallest numbers of one bedroom properties, in addition to the areas already covered.
Lord Freud: Following the Autumn Statement it was agreed that the additional £5 million funding for the most rural/remote areas would be maintained in 2014/15. The Department is currently consulting Local Authority Associations and will provide details of individual allocations by early February.
Housing: Funding
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will report on the use of discretionary housing payments in the 21 least densely populated rural
districts of the United Kingdom, as announced by the Department for Work and Pensions on 30 July 2013.
Lord Freud: The Department has collated and published information about the use of Discretionary Housing Payments by Local Authorities in Great Britain for the first six months of the financial year from April 2013 to September 2013. The information was published on 20 December 2013 and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments
In 2013 the government contribution to Discretionary Housing Payments was increased to £180 million. As part of this, local authorities are able to bid for funding from a £20 million reserve fund. The scheme is open to bids until 3 February 2014.
Israel
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have received relating to Israel’s investigation of the killing of Wajih al Ramahi in Jalazone refugee camp.
Baroness Warsi: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have informed us that the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has launched an investigation into the incident but cannot confirm whether the minor died as a result of IDF live fire.
Israel and Palestine
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom security services have been consulted by Shin Bet about named parliamentarians associated with the Council for European Palestinian Relations or any visits organised by the Council.
Baroness Warsi: It is the long-standing policy of successive governments not to comment on matters of intelligence.
Public Documents: Retention
Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, in respect of public documents for which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is responsible, to meet their commitment to reduce the period of retention from 30 to 20 years; and
when they expect to release to the National Archives documents relating to Mauritius and the British Indian Ocean Territory for years later than 1980.
Baroness Warsi: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), like all Government departments, is required to achieve the release of its records at the 20-year mark by transferring two years’ of selected records to the National Archives (TNA) over every year of the transitional period (2013-2022).
Work on the release of colonial administration files over the 2011-2013 period has regrettably caused a backlog in the regular annual transfer of FCO departmental files to TNA. The colonial files project was completed in November 2013 and we have now deployed all of our file transfer resources onto annual release. We publish the order in which we will be transferring files to the TNA on our website at: www.gov.uk/archive-records.
FCO departmental files relating to Mauritius and the British Indian Ocean Territory form part of the FCO 31 class (Eastern Africa) at TNA. We expect 1981 and 1982 FCO 31 files to transfer to the TNA later this year following which the TNA will require a further period to prepare the files for public release. We are working closely with the TNA on the transfer of files in the FCO 31 class for later years.
Schools: Academies
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many academy-sponsored schools there are in (1) England, and (2) Wales and what proportion of such schools have been established by (a) individual sponsors, (b) faith communities, (c) businesses, (d) other academies and (e) universities.
Lord Nash: The information you requested relating to English academies can be found below. The Department for Education is not responsible for education in Wales.
Total number of sponsored academies in England 997
Proportion established by individual sponsors 7%
Proportion established by faith communities 9%
Proportion established by businesses 5%
Proportion established by other academies 24%
Proportion established by universities 3%
Schools: Asbestos
Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their intention that the asbestos awareness guidance for schools, issued by the Department for Education, be adopted in Wales.
Lord Nash: The responsibility for the management of asbestos in schools in Wales is devolved to the Welsh Government and does not rest with the Department for Education. I understand, however, that the Welsh Government intends issuing similar guidance on asbestos management to schools in Wales shortly.
Schools: Free Schools
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are ensuring that free schools are established in areas in need of school places; and whether any of the funding for additional school places has been specifically allocated for the establishment of free schools.
Lord Nash: Free schools are set up in response to demand from parents for a new school in their area. In assessing the merits of individual free school applications, the Department for Education takes into account, amongst other things, the basic need for places, the level of demand from local parents and the quality of existing schools in the area.
Seventy per cent of open mainstream free schools are in areas of basic need. When all free schools in the pipeline are open, the Department expects 150,000 extra places will have been created by the programme, with many more to come.
Over the current spending review and in addition to the free schools programme, the Department is spending £5 billion on addressing the shortage of places through basic need funding—more than double the amount spent by the previous Government over an equivalent four year period.
Schools: Ofsted Report
Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to the 2012–13 Ofsted Report on schools, what steps they are taking to ensure that schools address the criticism that in one third of the schools inspected “English and Mathematics are not taught well enough” (page 6).
Lord Nash: We are radically reforming the English and mathematics curriculum and qualifications, raising expectations so that they match the best worldwide and providing effective support to schools and teachers to improve their teaching.
In primary we have published a more rigorous curriculum with a greater level of demand. The new English national curriculum places a greater focus on grammar, spelling and punctuation, with a new test
for 11 year olds. We have strengthened the requirements on learning to read through systematic synthetic phonics since evidence shows this works best, especially in children aged five to seven. Between September 2011 and October 2013, we offered match funding of up to £3,000 to all state primary schools with key stage 1 pupils, so that they can purchase high quality phonic products. £22.9 million in match funding has been claimed by 13,430 schools. We have also introduced a phonics screening check at age six so that teachers can intervene early to help children catch up. In mathematics, children will know their times tables by age nine and calculators will be removed from the test for 11 year olds to ensure that children get a rigorous grounding in mental and written arithmetic.
In secondary, mathematics GCSE will be more challenging for all, while stretching the most able, and there is a strengthened requirement in English GCSEs to use accurate spelling and punctuation. We expect schools will increase time spent teaching mathematics, bringing us in line with our international competitors. The recently announced Progress 8 measure gives double weighting to English and mathematics in performance tables for the first time. For Year 7 pupils who have not achieved level 4 at key stage 2 in reading and/or mathematics we have introduced a catch-up premium worth £500 per pupil and £54 million in 2012-13. This enables secondary schools to deliver additional support, such as individual tuition or intensive support in small groups, for those pupils that most need it.
We continue to fund the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) and we recently announced £11 million over the next two years to create a network of “mathematics hubs”, led by teaching schools, which will drive up the quality of mathematics education from the early years to age 19.
We have increased investment in teacher training bursaries and scholarships for mathematics: mathematics graduates can now get up to £25,000, and there are no limits on the number of initial teacher training places in mathematics. Furthermore, subject knowledge enhancement courses give graduates and career changers the chance to develop the expert knowledge needed to teach mathematics.
We are also reforming post-16 education, including A Levels in English and mathematics, and have set out our ambition for the majority of young people in England to study mathematics at least to age 18 by 2020. Students who have not achieved at least a grade C at GCSE in mathematics and/or English are now required to continue to study the subject. In addition, new Core Mathematics qualifications are being developed for those students with GCSE grade C or above who do not go on to study A or AS level mathematics.
Schools: Ofsted Report
Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to the 2012–13 Ofsted Report on schools, whether they accept as adequate the recommendations for “raising standards in English” (page 19), or whether they intend to take steps to ensure that attention is explicitly paid to vocabulary development and enrichment.
Lord Nash: We recognise that standards in English need to be raised and have reformed the English national curriculum so that it matches the best worldwide.
We accept that the teaching of writing is important and all pupils are expected to develop and progress their competence in writing including planning, revising and evaluating their work. Writing also depends on fluent and legible handwriting and the new curriculum requires that pupils are given sufficient time to learn how to form letters correctly, confidently and with ease.
The new English curriculum emphasises the importance of teaching vocabulary throughout the key stages and we have added a separate section on vocabulary, grammar and punctuation for Years 1 to 6. A new grammar, punctuation and spelling test was introduced in 2013 at key stage 2.
Reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information is one of the overarching aims of the new English curriculum and all pupils are encouraged to establish a life-long love of reading.
We recognise that a high-quality education in English will help pupils in their lives, now and in the future. The new English curriculum will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so they can communicate to a range of audiences and for different purposes and contexts. Through reading and the study of poetry, prose and drama pupils will have an opportunity to develop culturally, emotionally and socially.
Schools: Ofsted Report
Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to the 2012–13 Ofsted Report on schools, what action they are taking to eradicate the “pockets of weak educational provision in parts of the country” (page 4).
Lord Nash: We take action to transform consistently under-performing schools, including those judged by Ofsted to be inadequate, into sponsored academies with a high quality sponsor who can turn performance around rapidly. Ofsted has implemented a more rigorous inspection framework, with performance data ensuring inspections are targeted on the weakest schools and a recognition that any school less than “good” is not performing well enough.
This year, in primary sponsored academies the proportion of pupils that achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics improved by 3%, compared to 1% in local authority maintained schools.
In secondary sponsored academies, results have been improving faster than in other schools over recent years. For those open for three years, results have improved by 12% since opening, higher than the increase of 5% seen in local authority maintained schools over the same period.
We have issued statutory guidance1 to local authorities that make very clear our expectations that they should take swift and robust action when maintained schools are not good enough. This includes our expectation that poorly performing schools should become sponsored academies.
1
Available at: http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/statutory/ g00192418/scc
Schools: Sulivan Primary School
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they (1) have made, (2) plan to make, and (3) have received, from interested parties, regarding the proposed closure of Sulivan Primary School by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham; and when they will be in a position to consider, and make a decision on, the school’s application for academy status.
Lord Nash: The Department for Education has not made and has no plans to make any representations regarding the proposed closure of Sulivan Primary School. The Department received representations from two interested parties, one from the Chair of Governors of Sulivan Primary School and the other from a local supporter of the school’s application to convert to academy status. The Department will review Sulivan Primary School’s application to convert and join the LDBS Multi Academy Trust once the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham has made its decision on the proposed closure.
South Sudan
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the ability of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan to deal with the situation there; and whether it has adequate capacity to deal with the number of civilians in need of protection.
Baroness Warsi: The UK is deeply concerned by the terrible violence in South Sudan that began in December. The United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan has played a vital role in protecting many thousands of civilians in its bases and in providing humanitarian assistance to those affected by fighting across the country. The scale of the violence has stretched the resources of the mission, and we therefore fully support the increase of the mission’s authorised forces by an additional five battalions (5,500 troops) and three formed police units (480 personnel), which was agreed by the Security Council’s unanimous adoption of resolution 2132 (2013) on 24 December.
Syria: Chemical Weapons
Lord Robertson of Port Ellen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what enquiries have been made regarding the chemical signatures on the chemical weapons declared by the Assad regime in Syria since July.
Baroness Warsi: The Chemical Weapons Convention and the US-Russia framework for Syrian accession requires that the destruction of all material related to Syria’s programme is independently verified by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Sampling analysis by OPCW inspectors takes place to confirm the declared identity of the chemicals to be destroyed. Under the terms of the Chemical Weapons Convention Verification Annex Part IV (a), sampling is not carried out in order to confirm the synthetic route used.
Syria: Chemical Weapons
Lord Robertson of Port Ellen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish any findings by the United Nations about the manufacture and origin of the chemical weapons declared by the Assad regime in Syria.
Baroness Warsi: The findings of the UN inspection mission into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria are set out in their reports of 16 September and 13 December 2013. The inspectors’ mandate was to determine whether chemical weapons had been used, not to determine the place of origin and manufacture of the weapons. However, as part of the process of accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention, Syria is required to make comprehensive declarations regarding its programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). These declarations include detail on the origin of material used to manufacture the weapons. These are classified under the Convention’s confidentiality regime and are available only to States Parties in accordance with OPCW agreed protocols, and are not for public release.
Syria: Chemical Weapons
Lord Robertson of Port Ellen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any evidence has emerged of Iraqi origin in the chemical weapons so far declared by the Assad regime in Syria.
Baroness Warsi: As part of the process of accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention, Syria is required to make comprehensive declarations regarding its programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). These declarations include detail on the origin of material used to manufacture the weapons. These declarations are classified under the Convention’s confidentiality regime and are only available only to States Parties in accordance with OPCW agreed protocols, and are not for public release.
UK Honours
Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria were used to determine which new year honours should appear in the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List section of the New Year Honours List 2014.
Baroness Warsi: The criterion used for considering awards on the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague)’s Diplomatic Service and Overseas New Year 2014 Honours List was service performed overseas or in the United Kingdom with a significant international component. As with all British honours, recommendations for awards are based on exceptional merit in order to reward excellence in achievement and service in support of British interests.
United Arab Emirates
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the United Arab Emirates about the treatment of migrant workers in Abu Dhabi; and with what result.
Baroness Warsi: We regularly discuss human rights with the Government of the United Arab Emirates. We most recently made recommendations relating to the living and working conditions of foreign workers during the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review in January 2013.
Universal Credit
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why universal credit claimants who use the Simple Payment service will not be able to withdraw their universal credit payments in instalments if they wish.
Lord Freud: Customers using the Simple Payment service can only withdraw the whole amount (and not part) of each benefit payment at the same time, up to a daily limit of £600.
Consequently Universal Credit recipients who want to withdraw only part of their payment will, in line with any other benefit or pension recipient, need to use an account with this functionality.
Vehicles: Taxation
Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has the sole right to choose which sub-post offices may handle vehicle tax renewals.
Baroness Kramer: Post Office Limited is responsible for selecting the appropriate outlets from its network of Branches to meet the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s requirement for service delivery across a wide geographical spread. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2014-01-15a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Overseas Aid: Debt Relief and AIDS-related Assistance
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of their proposed increase in overseas development aid will be devoted to (a) debt relief and (b) the prevention and treatment of AIDS, and assistance to children orphaned as a result of AIDS and other causes
Baroness Amos: (a) The proportion of DfID's departmental expenditure limit (DEL) earmarked for debt relief over the period 2001-02 to 2003-04 is 1.12 per cent in 2001-02, 1.24 per cent in 2002-03 and 0.18 per cent in 2003-04. This excludes DfID's contribution to EC contributions for debt relief under HIPC, of approximately 43 million euro in both 2001-02 and 2002-03.
(b) DfID's next resource allocation exercise will determine the use of the budget to 2003-04. The outcome will be published in the 2001 departmental report. It is not possible to say at this stage what specific allocation will be made towards prevention and treatment of AIDS and assistance to orphaned children.
Climate Change and Human Migration
Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What contingency plans they are making, together with other governments, to cope with the consequences of any large-scale migration and human displacement which may result from climate change
Baroness Amos: The UK is actively participating in the development of the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This report, to be published in 2001, will assess the state of knowledge on the impacts of climate change, including the possibility of human migration as a result of climate change. This assessment will build on earlier discussion of the issue in the IPCC's Second Assessment Report, published in 1995. Meanwhile we are playing a full part in supporting measures to mitigate the effects of natural disasters, and in establishing effective international and regional mechanisms for responding to them when they do occur.
Nandrolone: Report
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish their response to the UK Sport report on nandrolone which was published in January.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Her Majesty's Government welcomed the UK Sport report into nandrolone when it was published and have been discussing the findings with governing bodies of sport. We are pleased to say the report has been welcomed as a valuable piece of work both at home and abroad.
However, UK Sport has since reconvened the group to look at new developments that have emerged since the publication of the original report. Once UK Sport has made a statement on the new developments, we will respond formally to the report.
Departmental Cars
Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 11 July (WA 25), which cars supplied by the Government Car and Despatch Agency are for the use of Ministers and senior officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; and what are the numbers, types and makes of the vehicles used.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by the noble and Learned Lord, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, on 24 July (Official Report, WA 16). The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has five cars for this purpose, supplied by the Government Car and Despatch Agency, comprising three Ford Mondeos, one Vauxhall Vectra and one Vauxhall Omega. The Royal Parks Agency does not use any cars supplied by the GCDA.
Departmental Cars
Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 6 July (WA 148), which cars supplied by the Government Car and Despatch Agency are for the use of Ministers and senior officials in the Ministry of Defence; and what are the numbers, types and makes of the vehicles used.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer which my noble friend Lord Falconer gave him on 24 July, WA 16.
Chinook Helicopter ZD576
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 12 July (WA 35) on the Chinook helicopter ZD576, whether they will now say "whether there were any advantages in terms of safety or of time in overflying the Mull of Kintyre rather than following the original flight plan".
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: If the strict visibility requirements under visual flight rules had permitted, or the pilots of ZD576 had abided by instrument flight rules, there might have been some time advantage in diverting from the original flight plan and overflying the Mull of Kintyre. Whichever route had been chosen, safety would not have been compromised if the crew had adhered to the appropriate rules for the weather conditions encountered.
Offences against the Person Act 1861 and British Troops under NATO Command
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the provisions of Section 9 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 operate fairly in relation to British soldiers under NATO command.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Yes. British troops remain subject to English law under whomsoever they serve and wherever they serve in the world.
Immigration Appeals: Revised Rules
Viscount Chandos: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consultation has taken place about new procedure rules for appeals to the Immigration Appellate Authorities; and when will the new rules be laid before Parliament.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: A paper highlighting the main issues was laid before Parliament during the passage of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Recently, a wide range of users across the United Kingdom, and the Council on Tribunals, were consulted about draft new rules. Changes are being made following that exercise. A cross-section of users has been kept closely in touch throughout development of the rules and that dialogue is continuing. Once this consultation is over, the rules will be laid during the Recess.
Part-time Judicial Appointments
Viscount Chandos: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Chancellor on 12 April 2000 (WA 41) and 5 June 2000 (WA 139-141) when a further announcement will be made on part-time judicial appointments to tribunals.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: Following the earlier announcements about new arrangements for a number of part-time judicial appointments, similar arrangements have now been put in place for an additional range of part-time tribunal appointments for which I am jointly or solely responsible and for appointments made by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to Employment Tribunals.
These changes will come into effect immediately.
I am placing in the Libraries of both Houses joint statements signed by myself and/or the Secretary of State and by the Lord Chief Justice covering the following fixed-term appointments to Tribunals: Lord Chancellor
Part-time Chairmen of Employment Tribunals
Part-time Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of the Copyright Tribunal
The "appointed person" to hear appeals under the Trade Marks Act 1994
Reinstatement Committees and Umpires
Part-time members of the Restrictive Practices Court
Chairmen and ordinary members of the Reserved Forces Appeal Tribunals
Part-time Chairmen of the Plant Varieties and Seeds Tribunal Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Part-time lay members of the Employment Appeal Tribunal Secretary State for Trade and Industry
Part-time members of the Employment Tribunals
Unlawful Imprisonment
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many sentences of imprisonment by magistrates have been declared unlawful by the High Court since 1992 involving:
(a) council tax default;
(b) community charge default;
(c) fines default; and
(d) fathers in default of payments ordered by the Child Support Agency;
and how many cases have been reviewed by the High Court in each category.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
Unlawful Imprisonment
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many applications for compensation for unlawful imprisonment have been made to the European Court of Human Rights involving:
(a) council tax default;
(b) community charge default;
(c) fines default; and
(d) fathers in default of payments ordered by the Child Support Agency.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: One hundred and thirty-eight applications in one or other of the categories specified at various times have been communicated to the Government of the United Kingdom for observations. The Government does not know how many other similar applications may have been made and rejected without communication, or may await consideration by the Court and may be communicated later. It is not possible to list the numbers for each category because not all applications contain the necessary information. But the majority, including the original case of this type Benham v UK, fall into category (b): community charge default.
Ministerial Accountability Following Devolution
Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether additional guidance will be published to show those issues for which Ministers remain responsible following devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: I am today placing in the Library a Devolution Guidance Note (Number 11) on ministerial accountability after devolution, covering Scotland and Wales. The guidance note will also be made available on the Cabinet Office website (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk). While the note does not supplant the devolution legislation, it is intended to offer a lay guide to the broad areas which remain the responsibility of UK Ministers, and for which they are accountable to the UK Parliament. The note will be expanded over the summer to include guidance on Northern Ireland.
Montgomeryshire: Magistrates' Courts
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will take steps to ensure the continued availability of magistrates' courts within the Montgomeryshire part of the County of Powys.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: The Government's policy is that magistrates' courts are best managed locally. Decisions about the number, location and future of magistrates' courts in the Montgomeryshire part of Powys, are for Dyfed Powys Magistrates' Courts Committee to determine, in consultation with its local paying authority.
I expect Committees to undertake regular reviews of their accommodation requirements, in order to provide modern facilities which meet the needs of all court users. This includes the possibility of sharing court accommodation with the Court Service and other agencies. The Crown Court already sits occasionally at Welshpool.
Dyfed Powys Magistrates' Courts Committee has bid for a new courthouse in Newtown under the Private Finance Initiative. In the Autumn, my Department will be reviewing all the new courthouse projects including the Dyfed Powys scheme, to consider which projects should be in the next building phase.
American Bar Association Visit
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What funding and support in kind they are contributing to events connected with the visit of the American Bar Association to the United Kingdom this month:
(a) in the Palace of Westminster; and
(b) elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: I hosted a Reception in the Lord Chancellor's Residence on Sunday 16 July 2000, and a Dinner at Lancaster House on Monday 17 July, for participants in the American Bar Association conference. Both of these events were funded by the Government. The total cost is estimated at £8,000. In addition, the Royal Gallery was made available for the morning of Tuesday 18 July 2000, followed by a lunch in the Cholmondeley Room; Cherie Booth QC hosted a reception at No. 10 Downing Street that evening; and Baroness Scotland hosted a reception in the Durbar Court on the evening of Thursday 20 July 2000. In each case the American Bar Association met the full expense.
Ufl Ltd
Viscount Chandos: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What effect Ufl Ltd's change to charitable status has had on its financial and other arrangements with the Department for Education and Employment.
Baroness Blackstone: Further to my reply dated 11 January, Official Report, col. WA 100, in order to achieve charitable status, Ufl Ltd. has split into two companies: one, the charity "UFI Charitable Trust", which wholly owns the second, its trading subsidiary "Ufi Limited", which is the operating company.
The controls exercised by my right honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment have been adjusted in the light of the new company structure.
Each company's Memorandum and Articles of Association were approved by the Secretary of State and the Department for Education and Employment continues to exercise similar controls over the companies, although the Secretary of State's right to appoint the Chairman and between 30 and 49 per cent of Ufi Limited's Board of Directors/members is now time-limited to 31 March 2005. The Secretary of State's control over appointment of the chairman and directors of the charity is not time bound.
The previous Funding Agreement between the Department and Ufl Ltd. has been superseded by one with both companies which provides for a number of checks and controls on the spending of public funds. It specifies the requirement to submit an annual Financial Plan for the approval of the Secretary of State. The Funding Agreement and the Financial Plan provide the basis for financial support.
Ufi Limited will own the assets it creates (mainly intellectual property rights on learning products) and retain any receipts from the disposal of assets. The department will take account of any income received by Ufi Limited as a result of government investment, including asset disposal proceeds, in fixing the level of future financial support. This regime will apply only so long as Ufi Limited receives government support.
If the Funding Agreement is terminated due to breach of contract or insolvency, the intellectual property rights will pass to the Secretary of State if he so requests. The Memorandum of the charity provides that, if it is wound up or dissolved, the Secretary of State has a right of veto over the disposition of any remaining assets. The charity cannot dispose of any of the shares of Ufi Limited without the prior authority of the Secretary of State. The charity cannot alter the constitution of Ufi Limited in so far as this affects the Secretary of State's controls.
Merrywood School
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Paymaster General, when launching the Government's Annual Report in Bristol on 13 July, explained how the closure of Merrywood School, Knowle West, Bristol, improved the educational opportunities for the children of Knowle West.
Baroness Blackstone: As the noble Lord is aware, the Annual Report describes, amongst other factors, the Government's progress in improving standards of education. It also underlines our commitment to ensure "high standards are met in every school and college" so that "the talents of all can be developed to the full".
My right honourable Friend the Secretary of State's decision to approve the proposals to close Merrywood fully accords with this commitment. In reaching his decision, the Secretary of State was mindful of the fact that Merrywood has been in special measures since April 1997. Since going into special measures, OFSTED has undertaken seven monitoring visits. Despite this, the school has still not made sufficient improvements to be removed from special measures. Numbers on roll are low, attendance levels are low and academic achievement is the lowest in the LEA. As a result, the small number of pupils displaced by the school's closure will be likely to benefit by accessing a better standard of education through attending alternative schools.
Sex Education in Schools
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give an account of all their contacts and discussions with members of the Bishop's Bench regarding guidance and legislation concerning principles of sex education in schools in a form which will enable members of the House of Lords to respond adequately to correspondence from Christian and other groups.
Baroness Blackstone: DfEE Ministers and officials maintain close relationships with the Church of England Education Service (as well as representatives of other faith groups) as a matter of course on all education matters. A number of Church representatives commented on the draft sex and relationship education guidance issued for consultation on 16 March. DfEE Ministers discussed in detail with the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Blackburn, in his capacity as Chairman of the Church of England Education Service, and Archbishop Nichols, in his capacity as Chairman of the Department for Education and Formation of the Bishops' conference of England and Wales, the government amendment to the Learning and Skills Bill introduced by the Government at Lords Third Reading in March. Subsequent to the defeat of this amendment, the Government drew up a further amendment, introduced in another place. The Bishop of Blackburn also introduced a further amendment at Lords Consideration of Commons amendments. There was an exchange of information between the Government and the Bishop of Blackburn about this amendment, but no negotiation. The Secretary of State has in the course of the last six months had a range of discussions and correspondence with a variety of organisations and representatives as part of the formal consultation on the guidance.
Children's Commission for Wales
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make it their policy to ensure that any arrangements made in Wales for the appointment of a Children's Commissioner will achieve the impartial representation of the interests of children living in Wales, together with the ability to pursue individual cases; and in addition the establishment of a commission to advocate and lobby in the general interests of children.
Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: The Care Standards Act, which received Royal Assent on 20 July, allows for the provision of a Children's Commissioner for Wales. The remit of the commissioner extends to all children covered by the services regulated in the Care Standards Act.
Appointment to the post of Children's Commissioner will be for the National Assembly for Wales. They are currently considering the details of the specification and selection process for the post. The appointment will be advertised publicly and widely and will be subject to open competition and be on merit.
The Assembly has put proposals to the Secretary of State to extend the role of the commissioner to all children and across a wider range of services.
Poorest and Richest Households: Income
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the number of households existing on less than half the average weekly income (after housing costs) in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what was the average weekly income, after housing costs, in each of the last five years for which figures are available for (a) the poorest tenth of all households and (b) the richest tenth.
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The number of individuals living in households with incomes below half contemporary average (mean) was published in Table H1 of Households Below Average Income 1994-95 1998-99, a copy of which is in the Library.
The information on average weekly incomes is given in the table below. Analysis of expenditure patterns of the bottom decile suggests that income information for those in the bottom decile does not necessarily reflect their living standards. For this reason, figures for the bottom decile should be treated with caution. Users of HBAI statistics are encouraged to look at analysis of the bottom quintile (20 per cent), and so the income levels for this group have been additionally included in the table.
Median Income (in £ per week) of the bottom decile and top decile after housing costs (in February 2000 prices) -- £ per week
Including self-employed Excluding self-employed
Bottom decile Bottom quintile Top decile Bottom decile Bottom quintile Top decile
1994-95 66 93 565 74 97 535
1995-96 71 96 574 78 98 543
1996-97 73 96 596 77 97 568
1997-98 71 98 603 78 100 573
1998-99 77 101 639 82 103 603
Notes:
1. The HBAI estimates are taken from the Family Resources Survey and relate to Great Britain.
2. The median has been used as the measure of the average income in the bottom and top decile and bottom quintile in line with HBAI conventions. This measure is preferred to the mean because it measures the central income of the group and is less influenced by possibly unrepresentative outliers.
3. All estimates are subject to sampling error and response bias and small changes between years may be influenced by these. Results for individual years may be sensitive to the way in which household incomes are adjusted for size and composition: the picture of changes over time is less sensitive to this.
4. Figures are provided both including and excluding the self-employed reflecting concerns over the accuracy of income information for the self-employed.
Source: Family Resources Survey
GLA Side Roads
Lord Bowness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many roads in Greater London have been designated as Greater London Authority side roads.
Lord Whitty: The Greater London Authority side roads in each borough are designated in a series of Statutory Instruments as follows: The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Barking and Dagenham) Designation Order 2000 (SI 2000/1256);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Barnet) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1257);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Bexley) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1258);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Brent) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1259);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Bromley) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1260);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Camden) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1261);
The GLA Side Roads (City of London) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1262);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Croydon) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1263);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Ealing) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1286);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Enfield) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1287);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Greenwich) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1288);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Hackney) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1289);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1290);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Haringey) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1291);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Havering) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1292);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Hillingdon) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1293);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Hounslow) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1307);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Islington) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1371);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1308);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Kingston) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1309);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Lambeth) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1312);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Lewisham) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1310);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Merton) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1313);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Newham) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1311);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Redbridge) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1372);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Richmond) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1373);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Southwark) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1374);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Sutton) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1375);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Tower Hamlets) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1376);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Waltham Forest) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1377);
The GLA Side Roads (London Borough of Wandsworth) Designation Order 2000 (SI2000/1378);
The GLA Side Roads (City of Westminster) Designation Order 2000 (SI 2000/1379).
GLA Side Roads
Lord Bowness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, as a consequence of designation as Greater London Authority side roads, the Greater London Authority has to be consulted as the highway authority in respect of all applications for planning permission relating to properties fronting the designated length of these side roads.
Lord Whitty: No. Transport for London is not the highway authority for these side roads. It is the traffic authority only.
London Underground Limited: Performance
Lord Shepherd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish details of London Underground Limited's peformance in 1999-2000.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The below table shows a comparison of London Underground Limited's performance in 1999-2000 to that in 1998-99. It also shows the performance targets that London Underground have been set to achieve by the end of 2000-01.
1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 target
Capacity (train kms run) 61.2 63.1 67.3 [10% increase on 98-99 performance]
Reliability (unweighted excess journey time in minutes) 3.15 3.21 3.02 [4% improvement on 98-99]
Customer satisfaction measures (average scores out of 100)
Train Service 75 75 77
Information 77 77 77
Customer Safety & Security 81 81 83
Staff Helpfulness & Availability 68 70 70
Cleanliness 67 68 69
Railway Station Car Park Charges
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to exercise directly or indirectly control over car parking prices and the provision of services in railway station car parks.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: Car parking charges and services are a commercial matter for station operators. It is not proposed that the Franchising Director will regulate car parking charges directly under the provisions of the Transport Bill. However, it is expected that there will be reasonable commercial and contractual incentives on operators to keep car parking charges to a minimum. Many train operators already have contractual commitments to provide CCTV and additional security patrols at station car parks. The Franchising Director will be seeking further improvements through the franchise replacement process.
Ten-year Transport Plan
Lord Lea of Crondall: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What changes are implied by the 10-Year Transport Plan for the financing and scheduling of county road schemes such as Surrey County Council's proposed "Hickleys Corner" underpass on the A.31 primary route in Farnham.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: Our plan provides for the investment of £180 billion in transport over the next 10 years, including £59 billion in local transport. The allocation of this funding to particular areas of local transport will be determined through Local Transport Plans and other decision-making processes, but it is our assessment that over the life of the plan the heightened level of investment could fund 200 major local road improvements. It is for Surrey County Council to determine whether and when to propose the A.31 Hickleys Corner scheme as part of its Local Transport Plan.
Ten-year Transport Plan
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the 10-Year Plan, Transport 2010, what proposals or support they have for new or enhanced routes for rail freight from the North of England to the South East and the Channel Tunnel.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The 10-Year Plan anticipates a requirement for around £4 billion of investment in rail freight to support our target of 80 per cent growth in the volume of freight moved by rail. This investment will be required at locations throughout the network and will include gauge and capacity enhancements, new terminals and new rolling stock. Rail freight should also benefit from some passenger enhancement projects on the West Coast and East Coast Main Lines.
Decisions on which schemes to support are for the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority, which will publish its strategic plan later this year.
Ten-year Transport Plan
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the 10-Year Plan, Transport 2010, what proportion of the £7 billion rail modernisation fund and "levered in" private capital is expected to be used for the development and increase of freight capacity on the rail network.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The Rail Modernisation Fund will cover support for both passenger and freight infrastructure enhancements and lever-in a much greater amount of private capital. The split in spending between passenger and freight investment will depend on franchise replacement and will be strongly influenced by the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority's rail freight strategy. The Shadow SRA will publish its plan later this year.
Ten-year Transport Plan
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the 10-Year Plan, Transport 2010, what is the target date for phasing out the "Pacer" (class 14X) units from the rail network.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: There is no mandatory requirement for the removal of Pacer units from the rail network.
Ten-year Transport Plan
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the 10-Year Plan, Transport 2010, what are the expected changes in the amount of domestic freight traffic carried by road between now and 2010:
(1) as an absolute tonnage; and
(2) as a share of the market;
in both cases (a) without, and (b) with, the extra investment set out in the plan.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: Without the extra investment and other measures contained in the 10-Year Transport Plan, freight traffic in Great Britain carried by road, measured in tonne-kilometres, was forecast to increase by 24 per cent between 2000 and 2010. With the Plan, expected growth falls to 16 per cent.
Without 10-Year Plan measures, road freight's share of the overall market is expected to increase to approximately 67 per cent by 2010. With the plan, this share is projected to fall to approximately 63 per cent of the overall market.
Ten-year Transport Plan
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the investment and other spending set out in the 10-Year Plan, Transport 2010, will lead to through rail services for passengers from the North of England to the European mainland via the Channel Tunnel.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The 10-Year Plan does not include a particular provision for through rail services. It is the statutory duty of the British Railways Board to prepare a plan for international services, including through services, via the Channel Tunnel. The board is currently reviewing its 1989 plan and expects to update that plan within the next couple of months.
South-East Manchester and West Midlands Multi-Modal Studies
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect that the reports of the West Midlands to North West (M.6) and south-east Manchester multi-modal studies will be published.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The South East Manchester Multi-Modal Study is expected to report to the North West Regional Assembly in Spring 2001. The West Midlands to North West Multi-Modal Study is expected to report to the North West Regional Assembly and West Midlands Regional Planning Body in Autumn 2001.
West Coast Main Line: Future Freight Capacity
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of the increased capacity that will result from the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line is intended or expected to be made available for freight traffic.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The West Coast Main Line (WCML) upgrade is intended to produce a further 42 freight paths per day in each direction between north-west London and the West Midlands, the North West and Scotland. These will be above and beyond the present level of freight traffic and commensurate with the passenger service enhancements to be brought about through the Virgin West Coast contract and the broad level of services operated by the other existing WCML operators.
Millennium Dome: Building and Infrastructure Costs
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the total cost of the construction of the Millennium Dome broken down to show the costs of clearance and preparation of the site, the construction of the building itself and ancillary works such as access roads and parking facilities.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We have contacted the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC), as owners of the Dome structure, and English Partnerships (EP), as owners of the site, to request the information required, and I will write to the noble Lord as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Library of the House.
Amendments to Bills
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many of their amendments to Government Bills were agreed to by the House of Lords in each of the parliamentary Sessions 1997-98 and 1998-1999; and how many amendments which the Government opposed were agreed to.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The information requested is not available. However, I would refer the noble Lord to the Public Bill Sessional Statistics for the Parliamentary Sessions 1997-98 and 1998-99, which are available from the Library of the House.
NMEC: Retention of Simmons & Simmons
Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
For what purpose the New Millennium Experience Company called in lawyers from Simmons & Simmons to provide them with assistance and advice.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) appointed Simmons & Simmons in April 2000 to provide advice on a wide range of corporate governance issues.
Millennium Dome
Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they informed M. Gerbeau that the Dome project was on budget when he was engaged as Chief Executive to the New Millennium Experience Company in February; and, if so, on what basis; and
Whether they accept the estimate made by M. Gerbeau that the budget of the New Millennium Experience Company was £26 million adrift when he became chief executive.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Following M. P-Y Gerbeau's appointment on 7 February 2000, his priorities were to fix the product on offer to visitors and to make the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) into an efficient service business. He has achieved those two aims. In parallel with the changes he introduced to the product and the business, he instituted a complete review of budgets. The outcome of that review indicated a potential cost overspend by the end of the year of £26 million unless measures were introduced to stem expenditure and find savings. Through the introduction of measures to increase revenue and by driving down costs, NMEC is confident that costs can be brought back to the original £758 million ceiling. Under the terms of the grant agreement between NMEC and the Millennium Commission, the commission is required to approve the company's budgets. The commission accepted the outcome of the budget review and has ongoing discussions with the company about cost efficiencies and cost savings.
The nature of the discussions prior to the appointment of M. Gerbeau as Chief Executive and the basis on which he agreed to take up the post are matters between him and the board of the company. I understand that the discussions focused on the operational and business organisation aspects of the project, as they were the critical priorities at the time.
Millennium Dome
Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have approved the decision by the New Millennium Experience Company to revise their budget, which now shows that they expect to receive a minimum of £30 million from the Millennium Dome site instead of the original figure of £15 million.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: When the budget was set in early 1997, the Millennium Experience at Greenwich was envisaged as a one-year exhibition, following which the Dome would be dismantled. The estimated disposal value of the Dome at that time was £15 million. In June 1997, this Government gave the Dome project the go-head with five key commitments one of which was that it should have a lasting legacy in terms of the regeneration of the Greenwich peninsula. Once the competition to establish a future use for the Dome was under way, NMEC revised the estimate in their budget to £30 million.
Millennium Dome
Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they plan to hand over the running of the Millennium Dome to its purchaser before 31 December 2000.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: There are no plans to hand over the Millennium Dome to a preferred bidder before 31 December 2000.
Millennium Dome
Baroness Anelay of St. Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the terms of the contract of sale of the Millennium Dome site include a requirement that the sum should be paid by the purchaser to the New Millennium Experience Company prior to 31 December; and, if so, what that sum will be; and when it will be paid.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The terms of a contract of sale would not require a preferred bidder to pay a sum to the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) in advance of 31 December 2000.
Millennium Dome
Baroness Anelay of St. Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What impact assessment they made of the revenue loss and operational cost to the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) of implementing the Government's request that 1 million free tickets should be given to schoolchildren; when the assessment was made; and when it was made available to the NMEC.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: On 17 March 1999, my right honourable friend the Prime Minister, announced in another place that the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) were making 1 million free tickets available to schoolchildren. The decision was taken by the Board of NMEC and it was for them to incorporate the costs of that decision into their business plan.
Millennium Dome
Baroness Anelay of St. Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the New Millennium Experience Company was trading solvently on Monday 17 July.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The New Millennium Experience Company was trading solvently on Monday 17 July.
Government Annual Report
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
To what extent and from which companies, if any, commercial sponsorship has been used to defray the costs of preparation, publication and distribution of the Government's Annual Report.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: No commercial sponsorship has been used to defray the costs of preparation of the Government's Annual Report. The report was published and distributed by The Stationery Office, which is a private sector company.
Government Annual Report
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
To what extent the Strategic Communications Unit was involved in the preparation of the Government's Annual Report; and whether they consider that involvement, in so far as it exists, to be satisfactory; and
Further to the observation of the Leader of the House that the Annual Report was written by civil servants and is "a wholly official document" (H.L. Deb., 12 July, col. 395), from which government departments the civil servants who prepared the document were drawn.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: All three of the Government's Annual Reports have been based on contributions and standard briefing provided by departments. They have been edited by a civil servant, from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, who is now based in the Strategic Communications Unit of the Prime Minister's Office. Other civil servants in the unit assisted with the preparation of the report in addition to their other duties. The Government are fully satisfied with the role of the unit in the preparation of the Report.
Millennium Dome: Sale
Lord Tomlinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they plan to announce the winning bid for the future use of the Millennium Dome at Greenwich.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Dome Europe has won the competition to take over the Dome when the Millennium Experience ends on 31 December. We believe their proposals will deliver a high quality, innovative and economically sustainable long-term future for the Dome, of which the people of Greenwich and the United Kingdom can be proud.
The proposals will build on the remarkable achievements in constructing the Dome and delivering the Millennium Experience this year. Provision of a world-class visitor attraction will continue, and will benefit from Dome Europe's investment of around £400 million in the core Dome site over the next five years.
In supporting the Dome's transition from the current Millennium Experience to another major visitor destination, Dome Europe is proposing to create an urban entertainment resort, through a combination of uses inside the Dome and on adjacent land. The latter will include hotels, a convention centre, commercial leisure, restaurants, residential units, offices, retail and community facilities. Whilst the proposals are all subject to the granting of planning permission, and much work remains to be done to complete the sale of the site, we are confident that Dome Europe's proposals will deliver an exciting contribution to the continued regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula.
We have further decided that, of the overall consideration for the sale of the Millennium Dome (details of which must remain commercially confidential at this stage), some £53 million should be paid to the New Millennium Experience Company from total expected early payments from the competition of £105 million. There is also provision for additional payment for land value in certain circumstances and a share of profits if and when the business changes hands. The remainder of this total amount, after meeting third party commitments, will go to English Partnerships. In reaching this view, we took account of the benefits to the Greenwich Peninsula and the Thames Gateway in terms of continuity of jobs and assured future private investment in the site, building on the substantial public investment already made--more than £1 billion--towards major environmental, transport and other improvements on the Peninsula.
Intervention Board: Annual Report and Accounts
Lord Sewel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Intervention Board will publish its 1999-2000 Annual Report and Accounts.
Baroness Hayman: The Intervention Board's 1999-2000 Annual Report and Accounts were laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Library of the House. Under separate arrangements, copies will also be made available in the libraries of the devolved legislatures.
BSE
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish in the Official Report an updated table showing the number of cases of BSE confirmed in Great Britain during each week of 2000 to date, together with the moving total of cases reported for each 52-week period.
Baroness Hayman: The following table shows the number of cases of BSE confirmed in Great Britain during each week of 2000 to date, together with the moving annual total of cases reported for each 52-week period.
Week Number Number confirmed each week 52 Week Total Reported
1 33 2,957
2 60 2,906
3 13 2,874
4 25 2,846
5 13 2,818
6 63 2,789
7 56 2,754
8 32 2,726
9 33 2,688
10 46 2,634
11 7 2,632
12 76 2,599
13 41 2,578
14 26 2,566
15 25 2,537
16 25 2,501
17 26 2,487
18 29 2,460
19 30 2,431
20 38 2,426
21 26 2,408
22 17 2,373
23 22 2,338
24 65 2,313
25 26 2,290
26 32 2,276
27 21 2,262
28 22 2,229
Note: Week 1 is the week ending Friday 7 January.
It should be noted that the rate of confirmation may not closely reflect the progress of the epidemic. This is because there may be a variable and sometimes long delay between slaughter and confirmation as a result of delays in laboratory diagnosis and administrative procedures. The delay between slaughter and confirmation is an average six to eight weeks, but may on occasion be considerably longer.
GM Crops: Exclusion from Food Chain
Lord Swinfen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Hayman on 3 July (WA 123), what monitoring will be undertaken and what enforcement action will be put in hand to ensure that crops produced from the unauthorised sowing of genetically modified seed will not enter the food chain.
Baroness Hayman: The Government has written to all farmers who may have sown the affected seed varieties giving details of the relevant arrangements which have been made under the EU Arable Area Payments Scheme and warning them that it would be an offence to market crops grown from the affected seed lots. Government inspectors are auditing the arrangements put in place by Advanta Seeds (UK) Ltd to identify the affected farmers and compensate them for the losses associated with crop destruction. We have also alerted processors of oilseed rape to the need to ensure that the affected crops are not marketed and do not enter the food chain.
GM Crops: Exclusion from Food Chain
Lord Swinfen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will answer Question HL3219 tabled on 5 July before any crops referred to in the Question are harvested and available to enter the food chain.
Baroness Hayman: A reply has been given to the noble Lord today.
Arms Industry: Investment by Political Parties
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to discourage investment by political parties in the arms industry.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The investment policies of political parties are a matter for them.
Immigration Act Detention: Written Reasons
The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have introduced a legal requirement for providing detailed written reasons for the detention of asylum seekers; and if not, when they will do so.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Since October 1999 it has been our administrative practice to serve all persons detained under Immigration Act powers, whether or not they are asylum seekers, with a form of notice (the IS91R) giving written reasons for their detention. Reasons are given by way of a checklist. This honours a commitment given in the Fairer, Faster and Firmer White Paper. We are currently considering whether a requirement to give written reasons should be included in rules (which are to be made under Section 153 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999) for the management of detention centres.
Following concern expressed by the noble Earl and others at Third Reading of the Bill which became the 1999 Act, we undertook to review the IS91R form. That review is now nearing completion and our aim is to introduce a revised IS91R this October. Though I cannot pledge that we shall be able to satisfy them in every particular, we are confident that the revised form of notice will go some way towards meeting the concerns which have been expressed by noble Lords and others about the existing form.
Prisoners Transferred to Hospital under Mental Health Act
Lord Dholakia: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prisoners were transferred to hospital under Sections 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in 1988 and 1999 respectively.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The latest available information on numbers of prisoners transferred to hospitals as restricted patients under Sections 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in 1988 and 1999 is as follows:
Table 1: Number of prisoners discharged to the care of mental hospitals as restricted patients in years 1988 and 1999
1998 1999
Transferred from prison to hospital after sentence(1) 94 276
Transferred from prison to hospital while unsentenced or untried (2) 82 466
All transfers from Prison Service establishments 176 742
(1) Transfer from Prison Service Establishments under section 47 of the Mental Health Act 1983 with restrictions under section 49.
(2) Transfers under section 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
p The number of transfers in 1999 is based upon provisional data.
Probation Committees: Use of Home Secretary's Default Powers
Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What use was made over the most recent five-year period for which information is available of the powers of the Home Secretary under Section 11(1) of the Probation Service Act 1993 to make rules regulating community service orders and the supervision of persons subject to probation orders.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: None. Section 11(1) of the Probation Service Act 1993 provides the Secretary of State with default powers where a probation committee fails to discharge its duty. These powers have not been used. Rules regulating community penalties, referred to in the question, are contained in Section 26 of the Act.
Community Service Orders and Probation Supervision: Home Secretary's Powers
Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What use was made over the most recent five-year period for which information is available of the powers of the Home Secretary under Section 26 of the Probation Service Act 1993 to make rules regulating community service orders and the supervision of persons subject to probation orders.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: No use has been made of these powers over the last five years.
Transsexuals: Working Group Report
Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the report of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Transsexual People will be published.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Interdepartmental Working Group reported to my right honourable friend the Home Secretary just before Easter. I am most grateful to members of the working group and those who contributed to it for the thoroughness of their work. Since Easter, my right honourable friend has consulted ministerial colleagues in other government departments and the devolved administrations.
My right honourable friend has today placed copies of the report in the Library. Similar arrangements are being made in the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly. The report will be placed on the Home Office website. Hard copies may be obtained on application to my department.
The report will be considered carefully within Government.
Access to Government Information: Code of Practice
Lord Shepherd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to publish the 1999 report on the operation of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has published this report today. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Asylum Support Adjudicators
Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will announce the appointment of the Asylum Support Adjudicators.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has today announced the appointment of the following Asylum Support Adjudicators, under Section 102 of and Schedule 10 to the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999:
Chief Asylum Support Adjudicator Mrs Sehba Haroon Storey
Deputy Chief Asylum Support Adjudicator Ms Gillian Carter
Asylum Support Adjudicators Mrs Sarah Breach Mr Laurence Brass Mr Alan Ponting Dr Ethlyn Prince Mrs Susannah Walker
Fire Service: Capital Provisions
Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will announce planned future capital provisions for the fire service in England and Wales.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: To assist the fire service in improving its efficiency and effectiveness, my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office, Mr O'Brien, is increasing credit approval provision for the service from its current level of £35.7 million to £59.7 million in 2001-02. Planned provision will be sustained at that level in 2002-03 and increased by a further £2 million to £61.7 million in 2003-04.
Horserace Betting Levy: National Lottery Impact
Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to publish the fifth report on the impact of the National Lottery on the horserace betting levy.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: An update on the impact of the National Lottery on the horserace betting levy has been published today. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Library.
The paper, which has been prepared by the Home Office's Economic & Resource Analysis Unit, examines continuing trends in off-course betting expenditure and their relationship to the horserace betting levy.
The analysis indicates that in 1999 off-course betting expenditure was about 14.7 per cent below the level it would have reached in the absence of the National Lottery and that, by implication, the horserace betting levy raised £9-10 million less than it might otherwise have done.
This is broadly consistent with the findings of the first four reports.
As the Government have already announced their intention to abolish the horserace betting levy system, it is not our intention to commission any future reports in this series.
Sexual Offences Review: Report
Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish the sexual offences review report.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Home Office, Mr Clarke, can confirm that Setting the Boundaries: reforming the law on sex offences, report of the review of sex offences, has been published today.
My right honourable friend the Home Secretary set out the terms of reference for the review in his reply of 25 January 1999 (Official Report, cols. 80-81). The review was asked to look at the law in England and Wales and to make recommendations that will provide clear and coherent sex offences that protect the individual, particularly children and more vulnerable people from abuse and exploitation; enable abusers to be appropriately punished; and are fair and non-discriminatory in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.
This review was open and inclusive--it involved many stakeholders directly in its steering group and advisory external reference group, and consulted with many more at a series of conferences and seminars. It has looked at the evidence from research and the experience of law reform in other countries. The review has now completed its report to Government. It has made far-reaching recommendations to strengthen the effectiveness and protection of the law for children, raised important questions about the nature of the protection that should be offered to vulnerable people, proposed codifying and clarifying the law on consent in rape and setting the law on a fair and non-discriminatory basis for men and women whether as victim or offender. It also recommends new laws for dealing with the trafficking of human beings for sexual exploitation and the use of children in sexual exploitation, as well as looking at penalties and treatment.
The issues involved are sensitive and complex ones, on which there will be differing views. It is a long time since we have had such a thorough and comprehensive set of proposals on the law of sex offences, based on careful thought and consultation. But these proposals are just that--recommendations made to Government by a broadly based review set up to provide the framework for further debate. The review involved many people from outside the civil service from many different groups and backgrounds, as well as civil servants from a wide range of departments. Before the Government can come to a conclusion on any of them we need further input and views on what is recommended. This is the start of a real debate on what we think the law should be and how it should be framed.
We would like views on all of the proposals in the report. The review has posed some specific questions, but we want reactions to all the recommendations. We would like to know how well they would work, whether they would add to the protection of the vulnerable, whether they would apply fairly, equitably and with justice and whether there would be any effects or consequences that have not yet been identified.
The Government particularly welcome the proposals to strengthen the law for children and vulnerable people--we have made great strides in tackling the issues of evidence for children and vulnerable people and it is time that the offences in the criminal law were revised to ensure robust and comprehensive protection for the weakest in our society. It is important to get the law right while ensuring that vulnerable people are not deterred from seeking advice from statutory authorities. We would welcome views on the proposals that relate to the protection of children and vulnerable people--what the impact and consequences of those would be. We welcome the review's clarity on the importance of the age of consent and the need to maintain it at 16.
The Government do not think it would be right to take a view on the proposals in the report until they have been scrutinised and tested in consultation. This report and its proposals are not an end but a beginning--the report provides a carefully argued framework for consideration by all those who are affected, personally or professionally, by these proposals. The report is being made widely available in summary and full form both in hard copy and on the Home Office website. It is free and available on request, as is a supporting volume of evidence. The period for consultation is long--until March 2001--to give time for the full implications of the proposals to be considered. My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Home Office, Mr Clarke, looks forward to an important social debate that will help the Government frame proposals for a safe, just and tolerant society.
Copies of the report and summary have been placed in the Library and the Vote Office.
Departmental Cars
Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 6 July (WA 148), which cars supplied by the Government Car and Despatch Agency are for the use of Ministers and senior officials in the Home Office; and what are the numbers, types and makes of the vehicles used; and
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 6 July (WA 148), which cars supplied by the Government Car and Despatch Agency are for the use of Ministers and senior officials in the Home Office; and what are the numbers, types and makes of the vehicles used.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The information requested is not held by the Home Office. I refer my noble friend to the Answer given by my noble friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, on 24 July (Official Report, WA 15-16).
Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers
Lord Walton of Detchant: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the recruitment and retention of Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers (MLSOs) is falling; how many unfilled vacanies there are; and whether a contributing cause of the problem is level of starting salary for a science graduate MLSO.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The 1999 Recruitment, Retention and Vacancy Survey did not separately identify Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers (MLSOs).
The National Advisory Group for Scientists and Technicians has been charged with developing plans to improve workforce planning, education, training and career development amongst that group of staff. The Department of Health is also developing a specific strategy for improving recruitment and retention, liaising closely with employers, professional bodies and trade unions to raise the profile of the work of scientists.
All non-review body staff have been offered an above inflation three-year pay deal (from April 1999). From 1 April 1999, trainee MLSOs received pay increases of up to 26 per cent and newly qualified MLSOs 7.1 per cent. From April 2000, all biomedical scientists (which includes medical laboratory scientific officers) have received 3.25 per cent or £300, whichever is the higher, and a formula for pay for the year 2001-2002 is agreed.
The National Health Service pay system is in need of modernisation. We are working in partnership with trade unions to negotiate a new NHS pay system which will offer all NHS staff a more attractive career structure, greater use of their skills and higher earnings for those who contribute most to the service and support modernisation of the NHS.
Passive Smoking
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they propose to undertake any new initiatives on the dangers to health of passive smoking.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government will continue to monitor the available scientific data on this subject and will ensure that the appropriate information is included in the ongoing tobacco education campaign.
The continued development of initiatives such as the Public Places Charter in the licensed hospitality sector will also help to publicise the issues.
The Health and Safety Commission has consulted on the introduction of an Approved Code of Practice on smoking in the workplace and the Government are awaiting their advice.
Smoking in the Catering Industry
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will undertake an education programme designed to discourage smoking in the catering industry.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: There are no plans to target specific industries in the development of the current tobacco education programme.
Smoking in commercial food preparation areas is prohibited under Chapter VIII of the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 and guidance has been published on compliance with the regulations.
Human Embryo Cloning: Report
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration they are giving to the findings of the Committee chaired by Dr Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, into the cloning of human embryos; what timetable they are working to in framing their response; whether they will seek further evidence, especially on the use of adult stem cells as an alternative to the use of stem cells from human embryos; and whether they will publish the Donaldson report; and
What plans they have to enable both Houses of Parliament to debate the scientific and ethical questions which arise from the findings of the Donaldson Committee into human cloning; and whether any use of human embryos for the manufacture of clones will require amendment to the 1991 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act or whether such authorisation may be permitted by licence without fresh Parliamentary authority; and
Whether they will seek to change the law which has allowed scientists at Sheffield University to import embryonic cells from Wisconsin; what is being done to monitor the use to which these cells are being put and to prevent further trafficking in embryonic stem cells; and
Whether the impact of embryonic stem cell tissue accords with the findings of the Polkinghorne Committee's recommendations, which were accepted by the previous administration; and
Whether they intend to ban the import of stem cell tissues derived from human embryos obtained illegally or against currently agreed ethical principles, as they have done in the case of the import of animal products obtained illegally or against currently agreed ethical principles.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: These are all matters within the Terms of Reference of the Chief Medical Officer's Expert Group on Therapeutic Cloning.
The Expert Group has completed its work on the potential benefits, risks and the ethical issues raised by developments in stem cell research and cell nuclear replacement. The Government are now considering the report's recommendations.
Embryonic Stem Cell Tissue Imports
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they were aware that Sheffield University had decided to import embryonic stem cell tissues; and whether Sheffield University consulted the Department of Health or the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in advance of their action.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Health is aware of the work being conducted on stem cells by Sheffield University. The importation of embryonic stem cell tissue is not regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 so there was no requirement for the University to consult with either the Department of Health or the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
NHS Pensions Agency: Annual Report and Accounts
Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish the Annual Report and Accounts of the National Health Service Pensions Agency.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have approved the report and accounts, which have today been laid before both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the requirements of section 5(2) and 5(3) of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921.
Copies have been placed in the Library.
Life Expectancy Inequalities
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which of their policies for minimum incomes and health specifically address the need to reduce widening inequality in the expectation of life between unskilled workers and professional workers.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Inequalities in life expectancy are due to a variety of factors: income distribution, education, public safety, housing, employment, transport and pollution as well as those relating to behaviour.
Changes we have made to the tax and benefit systems, the introduction of the National Minimum Wage and action to reduce the number of deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke and cancer are aimed at improving the health of everyone and the worst off in particular.
Other action across government is identified in Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation, published in July 1999, and Opportunity for All: Tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion, published in September 1999. Copies are available in the Library.
Life Expectancy Inequalities
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What acts they are taking with other member states of the European Union to reduce inequality in the expectation of life between unskilled workers and professional workers.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The recently published health strategy for the European Community aims to meet emerging health trends and challenges across Europe. The strategy recognises the serious threat posed by wide variations and inequalities in health status.
One of its objectives is to achieve an integrated health strategy which links all health related activities including those in other policy areas which have an impact on health. This is the first time all health related activity has been brought together in such a coherent way by the Commission.
The European Commission views the programme as a key initiative that will provide added value at a European level but makes clear that health care delivery remains the responsibility by member states. The United Kingdom Government emphasised the importance of this in its initial reaction to the Communication at the Health Council on 29 June.
Variant Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will now test the tonsil and appendix samples that were rejected from the tests for nvCJD using one of the tests that does not require the sample to be in good condition.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To the best of our knowledge, there is no test for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease that does not require a tonsil or appendix sample to be in good condition to give a meaningful result.
Some samples in the retrospective studies on tonsil and appendixes were unsuitable for analysis because they were found by scientists to be damaged, or otherwise of insufficient quality to enable analysis to be carried out. At the time the samples were taken, during routine surgery, there had been no intention of subjecting them to further analysis.
Variant Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will offer tonsil biopsies and magnetic resonance scans to any residents of Leicestershire who wish to be assured that they do not have nvCJD.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: No. Whilst tonsil biopsy or magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, taken with other criteria, can enable clinicians to determine with reasonable confidence whether or not an individual showing clinical symptoms of the disease is suffering from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), there is still no test available to detect those who may be infected with vCJD but have no symptoms.
Variant Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether all the Leicestershire tonsil and appendix samples taken since 1985 are to be tested for nvCJD; if so, what test will be used on samples that are not in good condition; and, if not, what criteria will be used to exclude samples.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: There are significant logistical and ethical difficulties associated with the design of any studies of this type. Any proposal for such a study received by the Department of Health would need to undergo rigorous peer-review and ethical approval in line with procedures established for other similar studies.
The protocol for detecting abnormal prion protein in tonsil and appendix tissues requires the presence of sufficient lymphoid tissue in the sample. Results will not be obtainable from samples where there is insufficient lymphoid tissue present or the tissue has been so badly damaged that it is unsuitable for prion protein detection.
Variant Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many children of nvCJD victims have moderate or severe neurological symptoms of unknown origin.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit (NCJDSU) is aware of one child of a variant CJD patient with neurological symptoms. The NCJDSU is not aware of any suspect cases of vCJD in a family member of a vCJD patient.
Variant Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are (to the nearest month) the date of onset, duration of illness and age at death for all victims of the nvCJD outbreak; and
What are (to the nearest month) the date of onset, duration of illness and age at death of the five nvCJD cases in the Leicestershire cluster; and
What are (to the nearest month) the date of onset and the current age of victims of nvCJD who are still living.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The date of onset, duration of illness and age at death, or current age if the patient is still alive, for all definite and probable variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease patients known to the National CJD Surveillance Unit on 20 July 2000 are set out in the table.
We cannot provide data relating to cases in a particular geographical location in order to preserve the anonymity of patients and their families.
Date of Onset Duration (months) Age (Years) at Death Current Age (Years) if Alive
January 1994 29 50
February 1994 23 29
March 1994 38 19
June 1994 11 19
July 1994 18 41
August 1994 18 30
December 1994 26 28
December 1994 11 29
January 1995 17 30
January 1995 10 30
January 1995 13 20
March 1995 11 29
July 1995 14 35
August 1995 9 31
September 1995 30 33
October 1995 17 36
December 1995 14 25
December 1995 11 19
January 1996 17 23
January 1996 23 34
March 1996 12 19
March 1996 14 23
March 1996 25 24
May 1996 24 45
May 1996 29 24
October 1996 12 36
November 1996 8 27
December 1996 24 20
December 1996 33 17
February 1997 11 53
March 1997 39 21
July 1997 13 18
July 1997 13 25
July 1997 15 36
August 1997 16 29
October 1997 16 28
October 1997 12 35
November 1997 11 39
November 1997 11 20
November 1997 12 26
December 1997 14 17
December 1997 14 25
December 1997 12 24
January 1998 16 23
February 1998 11 51
February 1998 26 26
March 1998 8 21
April 1998 7 41
May 1998 14 39
May 1998 7 20
May 1998 18 33
June 1998 20 17
June 1998 14 25
July 1998 Alive Alive 14
July 1998 15 25
July 1998 22 24
September 1998 18 17
September 1998 18 17
October 1998 Alive Alive 30
January 1999 7 29
January 1999 9 54
February 1999 9 34
March 1999 16 20
April 1999 10 27
April 1999 13 19
April 1999 9 15
April 1999 12 22
May 1999 10 25
May 1999 12 31
June 1999 6 43
June 1999 Alive Alive 37
July 1999 11 51
August 1999 Alive Alive 21
October 1999 Alive Alive 28
November 1999 Alive Alive 24
November 1999 Alive Alive 29
December 1999 Alive Alive 27
January 2000 Alive Alive 25 | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2000-07-27a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Afghanistan: Badakhshan
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Department for International Development intends to deploy a development adviser to the multi-donor mission in Badakhshan, Afghanistan; and
Whether they intend to deploy any personnel to the multi-donor mission in Badakhshan, Afghanistan; and
What other countries will be contributing to the multi-donor mission in Badakhshan, Afghanistan.
Baroness Amos: DfID does not intend to deploy a development adviser, or any other personnel, to Badakhshan province. DfID, the NATO ISAF mission, and the Badakhshan PRT are not aware of plans to establish a multi-donor mission to the province. Germany and Denmark are the main contributors to the Badakhshan PRT, with Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic and the US.
Afghanistan: Detainees
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When updates to Joint Warfare Publication 1—10 were completed; what changes were made; and how these changes will affect operational practice towards detainees in Afghanistan.
Lord Drayson: The Joint Warfare Publication 1-10 was replaced by the Joint Doctrine Publication 1-10 in May 2006 Prisoners of War, Internees and Detainees. Joint Doctrine Publication 1-10 has been separated into three sections—Prisoners of War, Internees and Detainees—reflecting the requirement for differing approaches to the range of categorisation of those captured, interned or detained by UK Armed Forces deployed on operations abroad.
This publication recognises the change from the post-Cold War environment to the UK's more expeditionary approach and peace enforcement operations. It provides clarification on current detention procedures giving guidance on, among other things, the standards of treatment and facilities for prisoners of war, internees and detainees, and the training of UK Armed Forces on the handling of detained personnel.
Joint Doctrine Publication 1-10 remains in line with domestic UK law, international law and the laws of armed conflict, as does our operational practice towards detainees in Afghanistan which reflects Joint Doctrine Publication 1-10.
Afghanistan: Helmand Province
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the different categories of attack directed against United Kingdom military forces deployed in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.
Lord Drayson: UK military forces deployed in Helmand province in Afghanistan typically face conventional threats such as small arms fire, indirect fire and rocket propelled grenades. They also face more asymmetric attacks such as suicide bombs and improvised explosive devices. In addition, we cannot rule out the threat of surface-to-air missiles. These forms of attack may be used in unison.
Afghanistan: Helmand Province
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they have taken to address any rise in the use of (a) improvised explosive devices, and (b) suicide bombings against United Kingdom forces deployed in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.
Lord Drayson: UK Armed Forces use a combination of equipment, procedures and intelligence to mitigate against the risk posed by improvised explosive devices and suicide bombings. Full details cannot be provided owing to operational security but I can outline the approach.
UK forces deployed on operations are equipped with suitable equipment—including personal protection and armoured vehicles—for the job in hand. All personnel deploy with enhanced combat body armour as standard, and enhanced, fit-for-purpose body armour is available for higher risk tasks such as top cover sentry duty on vehicles. In addition, the Defence Secretary announced enhancements to the armoured fleet including 100 additional VECTOR patrol vehicles, which afford greater protected mobility. (Official Report, cols. 74-77, 24 July). Electronic countermeasures on vehicles are constantly being developed to counter the threats identified and we constantly engage with industry to identify better capability.
Our forces undertake comprehensive pre-deployment training on tactics, techniques and procedures to counter the threats they may face. We constantly seek to improve these measures as the threat evolves. Crucial to the methods we employ is intelligence on the emerging threats and we work closely with coalition partners to share such intelligence and identify methods best suited to counter the likely threat.
While we do our utmost to mitigate the risk our forces face, we cannot eliminate the threat posed by suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices.
Afghanistan: Helmand Province
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many United Kingdom military personnel deployed to Afghanistan are serving directly with the United Kingdom-led provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province; and what proportion of these military personnel are providing force protection to the PRT.
Lord Drayson: The UK assumed command of the Helmand provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in May 2006. Since then the UK has had approximately 100 troops deployed with the PRT, the majority of whom provide force protection. Since September, 28 Regiment Royal Engineers has also been deployed to Afghanistan. It was deployed to increase the UK military's capacity for reconstruction and development in Helmand.
Afghanistan: Helmand Province
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What working arrangements there are between the United Kingdom-led provincial reconstruction team in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province and (a) the national Government of Afghanistan; (b) the provincial government of Helmand province; and (c) non-governmental organisations in Helmand province.
Lord Drayson: Although the Government of Afghanistan (GoA) are responsible for long-term development and co-ordinate funding for individual projects, the provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah does not engage directly with them, but through the provincial government of Helmand province. Consultation between the PRT and the GoA's provincial representatives ensures that quick impact projects address local priorities. This is achieved by working with the provincial development council, which is chaired by the provincial governor and has local representatives from all the key government ministries.
Working arrangements with non-government organisations (NGOs) vary, depending upon the NGOs involved. Liaison is conducted between NGOs and representatives of the PRT, including those responsible for project implementation, such as 28 Engineer Regiment.
Afghanistan: Helmand Province
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United Kingdom-led provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province adheres to the PRT terms of reference promulgated by the PRT Executive Steering Committee in February 2005.
Baroness Amos: The UK-led Helmand PRT works within all the established frameworks agreed by the Government of Afghanistan and the international community, including those set by the PRT Executive Steering Group. As stipulated by ISAF, military and civilian advisers are working with the provincial authorities, local leaders and NGOs to facilitate the development of a stable and secure environment, support Afghanistan's counter-narcotics strategy and enable reconstruction.
Afghanistan: Helmand Province
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the development budget for the United Kingdom-led provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province.
Baroness Amos: The UK-led PRT in Helmand has a budget of £6.5 million in 2006-07 for stabilisation and quick impact projects. DfID contributed £4 million of this. DfID has also committed £20 million for development in Helmand this year. This money is earmarked for Helmand, but is channelled mostly through the Government of Afghanistan's national priority programmes, and is managed by DfID's office in Kabul. We expect to maintain similar levels of funding for next year.
Afghanistan: Helmand Province
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What working arrangements are in place between United Kingdom military forces deployed to the Helmand province in Afghanistan and the reconstruction efforts being led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development in that province.
Baroness Amos: The primary role of the UK task force in Helmand is to provide an enabling security environment in which the authority of the Afghan Government can be extended, and security sector reform, development and reconstruction work undertaken. Work on the ground is closely co-ordinated by the provincial reconstruction team (PRT). The PRT comprises staff from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development and the UK task force, who work together closely to ensure delivery of HMG's objectives in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: National Army
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What procedures are in place to minimise the risk of the Afghan National Army engaging in action outside the United Kingdom's operational boundaries or rules of engagement while with embedded trainers.
Lord Drayson: Elements of the Afghan National Army (ANA) can be deployed throughout Afghanistan. 3 Brigade of 205 Corps is based in Helmand and supported by a UK forces mentoring team as part of the ISAF Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (OMLTs) concept.
Any decision to deploy 3 Bde 205 Corps ANA elsewhere in Afghanistan is a decision for the Afghan chain of command. In circumstances where ANA troops are deployed to other provinces, the UK OLMT will endeavour to continue to support the ANA but the decision on the deployment of the OLMT will be made by Commander UK Task Force on a case-by-case basis depending on the risk.
ANA personnel who are mentored by UK Armed Forces follow UK rules of engagement which are in line with ISAF rules of engagement.
Afghanistan: Opium
The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What alternative crops they have recommended to opium farmers seeking new livelihoods in Afghanistan; what numbers of beneficiaries are involved and in which provinces; and with what success.
Baroness Amos: For farmers in Afghanistan a livelihood is normally composed of a combination of activities. These may include agriculture (crops, livestock); employment (migrant labour); remittances (from family members working away from home); or welfare (for vulnerable groups not able to work). The way in which an Afghan earns a living may also change throughout the year. DfID's Livelihoods Programme, worth nearly £150 million from 2006 to 2009, recognises this and is a balance of shorter and longer-term initiatives, designed to address immediate needs as well as promoting longer-term rural economic development and sustainable alternatives to opium.
DfID has established a £3 million Research in Alternative Livelihoods Fund (RALF) in Afghanistan for applied research into natural resource-based livelihoods. The programme is looking at improved forage and milk production and the introduction of legumes and vegetable crops, saffron and the medicinal properties of mint as viable alternatives to poppy production. Mint and saffron are showing early signs of success. The export feasibility of grapes, tomatoes, mushrooms and eggplants is also being examined. This includes not only crops but livestock, natural products, and post-harvest processing and rural services. DfID is working with RALF to improve dissemination of the results of the pilots.
The majority of DfID's funding for livelihoods is channelled through three national priority programmes which address the multiple constraints that prevent farmers moving away from poppy cultivation. This includes access to credit, markets, productive infrastructure and land.
The table below shows the total size of the Government's national priority programmes and highlights their successes. The column on the far right identifies DfID's contribution to these programmes.
Programme Name & Budget Beneficiaries Provinces Successes DfID Contribution
National Solidarity Programme (NSP) $392 million 15,103 communities All 34 Provinces 14,000 Community Development Councils established. £91 million spent on areas of agriculture, education, health, irrigation, power, public buildings, transport and water supply. £17 million over three years
National Rural Access Programme (NRAP) $193.3 million 375,000 households across Afghanistan All 34 Provinces Over 8,000 km roads built or repaired, as well as schools, health clinics and water schemes. £18 million in 2005-06
Micro-Finance Investment Support Facility (MISFA) $84.09 million 234,000 households, shopkeepers, tailors, and farmers among others. 75 per cent of MISFA beneficiaries are women. 20 Provinces 1 £83 million worth of small loans distributed. £20 million over three years
1 Badakhshan, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Faryab, Ghazni, Heart, Jawzjan, Kabul, Kapisa, Kunarha, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Parwan, Samangan, Saripul, Takhar, Wardak.
Afghanistan: Reconstruction
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Government of Afghanistan regarding their national priority programme for reconstruction.
Baroness Amos: The Department for International Development (DfID) puts around 70 per cent of its budget for Afghanistan through the national budget and national priority programmes. This helps the Afghan Government lead the reconstruction effort, co-ordinate development assistance and to be accountable to the Afghan people.
DfID is a major contributor to three national priority programmes of the Government of Afghanistan. These are the National Solidarity Programme (NSP), the National Rural Access Programme (NRAP), and the Micro-finance Investment Support Facility of Afghanistan (MISFA). In total DfID has committed £55 million to these programmes through the investment window of the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund. In addition DfID is contributing £30 million over three years to the reconstruction of Helmand province, through the expansion of Afghan national programmes in the province.
DfID has a significant interest in the management and implementation of these national programmes. Formal representations are made through the ARTF management board. In addition there is regular dialogue with the line ministry responsible and the national co-ordinators for each programme on issues such as funding, progress, expansion and impact and financial management.
Armed Forces: Allowances
Lord Burnett: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which additional allowances are payable to British troops deployed on active service in Afghanistan.
Lord Drayson: Military personnel deployed to Afghanistan are eligible for the operational allowance and separation allowances. The operational allowance, announced by the Secretary of State for Defence on 10 October, is paid to all personnel who have deployed to or are still serving in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Balkans. It is to recognise the significantly increased and enduring nature of the danger in these operational locations. It is a tax-free lump sum payment worth around £2,240 for a six-month deployment and is paid at the end of a service person's qualifying tour as a one-off payment via salary once they return to their permanent unit.
Personnel are also entitled to separation allowances, either longer separated allowance (LSA—Royal Navy/Royal Marines and Royal Air Force) or longer separated service allowance (LSSA—Army only).
LSA is a daily payment for each day a service person is separated from their home base and family, for more than 10 days. It is paid at one of 14 rates that range from £6.02 to £25.42 per day. The rate payable depends upon the accumulated separated service of the service person; the more separated service that has been undertaken, the higher the rate of allowance paid. LSA is taxable and paid on a monthly basis via the service person's salary.
LSSA is paid to eligible Army personnel on the same criteria as LSA. This allowance has three rates that are identical to levels 1 to 3 of LSA and range from £6.02 to £12.82 per day. Once again, the rate payable depends upon the accumulated separated service of the service person, and the more separated service that has been undertaken, the higher the rate of allowance. LSSA is taxable and paid on a monthly basis via the service person's salary. On 1 April 2007, Army personnel will cease their eligibility for LSSA and instead become eligible for LSA, with its 14 rates.
Depending on the nature of their duties, some personnel deployed to Afghanistan might also be eligible for unpleasant work allowance. This is paid at one of three rates ranging from £2.25 to £16.34 per day. This allowance is paid to compensate those personnel who must undertake particularly unpleasant duties, possibly in arduous conditions. It is taxable and paid on a monthly basis via the service person's salary.
In addition, while serving on operations in Afghanistan, all personnel are exempt from the payment of charges for food or accommodation occupied in the operational theatre.
Armed Forces: Joint Strike Fighter
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In what respects the memorandum of understanding with the Government of the United States relating to further stages of the development and production of the Joint Strike Fighter as a Tier I partner in the project differs from similar memoranda signed by the Government of the United States with other, lower tier, participants.
Lord Drayson: The production sustainment and follow-on development MoU (PSFD MoU) is a multilateral document setting out the through-life arrangements for the purchase, support and upgrade of the Joint Strike Fighter and is common to all participants. The UK's specific requirements are listed in the bilateral supplement which is a classified annex to the PSFD MoU.
Armed Forces: Steven Roberts Inquiry
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the recommendations in the published findings of the board of inquiry into the death of Sergeant Steven Roberts in March 2003, how many sets of enhanced combat body armour are currently held in operational reserve.
Lord Drayson: As a result of lessons learnt on Operation TELIC, it is now MoD policy that all personnel are issued with enhanced combat body armour prior to deploying to an operational theatre. In addition, there are approximately 2,000 sets held in operational reserve in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although stock levels change according to replenishment and issues, the operational reserve generally equates to an additional 10 to15 per cent of stock above that required for personal issue.
Armed Forces: Steven Roberts Inquiry
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why more than three years elapsed between the death of Sergeant Steven Roberts in March 2003 and the publication of the findings of the board of inquiry.
Lord Drayson: The Army could not conduct a board of inquiry before the conclusion of the Metropolitan Police's investigation into the death of an Iraqi, Mr Zaher, who died in the same incident, and the possibility of a prosecution had been discounted. Following the Attorney-General's announcement on 27 April 2006 that there was insufficient evidence to institute criminal proceedings, the Army's board of inquiry was convened on 17 May. The board of inquiry's findings were ratified by the Army's chain of command on 26 July 2006, and published on 31 July 2006.
British Coal Compensation
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many claimants registered claims in the British Coal respiratory disease litigation and British Coal white finger litigation; and, of these claimants, how many have made payments by way of success fees, administration charges or union fees to third parties, including solicitors, claims companies or trades unions.
Lord Truscott: There are 591,000 claims registered for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 170,000 claims registered for vibration white finger. We do not have the information regarding payments made as success fees, administration charges or union fees as the department is not party to any agreement between claimants and their representatives.
British Coal Compensation
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will assist miners and widows in the British Coal respiratory disease litigation and British Coal white finger litigation to seek redress against those solicitors who charged them success fees, administration charges or union fees; and, if so, whether they will instruct their claims handlers to deliver to past and present claimants advice on their rights.
Lord Truscott: We do not have the information regarding payments made as success fees, administration charges or union fees as the department is not party to any agreement between claimants and their representatives.
Civil Partnerships
Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will reconsider the rights of long-term sibling cohabitees to be treated equally to couples who are married or in civil partnerships.
Baroness Andrews: There were very detailed debates in Parliament during the passage of the Civil Partnership Act about the position of siblings. It was decided that that legislation was not the right vehicle to provide siblings with different legal rights from those that they already possess.
Both marriage and civil partnership are designed for people in committed and serious relationships, although there is no requirement that this relationship is or will be sexual. Siblings already have a legally recognised relationship to each other and rights to reflect that close family relationship.
Civil Service: Northern Ireland Public Appointments
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Regarding the decision of Mr Justice Girvan of 9 November, in the High Court in Belfast in the Brenda Downes's judicial review, whether they intend to appeal the decision; and, if not, whether they intend to take any action in respect of the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Permanent Secretary of the Northern Ireland Office following criticisms by the judge about a public appointment in Northern Ireland.
Lord Rooker: The proceedings in this case have not yet concluded. The Government will make a decision on whether to appeal once an order has been made. Separately the Attorney-General announced on 4 December 2006 that he had asked Mr Peter Scott QC to review the issues referred to him by Mr Justice Girvan.
Corruption
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures have been introduced or are envisaged to comply with the obligations undertaken by the United Kingdom upon ratification of the United Nations Convention against Corruption to grant specialised authorities fighting corruption the necessary independence to be able to carry out their functions effectively and without undue influence.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: UK law became fully compliant with the United Nations Convention against Corruption when the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act 1990 (Enforcement of Overseas Forfeiture Orders) Order 2005 came into force on 31 December 2005, and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (External Requests and Orders) Order 2005 came into effect on 1 January 2006.
Courts: Charges
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have evaluated the impact of imposing charges on suitors in civil courts upon the effective enjoyment of the right of access to justice; and, if so, what are the results of the evaluation.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: During 2006 a fundamental review of the system of exemptions and remissions was undertaken by Her Majesty's Courts Service to evaluate whether the current system adequately protects access to justice. The review was overseen by a steering group of stakeholders, including representatives of the civil and family justice councils, members of the judiciary and advice sector, and chaired by myself.
A revised system of fee concessions has been developed and the proposals for a single system of fee concessions, which covers the High Court, county courts and magistrates' courts, will be published in a forthcoming consultation paper. The proposals build on a system already in place and ensure we can be confident that the system is well targeted and affordable, while making more people aware of their entitlements.
In protecting access to justice, through the department's current system of fees concessions, in the past financial year (2005-06) the taxpayer in effect paid subsidies in 322,465 instances with a value of just over £29 million for exemptions and remissions. And that does not count the fees subsidised by the taxpayer through legal aid.
Courts: Charges
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How the surplus of £34 million recovered from charges levied on users of the civil courts by HM Courts Service in the year ending 31 March 2006 will be used.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Treasury has agreed that the over-recovery of £34 million can be phased out over the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 period. Therefore, Her Majesty's Courts Service proposes to use the increased income generated to fund: progressive reductions in the civil over-recovery; the additional cost of the proposed reforms in the remission and exemption policy; and any planned increases in resource spending on IT modernisation. Within civil proceedings, we are proposing to introduce hearing fees in the High Court and county court and other changes so that fees better match cost drivers.
We are also proposing to make the appropriate reductions to offset extra income from hearing fees and to eliminate the over-recovery. This would be targeted on issue fees and weighted towards the fees for using e-channels (County Court Bulk Centre, Money Claim OnLine and Possession Claim OnLine), reflecting the lower cost compared with paper issue and the objective of promoting their greater use as part of the Her Majesty's Courts Service's business strategy.
Courts: Magistrates'
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many magistrates' courts have been closed or amalgamated since the beginning of 1997.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The table below details the magistrates' court closures and amalgamations that the department has been notified of since May 1997.
Up until 1 April 2005 magistrates' courts were the responsibility of locally managed magistrates' courts committees who were statutorily independent. They were not required by statute to inform the department of any magistrates' courts closures that were not subject to an appeal under Section 56(3) of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997 (now repealed). Since May 1997 a number of new courthouses have been built.
Magistrates' Courts
Year Courthouse closed Date of closure
1997 Bromsgrove 31 May 1997
1997 Ledbury 31 May 1997
1997 Hebburn 5 June 1997
1997 South Shields (Kepple Street) 5 June 1997
1997 Chippenham (Market Place) 30 June 1997
1997 Ashton-Under-Lyne (Manchester Road) 31 August 1997
1997 Duckinsfield 31 August 1997
1997 Thorne 31 August 1997
1997 Pontardawe 9 October 1997
1997 Braintree 31 December 1997
1997 Stokeley 31 December 1997
1997 Clacton-on-Sea 31 December 1997
1997 Bargoed 31 December 1997
1997 Monmouth 31 December 1997
1997 Pontlttyn 31 December 1997
1997 Pontypool 31 December 1997
1998 Malton 6 February 1998
1998 Marlborough Street 31 March 1998
1998 Bishop's Stortford 31 March 1998
1998 Hatfield 31 March 1998
1998 Hitchin 31 March 1998
1998 Market Rasen 31 March 1998
1998 Chertsey 31 March 1998
1998 Farnham 31 March 1998
1998 Oxted 31 March 1998
1998 Lutterworth 31 July 1998
1998 Ripon 1 August 1998
1998 Barnard Castle 31 December 1998
1998 Clerkenwell 31 December 1998
1998 Sheerness 31 December 1998
1998 West Mailing 31 December 1998
1998 Lytham 31 December 1998
1998 Diss 31 December 1998
1998 Corwen 31 December 1998
1998 Felixstowe 31 December 1998
1998 Haverhill 31 December 1998
1998 Saxmundam 31 December 1998
1998 Stowmarket 31 December 1998
1998 Newmarket 31 December 1998
1998 March 31 December 1998
1998 Saffron Walden 31 December 1998
1999 Christchurch 31 March 1999
1999 Abingdon 31 March 1999
1999 Henley-on-Thames 31 March 1999
1999 Windsor 31 March 1999
1999 Morley 31 March 1999
1999 Pudsey 31 March 1999
1999 Stow-on-the-Wold 30 June 1999
2000 Ampthill 1 January 2000
2000 Biggleswade 1 January 2000
2000 Dunstable 1 January 2000
2000 Leighton Buzzard 1 January 2000
2000 Lichfield 31 March 2000
2000 Keighley 1 April 2000
2000 Keswick 30 April 2000
2000 Windermere 31 May 2000
2000 Wigton 31 May 2000
2000 Appleby 31 May 2000
2000 Gravesend 9 June 2000
2000 Wootton Bassett 2 October 2000
2000 Abergele 31 December 2000
2001 Alfreton 1 January 2001
2001 Ashbourne 1 January 2001
2001 Bakewell 1 January 2001
2001 Matlock 1 January 2001
2001 Leigh 31 March 2001
2001 Middleton 31 March 2001
2001 Leek 31 March 2001
2001 Worcester 31 March 2001
2001 Warrington Patten Hall 1 April 2001
2001 Macclesfield Park Green 1 April 2001
2001 Bideford 30 April 2001
2001 Exmouth 30 April 2001
2001 Kingsbridge 30 April 2001
2001 South Molton 30 April 2001
2001 Teignmouth 30 April 2001
2001 Tavistock 30 April 2001
2001 Axminster 4 May 2001
2001 Tiverton 4 May 2001
2001 Newquay 30 June 2001
2001 Southampton (Commercial Road) 31 August 2001
2001 Womborne 1 September 2001
2001 Gillingham 30 September 2001
2001 Bridlington 9 November 2001
2001 Brough 9 November 2001
2001 Driffield 9 November 2001
2001 Hull (Guildhall) 9 November 2001
2001 Hull (Lowgate) 9 November 2001
2001 Pocklington 9 November 2001
2001 Withensea 9 November 2001
2001 Arundel 1 December 2001
2002 Bridgenorth 31 January 2002
2002 Leominster 31 January 2002
2002 Fakenham 1 May 2002
2002 Tunbridge Wells 2 June 2002
2002 Beaconsfield 1 July 2002
2002 Buckingham 1 July 2002
2002 Evesham 30 November 2002
2003 Thame 31 January 2003
2003 Droitwitch 21 March 2003
2003 Machynlleth 21 March 2003
2003 Chester-le-Street 21 March 2003
2003 Rugeley 21 May 2003
2003 Lempeter 9 June 2003
2003 Tenby 30 June 2003
2003 Camberley 30 June 2003
2003 Trowbridge 30 September 2003
2003 Whitchurch 3 October 2003
2003 Long Sutton 31 October 2003
2003 Caistor 31 December 2003
2003 Horncastle 31 December 2003
2004 Richmond 31 March 2004
2004 Stourbridge 23 June 2004
2006 Wetherby 7 March 2006
Courts: Magistrates'
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether delays in bringing those charged with offences before magistrates' courts have increased as a result of closing smaller courts; and, if so, to what extent.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: It is not possible to attribute any changes in delay specifically to the closure of smaller courts. However, the estimated average time from offence to first listing for charged indictable/triable-either-way cases in 2005 was 60 days, a 9 per cent decrease in delay from 66 days in 1997.
Courts: Magistrates'
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
By how much failure by persons charged to attend courts has increased since 1997 (a) in absolute terms, and (b) in relation to total cases heard in magistrates' courts.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS) collects information on the number of magistrates' court trials which were ineffective because the defendant was absent. This covers trials only, which may include both charged and summonsed cases. The available information is provided in the table below.
Number of recorded ineffective trials where defendant absent (trial did not proceed in absence) Total number of recorded trials Defendant recorded absent as proportion (%) of total recorded trials
2003-04 9,200 182,300 5.0
2004-05 7,100 190,500 3.7
2005-06 4,700 184,000 2.6
This data collection only covers trials and not other hearing types where the defendant's attendance may be required. Information is therefore not available for other areas of magistrates' business (first listings, guilty plea hearings, et cetera.)
The financial year 2003-04 is the earliest year for which data are available. Data for 1997 are not available.
Source: Cracked and Ineffective Trial Monitoring Form, HMCS
Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
Courts: Magistrates'
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether delays between conviction and sentencing in magistrates' courts have increased since 1997; and, if so, by how much.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The estimated average time from date of verdict to completion in magistrates' courts for indictable/triable-either-way cases decreased from seven days in 1997 to six days in 2005. These figures are based on all completions in the magistrates' courts and will include cases committed to the Crown Court, and cases dismissed or discharged as well as those where a sentence was passed in the magistrates' court. This is because timeliness data broken down by case completion type have been available only since February 1999. Therefore estimates covering all completion types have been provided to enable valid comparisons between 1997 and 2005. Recent data suggest that sentenced cases account for around two-thirds of all completions in the magistrates' courts.
Gambling: Casinos
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether councillors who have expressed clear views for or against the location of new casinos in their area will be regarded as having fettered their discretion over any planning applications for such casinos; and whether they will be able to take part in decisions on such applications.
Baroness Andrews: The Government endorse the guidance on the role of councillors set out in the two Local Government Association guidance notes entitled Probity in Planning: the role of councillors and officers and Positive Engagement: a guide for planning councillors.
The Government published a statement of national policy on casinos on 16 December 2004. This statement includes guidance on planning for casinos and the role of local authorities in this process.
Law Society
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of reports by the Legal Services Ombudsman, they have proposals to regulate the Law Society so as to prevent the solicitors and managers currently responsible for its operation from serving on the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Solicitors Regulation Authority is the regulatory arm of the Law Society and it is independent of government.
In the future, under the Legal Services Bill, the Legal Services Board (LSB) will provide strong and independent oversight of the legal profession. Approved regulators such as the Law Society will be required to separate their regulatory and representative functions. This is to ensure that consumers have confidence in the new framework. Under Clause 29 of the Bill, the board is required to set rules on the regulatory arrangements of approved regulators, including how the separation of the regulatory and representative functions should be achieved.
The detail of an approved regulator's internal governance, including who sits on the regulatory board, should be a matter for detailed rules rather than primary legislation. A "one size fits all" approach would not be appropriate, given the difference in nature of the approved regulators and the activities they regulate. The LSB will have the right to authorise and to de-authorise approved regulators like the Law Society and the Bar Council; and will have a range of other powers (for example, setting regulatory targets, censuring approved regulators, imposing financial penalties and directing the approved regulators to take specific action) where a regulator is failing.
Local Government: Lyons Report
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
By what date Sir Michael Lyons' inquiry into the financing of local government is now expected to report.
Baroness Andrews: The Chancellor announced in the Pre-Budget Report that Sir Michael Lyons's final report will be published around the time of Budget 2007.
Local Government: Lyons Report
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the formal terms of reference of Sir Michael Lyons' inquiry into the financing of local government have been changed or extended since it was set up; and what are the current full terms of reference.
Baroness Andrews: The terms of reference for Sir Michael Lyons's independent inquiry established on 20 July 2004 were as follows:
"The inquiry will be led by Sir Michael Lyons and will report by the end of 2005 to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The inquiry will:
consider, in the light of the report of the Balance of Funding review, the detailed case for changes to the present system of local government funding;
make recommendations on any changes that are necessary and how to implement them; and
take evidence from stakeholders.
In particular, the inquiry will:
make recommendations on how best to reform council tax, taking into account the forthcoming revaluation of domestic property;
assess the case both for providing local authorities with increased flexibility to raise additional revenue and for making a significant shift in the current balance of funding;
conduct thorough analysis of options other than council tax for local authorities to raise supplementary revenue, including local income tax, reform of non-domestic rates and other possible local taxes and charges, as well as the possible combination of such options; and
consider the implications for the financing of possible elected regional assemblies.
The inquiry will also consider, as appropriate, any implications that its recommendations have for other parts of the United Kingdom".
On 20 September 2005, the Government announced an extension to Sir Michael's remit. The extended terms of reference were:
"The Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have agreed with Sir Michael Lyons that he will extend his work so that he can consider issues relating to the functions of local government and its future role, as well as, and prior to, making recommendations on local government funding. His work will inform the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.
In addition to his existing remit which is focused on local government funding, Sir Michael's inquiry will:
consider the current and emerging strategic role of local government in the context of national and local priorities for local services; and the implications of this for accountability;
review how the Government's agenda for devolution and decentralisation, together with changes in decision making and funding, could improve local services, their responsiveness to users, and efficiency;
in the light of the above, consider in particular: how improved accountability, clearer central-local relationships, or other interventions could help to manage pressures on local services; and changes to the funding system which will support improved local services;
publish a report or reports, as appropriate, in time for the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.
Sir Michael will work closely with local government as well as with central government in delivering his remit".
In the Pre-Budget Report on 6 December 2006, the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed that the Government have asked Sir Michael to consider further the implications of the Eddington, Leitch and Barker reviews in order to ensure a coherent approach to the role, function and funding of local government. The Lyons inquiry's final report will be published around the time of Budget 2007.
Local Government: Unitary Authorities
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend that there will be a general upper limit to the number of proposals for unitary status and the number of pathfinders for new two-tier models respectively that they will approve following the invitation to local authorities to submit proposals, published on 26 October; and, if so, what the limits will be.
Baroness Andrews: As stated in paragraph 5.16 of the invitation to councils to make proposals for future unitary structures that was published alongside the local government White Paper, the Government think they will be unlikely to be able to implement more than eight proposals. However, the final decision on the number of proposals that will be implemented will depend crucially on the content of local authority submissions and the potential impact on public expenditure totals if these proposals were approved. This expected maximum number would not preclude the Government from deciding to implement more if they offered good value for money and were affordable.
Railways: West Coast Main Line
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Statement by Lord Davies of Oldham on 13 December (WS 191-92) on Virgin Rail Group franchises, what changes have been made to the terms of the franchise for the West Coast Mainline services from 1997 to 2012 in respect of (a) payments to or from Government, and (b) profit sharing of guarantees against losses.
Lord Davies of Oldham: Detailed below are the payments envisaged in the original franchise agreement, the actual sums paid (including those of the substituted "letter agreement") and the subsidies expected to be paid under the reinstated franchise agreement.
In 2002 a "letter agreement" was put in place to reflect Railtrack's failure to deliver the agreed terms of the west coast modernisation programme. The recently announced agreement puts the Virgin West Coast franchise back on a secure contractual footing and enables the department to secure additional public value by incentivising the operator to reduce costs. Bracketed figures are premia planned to be received by the department.
It is to be noted that the sums paid include actual incentive payments and receipts. The sums paid also include the impact of the ORR regulatory review of track access charges, as do those planned for the reinstated franchise agreement.
The reinstated franchise agreement, unlike the original, includes a revenue share/support arrangement in the eventuality that a target revenue is exceeded/fails to be achieved. This is in accordance with other recent franchises. The Department for Transport will receive 50 per cent of revenues achieved between 102 per cent and 106 per cent of an agreed target revenue and 80 per cent of revenues greater than 106 per cent of target revenue.
Revenue support arrangements are a mirror image of these; that is, should the franchisee fail to achieve between 98 per cent and 100 per cent of target revenues the franchisee will receive no support. Should 94 per cent to 98 per cent of target revenue not be achieved the department pays 50 per cent of that revenue not achieved; it pays 80 per cent should revenues received be less than 94 per cent.
Franchise Year Original Franchise Agreement Plan(£m) Actual Payments(£m) Reinstated Franchise Agreement
1996-97 92.5 5.8
1997-98 77.8 76.6
1998-99 68.4 70.2
1999-2000 56.1 59.1
2000-01 53.7 57.7
2001-02 52.3 190.9
2002-03 (3.9) 188.8
2003-04 (52.7) 328.6
2004-05 (55.8) 113.0
2005-06 (72.0) 68.2
2006-07 (126.6) 193 (estimate) 72.9
2007-08 (151.6) 282.9
2008-09 (167.6) 312.4
2009-10 (184.5) 265.3
2010-11 (202.2) 230.1
2011-12 (220.3) 198.8
(Figures in brackets denote planned premium)
Restorative Justice
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 9 October (WA 106), whether any system is in place to monitor the welfare of, or to protect, young people who are subject to community restorative justice in Northern Ireland; and whether this puts community restorative justice schemes in the category of summary justice.
Lord Rooker: Community-based restorative justice schemes are voluntary agencies which currently operate entirely independently of government and are therefore not subject to formal scrutiny by government. That is why a protocol for community-based restorative justice schemes has recently been the subject of a public consultation and equality impact assessment. The draft protocol requires that schemes protect the human rights of all participants and, in relation to young offenders in particular, ensure that they are supported by an appropriate individual such as a parent or guardian. It also sets out the requirements for an independent complaints mechanism and regular inspection by Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland.
Roads: A27
Lord Baker of Dorking: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many accidents were recorded on the A27 between Lewes and Polegate in October and November 2006; how many injuries were incurred; and for how long sections of the A27 between Lewes and Polegate were closed.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The table below gives the Highways Agency's record of accidents on the A27 between Lewes and Polegate in October and November 2006 and the number of injuries that occurred.
Number of Accidents Injuries
Fatal Serious Slight Fatal Serious Slight
October 2006 1 0 4 1 0 5
November 2006 4 3 0 6 8
Total 12 accidents 20 injuries
Four of the 12 accidents required the road to be closed. Details of the location, date and time of the four accidents are given below.
Date Location Time of Incident Road Reopened*
14-Oct A27 Lewes Road 604 meters west of The Street 17.14 22.33
03-Nov A27 Selmeston 923 meters west of The Street 08.35 12.47
06-Nov A27 Lewes Road 584 meters west of The Street 10.53 15.10
29-Nov A27 Selmeston 746 meters west of Selmeston Lane 06.55 09.16
*Source: Sussex Police
Schools: Academies
Baroness Walmsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the attendance rate of pupils of compulsory school age at all academies or their predecessor schools for each year from 2001 to 2005.
Lord Adonis: The information requested can be found in the following table. Improving pupil attendance is a key priority for all academies, and the data show that most have better overall attendance records than the schools they replaced.
Authorised and unauthorised absences from academies and predecessor schools, 2001-05
2001 2002
LA Schoolor Academy Opened Authorised /Unauthorised Absence Authorised /Unauthorised Absence
Bexley Thamesmead Community College 15.0% 6.3%
Bexley The Business Academy, Bexley 2002 - -
Haringey St David and St Katherine Church of England High Schools 5.9% 0.6%
Haringey Grieg City Academy 2002 - -
East Middlesbrough Keldholme School 14.0% 1.9%
East Middlesbrough Langbaurgh School 11.2% 0.5%
East Middlesbrough Unity City Academy 2002 - -
Brent Willesden High School 4.9% 7.1% 9.0% 4.0%
Brent Capital City Academy 2003
Bristol St George Community College 10.4% 0.3% 11.2% 0.9%
Bristol The City Academy Bristol 2003
Ealing Compton Sports College 11.6% 4.7% 10.7% 5.5%
Ealing West London Academy 2003
Manchester Ducie High School, Moss Side 11.4% 3.2% 12.8% 2.4%
Manchester Manchester Academy 2003
Middlesbrough Brackenhoe Comprehensive 13.4% 0.7% 12.8% 0.9%
Middlesbrough Coulby Newham 10.8% 1.1% 9.6% 0.7%
Middlesbrough The King's Academy 2003
Nottingham Djanogly CTC and Forest School 7.8% 0.2% 10.3% 0.7%
Nottingham Djanogly City Academy 2003
Southwark City of London Academy * 2003
Southwark Warwick Park School 6.7% 1.1% 5.7% 2.4%
Southwark The Academy at Peckham 2003
Walsall TP Riley School 10.6% 1.4% 9.8% 1.4%
Walsall Walsall City Academy 2003
Barnet The Edgware School 8.2% 2.1% 8.0% 1.4%
Barnet The London Academy 2004
Hackney Mossbourne Community Academy * 2004
Hillingdon Evelyns Community School 17.6% 1.8% 11.6% 9.4%
Hillingdon Stockley Academy 2004
Lambeth Lambeth Academy * 2004
Northampton Lings Upper School 14.7% 2.7% 8.8% 2.2%
Northampton Northampton Academy 2004
Doncaster Thorne Grammar School 9.9% 1.3% 9.9% 1.5%
Doncaster Trinity Academy 2005
Greenwich St Paul's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided School 8.1% 1.1% 6.3% 0.5%
Greenwich St Paul's Academy 2005
Salford Cannon Williamson Church of England School 18.9% 1.2% 15.4% 0.1%
Salford Salford City Academy 2005
Kent Ramsgate School 10.0% 3.0% 10.4% 4.7%
Kent Marlowe Academy 2005
Hillingdon John Penrose School 9.5% 2.3% 9.2% 1.5%
Hillingdon Harefield Academy 2005
Lewisham Malory School 9.0% 4.0% 6.8% 4.8%
Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy 2005
Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's City Technology College (CTC) 6.4% 0.6% 6.8% 0.5%
Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College Academy 2005
Bradford Dixons City Technology College 4.2% & 4.3% 0.1%
Bradford Dixons City Academy 2005
Liverpool Our Lady's Catholic High School 8.5% 1.9% 8.5% 1.0%
Liverpool Academy of St Francis Assisi 2005
West Middlesbrough Macmillan City Technology College 6.1% & 5.8% &
West Middlesbrough Macmillan Academy 2005
National average for secondary schools 8.0% 1.1% 7.6% 1.1%
Authorised and unauthorised absences from Academies and predecessor schools, 2001-05
2003 2004 2005
LA School or Academy Authorised /Unauthorised Absence Authorised /Unauthorised Absence Authorised /Unauthorised Absence
Bexley Thamesmead Community College
Bexley The Business Academy, Bexley 7.8% 2.0% 8.0% 1.0% 7.8% 0.7%
Haringey St David and St Katherine Church of England High Schools
Haringey Grieg City Academy 5.4% 5.1% 7.9% 1.9% 7.2% 1.4%
East Middlesbrough Keldholme School
East Middlesbrough Langbaurgh School
East Middlesbrough Unity City Academy 8.1% 2.0% 9.5% 2.8% 9.9% 6.2%
Brent Willesden High School
Brent Capital City Academy - - 5.2% 5.9% 4.4% 6.5%
Bristol St George Community College
Bristol The City Academy Bristol - - 11.2% 0.2% 8.1% 0.4%
Ealing Compton Sports College
Ealing West London Academy 11.6% 1.8% 9.3% 2.6% 8.1% 2.0%
Manchester Ducie High School, Moss Side
Manchester Manchester Academy - - 7.3% 4.2% 5.6% 2.5%
Middlesbrough Brackenhoe Comprehensive
Middlesbrough Coulby Newham
Middlesbrough The King's Academy - - 6.3% 8.2% 4.1% 7.3%
Nottingham Djanogly CTC and Forest School
Nottingham Djanogly City Academy 9.2% 0.7% 9.0% 1.4% 8.0% 1.7%
Southwark City of London Academy * 6.5% 1.2%
Southwark Warwick Park School
Southwark The Academy at Peckham - - 5.7% 3.6% 6.7% 2.8%
Walsall TP Riley School
Walsall Walsall City Academy - - 4.6% 0.3% 2.4% 0.8%
Barnet The Edgware School 7.4% 1.1%
Barnet The London Academy - - 6.6% 0.5%
Hackney Mossbourne Community Academy * 4.0% 0.2%
Hillingdon Evelyns Community School 8.0% 5.4%
Hillingdon Stockley Academy - - 6.9% 3.9%
Lambeth Lambeth Academy * 3.7% 2.4%
Northampton Lings Upper School 11.0% 2.0%
Northampton Northampton Academy 11.5% 2.4% 8.6% 3.2%
Doncaster Thorne Grammar School 8.3% 1.7% 8.1% 1.7%
Doncaster Trinity Academy - -
Greenwich St Paul's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided School 6.8% 0.5% 7.3% 0.7%
Greenwich St Paul's Academy - -
Salford Cannon Williamson Church of England School 12.5% 0.5% 11.2% 1.9%
Salford Salford City Academy - -
Kent Ramsgate School 7.9% 6.6% 11.0% 5.8%
Kent Marlowe Academy - -
Hillingdon John Penrose School 9.4% 2.1% 9.0% 2.0%
Hillingdon Harefield Academy 9.6% 2.1%
Lewisham Malory School 6.4% 4.2% 5.7% 5.0%
Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy - -
Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's City Technology College (CTC) 7.3% 0.3% 5.2% 0.2%
Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College Academy 4.8% 0.2%
Bradford Dixons City Technology College 3.4% 0.2% 3.4% 0.1%
Bradford Dixons City Academy 3.4% 0.1%
Liverpool Our Lady's Catholic High School 9.3% 1.1% 7.8% 2.9%
Liverpool Academy of St Francis Assisi - -
West Middlesbrough Macmillan City Technology College 5.3% & 5.7% 0.1%
West Middlesbrough Macmillan Academy 4.9% &
National average for secondary schools 7.2% 1.1% 6.9% 1.1% 5.7% 0.8%
Italics indicate a predecessor school
* indicates a new school
& - where a figure of less than 0.05%, but greater than 0% occurs
- indicates an academy where attendance figures are not available as the school opened in the September of the year in question
Single/Double Summer Time
Lord Tanlaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there are proven statistics to show that the present use of Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time during the winter months is more beneficial for culture and tourism than the lighter afternoons and evenings that would occur with a switch to single/double summer time.
Lord Truscott: There are potential advantages and disadvantages of a change to the summer time arrangements, which would have an impact on culture and tourism. We consider that the present situation is a satisfactory compromise between those who prefer lighter mornings and those who prefer lighter evenings and we are not convinced that a change to our wintertime and summertime arrangements would be in the best interests of the UK.
Skills Academies
Lord Baker of Dorking: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many skills academies have been approved; what skills they aim to cover; and where they are located.
Lord Adonis: To date, three national skills academies (NSAs) have been approved. These are in the areas of manufacturing, financial services and construction. A fourth NSA in food and drink processing is at an advanced stage in developing its business plan and should be ready for approval shortly.
A further four national skills academies have been selected from a second round of expressions of interest and are currently in the business planning stage prior to approval. These are in the areas of hospitality, creative and cultural, nuclear, and chemical process engineering. National skills academies will offer sector specific skills development and relevant vocational training at a range of levels.
All academies will be expected to have a national reach but each NSA will have its own model for achieving this. The financial services NSA will develop regional centres of excellence in London, Leeds, Manchester and Norwich initially, but aims to expand this network into further regions from 2007 onwards with the support of significant employer investment. The construction NSA will establish on-site training centres supported by a fleet of regionally based mobile centres at a range of significant construction projects across all nine English regions. The manufacturing NSA will be working through the existing provider network, particularly centres of vocational excellence (CoVES), initially launching in the north-east and West Midlands, where it will have its main hub.
Skills Academies
Lord Baker of Dorking: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the age range for students at skills academies; and
What are the contents of the curriculum which have been established by skills academies; and
How many students are envisaged for each of the skills academies that have been approved.
Lord Adonis: National skills academies (NSA) will provide training for people of working age. However, a number plan to establish links with schools in order to facilitate pre-work vocational training and work experience in their sector.
There is no set curriculum for national skills academies. Each academy will work closely with the employers in its sector to determine the key areas for skills development. These could include craft, technical and managerial areas. Employers, working with sector skills councils (SSCs), will shape all aspects of the design of academies and delivery of the training including suitable courses, normally leading to recognised qualifications. Academies plan to offer a wide range of learning opportunities, including new entry routes to employment, apprenticeships, pre-employment training for adults aimed at broadening the recruitment pool, full-time and work-based routes to qualifications, including flexible and "bite-sized" learning, designed specifically by and for employers.
The National Skills Academy for Manufacturing aims to support the learning needs of around 40,000 learners per year by 2012. The NSA for construction expects to have facilitated 10,000 apprenticeships and trained 100,000 adults to enable them to gain national vocational qualifications at levels 2 and 3 by 2010. The financial services NSA expects to have 15,000 learners by 2008-09.
St Andrews Agreement
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the removal of any religious discrimination in the recruitment to the Police Service of Northern Ireland was a feature of the St Andrews agreement of 2006; and, if so, what was agreed.
Lord Rooker: Government remain committed to achieving a representative police service in Northern Ireland for all community backgrounds. This commitment, and Government's aim to achieve 30 per cent Catholic composition for regular police officers by 2010-11, was part of the St Andrews discussions. The removal of the temporary police recruitment provisions are as outlined in annexe B of the St Andrews agreement of 2006. This states that the 50:50 recruitment arrangements to the PSNI will lapse when the Patten target for Catholic officers has been achieved.
Traffic Management Act 2004
Lord Lipsey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why two years have elapsed since the passing of the Traffic Management Act 2004 before consultation on orders to permit charging of utility companies who dig up roads.
Lord Davies of Oldham: We first consulted on the operation of permit schemes in spring 2005. Issues raised from that consultation have led to substantial revisions and we are currently running a follow-up consultation.
Trees
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Andrews on 6 December (WA 146), whether similar penalties apply in Northern Ireland in respect of the unlawful destruction of trees; and, if the penalties are not the same, what are the differences.
Lord Rooker: The penalties set out in the legislation governing offences for non-compliance of tree preservation orders are similar in Northern Ireland and in England and Wales except that the maximum fine on summary conviction in Northern Ireland is £30,000 rather than the current £20,000 in England and Wales.
Trees
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Andrews on 6 December (WA 147—48), whether conditions identical to those in England apply in Northern Ireland in respect of planning applications subsequent to, or affected by, the unlawful destruction of trees; and, if the conditions are not the same, what are the differences.
Lord Rooker: The conditions that apply are the same except that the requirement in Article 4(2A) of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991, that planning applications shall be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise, has not yet been brought into operation.
United States: UK Relationship
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they describe their relationship with the Government of the United States; and what is the basis of this description.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Government describe their relationship with the Government of the United States as crucial. The United States is and will remain a close ally of the UK, and a key partner for achieving the UK's international objectives. We are bound to the United States not only by our close historical ties, but also by our shared commitment to democracy, human rights, global prosperity and international security. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2007-01-09b | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2007",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department of Health and Social Care
HIV Infection: Prisoners
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners in England and Wales have tested positive for HIV while in prison in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: The information requested is not held centrally.
Abortion: Analgesics
Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to review the standard NHS practice of not using foetal painkillers before abortion; and what assessment they have made of the consistency of this approach with the current standard NHS practice of using foetal painkillers before foetal surgery from 19 weeks.
Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: The Department does not set or review clinical practice and no specific assessment has been made. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has established a review group to consider the latest evidence on foetal pain and foetal awareness, which is expected to report on its findings by the end of 2022. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2022-10-05 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2022",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Global Navigation Satellite Systems
Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 7 December 2018 (HL11885), whether the UK Space Agency has yet developed options for a UK Navigation Satellite System; if so, (1) what those options are, and (2) whether their costs are within the £92 million set aside for the Engineering and Design studies.
Lord Callanan: The Space-Based Positioning Navigation and Timing Programme (SBPP) is on track and is continuing to explore innovative ways of delivering space-based Position Navigation and Timing (PNT) services to the UK. The programme will advise on options to Government for a space-based solution to improve our PNT resilience, as part of a mix of technologies, in November this year. SBPP follows on from the work of the UK Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Programme, which concluded in September 2020. The cost of this programme was contained within the £92m allocated. In conjunction with industry, the GNSS programme developed detailed designs for a Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) PNT satellite system. SBPP is now looking at a broader set of innovative concepts for securing global space-based PNT services, to meet the resilience needs of our Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and wider economic and domestic users.
UK Trade with EU
Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they hold on the number of UK companies who have set up (1) companies, and (2) distribution hubs, in the EU since 1 January; and the number of jobs that have been created in the EU as a result.
Lord Callanan: Companies House does not hold any information on how many companies have set up (1) companies and (2) distribution hubs, in the EU since 1 January, and the number of jobs that have been created in the EU as a result.
Loans: Repayments
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to allow small businesses flexible government loan repayment plans.
Lord Callanan: We have always been clear that businesses are responsible for repaying any finance they take out. However, we recognise that some borrowers will benefit from additional flexibility with regards to their repayments. That is why we announced the Pay As You Grow measures last year. Pay As You Grow is designed to provide Bounce Back Loan borrowers more time and flexibility over their repayments by giving them the option to: Extend the length of the loan from six years to ten.Make interest-only payments for six months, with the option to use this up to three times throughout the loan.Take up a six-month repayment holiday. This option is available once during the term of their loan. Businesses are able to use these options either individually or in combination with each other. These are only available once a business has started making repayments on the loan. In addition, they have the option to fully repay their loan early and will face no early repayment charges for doing so.While the Government covers the interest due on Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) facilities for the first twelve months, repayments of capital are required during this period unless the lender chooses to grant additional forbearance measures. CBILS lenders are able to extend the repayment period for CBILS facilities where this is needed, to a maximum of 10 years. CBILS term extensions are offered at the discretion of lenders, and for forbearance purposes only. The British Business Bank has a range of guidance and resources available to all businesses, including content on managing cashflow and a list of independent advice services. Details can be found online at the British Business Bank website.
Department of Health and Social Care
Coronavirus: Contracts
Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the administrative error that caused a week’s worth of meetings with companies seeking COVID-19 contracts to be excluded from Lord Bethell’s transparency returns; why this administrative error occurred; when the failure to include these meetings was discovered; and who informed the Department of Health and Social Care that the meetings had not been included.
Lord Bethell: These meetings were included in the relevant transparency return. However, the omission was caused by a formatting error during the merger of individual returns into a master document. This has now been corrected with the full list of meetings now available.
Patients: Older People
Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether patients over 75, or their relatives, should be able to communicate directly with their named doctor if they wish to.
Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a named doctor for a patient over 75 should see that patient, if requested by the patient or their close relatives, if they are very unwell.
Lord Bethell: Every patient, including those over 75 years old, can request to see a specific general practitioner (GP), including their named accountable GP. Under the terms of the 2015/16 National Health Service General Medical Services Contract practices must endeavour to comply with all reasonable requests made by patients to see a particular practitioner and authorised family members have the same rights.
Radiology: Recruitment
Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of additional radiographers and radiologists required to deliver the increased number of diagnostic imaging scanners referred to in the National Health Service Long Term Plan.
Lord Bethell: Following the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England commissioned Sir Professor Mike Richards to review diagnostic services, which was completed in October 2020. The review recommended that there should be an expansion in the imaging workforce with an additional 2,000 radiologists and 4,000 radiographers over the next five years. NHS England and NHS Improvement are planning how to implement the report’s recommendations. In 2020/2021, Health Education England’s Cancer Workforce Plan committed to training 300 reporting radiographers and the NHS People Plan committed to training a further 150. Further workforce requirements will be considered as part of the upcoming Spending Review.
NHS: Contracts
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that public interest in the NHS is protected when private companies receiving NHS contracts already hold seats onIntegratedCareSystemBoards, giving them influence on NHS decision-making.
Lord Bethell: Integrated care boards (ICBs) will be National Health Service bodies, bringing in representatives from a range of other bodies including NHS commissioners and providers. The Board will, as a minimum, include a Chair, Chief Executive and representatives from NHS trusts, general practice and local authorities.Local areas will have the flexibility to determine any further representation on their board. This would be subject to local agreement and approval by NHS England. We do not expect independent providers to have seats on the ICB.
Flour: Folic Acid
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Bethell on 13 July (HL Deb, col 1701), what plans they have to consult scientists on folic fortification, following their consultations with the devolved administrations.
Lord Bethell: There are no current plans to further consult scientists on flour fortification. We are finalising agreement of a four-nation response to the United Kingdom-wide consultation on the proposed mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid which ran from 13 June to 9 September 2019. The next steps will be laid out in the Government’s response.
Flour: Folic Acid
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Bethell on 13 July (HL Deb, col 1702), what are the stated "implications of the Northern Ireland Protocol" in respect of folic fortification, given that nutrition is a matter for EU member states.
Lord Bethell: Under the terms of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, European Union legislation will apply in the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland. Regulation 1925/2006 on the Addition of Vitamins and Minerals to Foods is included the Northern Ireland Protocol. Consideration is therefore necessary in discussion with the devolved administrations to ensure the consultation response and any proposed fortification policy takes into account the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Office for Health Promotion
Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Office for Health Promotion will be their lead organisation for the promotion of physical activity.
Lord Bethell: The Office for Health Promotion (OHP) will work with teams across the Department, the health system and wider partners to support action on physical activity. We will present more detail on our plans and ambitions for the OHP in due course.
Office for Health Promotion
Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect to appoint external advisors to the Office for Health Promotion.
Lord Bethell: We expect that the Office for Health Promotion (OHP) will draw on external expertise and advice from a range of sources. We will present more detail on our plans, ambitions and governance arrangements for the OHP in due course.
NHS: Negligence
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theywill provide the information set out in figure 16 on page 55 of the NHS Resolution annual report and accounts 2020/21 in respect of clinical negligence cases only for the year 2020/21.
Lord Bethell: The information requested is shown in the following table.Settlement typeTotal number of clinical negligence claimsNumber of claims settled with damagesNumber of claims settled with No damagesPercentage of all claims settled, with damagesPercentage of all claims settled, no damagesNo proceedings8,9414,5684,37337.94%36.32%Proceedings3,0662,47858820.58%4.88%Trial3410240.08%0.2%
Coronavirus
Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the percentage of COVID-19 infections transmitted via (1) the air, and (2) surfaces.
Lord Bethell: No specific assessment has been made.
DNACPR Decisions
Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bethell on 13 July 2021 (HL1668), what progress they have made on the misapplication of Do Not AttemptCardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) orders; and what is their timetable for publishing more details on the Ministerial Oversight Group's (1) membership, (2) workings, and (3) decisions.
Lord Bethell: The first meeting of the Ministerial Oversight Group has now taken place and the Group has set out their commitment to driving forward improvements. A summary of the meeting has been shared with interested stakeholders. The membership, workings and decisions of the Ministerial Oversight Group were published on 23 July.
In Vitro Fertilisation
Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bethellon 20 October 2020 (HL9219) and 25 June (HL1299), why they have not yet published the outcome of their consultation on gamete and embryo storage limits.
Lord Bethell: We intend to publish the Government’s response after the summer recess.
Department for Education
Apprentices: Degrees
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to engage with professional and statutory regulatory bodies to determine how degree apprenticeship proposals are implemented.
Baroness Berridge: This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. I have asked its Chief Executive, Jennifer Coupland, to write to the noble Lord and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses when it is available.
Further Education: Ethnic Groups
Lord Woolley of Woodford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toreference race equality in the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill.
Baroness Berridge: In line with the government’s legal duties and its commitment to equalities, care has been taken to ensure that our proposed legislation is informed by assessments of their impacts for those from protected characteristics. The Impact Assessment of the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill was published on 18 May 2021 and includes an assessment of the impacts of its measures on those who share protected characteristics, including in reference to race. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-and-post-16-education-bill-impact-assessment-and-jchr-memorandum.
Further Education: Ethnic Groups
Lord Woolley of Woodford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the (1) guidance, and (2) duty beingplaced on colleges, to review local skills provision, to include an explicit reference to ethnicity.
Lord Woolley of Woodford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the (1) guidance, and (2) duty being placed on colleges, to review local skills provision includes guidance on advancing race equality in further education.
Baroness Berridge: Draft statutory guidance makes clear that in carrying their reviews, the governing bodies of colleges will need to ensure that they comply with their existing statutory obligations, including those related to equality law, under the Equality Act 2010.
Ministry of Justice
Judiciary: Public Appointments
Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Justice's review of theConstitutional Reform Act is considering giving ministers greater influence over senior judicial appointments.
Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether thefindings of the Ministry of Justice’s review of the Constitutional Reform Act will be published for public consultation; and if so, when.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Government is considering what improvements can be made to the settlement left by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. Our constitution is always evolving, and it is entirely proper, sixteen years on from the Act, to examine that settlement in the round and to take stock of subsequent debate and of continuing interest in both Houses. The Lord Chancellor has said that he places great importance on taking an open and consultative approach to any proposals for reform, and the Government will make its plans known in due course.
Prisoners
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they estimate to be the total number of unreleased Imprisonment for Public Protection prisoners broken down by (1) gender, and (2) ethnicity; and how many years are left on their tariff in each case.
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they estimate to be the total number of recalled Imprisonment for Public Protection prisoners broken down by (1) gender, and (2) ethnicity; and how many years are left on their tariff in each case.
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total number of unreleased Imprisonment for Public Protection prisoners in (1) Category A, (2) Category B, (3) Category C, and (4) Category D; and how many years are left on their tariff in each case.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. By law, prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the independent Parole Board concludes that the risk they present to the public is capable of being safely managed in the community under probation supervision. The following two tables show the number of unreleased prisoners serving an IPP sentence at 31 March 2021, by gender, ethnicity and the number of years to their tariff expiry, in England and Wales. The total number of IPP prisoners recorded in these two tables is 1,784. Table 1GenderNumber (Row Total)Less than 1 year1 year to less than 2 years2 year to less than 3 years3 year to less than 4 years4 year to less than 5 years5 or more yearsTariff expiredTariff unavailableMale1,7612422135671,6822Female23000000230 Table 2EthnicityNumber (Row Total)Less than 1 year1 year to less than 2 years2 year to less than 3 years3 year to less than 4 years4 year to less than 5 years5 or more yearsTariff expiredTariff unavailableAsian or Asian British92302211830Black or Black British2297531142080Mixed70030000670Other ethnic group800000080White1,380141482421,3342Unrecorded100000010Not stated400000040 The following two tables show the number of recalled prisoners serving an IPP sentence at 31 March 2021, by gender and ethnicity, in England and Wales. All recalled IPP prisoners are post tariff as it is not possible to release an IPP prisoner prior to the expiry of their minimum tariff date. The total number of IPP prisoners recorded in these two tables is 1,350. Table 3GenderNumberMale1,327Female23 Table 4EthnicityNumberAsian or Asian British42Black or Black British161Mixed74Other ethnic group/Not Stated4White1,069 The table below shows the number of unreleased prisoners serving an IPP sentence at 31 March 2021, by security category and the number of years to their tariff expiry, in England and Wales. The total number of IPP prisoners recorded in the below table is 1,784. Table 5Security CategoryNumber (Row Total)Less than 1 year1 year to less than 2 years2 year to less than 3 years3 year to less than 4 years4 year to less than 5 years5 or more yearsTariff expiredTariff unavailableA17110010140B3232131253090C87171394418312D54814710005260Females (open and closed)23000000230Others200000020 A prisoner’s individual needs in relation to offending behaviour and resettlement, or their individual circumstances (such as medical requirements) may result in an individual being held in a prison of a higher category than their own approved category. Prisoners will not be allocated to a prison of a lower security category than the security category assigned to them personally. Notes for all figures:These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database and Prison-NOMIS held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing.Tariff refers to the length of time between date of sentence and tariff expiry date.
Court of Protection: Child Trust Fund
Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications have been received by the Court of Protection where the only asset is a Child Trust Fund.
Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manyapplications that have been received bythe Court of Protection in respect of Child Trust Funds have resulted in a Deputy being appointed.
Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manyassociated Fee Waivers the Court of Protection has received in respect of Child Trust Fund applications; and how many have been granted.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Court of Protection has received fifteen applications since August 2020 where the assets included a Child Trust Fund. Of the fifteen applications received, thirteen have resulted in a deputy being appointed. The remaining two applications resulted in ‘one off’ orders. In four cases, a Child Trust Fund was the sole asset and the court fees were waived.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Human Rights: Sanctions
Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have takenunder theGlobal Human Rights sanctions regime since 6 July 2020.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Global Human Rights sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. Since it was established on 6 July 2020, we have designated 72 individuals and 6 entities under this sanctions regime. The full UK Sanctions List is available on GOV.UK website (www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list), which provides details of those individuals and entities designated under sanctions regulations made under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the Global Human Rights sanctions regime and the evidence.
Mali: Females
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their activities in Mali on the rights of women and girls; and what discussions they have had with organisations supporting women and girls rights in Mali about this subject.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to supporting women and girls in Mali. We are providing funding for women-led peacebuilding in Northern Mali, working with women delegates to Mali's Peace Agreement Monitoring Committee. In the most recent renewal of MINUSMA's mandate, we secured strong benchmarks on the meaningful participation of women in the peace process and wider political processes. We are also providing programmatic support to allow crisis-affected children (at least 50% girls) in Mali to continue their education, and have invested to support women's sexual and reproductive health. The UK Embassy in Mali is in regular contact with civil society groups that support women's and girls' rights, including in the lead up to a joint UK-France co-hosted event at the UN in May this year. This event provided a platform for women delegates of Mali's Peace Agreement Monitoring Committee and local women's rights organisation, to share their experiences and understanding of the challenges and opportunities of increasing women's meaningful participation in stabilisation, mediation and conflict resolution processes.
Nigeria: Religious Freedom
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the APPG for International Freedom of Religion or Belief Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide, published on 15 June 2020, (1) whether they have made any representations to the government of Nigeria requesting a full investigation of cases of military complicity in violence and human rights abuses; and (2) whether they provide training in religious literacy and freedom of religion or belief to UK officials working in Nigeria.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to call on the Nigerian Government to investigate allegations of human rights violations and hold those responsible to account, most recently during the Minister for Africa's visit to Nigeria in April. FCDO staff come from a range of backgrounds and religious identities, and all are encouraged to develop further understanding of religion and its role within society, supported by training from the FCDO's International Academy.
Belarus: Human Rights
Lord Wharton of Yarm: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the arrest of activists and staff from the human rights organisation Viasna on 14 July in Minsk, Belarus; and what representations they plan to make to the government of Belarus about the release of those detained.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As the Foreign Secretary made clear in his public statement on 14 July, this latest assault against human rights organisations and independent media by Lukashenko's regime is a further attempt to crush freedom and stifle debate in Belarus. The Government has called for those detained to be released immediately, along with the hundreds of other people detained on political grounds. The Government has raised our concerns directly to the Belarusian authorities, most recently in the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on 15 July. The UK stands with the people of Belarus and we will continue to work with our partners to hold those responsible for these human rights abuses to account.
Egypt: Children
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Egypt about children being given preliminary death sentences in that country.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. This is especially the case for juveniles. This is in line with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Arab Charter on Human Rights. We continue to raise human rights concerns, including the death penalty, with the Egyptian authorities, both privately and in forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. Following recent cases the Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa made clear to the Egyptian Government, at a senior level, our serious concern about the use of the death penalty.
Myanmar: Natural Gas and Oil
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with international partners about sanctions against the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has been at the forefront of the international response to the coup, including through targeted sanctions on the military's economic interests. On 29 April, the UK laid new sanctions regulations, Myanmar (Sanctions) Regulations 2021, to allow us to better target the military and its interests. Since the start of the coup we have sanctioned nine individuals and six entities for their involvement in serious human rights violations and support to the junta.We cannot speculate on future designations, however, we are working with partners to identify a range of further targets. The UK is committed to targeted sanctions which directly impact the military without harming the wider population. This will be a key consideration in any future designations.
Cameroon: Armed Conflict
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of (1) the food security situation in North-West and South-West Cameroon, and (2) the impact of the security situation in Cameroon on regional stability; and what discussions they have had with (a) the Commonwealth Secretary-General, (b) the Secretary General of La Francophonie, and (c) the Chairperson of the African Union, about bringing an end to the conflicts in Cameroon.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the situation in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, which has left 1.15 million people suffering from food insecurity. We regularly discuss the crisis within multilateral fora and with international partners, and welcome efforts from the African Union, the Commonwealth and La Francophonie to support a peaceful resolution.
Cameroon: Humanitarian Aid
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access in North-West and South-West Cameroon.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: During the Minister for Africa's visit to Cameroon in March, he met project partners to witness the impact of UK aid and called for unimpeded humanitarian access to those in need. The UK's representative reiterated these calls at the UN Security Council briefing on the UN Regional Office for Central Africa in June, and the British High Commission in Yaoundé continues to advocate for access alongside the diplomatic community and the UN.
Armenia: Azerbaijan
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of an encroachment by the armed forces of Azerbaijan into the village of Yeraskh in Armenia on 19 July.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is aware of the ongoing tensions along the Armenia and Azerbaijan border. We continue to urge both sides to refrain from rhetoric or actions which may exacerbate the situation and to engage in urgent discussions to ensure a peaceful resolution to the current tensions.
Armenia: Azerbaijan
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent statements by the President of Azerbaijan that parts of Armenia’s sovereign territory, including the capital Yerevan, belong to Azerbaijan.
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent statement by the President of Azerbaijan that “There is no Nagorno-Karabakh, there is Karabakh”, and of whether this violates the rights to self-determination contained in the November Ceasefire Agreement and the OSCE Minsk Group Protocols.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the recent statements by the President of Azerbaijan. The Minister for the European Neighbourhood spoke to Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov on 14 June where she reinforced continued UK support for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to secure a peaceful, fully negotiated and sustainable settlement to the conflict in line with the Minsk Group Principles. Our Embassies in Baku and Yerevan have also reinforced this ongoing support to those Principles with the relevant authorities and have encouraged both parties to engage with the Co-Chairs' renewed efforts.
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what fundingthe UK has provided to COVAX; and what proportion of this is expected to be spent on (1) Sinovac, and (2) Sinopharm vaccines.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since the beginning of the pandemic, the UK has championed the importance of rapid, equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. We are among the largest donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), committing £548 million. Through match-funding, this leveraged $1 billion from other donors in 2020. This support to COVAX has been critical to its distribution of over 136 million COVID-19 vaccines to over 136 countries and economies, with its aim to provide up to 1.8 billion doses to low and middle-income countries by early 2022. The UK has also committed to sharing 100 million vaccine doses by June 2022, 80 per cent of which will go to COVAX to provide further support for countries in need.The UK's financial commitment to COVAX contributes to the whole COVAX portfolio, which currently consists of 11 COVID-19 vaccines. Exact numbers of different vaccines supplied to countries will depend on timing of availability, country demand and preferences, overall portfolio mix, and ongoing assessment and guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on vaccine effectiveness as the evidence base for different vaccines continues to evolve. All vaccines disbursed by COVAX must pass robust WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) or full pre-qualification assessment.
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the (1) World Health Organisation, (2) Gavi, and (3) COVAX, regarding the (a) Sinovac, and (b) Sinopharm, vaccines and their efficacy.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As a critical partner in the global vaccination effort, the UK regularly makes representations on this agenda with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Gavi, which operates as the secretariat of COVAX.Since the beginning of the pandemic, the UK has championed the importance of rapid, equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. This requires a truly global effort, and no one country or pharmaceutical company will be able to do this alone.
Coronavirus: Disease Control
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the recommendations of the report of the Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response COVID-19: Make it the Last Pandemic, published on 5 May; and in particular, what plans they have to support a political declaration on pandemic planning at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: It is vital to learn lessons from a global health emergency, particularly one as complex and far-reaching as COVID-19, so that we can be better prepared for future pandemics. We need to take this moment to deliver concrete improvements that allow the international system to respond better in the future. The findings and bold recommendations of the Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response, as well as the other reviews into this pandemic, will play an important role in this process. We are carefully considering these recommendations as we approach key discussions, including at the G20, the United Nations General Assembly, and the World Health Assembly Special Session later this year.
Department for Work and Pensions
Statutory Sick Pay: OECD Countries
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the rate of statutory sick pay in the UK of £95.85 per week is lower than the averageof othercountries in theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; andwhen they plan they address this issue.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. It is paid by employers at £96.35 per week for up to 28 weeks in any one period of entitlement. Employers are legally required to pay SSP to eligible employees who are off work sick or incapable of work, where employees meet the qualifying conditions. Some employers may also decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay. The costs of SSP are met in full by employers. It is therefore important to strike a balance between ensuring employees receive financial support when they are sick or incapable of work with the costs to employers of providing such support. SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider government offer to support people in times of need. Where an individual’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support, they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on their personal circumstances. The government has previously consulted on reform to SSP, and as we learn to live with a new virus there is space to take a broader look at the role of SSP. The government maintains that SSP provides an important link between the employee and employer but that now is not the right time to introduce changes to the sick pay system.
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 8 June (HL Deb, col 1312), what assessment they have made of the report by Z2K #PeopleBeforeProcess, published on 25 May; and what steps they plan to take as a result.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Government acknowledges the report by Z2K published in May 2021 and will consider its findings as part of our consultation on the Health & Disability Green Paper, published on 20 July. The Green Paper explores how the benefits system can better meet people’s needs now and in the future by improving people’s experience of our services, enabling independent living and improving employment outcomes. The Government is committed to improving the lives of disabled people and yesterday published the National Disability Strategy. The strategy takes into account the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on disabled people and focuses on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects of life.
Pensioners: Pre-payment
Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Penn on 19 July (HL Deb col 4), how many retired pensioners have been issued with pre-payment cards.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department of Work and Pensions does not offer pre-paid cards. The main method of paying customers is into a standard bank, building society or credit union account. However, there are exceptions in limited circumstances. The Department currently provides two Payment Exception Services which allow customers access to their payments. These are Her Majesty’s Government Payment Exception Service (HMG PES) and the Post Office Card account. The Payment Exception Service is aimed at those customers who are unbanked and are either unable to open or use a bank account. It is designed for access to cash only. The contract expires 30 September 2021, but a similar procured new Payment Exception Service will replace HMG PES. The Post Office Card Account is a basic deposit service for benefits and pensions, delivered by Post Office Limited on behalf of the Department. This service is due to end and customers will either convert to a standard bank, building society or credit union account. Those customers who are unable to open or use an account will be migrated to the new Payment Exception Service on a staged basis from August 2021.
State Retirement Pensions
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the level of the basic state pension paid in the UK; and what assessment they have made of how this compares with the levels of state pensions in EU member states.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The full rate of the basic State Pension for people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 is £137.60 per week. These individuals may also have some earnings-related additional State Pension, occupational or private pension income (enabled by the UK National Insurance system). For people reaching State Pension age from 6 April 2016 onwards, the full rate of the new State Pension is £179.60 per week: the amount an individual receives depends on their individual National Insurance record. Meaningful comparisons between pension schemes in different countries are very difficult to make as there are many factors to take into account. This includes differences in; tax systems, healthcare systems, pension ages, cost of living, access to occupational pensions and the availability of other social security benefits, as well as the provision of services and goods free to pensioners or at concessionary rates.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Environment Protection
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to The Independent on 14 July that they hoped to use the Environment Bill “to seek powers to ensure information about environmental impacts, such as carbon emissions, is provided with certain products”, whether they can (1) provide details of the means by which they plan to do this, and (2) list the products to which they expect to apply the powers.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: In accordance with our Resources and Waste Strategy, the powers being sought through our Environment Bill will allow the Government to ensure consumers are provided with clear, consistent and trustworthy information, enabling them to make more sustainable purchasing decisions and helping shift the market towards more resource efficient products. These information-sharing requirements may focus on durability, reparability and recyclability, and there is scope to include other criteria where appropriate, such as embodied carbon or water usage during production. They could take a number of different forms such as consumer information rating schemes, or labels specifying that a product meets a certain environmental standard. We are working on developing a plan for making use of these powers, and will take on board responses to our recent consultation on the Waste Prevention Programme for England – towards a resource efficient economy. In parallel, as outlined in the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is preparing to launch a Call for Evidence on low carbon industrial products. The response to the Call for Evidence will be used to develop proposals for new policies to grow the market for these products, including a new labelling system for intermediary industrial products reflecting their impact on the environment.
Water Companies: Standards
Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by David Black, acting Chair of Ofwat, on 13 July that there should be a "step-change in culture and commitment" by water companies "to fundamentally change the way they deliver for customers and the environment".
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The recent Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) report, to which David Black’s comments relate, spans the last 12 months and makes for extremely disappointing reading. Even the industry-leading water companies have more work to do, especially on the use of storm overflows. Water companies have environmental responsibilities and they must realise them. They have a legal duty to avoid pollution to our rivers and other waterways. The Government, the Environment Agency and Ofwat announced on 22 July the consultation of the review of the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), an ambitious programme of work that water companies are required to complete to meet their obligations from environmental legislation and UK Government policy. Water company actions driven by this programme have the potential to greatly enhance the natural environment, ultimately helping to protect the health of rivers and waterways in England and support sustainable growth. For 2020 to 2025 water companies are investing £7.1 billion to protect and improve the environment. This includes the £5.2 billion invested through WINEP. The strategic policy statement (SPS) for Ofwat published for consultation on July 22 outlines the Government’s key priorities for Ofwat’s regulation of the water sector in England. This includes water companies’ day-to-day environmental performance, with a focus on meeting the Government’s ambitions to significantly reduce the frequency and volume of sewage discharges from storm overflows. As well as challenging water companies to plan strategically their drainage and wastewater services in order to improve resilience and reduce pollution incidents, the Government expects Ofwat to challenge companies to continue to drive down leakage and improve water efficiency for the benefit of current and future customers. The Environment Bill will also address this step change, with three new measures to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows: The first statutory requirement will place a duty on Government to publish a plan by September 2022 to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows and to reduce their impact. This plan will be informed by work of the Storm Overflows Taskforce and will be subject to consultation and informed by an impact assessment. The Government will consider a wide range of options, including measures proposed in the Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP’s Private Member’s Bill. The plan will complement existing Asset Management Plans and new statutory Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans produced by water companies. There will be an additional statutory requirement for Government to report to Parliament on progress on implementing the plan every five years, which will align progress with existing Asset Management Plan cycles for maximum effectiveness. The third requirement will be a duty on water companies and the Environment Agency to publish data on storm overflow operation on an annual basis so that it is available and accessible to the public. The Environment Bill will also require a legally binding, long-term water quality target. We are currently considering water targets on reducing pollution from wastewater, as well as agriculture and abandoned metal mines. Setting targets will provide a strong mechanism to deliver long-term environmental outcomes.
Home Office
Immigration: EEA Nationals
Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 14 July (HL1628 and HL1629), how someone would check whether they had (1) "UK immigration status", and (2) indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK.
Lord Greenhalgh: A person who is issued with a UK Immigration status or Indefinite leave to Enter or Remain are provided with a visa in their passport, a biometric residence permit or an electronic visa confirming their status. Our decision notices also provide customers with details on their terms of leave.A person who has applied to the EU Settlement Scheme or via the fully digital processes for the British Nationals (Overseas) and Points Based System routes, will have created a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. They can use their UKVI account credentials to log into the online View and Prove service.If an individual has been notified they have a digital certificate of application, they are able to use the View and Prove service to prove their rights:https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-statusThe Home Office also publishes information to assist EU national customers understand their immigration status. Further information can be found on our website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/view-and-prove-your-immigration-status-evisa/your-immigration-status-an-introduction-for-eu-eea-and-swiss-citizens-accessible-versionFor longer-term settled residents who wish to replace their visa for a biometric residence permit, they can submit an application for a biometric residence permit. Further information can be found on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits/replace-visa-brp
Immigration: EU Nationals
Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 14 July (HL1628), whether someone (1) born in the EU, (2) with an EU Member State passport, (3) who is married to a UK citizen, and (4) has (a) resided, and (b) been employed, in the UK for over 20 years, including paying taxes or drawing pension payments, would automatically have "UK immigration status" by dint of those characteristics; or whether they might still need to apply for it under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 14 July (HL1629), whether someone (1) born in an (a) European Economic Area, or (b) European Free Trade Area, state other than the UK, (2) who carries a non-UK passport, (3) who is married to a UK citizen, and (4) has (a) resided, and (b) been employed, in the UK for over 20 years including paying taxes or drawing pension payments, would automatically have "UK immigration status" by dint of those characteristics; or whether they might still need to apply for it under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 14 July (HL1628 and HL1629), what are the additional rights available to EU, EEA and EFTA nationals under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements that they will not possess if they do not apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Lord Greenhalgh: An EU, European Economic Area (EEA) or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) national who was settled in the UK before 1 January 1973 may have acquired indefinite leave to enter or remain automatically under section 1(2) of the Immigration Act 1971.Where they hold indefinite leave to enter or remain obtained in this way, or where an EU, EEA or EFTA national holds such leave obtained by applying for it under another immigration route, they do not need to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), but they may do so if they wish given the benefits of doing so.Indefinite leave to enter or remain granted under the EUSS (referred to as ‘settled status’) enables the holder to access additional rights in line with the Citizens’ Rights Agreements. For example, they can be absent from the UK for five consecutive years, rather than two years, before their settled status lapses, and they can sponsor certain family members to join them in the UK without meeting the requirements of the family Immigration Rules.Where an EEA national was resident in the UK by 31 December 2020 based on free movement rights, they must apply to the EU Settlement Scheme for status under UK immigration law. The deadline for doing so was 30 June 2021, but late applications will be accepted where reasonable grounds exist for missing the deadline. This includes where someone has lived in the UK for many years and did not realise they needed to apply.
Immigration: Public Consultation
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their response to their consultation on the New Plan for Immigration, published on 24 March; and what assessment they have made of their compliance with paragraph J of their Consultation Principles, published on 17 July 2012, in respect of their response to this consultation.
Lord Greenhalgh: This has been published already.
Exploitation: Children
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to amend the Nationality and Borders Bill (1) to protect children who have been trafficked twice or more, (2) to support children who may have committed offences while suffering exploitation, and (3) to protect exploited foreign children by providing leave to remain of sufficient length to guard against further harm.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Within the Nationality and Borders Bill, we are proposing modern slavery measures to deliver a decision-making process and support system that is fair and provides support for those who genuinely need it.We recognise that some victims of modern slavery may have had periods of high vulnerability and can have multiple, complex needs, with some individuals experiencing multiple forms of exploitation at different points in time. The proposed measures within the Bill therefore rightly allow for protection and support for individuals subject to repeated exploitation, including child victims whilst seeking to ensure that further support is only provided where needed.We remain committed to tackling exploitation in all its forms. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 gives law enforcement agencies the tools to tackle modern slavery, including a maximum life sentence for perpetrators and enhanced protection for victims. Where children are found to be potential victims of human trafficking or modern slavery their safety and welfare are addressed as a priority. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area, including child victims of modern slavery. In addition to this statutory support, the Government has rolled out Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs), an additional source of advice and support for all potentially trafficked children, in two thirds of all local authorities in England and Wales.We will seek to put into legislation for the first time the commitment that all confirmed victims, including children, without immigration status will be considered for a grant of temporary leave to remain in line with specific criteria.This will bring clarity to decision makers and victims on the process for temporary leave to remain. We will continue to comply with our duties under Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship, and Immigration Act 2009 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Shipping
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Agnew of Oulton on 13 July (HL1749), how many vessels by (1) size, and (2) type, are operated by UK Border Force.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Border Force Maritime Command’s fleet includes five cutters and six coastal patrol vessels as well as niche capability in the form of tactical watercraft (TWC) and dedicated mobile RHIB capability. Each cutter carries a jet driven RHIB capable of delivering a boarding team. The type of asset deployed will reflect the operational task and may be deployed as a standalone asset or as a combination, to allow for a broad range of tactical options, that can respond to a specific threat or event.Border Force Vessels undertake strategic patrols, tactical surveillance and enforcement activity in support of Border Force and other government agencies providing a law enforcement capability at sea.As a minimum a Cutter and two CPV’s will be permanently deployed to the south east to the 30-mile stretch of coast covering the Dover Straits with additional vessels deployed as operationally required.
Coronavirus: Disease Control
Baroness Rawlings: To ask Her Majesty's Government in whatcircumstances people may be (1) prosecuted, and (2) fined, for breaking COVID-19 regulations.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Decisions on prosecution is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service, based on evidence provided to them by law enforcement agencies, including the Police.On the question of fines, data on the Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued under the COVID-19 regulations by police forces in England and Wales is published by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) on a monthly basis and can be found on the NPCC website.The latest publication from 28th June 2021 can be found here and displays a list of the reasons for FPNs being processed:https://cdn.prgloo.com/media/fefef3f0ea8241018b9bda2d33fa95be.pdf Fixed Penalty Notices - Covid 19 (pdf, 1293.8KB)
Immigration: EEA Nationals
Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 14 July (HL1628 and HL1629), how they are informing EU, EEA and EFTA nationals who acquired a right of permanent residence in the UK under EU law that (1) they need to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme, and (2) the benefits of applying.
Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 14 July (HL1628 and HL1629), what steps they are taking to inform EU, EEA and EFTA nationals living in the UK about the benefits of the additional rights available to them under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Since the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) opened in March 2019, the Home Office has undertaken a broad range of communications and stakeholder engagement activity to encourage EU, European Economic Area (EEA) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nationals, and their family members, to apply for status under the EUSS and to explain why they should do so and secure their rights under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements.We launched a further wave of UK-wide advertising in mid-May to help ensure they were aware of the EUSS and its benefits and of how to apply and access support in doing so if they needed it, although existing ILR holders need not apply. This built on the successful campaign already delivered – with £7.9 million having now been invested in such activity – with targeted adverts appearing on social media, website banners, catch up TV and radio up to the application deadline of 30 June.The Home Office has also made available £22 million in grant funding for a network of now 72 organisations across the UK, which includes charities, local authorities and community groups, to engage with vulnerable groups and help them apply to the EUSS.We are also continuing to engage with local authorities, the Devolved Administrations, employers, community groups and others to raise awareness of the EUSS and encourage those eligible who are yet to apply to do so.
Immigration: EU Nationals
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide funding to agencies and local authorities to support EU citizens facing problems accessing their rights and entitlements in the UK, including issues with the EU Settlement Scheme, given that the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements does not deal with individual cases.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office remains committed to ensuring those who are eligible can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), including those who are vulnerable, need extra support or are harder to reach. £22 million of funding, through to 30 September 2021, has been awarded to a network of 72 charities and local authorities across the UK, to ensure important information and assistance gets through to those who are hardest to reach, and no one is left behind. This support has continued beyond the 30 June 2021 deadline to ensure continuing support for vulnerable citizens applying late Guidance on how to apply and details of the support available to applicants is available through the EU Settlement Resolution Centre (SRC), which is open seven days a week to provide assistance over the telephone and by email, and the SRC also provides a direct line for organisations, charities, social workers, and local authorities working with vulnerable groups.We are working closely with the Grant-funded Network (GFN) and other key stakeholders, collating feedback, to help establish the needs and scale of support beyond September 2021.
Marriage: Churches
Baroness Rawlings: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether clergy are no longer permitted to register marriages conducted in their churches; if so, why not; and what consultations they undertook with the Church of England prior to the introduction of the electronic register for marriages.
Lord Greenhalgh: As a result of changes implemented under The Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc.) Act 2019 all marriages in England and Wales are registered in an electronic register by a registrar for the district in which the marriage took place rather than in hard copy registers.The Church of England were fully involved in the development of this policy, including direct engagement with Home Office Ministers. The Church of England has been supportive of the move to an electronic system of registration, including the move to include Mothers on Marriage Certificates as part of this.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Homelessness
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto introduce a system of (1) means-tested grants, or (2) interest-free loans, to repay arrears in order to prevent an increase in homelessness.
Lord Greenhalgh: The UK Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support which is available to tenants.We have extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit until the end of September helping renters to continue paying their rent. Local housing allowance rates have been maintained at their increased level in cash terms in 2021/22, meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector continue to benefit from the significant increase in the local housing allowance rates applied in April 2020. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. For 2021-22 the Government has made £140 million available in DHP funding, building on the £180 million provided last year.Renters will continue to benefit from longer notice periods, giving them more time to make alternative arrangements. As of 1 June, until at least 30 September, notice periods will be at least 4 months except in the most egregious cases.We are also providing local authorities with £310 million through the Homelessness Prevention Grant. This funding represents a £47 million increase on the previous year’s funding and can be used to offer financial support for people to find a new home, to work with landlords to prevent evictions, and to ensure families have a roof over their head.We do not wish to encourage more debt and have prioritised non-repayable support. We believe the best way to support people in need is through the existing welfare system, and this is what our extensive package of economic support is doing.We continue to monitor the effectiveness of other examples of support, such as those from the devolved administrations in the UK, and note that uptake for loan support has been relatively low in Scotland and Wales.
Mayors: Urban Areas
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what mayoral deals in urban areas are currently being discussed.
Lord Greenhalgh: The Government remains committed to levelling up through further devolution deals. We are continuing discussions with the North East and Hull and East Yorkshire to create new Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCA), and all areas in England are invited to apply to form an MCA if there is local support.
Northern Ireland Office
Armed Forces: Northern Ireland
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their agreement New Decade, New Approach, published on 8 January 2020, what funding related to the armed forces has been provided under that agreement; over what period each funding stream will be delivered; and what terms and conditions apply to each funding stream.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: This Government is committed to an ambitious programme of Armed Forces modernisation. Under the New Decade, New Approach agreement, the Government is supporting our Armed Forces and veterans in Northern Ireland through a range of measures, including UK-wide legislation to further incorporate the Armed Forces Covenant into law and the appointment of the Veterans Commissioner to act as an independent point of contact for veterans in Northern Ireland. Up to £200,000 has already been provided for veterans’ support services from the New Decade, New Approach funding. Further details on funding allocations for veterans’ services will be set out in due course.
Treasury
Health: Disadvantaged
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what economic changes and interdepartmental strategies they propose to address the health and financial inequalities which have resulted in certain groups being disproportionately affected by the impact of COVID-19.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: Throughout the pandemic, the Government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods while also supporting businesses and public services across the UK. We recognise that some groups have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing socio-economic inequalities. The Government has put in place an economic package of support totalling £352 billion through the furlough and self-employed income support schemes, support for businesses through grants and loans, and business rates and VAT relief. To support people on low incomes, the Government has provided one-off £500 Test and Trace Support Payments (TTSP) to help them self-isolate when they are required to do so; to date, the government has provided more than £176 million of funding to local authorities to meet the costs of TTSP. The Government has also extended the temporary £20 per week uplift to the Universal Credit (UC) standard allowance to the end of September, with similar support for eligible Working Tax Credit (WTC) claimants. The suspension of the Minimum Income Floor for self-employed Universal Credit claimants has been extended until the end of July. The increase to Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit in cash terms in 2021-22 has also been maintained, an increase which was worth an extra £600 on average in 2020-21 for over 1.5 million households. Women have benefited from a variety of schemes as part of this package. For example, where it was possible to link the data, 1.72 million roles held by women were furloughed at 30 April 2021 compared with 1.67 million roles held by men. As of June 6 2021, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) has received over 2.6 million claims from self-employed women across the four rounds of grant. The majority of Universal Credits claimants are women: 53 per cent in April 2021. As part of the Government’s broader support for individuals, in April workers on the National Living Wage (NLW) saw a 2.2 per cent pay increase to £8.91 an hour – worth over £345 a year for a full-timeworker. The Government also extended the NLW to those aged 23 or over.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council: Fujitsu
Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the chair of their Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council has any current financial interests or holdings with Fujitsu.
Baroness Barran: The chair of the Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council has declared any relevant financial interests in line with the usual appointment process. There are no current financial interests to declare.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Civil Servants
Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants are employed full time in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on sport and recreation policy.
Baroness Barran: Please the staff figures below for DCMS teams that work on sport and recreation policy. Data based on staff in post on the 26/07/2021. TeamHeadcountCommonwealth Games42Major Sporting Events8Sport Policy25Grand Total75 | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2021-07-29 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2021",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
World Heritage Sites
lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of UNESCO World Heritage sites located in the UK.
baroness barran: Each of the 32 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK and its Overseas Territories must undertake reporting to the World Heritage Committee on a periodic basis. Additionally, each site must have and regularly update a management plan. This process is overseen by DCMS, acting on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government, as State Party to the World Heritage Convention.
World Heritage Sites
lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they protect the integrity of UNESCO World Heritage sites located in the UK.
baroness barran: UNESCO World Heritage sites in the UK are protected through heritage legislation and the respective planning regimes in each of the devolved administrations. Additionally, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and others provide grant funding to sites for projects which help to protect their integrity for the benefit of present and future generations.
World Heritage Sites
lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers and responsibilities Historic England have towards UNESCO World Heritage sites located in England.
baroness barran: Historic England provides advice to local authorities and Government regarding the historic environment in England. They also act as advisers to the UK government for World Heritage across the UK and Overseas Territories and advise site managers and others on the implementation of the Convention.
Social Media
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether social media platforms are adequately monitored for harmful and illegal content.
baroness barran: We published the Online Harms White Paper in April last year, setting out plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.Our proposals would establish a new statutory duty of care on companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. The duty of care will ensure companies have appropriate systems and processes in place to deal with harmful content on their services to keep their users safe.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last made representations to the government of Iran about the case ofNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; when the Prime Minister last did so directly; whether they have done so since 3 January; and in all such cases, what response they received.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns about dual national detentions with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 6 January. The Prime Minister raised his concerns with Iranian President Rouhani on 9 January. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa called for their release in his call with Deputy Foreign Minister Araghchi on 12 January. We remain extremely concerned about the welfare of all British-Iranian dual nationals detained in Iran, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. We have made clear to Iran that we expect them to ensure she is treated humanely and in line with international standards. We continue to request immediate consular access.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representationsthey have made about the continuing imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns about dual national detentions with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 6 January. The Prime Minister raised his concerns with Iranian President Rouhani on 9 January. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa called for their release in his call with Deputy Foreign Minister Araghchi on 12 January. We remain extremely concerned about the welfare of all British-Iranian dual nationals detained in Iran, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. We have made clear to Iran that we expect them to ensure she is treated humanely and in line with international standards. We continue to request immediate consular access.
Northern Ireland Office
Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland
lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland during the 2019 General Election.
lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take following the claims by a whistle-blower of the inefficiency of the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland during the 2019 General Election.
lord duncan of springbank: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has not made any assessment of the performance of the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland during the 2019 General Election. The Chief Electoral Officer is carrying out a post election review which will include an internal investigation into the allegations made concerning inefficiency. The Secretary of State has asked her to report the findings of that review to him as soon as possible. The Secretary of State has the power to commission further enquiries into these matters if he were to decide such enquiries are necessary following the Chief Electoral Officer’s investigations.
Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland: Finance
lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the budget of the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland for the last three years for which figures are available.
lord duncan of springbank: Budget figures for the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland (EONI) are available as follows: Expenditure periodResource BudgetCapital Budget2016-17£2.331m£0.288m2017-18£1.825m£0.355m2018-19£2.045m£0.062m In addition to EONI budget funding, the costs of Parliamentary and European Parliamentary elections are met from the consolidated fund. Assembly elections are paid for from the Northern Ireland block grant and local councils pay for the administration of local district council elections.
Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry
lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Duncan of Springbank on 31 October 2019 (HL Deb, cols 1019), when the report of the Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry will be published.
lord duncan of springbank: In December 2018, Sir Patrick Coghlin Chair of the independent inquiry into the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme issued the following statement: “I recognise that there will be considerable public interest in this issue. I’m afraid it’s simply not possible to give a date by which the Inquiry report will be published. What we can say is that the report will be published as soon as reasonably possible and that the public can be assured that the Inquiry will work assiduously to ensure that is the case.” As the inquiry was established by the previous Executive and is being supported by the Department of Finance, my Noble Friend should direct further queries about the inquiry to the NI Minister of that Department.
Organised Crime: Northern Ireland
lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of the Ulster Defence Association and other loyalist gangs to commit crimes in Northern Ireland.
lord duncan of springbank: The Ulster Defence Association and other loyalist groupings remain proscribed under Schedule 2 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland recently confirmed that the Assessment of Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland, published in October 2015, remains current. You may wish to refer to the assessment in conjunction with the Second Report of the Independent Reporting Commission, published in November 2019, for an up to date assessment of the capacity of the Ulster Defence Association and other loyalist groupings in Northern Ireland. The Independent Reporting Commission was established to monitor the progress of the Northern Ireland Executive’s programme of work to end paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. For your convenience, links to both of these reports are provided below: Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland - 19 October 2015https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/469548/Paramilitary_Groups_in_Northern_Ireland_-_20_Oct_2015.pdf Second Report of the Independent Reporting Commission - 4 November 2019https://www.ircommission.org/sites/irc/files/media-files/IRC%20-%202nd%20Report%202019_0.pdf
Treasury
Quality Assurance of Government Models Review
lord macpherson of earl's court: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards implementing the recommendations of the review of quality assurance of government models, published on 5 March 2013.
the earl of courtown: The recommendations of the 2013 review of quality assurance of government models continue to be used to drive best practice in this area across government. Individual government departments are primarily responsible for implementing the recommendations of the review. As an example of the type of action being taken in departments, HM Treasury has a working group of senior analysts (“Strength in Numbers”) responsible for promoting and embedding best practice in modelling and quality assurance, adhering closely to the recommendations set out in the 2013 review. To further ensure high standards, the Government Internal Audit Agency conducts an audit of HMT business-critical models every twelve months. Findings and responses to these feed into the HMT Audit Risk Committee, which support the Permanent Secretary in managing risk, control and governance. Some recommendations are also being addressed on a cross-government basis. Specifically, in response to Recommendation 7 an expert inter-departmental working group was established. In 2015 this working group produced The Aqua Book: guidance on producing quality analysis for government, which is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-aqua-book-guidance-on-producing-quality-analysis-for-government. The Working Group has continued to meet approximately monthly with representatives from a number of Departments and Bodies to discuss quality assurance matters, publish quality assurance resources and provide informal advice to members. A number of resources created by Departments in response to the recommendations of the Review have been made available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/aqua-book-resources. These include guidance and research that underpin and complement the Aqua book, QA checklists and templates and other relevant materials and approaches currently used by Departments including the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and the Department for Transport. Further, the Office for National Statistics has recently established a Modelling Best Practice Unit within its Quality Centre, with the aim of supporting quality assurance in the modelling area across Government; officials from this Centre are members of the previously mentioned Working Group.
National Savings and Investments: Cheques
lord tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds, and on whose authority, the National Savings and Investments Agency makes a decision to dishonour a cheque.
the earl of courtown: National Savings and Investments (NS&I) comply with the law relating to cheques. There are several circumstances in which NS&I would reject a cheque. These include the cheque being unsigned by the customer, out of date, or defaced. The Director of Savings, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of NS&I, is the authority responsible for administering this policy. Premium Bond prize warrants are legally similar to cheques. As with cheques, they can be rejected if a duplicate has been issued. Due to an administrative error, a number of duplicate Premium Bond prize warrants were issued to customers in the October 2019 prize draw. NS&I have since updated their processes to prevent this error occurring in future prize draws. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2020-01-17 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Africa: Democracy
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures they are taking to encourage the spread and entrenchment of multi-party democracy across Africa.
Lord Triesman: The Government actively support the spread and consolidation of multi-party democracy throughout Africa. In addition to political dialogue with individual countries and through international frameworks such as the Cotonou Agreement, we are providing practical support to improve democratic infrastructures, for example, voter registration/education, election organisation by electoral commissions and observation missions. We also support the development of legislatures, for example, by supporting committee systems, training of MPs and critical oversight bodies such as Auditor Generals' offices. Our support to strengthen the capacity of media, budgetary processes and anti-corruption efforts also contribute to better governance, identified by the Commission for Africa as the foundation for all other actions to promote development. Our support is provided by the Department for International Development country offices working in collaboration with other partner governments/civil society and donors, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Global Opportunities Fund and through the European Union's Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights.
The FCO's grant-in-aid to the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) also allows us to support the UK political parties in their efforts to strengthen pluralistic democracies through partner parties and wider civil society organisations on a non-partisan basis. Africa has been identified as a priority region for WFD activities. Presently the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties are engaged in a number of projects across Africa.
Bethlehem
Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made about access for Christian pilgrims at Christmas to Bethlehem and its surrounding biblical sites.
Lord Triesman: Bethlehem is of unique religious and cultural significance to Christians. Restrictions on access and freedom of worship there are one of the many negative consequences of the Israeli closure regime in the West Bank.
We have not made specific representations with regard to access for Christian pilgrims at Christmas to Bethlehem and its surrounding biblical sites. But we continue to call on the government of Israel to do all they can to ease all movement restrictions, wherever this is possible.
British Citizenship
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 26 October (WA 183–84), whether they will (a) place in the Library of the House the e-mail from the senior policy adviser at the Nationality Policy and Special Cases Unit to the Chief Caseworker for Nationality, sent on 15 December 2004; and (b) explain, with regard to the e-mail, the basis for their assertion that the provisions for acquisition of British national (overseas) status by registration were fully explained.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The e-mail referred to was a communication between officials in the Home Office relating to policy development and the handling of a particular application for British citizenship. Under Section 35 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we are exempt from releasing information that relates to policy formulation if the public interest in withholding it outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. Information relating to private individuals is similarly protected by the Data Protection Act. On balance we believe that the e-mail referred to should not be published. The Home Office view that the provisions for acquisition of British national (overseas) status by registration were fully explained to the Indian authorities is based both on the paper documents held by the Home Office and on the recollections of officials involved in the discussions that took place in 1997–98.
Civil Partnerships: Tax Credits
Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What characteristics of a relationship will bring same-sex couples within the term "living together as if they were civil partners" in the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Tax Credits, etc.) (Consequential Amendment) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/2919); and what practical guidance will be given to officials as to how this is to be interpreted in practice.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: HMRC will continue to use the "living together" test that they have applied to opposite-sex couples for tax credit purposes based on the same test used by Department for Work and Pensions. The criteria include:
living in the same household;
the stability of the household;
financial support and interdependence;
whether there are dependent children; and
the degree of public acknowledgement.
HMRC guidance, and training of staff, will reflect that from 5 December the definition of a couple also includes a same-sex couple.
Deputy Prime Minister's Spouse
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Deputy Prime Minister's wife has the use of an official government car or has used an official government car when not accompanying the Deputy Prime Minister; and, if so, on what occasions.
Baroness Andrews: All travel is conducted in accordance with the requirements of Travel by Ministers.
Education White Paper
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a first edition of the Education White Paper was withdrawn after printing; and, if so, what was the cost of the first edition and the subsequent edition published on 25 October.
Lord Adonis: Five thousand copies of the White Paper were reprinted the day before publication. This was to address minor drafting errors.
We estimate that the additional costs incurred because of the reprint are just under £23,000.
The total cost of printing the White Paper was around £90,000.
Extradition Act 2003
Lord Graham of Edmonton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have for the future of the Extradition Act 2003 since the United States has not so far ratified the 2003 Extradition Treaty; and whether, until ratification, they will decline to extradite British subjects to the United States.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Extradition Act 2003 came into force on 1 January 2004. It was brought into effect to simplify and modernise the UK's extradition relations with all nations. Extradition between the US and UK is governed by a bilateral treaty negotiated in 1972, which will be terminated when the US authorities have ratified the new treaty, signed by the former Home Secretary and US Attorney-General on 31 March 2003. However, certain provisions of the new bilateral treaty were given effect in the UK by the introduction of the Extradition Act 2003, which came into force on 1 January 2004. For the new treaty to come into effect in full, it first needs to secure the advice and consent of the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee. The US authorities have informed us that committee hearings are likely to begin next month. In the mean time, extradition between the UK and the USA will continue. All those who are the subject of an extradition request to the UK are protected by full and effective safeguards in the Extradition Act 2003, regardless of their nationality.
Gaza
Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Israeli Government concerning attacks on civilian targets in Gaza by fighter jets, gunship helicopters and tanks since the withdrawal of Israeli troops; and
What representations they have made to the Israeli Government concerning sonic boom attacks on civilians in Gaza in recent weeks; and
What representations they have made to the Israeli Government concerning free movement of people between Gaza and Egypt.
Lord Triesman: We have serious concerns about the impact of Israel's military operations in the Occupied Territories, including recent actions in Gaza following disengagement. Israel has the right to defend its citizens from terrorism, but it must act within international law. We have called on Israel to act with restraint in response to Palestinian militant attacks, including following the Hadera suicide bombing on 26 October, and will continue to do so. Our embassy in Tel Aviv has raised with the Israeli Defence Force our concerns about the indiscriminate damage done by low-flying jets over Gaza.
We have also held discussions with both sides on the issue of borders and freedom of movement following disengagement. Most recently, the UK, as EU presidency, participated in a visit to discuss with both sides how the EU could play a monitoring role to facilitate the opening of the Rafah crossing.
Gaza
Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Israeli Government concerning access for Palestinians in Gaza to healthcare in Egypt when required.
Lord Triesman: Freeing up of movement between Gaza, Israel and Egypt is essential for a wide range of humanitarian reasons, including access to healthcare outside Gaza and for Palestinian economic revival. Improved access for people and goods, while maintaining security for Israelis, is crucial in creating a sense of hope for the Palestinian people.
While we have not made specific representations to the Israeli Government concerning access for Palestinians in Gaza to healthcare in Egypt, we continue to call on the government of Israel to do all they can to ease movement restrictions, wherever this is possible. The EU, the Israeli Government and Palestinian Authority are continuing negotiations on the Rafah crossing on the Egypt/Gaza border through the offices of quartet special envoy Wolfensohn. The EU is considering with the parties a possible EU monitoring role there.
Gulf War Illnesses
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf War who have claimed a war pension for what they term "Gulf War syndrome" could be affected by the Pensions Appeal Tribunal decision of 31 October in the case of Gulf War veteran Guardsman Daniel Martin.
Lord Drayson: It is not possible to put a specific figure on the number of veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict who might be affected, assuming that neither side appeals the decision in the Martin case. As of 30 September 2005, we had received 6,740 claims for war pensions from veterans of the conflict against which some 6,095 awards had been made. However, not all the conditions claimed relate to service in the Gulf and, where they do, the injury or illness may not fit the tribunal's explanation of the application of the term Gulf War syndrome.
Gulf War Illnesses
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf War in receipt of a war pension for diagnosed illnesses also claimed for still undiagnosed illnesses.
Lord Drayson: War pensions are not awarded for individual diagnosed illnesses and conditions but for the overall degree of disablement due to service, assessed on a percentage basis. This overall assessment takes account of all conditions that are attributable to or aggravated by service. We cannot therefore separately identify amounts paid in respect of particular claimed conditions. The information requested is not therefore available.
Hong Kong
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will place in the Library of the House the Home Office memorandum of 18 December 1984 seeking Ministers' agreement on matters related to Hong Kong legislation.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: An anonymised copy of the Home Office memorandum of 18 December 1984 will be placed in the Library of the House.
India: Citizenship
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 10 January (WA 6), why they have not yet updated Annexe H of Chapter 14 of the Home Office Nationality Instructions to reflect the coming into force of India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2003; and on what basis caseworkers have been determining British nationality claims from persons of Indian origin or descent in view of the absence of up-to-date advice on the provisions of Indian citizenship law.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Annexe H to Chapter 14 of the Nationality Instructions was amended to take account of these developments in Indian citizenship law on 31 March 2005. A delay occurred while consideration was being given to the implications for the processing of applications for British nationality. Applications upon which the developments in Indian law might have had a bearing remained undetermined during this period. The current version may be accessed via the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's website.
Information Security: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which Minister has responsibility for information security in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Lord Davies of Oldham: We do not currently have a dedicated Minister for information security at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport but are reviewing the situation.
Information Security: Ministry of Defence
Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which Minister has responsibility for information security in the Ministry of Defence.
Lord Drayson: Responsibility for information security in the Ministry of Defence, together with other aspects of security, rests with my right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces. Further information on Ministerial responsibilities is given on the MoD website at www.mod.uk/aboutus/staff/minaf.htm.
Iraq: Elections
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps are being taken to prepare United Kingdom forces in Iraq for security arrangements for the general election due to take place in Iraq in December.
Lord Drayson: The Iraqi security forces have played a prominent role in security for both the recent referendum and the election at the beginning of the year. Security for the forthcoming general election will again see a strong focus on the Iraqi security forces in partnership with coalition forces. Accordingly the Headquarters Multi-National Division (South East) is currently developing security plans in close consultation with its Iraqi counterparts for the general elections due to take place in Iraq in December.
Monetary Policy Committee
Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any evidence that any individual appointment to the Monetary Policy Committee has had an effect on actual or implied interest rates.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Interest rates are set by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England at its monthly meetings. Each member of the MPC has one vote on the setting of interest rates. A record of the MPC's vote is published within two weeks of the meeting.
Monetary Policy Committee
Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 8 November (Official Report, col. 500), whether they have any evidence that interest rate markets in the United Kingdom have since 1997 reflected "rumour, speculation and perception" rather than "economic fundamentals"; and, if so, what is this evidence.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Long-term trends in interest rate markets are determined primarily by economic fundamentals such as the rate of economic growth. In addition, financial markets may also respond to a range of other factors in the short to medium term and will take into account all information as it becomes available to them, including: (i) data and other published information about economic developments in the UK and elsewhere; (ii) market expectations about future economic and other developments; and (iii) geopolitical events. The Government consider that the relative importance of these different factors in determining interest rate movements will vary according to circumstances.
Northern Ireland Compensation Agency
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
[An incomplete version of the following Written Answer was received and published on 10 October.]
For each year since 1998, how much compensation has been paid to civilians in South Armagh as a result of security forces' alleged activities in the area.
Lord Rooker: The Compensation Agency has operational responsibility for administration of the statutory compensation scheme under the Terrorism Act 2000. From 1998 to the present time the agency has paid approximately £7.5 million in relation to claims identified as originating from the South Armagh area.
The following table shows the amounts paid annually from 1998 to present.
Financial year Amount of compensation paid£
1997–98 34,911.00
1998–99 1,016,284.75
1999–2000 1,411,629.70
2000–01 1,941,691.80
2001–02 823,655.40
2002–03 1,757,681.92
2003–04 395,208.43
2004–05 19,397.50
2005–06 325.00
Total 7,400,785.50
In addition to those claims dealt with by the compensation agency (NIO) the Ministry of Defence has provided the following information.
The following figures come from headquarters Northern Ireland and are concerned mostly with helicopter damage; this includes scaring livestock, damage to crops and buildings. We break down payments by county. South Armagh can come under either Co. Armagh or Co. Down. In the main the payments for South Armagh are shown under Co. Armagh and the statistics for these are shown below.
Calendar Year Amount
1998 £586,748.97
1999 £786,183.18
2000 £781,102.72
2001 £514,187.24
2002 £426,758.86
2003 £525,847.02
2004 £352,844.81
2005 £264,429.03
The following figures come from Directorate for Safety and Claims who do not record Northern Ireland claims by area. From 1 January 1998 to date the Claims Public Liability Group paid compensation and costs to Northern Ireland claimants as follows.
Calendar Year Amount
1998 £289,479.04
1999 £290,895.78
2000 £356,960.12
2001 £81,374.86
2002 £136,384.02
2003 £23,625.00
2004 £9,950.00
2005 *£542,329.87
*to date
These claims will have been received from members of the public who have had a dispute with members of the Armed Forces while in support of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and formerly the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). The majority of claims will be for alleged assault, harassment or wrongful arrest, quite often at vehicle checkpoints. *Note that at least 80 per cent. of the total to date for 2005 covers one claim.
Pakistan: Country of Origin Information Service
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Home Office Country of Origin Information Service report on Pakistan, published on 1 November, does not confirm that, contrary to guidance previously given, there are no Ahmadi police officers or administrators in Rabwah, a city whose population is 95 per cent Ahmadi, as notified to them by the Ahmadiyya community United Kingdom.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I refer to Lords Written Answer HL1758 (Official Report, 26/10/05, WA 187). Following representations by the Ahmadiyya community UK, inquiries made by the Country of Origin Information (COI) Service through the British High Commission in Islamabad established that very few Ahmadis were represented in public and semi-public organisations in Rabwah. This information was received after the cut off date (1 September) for material for inclusion in the October 2005 COI reports. It will therefore be reflected in a forthcoming COI bulletin on Pakistan.
Police Intelligence
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which organisations, agencies and consultants they have employed to date in the development of a national police intelligence system.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Forty-three police forces in England and Wales are actively engaged in the programme as well as the following agencies providing direct support: the Criminal Records Bureau; Centrex, including the National Centre for Policing Excellence; Office of Government Commerce; the Police Information Technology Organisation; and the Association of Chief Police Officers. The programme is also utilising a broad range of consultancy services to provide specialist skills.
Prisoners: Reoffending
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the most recent figure for persons in HM prisons in England and Wales as a result of recall from licence; whether the total has fluctuated in recent years; if so, by how much; and what are the average and median periods spent on recall before eventual release.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The total prison population who were recalled from licence was 4,095 at week ending 21 October 2005, as recorded on the central Prison Service IT system. Comparable information on the recalled population for earlier years and the average and median periods spent on recall before eventual release is not centrally available.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked the Leader of the House:
What is the average response time for Written Questions answered by (a) the Northern Ireland Office; (b) the Scotland Office; and (c) the Wales Office.
Baroness Amos: During this Session of Parliament, the average response time for the Scotland Office has been 13 days and the average response time for the Wales Office has been 12 days.
Response times for the Northern Ireland Office are not held.
Schools: Performance Comparisons
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the school performance comparisons for Northern Ireland, England and Wales for the four years since 2001–02 in respect of school-leavers who achieved (a) two or more A-levels; (b) five or more GCSEs A* to C; and (c) no GCSEs.
Lord Adonis: The figures showing A-level and GCSE and equivalent achievement in Northern Ireland, England and Wales between 2001–02 and 2003–04, the latest comparable year available, are as follows.
GCE A-level, GCSE and equivalents achievement—time series
2001–02 2002–03 2003–04
Proportions achieving
Two or more A-Levels1,2
Northern Ireland 43.4% 92.4% 92.0%
England 37.6% 89.7% 92.0%
Wales 30.6% 93.9% 94.9%
5 or more GCSEs and equivalent at Grades A*-C3
Northern Ireland 58.7% 58.8% 59.5%
England 51.6% 52.9% 53.7%
Wales 50.5% 51.1% 51.4%
No GCSE and equivalent passes3
Northern Ireland 4.4% 4.3% 3.8%
England 5.4% 5.2% 4.1%
Wales 7.6% 7.5% 7.4%
Source: Department for Education and Skills; National Assembly for Wales; Department of Education, Northern Ireland
Notes:
1 Including Vocational Certificates of Education (VCE) and equivalent.
2 For 2001–02, figures are based on pupils in schools and students in further education institutions aged 17-18 at the start of the academic year in England, aged 17 in Wales and aged 16-18 in Northern Ireland, as a percentage of the 17 year-old population. For 2002–03 and 2003–04, figures are based on the proportion of candidates aged 16-18 in England (schools and FE institutions) and Northern Ireland (schools), and aged 17 in Wales (schools) who achieved two or more A-levels or equivalent.
3 Pupils in their last year of compulsory education (i.e. aged 15 at the start of the academic year). Including GNVQs in England and Wales. The England figures for 2003–04 also include the wider range of approved pre-16 qualifications.
Speed Cameras
The Earl of Shrewsbury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Under what circumstances the costs of provision and operation of safety cameras can be met from speeding fines.
Lord Davies of Oldham: Only safety cameras operating within the national safety camera programme can be funded from speeding fines.
The Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001, Section 38 "Unified power for the Secretary of State to fund speed cameras etc" provides the Secretary of State with the powers to fund safety cameras. The national safety camera programme allows partnerships formed of police forces, highway authorities and magistrates courts to reclaim the costs of the deployment and operation of safety cameras, and the detection and enforcement of offences detected by cameras, from the related fines, provided that criteria set out in the Handbook of Rules and Guidance for the National Safety Camera Programme for England and Wales have been adhered to. This money is over and above local authorities' road safety funding and means that the safety camera programme can produce real road safety benefits paid for by offenders rather than through public expenditure.
World Trade Organisation: European Union Votes
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many votes the European Commission has at the World Trade Organisation; what proportion this is of the total number of votes available; and whether they will provide a breakdown of the total number of votes.
Lord Triesman: There are 148 members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Each member of the WTO is entitled to one vote. The European Community and all 25 EU member states are members of the WTO. Article IX(1) of the WTO Agreement specifically provides that, where the European Community exercises its right to vote, it shall have the number of votes equal to the number of member states which are members of the WTO, that is, 25 votes, approximately 17 per cent of the total number of votes. The European Commission does not have a vote in its own right in the WTO.
Youth Justice Board: Use of Restraint
Baroness Stern: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which consultants the Youth Justice Board has employed in the past five years to give advice on the use of restraint in secure training centres.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The consultants engaged by the Youth Justice Board to provide advice on restraint and behaviour management in secure training centres are listed below. Panel of experts commissioned to review physical control in care techniques: Professor Susan Bailey, consultant child and adolescent forensic psychiatrist; Dr Heather Payne, consultant paediatrician in community child health; Mr Steve Hart, lead inspector, Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI); Mr Barry Walker, restraint training manager, Durham County Council; Dr James Hunter, consultant trauma and paediatric orthopaedic surgeon; Dr Mike Lindsay, Office of the Children's Rights Director, CSCI. Advice on wider issues relating to physical control in care and behaviour management: Mr Anthony Bleetman, consultant in accident and emergency medicine, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital; Mr Peter Boatman, former police officer and expert in restraint issues (Mr Bleetman and Mr Boatman are both Law Society registered expert witnesses.). General advice on restraint and behaviour management: Mr David Waplington, former prison governor. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2005-11-15c | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Supreme Court
Lord Strathclyde: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Lord Chancellor has discussed with representatives of the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, the Lord Chief Justice and the senior judiciary criteria for the size, security and configuration of the Supreme Court building; and, if so, what conclusions they have reached.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I have consulted with representatives of the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary over their requirements for the new Supreme Court. Any views expressed by the senior judiciary during the consultation period and since have also been taken into account.
In broad terms, the new building for the Supreme Court will need to provide a secure working environment for judiciary and staff and contain state-of-the-art hearing rooms and ancillary accommodation and facilities. It will also have to provide value for money.
Supreme Court
Lord Strathclyde: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect a Supreme Court to be created; and when they will publish a business plan setting out the projected total costs of fitting out and managing a Supreme Court building.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government's intention is for the necessary legislative provision creating the Supreme Court to be in place by the end of this parliamentary session and for those provisions to be brought into force as soon as practicable thereafter.
Estimated costs of the new Supreme Court will be included in the Financial Memorandum to the Constitutional Reform Bill due to be laid before this House on 24 February.
Supreme Court
Lord Strathclyde: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the current estimate of the likely cost of a Supreme Court building.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: As part of the appraisal of the building solutions currently under consideration, we are completing a full Treasury "Green Book" style economic appraisal which evaluates the financial implications of the various options. This will include both a value-for-money and an affordability assessment.
Until this has been completed, it is not possible to provide a reliable indication of cost. Estimated costs will, however, be included in the Financial Memorandum to the Constitutional Reform Bill.
Legislation: Evaluation
Lord Norton of Louth: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many, and which, measures enacted in 2001, 2002 and 2003 have been, or it is intended will be, subject to programme evaluation.[HL
Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.
Baroness Amos: All legislation is subject to evaluation by the departments responsible, but whether a particular programme of evaluation has been, or will be, followed in the case of each of the Acts passed in 2001, 2002 and 2003 could be established only at disproportionate cost. The noble Lord will be aware that the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 has recently been reviewed by a committee of Privy Counsellors.
Gender Recognition
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether persons who have been issued with birth certificates under the proposed gender recognition legislation will, if sentenced to imprisonment, be accommodated in prisons alongside those of their biological sex or that stated on their reissued birth certificates.
Lord Filkin: In accordance with legal obligations, Her Majesty's Prison Service will accommodate prisoners who have been granted a gender recognition certificate in prisons appropriate to their acquired gender.
Children Act Sub-Committee
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will lay before Parliament their second stage evaluation of the Children Act Sub-Committee guidelines regarding cases of parental contact where there is domestic violence.
Lord Filkin: We are currently considering the results of the second survey. The results will be published at the same time as the Government's final response to the Children Act Sub-Committee (CASC) report, Making Contact Work. A copy of the results of the second survey will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and a copy sent to the noble Baroness.
Magistrates' Courts: Evaluation of Specialist Courts
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress they have made with the full evaluation of specialist domestic violence courts; and when the evaluation will be completed.
Lord Filkin: The Crown Prosecution Service and the Department for Constitutional Affairs have undertaken an evaluation of five specialist magistrates' courts operating in Cardiff, Derby, Leeds, West London and Wolverhampton. The results of the evaluation will be presented at a national conference, in London, on 22 March 2004.
Sudan: Darfur Province
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have reports from Her Majesty's Embassy in Khartoum, or from their Special Representative in the Sudan, on the collapse of the ceasefire in Darfur province, large displacement of population and destruction of villages; and whether they are in communication with the United Nations Special Envoy Tom Vraalsen.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We remain concerned about the situation in Darfur. Our ambassador in Khartoum and the UK Special Representative are in contact with all parties, including the Government of Sudan at senior level and the UNSG's Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan, Tom Vraalsen, on this matter. We are pressing for the re-establishment of a ceasefire, preferably with international monitoring, which would permit humanitarian access to those in need and which would lead to talks about how the problems of Darfur can best be addressed.
European Court of Human Rights: UK Cases
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which cases they have lost in the European Court of Human Rights since a right of appeal was permitted; which cases have been appealed; and whether they will consider a policy of settling more cases out of court.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Article 43 of the European Convention on Human Rights (as amended by Protocol 11) allows any party to a case in which there has been a judgment of a Chamber of the Court, in exceptional circumstances, to request that the case be referred to the Grand Chamber.
Since the entry into force of Protocol 11 on 1 November 1998, the Grand Chamber has issued judgments in two cases to which the United Kingdom was a party following a request by the Government under Article 43 (Hatton v United Kingdom and Ezeh and Connors v United Kingdom) and in one case following a request by the applicant (Kingsley v United Kingdom). The Grand Chamber found there to have been violations of the Convention in Kingsley and Ezeh and Connors; in Hatton it found a violation of Article 13 but no violation of Article 8. There is one further case to which the United Kingdom is a party pending before the Grand Chamber following a request by the Government under Article 43 (Edwards and Lewis v United Kingdom). In addition to referrals under Article 43 and cases considered under transitional arrangements provided for in Protocol 11, the Grand Chamber has issued judgments in seven cases to which the United Kingdom was a party in which jurisdiction was relinquished by a Chamber of the Court under Article 30 of the Convention.
The Government consider the possibility of settling applications brought against them in the European Court of Human Rights on a case-by-case basis and against the background of the Lord Chancellor's announcement of March 2001 concerning the Government's pledge to consider and use alternative dispute resolution in all suitable cases wherever the other party accepts it. The pledge acknowledges that there will be disputes where, for example, a legal precedent is needed to clarify the law, or where it would be contrary to the public interest to settle.
Gibraltar: Tercentenary Celebrations
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to celebrate the tercentenary of British rule of Gibraltar in 2004.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Government intend to play a full part in celebrating the warm relationship that we have enjoyed with the people of Gibraltar for the past 300 years. There is an extensive programme of commemorative events to take place in Gibraltar this year.
The bands of the Royal Marines, the Royal Engineers and the Royal Air Force, and the pipes and drums of the Royal Irish Regiment, are planning to participate in four major events. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment and military units from the United Kingdom, including Royal Navy ships and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will take part in a total of more than 20 events throughout the year.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent will attend a Thanksgiving Service at St Clement Danes on 2 March. Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal will visit Gibraltar later this year.
Public Servants and Racist Organisations
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they propose to prevent law enforcement officers and other public servants from holding membership of known racist organisations proscribed by law.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has recently agreed with the view that membership of groups such as the British National Party (BNP) by police officers should be a disciplinary offence.
Police Officers: Racist Behaviour
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many police officers have been dismissed for racist behaviour since the publication in 1999 of the Macpherson report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Central records are not currently held on the number of police officers who are dismissed for racist behaviour.
We are arranging for data to be collected from police forces in England and Wales, and I will send you a substantive response and place copies of the letter in the Library of the House when this information has been collated.
Police Officers: Racist Behaviour
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many police officers dismissed for unacceptable racist behaviour have been reinstated by the Home Secretary since 2000.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Under Police (Conduct) Regulations 1999, the Secretary of State is no longer the appellate authority for disciplinary action taken against police officers. Under those regulations appeals are determined solely by Independent Police Appeals Tribunals. Records indicate that three police officers dismissed for unacceptable racist behaviour have appealed successfully and been reinstated since 2000.
Work Permits: Sectors Based Scheme
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many work permits for the United Kingdom have been "sectors based scheme", since they came into office; and how many were temporary.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Work Permits (UK) had issued 3,878 Sectors Based Scheme (SBS) permits up to 30 September 2003.
Works permits issued under the SBS may be granted for a period of up to 12 months and are therefore considered to be "temporary". While individuals are permitted to participate in the SBS on more than one occasion, successive periods of SBS employment do not lead to permanent settlement in the UK.
Terrorism: Legislation and Publication of Information
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to introduce amending legislation:
to deal with all forms of terrorism, whatever the nationality of the perpetrators; and
no longer to require a derogation from the European Convention on Human Rights; and
Whether they intend to introduce amending legislation:
(a) defining a set of offences which are characteristic of terrorism and for which it should be possible to prosecute without relying on sensitive material; and
(b) raising the potential penalty where it can be established that there are links with terrorism; and
Whether they intend to publish up-to-date anonymised information on its terrorism website on:
(a) each certification under Part 4 of the Anti-terrorist, Crime and Security Act 2001 setting courts duration and current status, including the outcome of any appearance before the Special Immigration Appeals Commissions including bail hearings or appeals (giving both the determination and a link to the full open reasons); and
(b) the number of detentions there have been under the terrorism Acts and their outcomes (for example, prosecution, certified under Part 4, release).
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I refer the noble Lord to the Statement made by my right honourable friend the Home Secretary on 18 December, when he undertook to consider carefully the recommendations of the Newton report.
The Home Secretary also stated that he would ensure that the statistics, already in the public domain, relating to the individuals detained under the Anti-Crime and Terrorism Security Act 2001 Part 4 powers and the figures on terrorist arrests would be placed on the terrorism website which the Home Office has developed to ensure greater public information is available on terrorism matters.
Terrorism Legislation: Arrests and Detentions
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Terrorism Act detainees in HM Prison Belmarsh include a double amputee; and whether he also suffers from mental illness.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: An order, issued by the Special Immigration Appeal Commission, prevents the publication of the names of the detainees or other information that would enable them or their families to be identified.
It would also be inappropriate to comment on the individual's mental health for reason of medical confidentiality.
Terrorism Legislation: Arrests and Detentions
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the provisions for physical and mental health at HM Prison Belmarsh are sufficient to deal with the needs of long-term detainees under the Terrorism Act.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government are satisfied that the level of medical care both within Belmarsh Prison and through its links with local hospital providers is sufficient to deal with the physical and mental needs of both the detainees and other persons held in custody.
Terrorism Legislation: Arrests and Detentions
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many persons, of what nationalities, are now held under the terrorism Acts in maximum security prisons; whether some detainees are held in other prisons; and how long in all cases they expect to detain them.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Fourteen people are currently detained under the powers contained in Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. All of them are categorised as standard risk Category A detainees.
Thirteen of the detainees are held in high security prisons whilst the 14th detainee is held at Broadmoor high security hospital.
In relation to the nationality of the detainees, we do not disclose these details as to do so could enable the identification of the detainees in contravention of anonymity orders issued by Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).
The Act allows the Home Secretary to detain suspected international terrorists who pose a threat to our national security for an undefined period. However, under the terms of the Act, the legislation needs to be renewed annually by Parliament and has a sunset clause of November 2006, meaning that further legislation would be required if the Government were to detain any individual under these powers beyond that date.
In addition, the SIAC is charged with reviewing individual cases six months after determining the appeal and every three months thereafter. It is open to the detainees to make a voluntary departure from the United Kingdom at any time. In addition, the detainees may apply for bail at any time. In the first 10 cases so far reviewed by the commission, SIAC has upheld the Home Secretary's certification in every case.
It should also be noted that under the terms of the derogation, the powers applied by the Government should be no more than is strictly necessary. As a result, the Act includes the provision that the Home Secretary may repeal it during its validity if he considers this to be appropriate.
To date, six people have been convicted under the Terrorism Act 2000. Of these, four have now left detention. The two remaining prisoners are detained in high security prisons.
Terrorism Legislation: Arrests and Detentions
Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people were arrested in November and December 2003 on suspicion of terrorist offences, and what were their nationalities and immigration status.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Thirty-five people were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 in November and December of 2003: 20 of these were United Kingdom citizens, seven were Algerian, two Turkish, two Portuguese, one French, one Syrian, one Belgian and one Tunisian. Three individuals were found to have overstayed their leave to remain.
Youth Offending Teams: Bereavement Counselling
Baroness Goudie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans for all youth offending teams to include an officer who is specifically trained in, and aware of, all aspects of issues relating to bereavement counselling.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We do not plan to include this specialist function in youth offending teams (YOT) training. However the "Asset" assessment process aims to identify any significant bereavement or loss suffered by young offenders and as necessary the intervention plan will include appropriate arrangements with a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service or locally available specific counselling service.
M6 Toll: Policing
The Earl of Mar and Kellie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What arrangements are in place for the policing of the M6 Toll, and how that policing is paid for.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The M6 Toll road is policed by the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG), which comprises officers from Staffordshire Police, Warwickshire Police, West Midlands Police and the West Mercia Constabulary. The cost is met from normal police funds.
National Firearms Register
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what date the contract was awarded for the provision of a National Firearms Register as required by Section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997; to whom it was awarded; and whether they still expect the project to be operational by 31 August 2004.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The contract was awarded on 24 October 2003 to Anite Public Sector. The project is still expected to be operational by 31 August 2004.
Chemical Weapons: Russian Federation
Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to Annex D on page 44 of their publication The G8 Global Partnership on the destruction of former Soviet chemical weapons, what form of munitions comprise the "Over four million nerve gas filled munitions . . ." other than the ones described earlier as ". . . some two million artillery and rocket munitions are stored containing some 5,500 tonnes of the nerve agents Sarin, Soman and Vx"; and
Where they are proposing to destroy the remaining 10 per cent, or thereabouts, of all declared Russian CW munitions which will not be destroyed at Shchuch'ye and Kizner depots; when destruction is proposed to begin; and what contribution the Government intend to make to this work.
Lord Bach: The Chemical Weapons Convention requires states parties who declare possession of chemical weapons to destroy them. The Russian Federation is therefore responsible for the programme of destruction of its declared chemical weapons stockpile, which comprises both bulk agent and filled munitions.
Russia began destruction at Gorny in December 2002 of the bulk mustard and lewisite stored there, representing 2.9 per cent by volume of Russia's total declared chemical weapon agent. Work has begun at Kambarka associated with construction of a facility for destruction of the bulk lewisite stored at that site, representing 15.9 per cent by volume of Russia's total chemical weapon agent.
Air-delivered munitions, comprising some 53 per cent by volume of Russia's declared chemical weapon agent and 5 per cent by number of its munitions, are stored at three sites: Leonidovka, Maradykovskiy and Pochep. They mainly contain the nerve agents Sarin, Soman and Vx. As part of its destruction programme, Russia plans to construct facilities at each of these three sites.
The remainder of the declared stockpile comprises artillery and rocket munitions stored at Kizner and Shchuch'ye. These comprise some 14.2 per cent and 13.6 per cent respectively by volume of Russia's declared chemical weapon agent, and 50 per cent and 45 per cent by number of munitions; they mainly contain the nerve agents Sarin, Soman and Vx. Russia plans to destroy the stocks from both Shchuch'ye and Kizner at the Shchuch'ye destruction facility.
Dates for the start of operations at facilities other than Gorny are not yet firm, but the Chemical Weapons Convention requires that destruction of all chemical weapons must be completed no later than 29 April 2012.
The Government's current priority in this area is to provide support at Shchuch'ye. No decisions have been made whether to provide support at any other site at a later date.
Gulf War 1990–91: Vaccines
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish in the Official Report the findings of Lieutenant-Colonel Graham Howe of the British Forces Health Services in Germany, quoted, in the Times on 12 January, in the case of Lance Corporal Alex Izett, whose expected deployment to the Gulf for the 1990–91 conflict was cancelled after he had received vaccination against anthrax, botulism, plague, and other biological agents.
Lord Bach: It would not be appropriate for the report of Lieutenant-Colonel Graham Howe to be published. Medical reports obtained by the Veterans Agency for the purposes of determining a claim to war disablement pension contain details of a personal and private nature regarding the individual concerned. I am therefore withholding this information in accordance with Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Duke of York's Royal Military School and Queen Victoria School
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Statement by the Lord Bach on 8 January (WS 11) on the Duke of York's Military School and the Queen Victoria School, whether, in the interests of open government, they intend to publish the review team's provisional recommendations; and, if not, why not.
Lord Bach: It would not be appropriate to publish a draft report that had not gained steering group approval within the standard quinquennial review process.
Domestic Violence
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Home Office to update guidance covering social security and other benefits for those leaving violent relationships; and which organisations have been invited to work with the Government on this project.
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: We are currently preparing guidance for all our staff on dealing with vulnerable people, including victims of domestic violence. The guidance is being written in consultation with a range of organisations with specialist knowledge of the different areas covered, including citizens advice bureaux and Women's Aid. We hope to issue the guidance to all front-line staff later this year.
Pension Credit
Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to remedy the situation where 4.9 million pensioners are eligible for pension credit this tax year, yet only 2.53 million are receiving it.
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The Government have set a target for at least 3 million pensioner households, corresponding to around 3.7 million individuals, to be in receipt of pension credit by 2006. We want all those eligible for pension credit to take up their entitlement. We are on course to meet the 2006 target.
A direct mail pack to pensioner households remains at the heart of our marketing campaign for pension credit. We will have written to all identified pensioner households by June 2004. Our TV and press advertising campaign continues during this year, helping to ensure that both pensioners and their families are fully aware of pension credit and how to apply for it.
We are supplementing this activity with follow-up direct mail contact in appropriate cases, in addition to personal contact with those identified as being particularly likely to be eligible. At local level, the local service staff of the Pension Service will continue to work with external organisations to ensure that we reach those pensioners considered least likely to apply. Our campaign is designed to produce a steady build-up of new pension credit households and we will ensure that progress towards achieving our target is maintained during 2004.
Television: Audio Description
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What contact Ministers have had, since the enactment of the Communications Act 2003, with public service broadcasters who are still withholding their audio description from blind and partially sighted digital satellite customers; and whether there is any further action they are considering.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I understand that Channel 5 is now available with audio description on digital satellite but that there remain technical and commercial issues to be solved by broadcasters, manufacturers and platform operators before the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 can be made available on digital satellite. DCMS officials have been working as part of the Digital Television Action Plan to ensure that audio description can be received on all platforms and I am writing to the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 about the issue, given the benefits of finding an early solution.
Tourism: Government Funding
Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What part of the £10.5 million grant aid from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport allocated for domestic marketing in England for 2003–04 has had matched funding from the private sector.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The department has allocated grant-in-aid of £10.4 million to VisitBritain in 2003–04 to fund its domestic marketing activity. This grant-in-aid is available irrespective of the amount of funding received from the private sector. Nevertheless, VisitBritain expects to receive £4.3 million in non-government funding in 2003–04 to support domestic marketing.
Tourism: Government Funding
Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much of the £3.6 million allocated at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to regional development agencies in 2003–04 has been used for funding regional tourist boards in England.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Of the £3.6 million allocated to regional development agencies (RDAs) by DCMS for support of tourism, to date £3,510,000 has been passed to the regional tourist boards (RTBs). Full details of RDAs' funding of their regional tourist boards were placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 20 January 2004.
Financial Services Authority
Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will review the work of the Financial Services Authority in view of its admission that it mistakenly included a company in its online comparative annuity tables which no longer existed.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is in the process of reviewing some of its practices as part of the two-year review of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 currently under way. While unfortunate, the incident to which the noble Lord refers does not in itself justify inclusion in the current review or any additional review into FSA practices.
Millennium Dome
Lord Strathclyde: asked Her Majesty's Government:
At what stage, before the opening of the Millennium Dome, a business plan was prepared for the Minister responsible, assessing the total costs of fitting out and managing the building.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Responsibility for the Dome project rested with the board of Millennium Central Limited, later the New Millennium Experience Company Limited. The earliest business plan based on the Dome was presented to the Millennium Commission by the company in December 1996. In February 1997, the Government took Millennium Central Limited into public ownership with a government Minister as sole shareholder. The business plan was revised on a number of occasions before the opening of the Dome and the shareholder was informed throughout about projections of cost.
Personal Income
Baroness Sharp of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people in England in 2001–02 have incomes of:
(a) over £100,000;
(b) over £250,000;
(c) over £500,000; and
(d) over £1,000,000.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information is given in the table below.
Total Income in 2001–02 Number of taxpayers (thousands) in England
(a) over £100,000 310
(b) over £250,000 60
(c) over £500,000 20
(d) over £1,000,000 6
The estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes 2000–01 and are consistent with the Pre-Budget Report 2003.
Medical Research Council
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is essential for the Medical Research Council to be located in London; and, if not, when the option of moving to a cheaper location was last considered.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The location of MRC head office was last reviewed in 1993 when a move to Swindon was considered. Independent consultants concluded at this time that, at the rental rates paid by the MRC, Park Crescent remained the most cost-effective location.
The location of MRC head office is being considered as part of the current review into the relocation of public service activities outside of the London and the south-east which is expected to report in March.
UK Online for Business
Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why their Internet project, UK Online for Business, failed to meet its key targets and is to be disbanded in April.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: In 2000, the year the UK Online for Business programme was initiated, the Government had the following targets for business use of ICT:
(1) 1.5 million micro, small and medium-sized businesses to be online by 2002;
(2) 1 million micro, small and medium-sized businesses to be trading online by 2002;
(3) the performance of the UK's micro and small businesses to be up with the best in the world.
The first target of 1.5 million SMEs going online was reached in 2000.
The second target of 1 million SMEs trading online was missed, with a total of 490,000 businesses meeting the target in 2002. Since the target was set, it has become clear that many SMEs have not seen trading online as the best way for them to use ICT most effectively. Businesses have found that they can achieve real benefits through the use of technologies that allow them, for example, to manage internal processes, communicate more effectively with customers and suppliers, and work collaboratively with partners. This fact has been reflected in the aims of the UK Online for Business programme, which now seeks to encourage more integrated, sophisticated use of ICT by business.
The third target for the UK to be a world leader in e-business is one that we are still striving to reach. The DTI's international benchmarking study 2003 shows that while businesses in other countries are making a more sophisticated use of ICT than UK businesses, the gap between the leaders and the UK is not great. Other recent surveys have shown positive signs, for example, the Economist Intelligence Unit's e-readiness survey 2003 placed the UK third in the world.
Rather than being disbanded, UK Online for Businesses will be integrated into the new offer on business support, to be unveiled in April. This is part of the restructuring of the existing system of support, to provide a smaller number of schemes and a simpler way for businesses to access them. The support and promotion of ICT usage by business will continue to be a key focus for DTI.
Civil Service: Training about Parliament
Lord Norton of Louth: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam on 15 December 2003 (WA 118), what evaluation has been undertaken of the effectiveness of the seminars in parliamentary procedure provided for members of the Bill teams.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Delegates to the seminars are invited to complete an evaluation, from which it is clear that virtually everyone claims a useful increase in their skills and knowledge of this process.
Ministers: Induction
Lord Norton of Louth: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 10 December (WA 75), to what extent are the services of former Ministers utilised in the induction event for new Ministers.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Former and existing Ministers are used to help to deliver the induction event where their skills and experience can benefit participants.
vCJD and HIV: Public Expenditure
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the total expenditure on socal security benefits, medical treatment, research and compensation borne by the taxpayer on each life lost from (a) vCJD and (b) HIV/AIDS.
Lord Warner: Information on social security benefits expenditure on patients who have died from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) or HIV/AIDS is not available in the form requested.
The information requested for HIV treatment is not available centrally. The sums allocated by the Department of Health to the National Health Service for HIV/AIDS treatment and care in England for the past five years for which funds were separately identified are shown in the table.
Year HIV Treatment Allocation (£ Millions)
1997–98 199.7
1998–99 228.2
1999–2000 226.9
2000–01 184.3(1)
2001–02 233.5
(1)After expenditure of £52.8 million on genitourinary medicine is disaggregated.
From April 2002, the special allocation for HIV treament and care was added to National Health Service baseline funding according to the target distribution of HIV across England, and is no longer separately identified.
NHS expenditure on treatment and care for each life lost to vCJD is estimated to be in the range of between £30,000 and £40,000.
Estimated total expenditure from public funds on HIV/AIDS research since 1984 is £300 million.
The Department of Health's expenditure on vCJD research since 1996 is £30.1 million. The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC) which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The MRC spent a total of £32.5 million on research relevant to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies including vCJD during the period 1996–97 to 2002–03.
A special payment scheme (the Macfarlane Trust) for haemophilia patients infected with HIV/AIDS through blood products was introduced in 1988. Payments from this scheme amount to about £3 million annually.
The vCJD compensation scheme provides for payments to be made in respect of 250 cases up to a maximum of £67.5 million. This includes the Government's agreement to meet the families' request to pay a further £50,000 to every victim or their family in each of the first 250 cases. The legal and administrative costs of running the scheme are met from within the overall sum.
vCJD: UK Cases
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish in the Official Report a table listing all cases of vCJD which have been confirmed in the United Kingdom, indicating in each case the date of death, the date of the onset of symptoms and the date vCJD was confirmed.
Lord Warner: The information, as supplied by the National CJD Surveillance Unit, Edinburgh, is shown in the table. It provides information on the 103 definite cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) where the diagnosis has been pathologically confirmed. There are another 42 probable cases of vCJD, including six who are still alive, where neuropathological confirmation is either absent or pending.
Confirmed Cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom as at 20 January 2004
Date of Death Date of Onset Date Confirmed
May 95 Jun 94 Sep 95
May 97 Mar 94 Sep 95
Nov 95 Jan 95 Jan 96
Feb 96 Aug 94 Feb 96
Feb 96 Mar 95 Mar 96
Nov 95 Dec 94 Jan 96
Jan 96 Feb 94 Jan 96
Jan 96 Jul 94 Jan 96
May 96 Aug 95 Mar 96
Feb 96 Jan 95 Mar 96
Jun 96 Jan 94 Jul 96
Jun 96 Jan 95 Apr 96
Sep 96 Jul 95 Sep 96
Dec 97 Jan 96 Sep 96
Feb 97 Dec 95 Jun 97
Mar 97 Oct 95 May 97
Jun 97 Jan 96 Jun 97
Mar 97 Mar 96 Feb 97
Jul 97 Nov 96 Oct 97
Oct 98 May 96 Nov 98
May 97 Mar 96 Jun 97
Apr 98 Mar 96 Jun 98
Feb 97 Dec 94 Jul 97
Oct 97 Oct 96 Nov 97
Sep 99 Dec 96 Sep 99
Mar 98 Sep 95 May 98
Jan 98 Feb 97 Mar 98
Aug 98 Jul 97 Oct 98
Oct 98 Oct 97 Dec 98
May 98 May 96 May 98
Oct 98 Nov 97 Oct 98
Aug 98 Jul 97 Oct 98
Oct 98 Jul 97 Nov 98
Nov 98 Nov 97 Feb 99
Dec 98 May 98 Feb 99
Oct 98 Nov 97 Nov 98
Feb 99 Dec 97 Sep 99
Feb 99 Dec 97 May 99
May 99 Jan 98 Mar 00
Jul 99 May 98 Jul 99
Dec 98 Aug 97 Oct 99
Jun 00 Mar 97 Jun 00
Dec 98 Dec 97 Mar 99
Jan 99 Feb 98 Feb 99
Feb 99 Oct 97 Jun 99
Oct 99 Jul 98 Jan 00
Feb 00 Jun 98 Jun 00
Nov 98 Apr 98 Feb 99
Aug 99 Jun 98 Nov 99
Oct 00 Jul 98 Dec 00
Mar 00 Sep 98 Apr 00
Nov 99 May 98 Dec 99
Aug 99 Jan 99 Aug 99
Oct 99 Jul 98 Dec 99
Dec 99 Jun 99 May 00
Jan 00 Apr 99 Jan 00
Nov 99 Feb 99 Aug 00
Feb 00 Apr 99 Apr 00
Mar 00 Sep 98 May 00
Jul 00 Mar 99 Aug 00
Jul 00 Oct 98 Sep 00
Apr 00 May 99 Aug 00
Apr 00 Apr 99 Aug 00
Aug 00 Jun 99 Aug 00
Mar 00 May 99 Jun 00
May 00 Jul 98 Aug 00
May 00 Apr 99 Jun 00
Aug 00 Jul 99 Nov 00
Oct 00 Dec 99 Oct 00
Feb 01 Jul 99 May 01
Jul 00 Aug 99 Sep 00
Nov 00 Mar 00 Jan 01
Aug 00 Jan 00 Oct 00
Aug 00 Oct 99 Oct 00
Sep 00 Oct 99 Oct 00
Feb 01 Aug 99 Jul 01
Sep 00 Dec 99 Feb 01
Aug 01 Jan 00 Oct 01
Nov 00 Dec 99 Aug 01
Oct 99 Mar 99 Sep 00
Jan 01 Feb 00 Jun 01
Apr 01 Apr 00 May 01
May 01 Dec 99 Jun 01
Apr 01 Apr 00 Jul 01
Apr 01 May 00 Jun 01
Mar 01 Jan 00 Aug 01
Jun 01 Sep 00 Jun 01
Jul 01 Sep 00 Jul 01
Aug 01 Oct 00 Sep 01
Oct 01 Dec 00 Jun 02
Feb 02 Oct 00 Apr 02
Apr 02 May 01 Jun 02
Mar 02 May 01 Oct 02
Feb 03 Mar 01 Apr 03
Feb 03 Sep 01 Sep 03
Nov 02 Oct 01 Dec 02
Dec 02 May 01 Feb 03
Apr 03 Nov 01 Jun 03
Feb 03 Jan 02 Jun 03
May 03 Sep 02 Sep 03
May 03 Jan 02 Apr 03
Sep 03 Dec 02 Dec 03
Oct 03 Sep 02 Dec 03
The information is presented in the order in which cases were notified to the National CJD Surveillance Unit.
Sexual Health and HIV: Independent Advisory Group's Recommendations
Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many times the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV has met; and what recommendations it has made; and
What steps are being taken to implement any recommendations made by the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV.
Lord Warner: The Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV has met four times. The group's recommendations have been collated within its Response to the Health Select Committee Report on Sexual Health, published on 15 January 2004. Reports containing the group's recommendations will also be available on the Department of Health website.
The Government are considering the recommendations made by the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health & HIV, contained within the group's Response to the Health Select Committee Report on Sexual Health. The Department of Health is working with the group on taking forward the issues raised.
Research Ethics Committees
Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) approved the experiment conducted in 1998 at Inveresk Research, Scotland, in which 50 men were exposed to a dose of the pesticide Azinphos-methyl:
(a) to what extent local research ethics committees (RECs) in 1998 were guided and monitored by the Department of Health;
(b) to what extent non-National Health Service RECs were guided and monitored by the Department of Health; and
(c) whether the Department of Health had a policy of transparency for the operation of RECs; and
Whether they propose to change their mode of guidance for, and inspection of, research ethics committees with a view to requiring their operation to be transparent.
Lord Warner: In 1991 the Department of Health issued revised guidelines on the establishment, role and functions of local research ethics committees (LRECs) in the National Health Service. These guidelines imposed strict criteria on how LRECs conduct their business and provided clear lines of accountability. The guidelines were replaced in 2001 by the Governance arrangements for NHS research ethics committees. Both the 1991 guidelines and the 2001 governance arrangements state that LRECs should submit to the appointing health authority an annual report that should also be available for public inspection. Departmental guidance on LRECs provides a model of good practice for research ethics committees outside the NHS. It is not the responsibility of the department to monitor such committees.
The United Kingdom's draft implementing regulations to transpose the Clinical Trials Directive (2001/20/EC) into domestic law were published in February 2003 for consultation. The regulations make provisions concerning the establishment and operation of research ethics committees convened to review clinical trials of medicines.
Medication Reviews for Older People
Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they are ensuring that all general practitioners meet the target of carrying out annual and six-monthly reviews of medication for people aged over 75; and what is their estimate of the percentage of general practitioners that meet this target.
Lord Warner: The National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People requires medication reviews to be carried out for all people over 75 years at least once a year and those taking more than four or more medicines to have a review every six months. It is for strategic health authorities to monitor progress against delivery of the NSF milestones. The Department of Health does not collect data centrally on the percentage of general practitioners meeting the NSF target.
However, the National Medicines Management collaborative hosted by the National Prescribing Centre has demonstrated significant progress on medication reviews. Currently they have three waves in operation. For the first wave, the overall percentage of patients with a documented review for patients 65 years and over on four or more medicines rose from 9 per cent to 32 per cent. For the second wave, which covers 200 GP practices in 40 primary care trusts (PCTs), this figure increased from 28 per cent in June 2002 to 47 per cent by September 2003. For Wave 3, for the same number of practices, the number of reviews increased from 29 per cent in January 2003 to 50 per cent in September 2003.
Many PCTs that are not part of the collaborative have also implemented the national service framework milestone on medication reviews by supporting community pharmacists in delivering medicines management to older people.
The Medicines Partnership Taskforce funded by Department of Health will be surveying PCTs to explore the extent to which medication reviews are being carried out early in 2004.
The quality indicators for the new GP contract will require them to carry out medication reviews for patients being prescribed four or more repeat medicines every 15 months which will be recorded in the patients' notes from next April.
In the government statement of 17 July 2003 on the proposed framework for a new community pharmacy contract, it was highlighted that medicines use review was expected to form one of the enhanced services normally provided by accredited pharmacists from April 2004.
All of the above initiatives should help to ensure that medication reviews for older people are carried out as required by the NSF for Older People.
Human Reproductive Cloning
Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider increasing the penalty for any person attempting to clone a baby in Britain.
Lord Warner: The Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001 makes it an offence to place in a woman a human embryo which has been created other than by fertilisation. The Act provides for up to 10 years' imprisonment and an unlimited fine on conviction. The Government have no plans to increase the penalty.
Sea Levels
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their current prediction for the average rise in sea level around the United Kingdom over the next (a) 10, (b) 30 and (c) 100 years; how this compares with the rise over the past 10 years; and how it affects planning decisions for coastal and estuarine developments, especially in areas already subject to flooding.
Lord Whitty: The UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), published a report and set of climate change scenarios, referred to as the UKCIP02 scenarios, in April 2002. The report concludes that it is likely that relative sea level will continue to rise around most of the UK's shoreline, with the predicted rate of increase depending on the climate models and emission scenarios used, and the rate of vertical land movements due to natural geological causes or human influences. By the 2080s, sea level may be between 26 cm and 86 cm above the current level in south-east England.
The report also concludes that extreme sea levels will be experienced more frequently. For some east coast locations, extreme sea levels could occur between 10 and 20 times more frequently by the 2080s than they do now, under the medium-high emissions scenario.
In predicting sea level change it is important to make allowance for the natural inter-annual variability of sea level due to a number of meteorological and oceanic factors. The change of annual-mean UK sea level from year to year is approximately 5-10 cm. The Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, with funding from Defra, is the national centre for monitoring sea level. Its records suggest that the underlying increase in mean sea level over the past few decades has been some 2 mm per year for south-east England.
The Defra publication Flood and Coastal Defence Project Appraisal Guidance 3: Economic Appraisal, advises operating authorities on the appropriate allowances for climate change when considering flood and coastal defence investments. Updated supplementary guidance was issued in the light of the UKCIP 2002 scenarios in 2003. These include recommended allowances for increases in sea level of between 4 mm and 6 mm per year, where the higher level applies to the south and east of England. Similar allowances have been built into FM measures since the mid 1980s.
In dealing with development proposals, planning policy guidance 25 issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister advises planning authorities to "consult and take into account advice from the Environment Agency, which should incorporate the latest information on climate change."
BSE
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will update the information on the number of BSE cases reported and confirmed each week during 2003 and 2004 to date, together with the moving annual totals for each week during 2003 and 2004 to date, together with moving annual totals for each 52-week period.
Lord Whitty: The number of active and passive surveillance cases of BSE confirmed in Great Britain during each week of 2003 and in the current year to 19 January, and the moving annual totals of "confirmed" and "reported" cases for each 52-week perod
Passive Surveillance Active Surveillance Reported
Week No Number confirmed each week Running 52 week total Number confirmed each week Running 52 week total Running 52 week total
2003
1 0 508 0 598 878
2 7 496 15 613 865
3 2 476 10 623 851
4 2 466 28 600 844
5 4 468 7 586 830
6 5 448 7 564 828
7 6 439 4 538 817
8 5 435 37 568 795
9 6 425 5 558 784
10 3 418 13 567 777
11 5 409 15 551 776
12 2 392 13 564 767
13 8 388 13 543 764
14 3 391 2 545 751
15 2 367 12 544 734
16 0 366 5 519 717
17 7 353 16 535 702
18 0 337 0 522 681
19 8 338 16 530 678
20 1 324 0 529 664
21 6 323 22 539 652
22 3 310 2 532 642
23 5 315 8 539 648
24 0 298 7 524 637
25 4 294 0 519 626
26 2 291 17 520 612
27 5 296 1 521 605
28 4 293 10 512 599
29 2 294 2 514 594
30 5 295 7 510 588
31 4 295 5 508 573
32 2 275 4 496 566
33 4 270 5 492 564
34 4 267 2 484 562
35 1 263 11 490 550
36 1 261 5 487 543
37 0 253 0 483 532
38 0 246 0 478 529
39 7 246 17 476 527
40 6 241 14 483 527
41 5 240 1 479 513
42 2 234 4 472 511
43 4 229 7 477 500
44 1 226 22 492 489
45 4 217 2 476 472
46 4 216 6 480 470
47 2 205 2 470 474
48 3 186 6 453 470
49 1 184 11 433 465
50 6 179 0 427 462
51 3 177 11 429 455
52 1 177 0 429 457
2004
1 1 178 1 430 451
2 0 171 6 421 455
3 2 171 1 412 451
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Agriculture: Injuries and Fatalities
Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the report of the Health and Safety Executive about the rise in deaths and injuries associated with agriculture.
Lord Freud: Agriculture remains by far the most dangerous of all the major industries in Great Britain. The incidence rate for fatal injuries to workers in 2009-10 was four times higher in agriculture than in construction. The toll of deaths from largely well known and preventable causes is unacceptable and is recognised as such by the industry.
HSE will continue its risk-based approach to health and safety in agriculture, targeting those activities which present the highest risk of injury. In view of the nature of these businesses, which are often small or micro in size, HSE uses a range of approaches to engage with the industry. Work activity includes a "Make the Promise" communications campaign; an increased number and type of safety and health awareness days; training and education (through vocational qualifications); working with manufacturers and suppliers of farming equipment; and partnership work with farming organisations.
Armed Forces: Staff
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the numbers of (a) United Kingdom military personnel by service, and (b) attached civilian personnel; and what are the figures for the last four years.
Lord Astor of Hever: We have published this information as national statistics at the following link: http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page=66&pubType=1.
The UK Armed Forces quarterly manning report, under key outputs, gives the numbers of service personnel, and Civilian Personnel Statistics 01(CPS 01) gives the numbers of civilian personnel.
We have reported personnel numbers as follows:
Year Royal Navy &Royal Marines (1) Army (1) Royal Air Force (1) Civilians (2)
2007-08 38,860 106,170 45,370 97,690
2008-09 38,570 105,090 43,390 89,500
2009-10 38,340 106,460 43,570 86,620
2010-11 38,730 108,870 44,050 85,590
(figures as at 1 April each year)
Notes:(1) The figures represent the total number of UK Regular Forces' personnel, including trained and untrained personnel and nursing services, but excluding Gurkhas, full-time reserve personnel and mobilised reservists(2) The figures represent the total number of full-time-equivalent civil servants employed by the Ministry of Defence, including permanent and casual staff, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, trading funds and locally engaged civilians. Civilians are employed by the department as a whole and are not attached to an individual service.
Asylum Seekers
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 28 June (WA 241-2), what is the usual interval between the ending of Section 4 support for persons granted leave to remain as a result of an appeal or change of circumstances and the beginning of normal benefits should the person not be able immediately to find work; and whether they will reduce the interval.
Lord Freud: An application for benefits can be made where a person or family on support is given permission to stay. From that point, they are no longer a person subject to immigration control. The support provided under Section 4 is taken into account as income and deducted from any weekly benefit entitlement.
Automotive Council
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had about appointments to the Automotive Council.
Baroness Wilcox: The membership of the Automotive Council was announced on 24 November 2009. There have been no recent discussions about new appointments to the council. However, there are opportunities for companies to contribute to the council's activities through participation in work streams of its supply chain and technology working groups. A wide range of individuals, companies and organisations are already supporting these activities and there is scope for others to become involved.
Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether small and medium-sized enterprises have increased the aggregate amount they hold on deposit within the banking system.
Lord Sassoon: The British Bankers' Association collects data on small business deposits held in the banking system. The change in deposits of small businesses is shown in the table below:
May-09 Jun-09 Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr 10
Deposits £m (change on previous month) 250 577 -12 -720 806 84 223 1,096 -1,957 -62 715 882
Further information is available at: http://www.bba. org.uk/bba/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=145&a=17836.
Banking: Bonuses
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether proposed European Union regulations will prohibit the payment of bonuses to employees of any United Kingdom bank in receipt of funding guarantees from HM Treasury or accessing non-standard central bank liquidity provision.
Lord Sassoon: The recently agreed capital requirements directive includes principles that apply to institutions that have received exceptional government interventions.
The directive stipulates that such firms should limit variable remuneration if it is inconsistent with the maintenance of a sound capital base. Furthermore, bonuses to directors at these firms must be justified, taking into account the firm's overriding objectives to rebuild capital and provide for the full recovery of taxpayer support.
Banking: Private Equity
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Sassoon on 5 July (HL Deb, col 6) on private sector equities, whether they have considered the cases for (a) disallowing interest as a charge against taxable profits, and (b) introducing a deduction against taxable profits to reflect a notional charge against the cost of equity.
Lord Sassoon: The Government keep all aspects of the tax system under review.
Banking: UK Financial Investments Ltd
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have instructed UK Financial Investments Ltd since 11 May to advise the British banks in which it has an investment that cash bonuses should be no more than £2,000 per annum and that executive directors should receive no bonus.
Lord Sassoon: UKFI's framework agreement with HMT requires it to manage its investments on a commercial basis and not intervene in day-to-day management decisions of the investee companies. UKFI has been working with government investee banks as an active and engaged shareholder to ensure that incentives are much more strongly linked to long-term value creation.
The Government are taking wider action to tackle unacceptable bank bonuses and have asked the Financial Services Authority, as part of its forthcoming review of its Remuneration Code to:
consider imposing more stringent requirements on the deferral and award of variable pay;examine mechanisms for strengthening the link between performance and remuneration to ensure that incentives are aligned with the long-term performance of the firm; andconsider how to vary capital requirements to offset risk in remuneration practices.
The Government will also consult on a remuneration disclosure scheme and, working with international partners, will explore the costs and benefits of a financial activities tax on profits and remuneration.
Banks
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on United Kingdom banks' relative profitability and competitiveness compared with banks incorporated in countries that have required lower bank capital of the intention in respect of bank capital expressed in the communiqué of the Toronto G20 meeting that "Phase in arrangements will reflect the different international starting points and circumstances".
Lord Sassoon: At the G20 summit in Toronto, leaders reiterated their commitment to increase significantly the quantity, quality and international consistency of capital, strengthen liquidity standards and introduce a leverage ratio. The agreement also highlighted the continuing resolve by the G20 to learn the lessons of the financial crisis and to implement an internationally consistent reform package. It was also agreed that G20 countries will phase in new standards over a timeframe that is consistent with a sustained recovery and limits market disruption. The G20 highlighted that initial variances in standards due to national starting points would narrow over time as countries converge to the new global standard.
The quantitative impact study (QIS) conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) in addition to work by other fora, including the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS), will consider in detail the impact of regulatory reform on the economy. This will inform the appropriate sequencing and calibration of reform in the UK and internationally.
Banks: Lending
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the main causes of the decline in lending by banks to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Lord Sassoon: The Government will be publishing a Green Paper on business finance before the Summer Recess. The paper will set out the Government's assessment of the current conditions for lending and will consider the broad range of finance options for business of different sizes including bank lending, equity and corporate debt.
British Overseas Territories
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in eradicating and managing invasive species in British overseas territories.
Lord Henley: Invasive non-native species are a major threat to biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories. Defra has contributed £250,000 to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to facilitate work on invasive species and climate change in the territories during the international year of biodiversity. Most of this funding has now been given to the territories to work on these priorities. Added priority was also given to the territories during the last funding round of the Darwin Initiative.
Climate Change Act 2008
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the annual cost to the United Kingdom of meeting the requirements of the Climate Change Act 2008, in light of the estimate of £50 billion by Bob Wigley, Chairman of the Green Investment Bank Commission.
Lord Marland: The estimated annual costs contained in the Wigley report do not directly compare to the estimated costs of meeting the targets in the Climate Change Act, as set out in the impact assessment of that Act.
While the costs in the Wigley report are investment costs, those in the Climate Change Act impact assessment are resource costs derived from the MARKAL model, which calculates emission reduction pathways that minimise costs
This estimates the costs of the 80 per cent reduction target in 2050 and includes welfare impacts as well as energy system costs. They are relative to a counterfactual world in which investment would have taken place in other power plants and energy system related equipment.
The Climate Change Act impact assessment estimates the total resource costs of meeting the 80 per cent target at between £14.7 billion and £18.3 billion per year. This excludes short-term transition costs, such as changes that might occur in the short or medium term as the economy adjusts to changes in energy policy. These costs are outweighed by the estimated annual benefits of the Act, which are estimated at between £20.7 billion and £46.2 billion.
Courts Service: Estates
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government which magistrates' courts and Crown Court locations will remain in the county of Somerset following planned closures and amalgamations.
Lord McNally: In Avon and Somerset there are currently magistrates' courts at Bristol, Bridgwater, Taunton, Bath, Yate, Worle, Frome, and Yeovil. There are Crown Courts at Bristol and Taunton.
The Government are consulting on the closure of Frome and Bridgwater magistrates' courts. There are no proposals to close Crown Courts, or county courts, in Avon and Somerset.
Courts Service: Estates
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the effect on access to justice and on levels of attendance at court of residents of Frome and nearby villages up to the Wiltshire border having to travel to Yeovil to attend the magistrates' court.
Lord McNally: Frome magistrates' court is a satellite court for Yeovil magistrates' court. Following the merger of the Mendip and South Somerset local justice areas in January 2008, there have been some occasions where court users in the Mendip area have been required to attend Yeovil magistrates' court. This has been most likely to affect those cases where the defendant is in custody and the case cannot be heard at Frome either because there is not a suitable court sitting or there is insufficient capacity.
Since the merger of the local justice areas there have been no significant adverse impacts on the attendance at court of residents from the immediate area in and around Frome. The majority of offences committed in the Frome area have continued to be dealt with at the magistrates' court in Frome.
The proposal to close Frome magistrates' court is currently out to public consultation and an initial impact assessment has been produced. The impacts, costs and benefits of the proposed court closures will be considered more fully during the consultation phase and a full impact assessment will be produced alongside the consultation responses.
Crime: Domestic Violence
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to help violent men who want to change such behaviour in their domestic relationships.
Baroness Verma: The Home Office provides funding to the Respect phone line which is a helpline offering information and advice to people who are violent or abusive towards a partner (or ex-partner) and want help to change their behaviour.
This includes:
men who are abusive and/or violent towards female partners;women who are abusive and/or violent towards male partners; andmen and women who are abusive and/or violent towards a partner in same-sex relationships.
The majority of people who call the advice line are men in heterosexual relationships. These are men who realise that they are abusive and they are looking for help to stop. Respect will talk through their options, advise on short-term strategies to manage the risk they pose to their partner/children and help them access specialist, long-term help.
In 2009, the helpline received 1,234 calls from domestic violence perpetrators wishing to change their behaviour. One thousand, one hundred and eighty one of the callers were male.
Equality Act 2010
Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will make commencement orders under the Equality Act 2010.
Baroness Verma: The provisions in the Equality Act will come into force at different times to allow time for the people and organisations affected by the new laws to prepare for them. The first wave of implementation will go ahead to the planned October timetable following the publication of the first commencement order in Parliament this week.
This will pave the way for much-needed simplification of discrimination law and the implementation of landmark provisions to protect disabled people from discrimination and to tackle the gender pay gap.
The Government have made clear that a key priority as we support economic recovery is to remove unnecessary burdens on business. By simplifying discrimination law, the Equality Act is an important part of our efforts to deliver on this commitment. The Government are looking at how the rest of the Act can be implemented in the best way for business and will make an announcement in due course.
Finance: Alternative Investment Market
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued on the level of risk to private investors of investment in AIM-listed shares; and how they define risk in that context.
Lord Sassoon: The Government have not issued any guidance on the level of risk to private investors in AIM-listed shares. AIM is an "exchange-regulated" market operated by the London Stock Exchange. As a recognised investment exchange, supervised by the Financial Services Authority, the London Stock Exchange is responsible for the regulation of AIM companies. There are differences in the listing requirements for "exchange-regulated" and regulated markets. For AIM companies, these include no trading record requirement or minimum market capitalisation and the UK Listing Authority will only vet an admission document where it is also a prospectus under the prospectus directive.
Finance: Clearing Houses
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether financial clearing houses have access to central bank support if required.
Lord Sassoon: In the UK, access to central bank facilities is a matter for the Bank of England.
Finance: Regulation
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether members of the Independent Commission on Banking, the interim Office for Budget Responsibility and, once established, the Office for Budget Responsibility will be subject to the rules and guidelines of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments; and whether that will include conditions on them being re-employed by firms in the financial sector with whom they were associated or by whom they were employed.
Lord Sassoon: Appointments to the banking commission and the interim Budget Responsibility Committee (BRC) of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) fall outside the scope of the rules of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.
Sir Alan Budd, chair of the interim BRC, has advised the Chancellor on the arrangements for the permanent OBR. The Government will respond in due course.
The Government are satisfied that there are no conflicts of interest that will prevent the commissioners of the banking commission or BRC members from carrying out their duties effectively.
Financial Services Authority
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated in his speech to the Lord Mayor's Banquet on 16 June that "The FSA became a narrow regulator, almost entirely focused on rules based regulation".
Baroness Verma: Lord Turner, the chair of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), conducted a rigorous review of the causes of the financial crisis and published his findings in March 2009.
Chapter 2 of the Turner review discussed the role of regulators. One of Lord Turner's conclusions was that the focus of FSA had been on ensuring that systems and processes were correctly defined, rather than on challenging business models and strategies of firms. Lord Turner therefore concluded that the FSA's style of regulation contributed to the build-up of system-wide risks, a conclusion which the Government endorse.
Gaza
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the location and status of the humanitarian goods intended for Gaza which were taken into Israeli ports in May; and what representations they have made on the subject.
Baroness Verma: Communication with relevant parties regarding the distribution of flotilla aid is taking place through the UN Special Representative, Robert Serry, who is keeping the international community informed of developments.
The UN has informed us that the first consignment of medicines and humanitarian aid, including blankets and generators, is now being distributed within Gaza. We understand that the remaining materials are currently being stored in Israel and should enter Gaza in the following weeks.
Government Offices for the Regions
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have about the role and financing of government offices for the regions; and whom they plan to consult in any review of them.
Baroness Hanham: The coalition Government's programme for government published on 20 May stated: "We will abolish the Government Office for London and consider the case for abolishing the remaining Government Offices".
We are in discussion with the departments that sponsor the Government Office Network and a statement will be made to the House in due course.
Government: Code of Practice
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their Code of Practice on Consultation has been amended since 11 May.
Baroness Wilcox: The Code of Practice on Consultation has not been amended since 11 May.
Government: Ministerial Duties
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the full range of duties to be undertaken by the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, Mr Mark Prisk.
Baroness Wilcox: The Minister of State for Business and Enterprise is responsible for:
Business sectors, including low carbon economy, low emission vehicles and electronicsSmall business, enterprise and access to financeCompetitiveness and economic growthDeregulation and better regulationRegional and local economic development (including Grants for Business Investment)Business supportOlympic legacyExport licensing
Government: Ministerial Duties
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to appoint a trade minister with sole responsibility for the pursuit of overseas trade and inward investment.
Baroness Wilcox: Ministerial appointments are a matter for the Prime Minister.
Government: Ministerial Duties
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether as part of their plan for restoring "our economic competitiveness working with UKTI ... to use our global diplomatic network even more to support UK business in an interventionist and active manner", referred to by the Foreign Secretary in his speech on 1 July, they will appoint a minister with sole responsibility for trade.
Baroness Wilcox: Ministerial appointments are a matter for the Prime Minister.
Gypsies and Travellers
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what account they take of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in respect of Gypsies and Travellers.
Baroness Hanham: The UK's third report to the Council of Europe under this framework convention, prepared by the previous Government, was submitted to the Council of Europe in March 2010. The Government will consider with interest the Council's observations and recommendations on the content of that report, including the material it contains on Gypsies and Travellers. The Government will respond to those observations and recommendations in due course.
Housing
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers local authorities have to deal with housing developments that have been abandoned when part-built by companies that have become insolvent and which have become detrimental to local amenity and safety; and what advice they give in such cases.
Baroness Hanham: Where a building is assessed as posing a risk to safety by reason of its state, Sections 77 and 78 of the Building Act 1984 give local authorities powers to execute such work as may be necessary to remove the danger or, alternatively, to demolish the building. If a building is assessed as sufficiently ruinous or dilapidated as to be seriously detrimental to the amenities of the neighbourhood, local authorities are given similar powers by Section 79 of the Act. In these cases, local authorities are entitled to make a claim for expense incurred from the building owner or, where the owner is insolvent, as a priority creditor or by registering a land charge.
Local authorities have discretionary powers under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to make good the loss of public amenity in certain circumstances. Best practice guidance on the use of these powers can be found at: http://www. communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/townplanningact.
They also have powers to acquire land, either by agreement or compulsion, to fulfil any of their functions. These include powers to acquire land for housing purposes and for development, redevelopment and improvement. Local authorities must be able to demonstrate that there is a compelling case in the public interest for them to acquire land by compulsion and that there are no financial or planning impediments to their scheme going ahead.
Local authority advice in such cases would depend on the particular circumstances of the case.
Housing Benefit
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of tenants of private landlords are estimated to be in receipt of Local Housing Allowance; and whether they intend to make all tenants eligible to receive it.
Lord Freud: The Department for Work and Pensions has been carrying out a review of the local housing allowance (LHA) scheme over a two-year period from the commencement of its roll-out in April 2008. The aim of the review is to monitor the impact of the LHA at a national level, against the original LHA policy objectives set out by the previous Government. The findings will be published later this year.
Housing: HomeBuy Direct
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue the HomeBuy Direct scheme.
Baroness Hanham: This Government have committed to support those who aspire to own their own home. We are reviewing the low cost home ownership (HomeBuy) programme as a whole in the context of the comprehensive spending review.
More broadly, this Government are seeking to return economic stability which will improve the situation for first time buyers.
Housing: Mortgage Support Scheme
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were assisted by the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme; and what plans they have for it and for its funding.
Baroness Hanham: It was announced on 14 June 2010 that since the launch of the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme in April 2009, 34 households had been accepted onto the scheme to the end of April 2010. The previous Government's target was to help 15,500 a year over the next two years. (DCLG Impact Assessment of Homeowners Mortgage Support, 21 April 2009, p.10).
The Minister for Housing is currently taking a fresh look at the scheme to ensure it offers the best possible help for struggling homeowners and value for money for the taxpayer. An announcement on the future of the scheme is expected shortly.
Independent Commission on Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the provisional budget for the Independent Commission on Banking; and what types of expenditure are covered by that budget.
Lord Sassoon: The commission will have its own secretariat and such resources as are necessary to complete its task.
Independent Commission on Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the Independent Commission on Banking to produce an interim report to guide their thinking ahead of discussions on banking and regulation at the G20 summit in Seoul in November.
Lord Sassoon: It will be at the commissioners' discretion to determine whether the commission will produce interim reports before the agreed deadline of September 2011.
Internet: Broadband
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to pay compensation in response to claims made by co-operatives, housing associations, charities, communities and other organisations that have funded reports by and contracted services, advice and consultancy from Community Broadband Network Ltd and Independent Networks Cooperative Association Ltd.
Baroness Wilcox: No.
Israel and Palestine: Quartet
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was their contribution to the costs of the Middle East Quartet in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08, (d) 2008-09, and (e) 2009-10.
Lord Howell of Guildford: UK support to Quartet Special Envoy James Wolfensohn began in 2005. We provided £70,000 to fund an aid management specialist. A further £28,000 for that position was provided in 2006. In addition, the Department for International Development (DfID) seconded a member of its own staff to the team from June 2005 to early 2006.
Since 2007 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has seconded one higher executive officer equivalent (HEO); one Grade 7 equivalent who retired in August 2009; and one senior civil servant (this position was regraded to G6 in April 2010) to work in the Office of the Quartet Representative (OQR).
FCO PAY SCALES
HEO Minimum Maximum
2010/11 26,102 32,509
2009/10 24,644 31,778
2008/09 23,157 31,495
2007/08 21,759 31,290
Grade 7
2010/11 43,084 55,782
2009/10 41,106 54,789
2008/09 38,852 53,783
2007/08 37,069 52,786
Grade 6
2010/11 54,340 67,861
Senior Civil Servant Minimum Maximum
2010/11 58,200 117,750
2009/10 58,200 117,750
2008/09 57,300 116,000
2007/08 56,100 116,000
The DfID secondment to the Office of the Quartet Representative in Jerusalem started in September 2007 to provide expert governance analysis (Grade 7). The secondee became Deputy Head of the OQR (Grade 6) in July 2009, leading on delivery against the OQR's key objectives through effective management of the team in the Jerusalem office, as well as continuing to provide expert governance analysis.
DfID PAY SCALE
2007/08 £41,900 £51,424 (Grade 7)
2008/09 £55,505 £65,294 (Grade 6)
2009/10 £55,505 £65,294 (Grade 6)
In 2007 the Department for International Development (DfID) made a £400,000 contribution to the UN development trust fund to support the setting up of the Office of the Quartet Representative in Jerusalem. This fund is administered by the United Nations Development Programme and its aim is to provide operational and logistical support to the representative (quartet) mission team and staff based in Jerusalem, so as to enable the effective and quick implementation of the quartet objectives.
We welcome the efforts of the quartet and the Quartet Representative-Tony Blair-and would particularly highlight recent efforts to help ease the border restrictions in Gaza. A great deal of progress has also been made on economic development in the West Bank, which shows that it is possible to have a functioning state, and which is a very important component of driving forward the Middle East peace process.
National Saving Gateway Scheme
Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue the Saving Gateway scheme; and, if so, whether credit unions will continue to offer Saving Gateway accounts.
Lord Sassoon: The Government believe that the Saving Gateway is unaffordable, given the need to reduce Britain's unprecedented budget deficit. The Budget therefore announced that the Saving Gateway would not be introduced in July 2010, as had been planned. The Government have no plans to introduce the Saving Gateway.
NHS: Medical Training
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the training of doctors in the care of dying; and what proportion of training is dedicated to that.
Earl Howe: The General Medical Council (GMC), as the competent authority for medical training in the United Kingdom, is the custodian of quality standards in medical education and practice, and consequently is responsible for ensuring that doctors are equipped to deal with the problems that they will encounter in practice, including care of the dying. The GMC is an independent professional body.
The GMC's undergraduate, postgraduate and continued practice boards have the general function of promoting high standards of medical education, and co-ordinating all stages of medical education, to ensure that students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.
The GMC has statutory responsibility to determine the extent of knowledge and skill required for the granting of primary medical qualifications in the UK. Their recommendations on undergraduate medical education are contained in Tomorrow's Doctors (updated version published, September 2009) which;
provides the framework that UK medical schools use to design detailed curricula and schemes of assessment; andsets out the standards that the GMC uses to judge the quality of undergraduate teaching and assessments at individual medical schools.
It is the responsibility of the medical schools to ensure that specialist teaching meets the standards set out in Tomorrow's Doctors in order to retain GMC recognition of their course.
Postgraduate medical training curricula are developed by the medical Royal Colleges and submitted to the GMC for approval.
NHS: Partnerships
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of partnerships between hospitals and other parts of the National Health Service and similar services in developing countries.
Baroness Verma: On 3 June 2010 the Prime Minister announced our intention to establish a new health systems partnership fund to encourage broader and stronger links between the NHS and other UK institutions and developing countries' health systems. The Department for International Development (DfID) is currently working on detailed proposals for this partnership scheme.
Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2010
Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the preamble to the Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2040) prevents them from applying for a derogation from any new European Union rules relating to the Habitats Directive or the Wild Birds Directive.
Lord Henley: The Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/491) amend The Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/1842) that transpose the habitats and wild birds directives into domestic law. The preamble provides that where the amended domestic regulations refer to an annex in either directive, this should be construed as a reference to the annexes of those directives whenever amended.
Any specific exemption from the provisions of the directives, or any annexes to those directives, would need to be specifically permitted in the directives. The preamble of the regulations does not restrict the ability of the United Kingdom to pursue an exemption in any negotiations on amendments to the directives. In the event that either directive were amended to permit a derogation from one of the annexes, and the Government wished to avail themselves of that derogation, the regulations would need to be revised to reflect this.
Quangos
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government for which central Government quangos they have announced their intention to reduce the level of funding; and how much will be saved in each case.
Lord Sassoon: On 24 May 2010 the Government announced plans to cut £6.2 billion of government spending in 2010-11. Six hundred million pounds of this will come from cutting the cost of quangos. As part of this departments have announced the following reductions to quango funding:
At least £80 million from Department for Education quangos including the abolition of the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency;A £108 million reduction in grants to Transport for London;A £50 million reduction in the running costs of CLG and its quangos and a £17 million reduction in the running costs of regional development agencies;£144 million in quango efficiency savings from BIS's partner organisations and the higher education budget;£82 million from the Home Office by reducing the budgets of the National Policing Improvement Agency, Serious Organised Crime Agency, Identity and Passport Service, Government Equalities Office and Government Office for London;£20 million from efficiencies across DECC's delivery bodies;£27 million savings from the Olympic Delivery Authority and £61 million from reductions in other DCMS quangos; andA £0.5 million saving on the running costs of UK Financial Investments Ltd, which are borne by HM Treasury.
The Government are committed to reducing both the number and cost of public bodies to increase accountability and reduce costs. The Cabinet Office is leading on a review of all public bodies and the outcome of this assessment will be published in the autumn.
Saudi Arabia
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the suspension of the investigation into the arms deal signed with Saudi Arabia in 1985; and whether they will take action against Saudi princes who were alleged to be involved.
Lord Howell of Guildford: In July 2008 the House of Lords ruled that the decision of the Serious Fraud Office to discontinue its investigation into alleged bribery and corruption surrounding the contract to supply tornados to the Government of Saudi Arabia was lawful. The Government respect that decision. Any further action is a matter for the Serious Fraud Office.
Sport: Motorsport
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they propose to promote the green initiatives under development in the aerospace and motorsport sectors.
Baroness Wilcox: The Government continue to work closely with the aerospace sector in promoting a range of green initiatives. For example, we are investing in the development of new more environmentally friendly aircraft such as the Airbus A350 XWB and the Bombardier CSeries; supporting collaborative research and technology on more environmentally friendly advanced airframes, engines and equipment; and playing an active role in discussions under way internationally to set new environmental standards. In addition, we are working closely with the lead trade association (ADS) to promote the sustainable aviation agenda as part of a range of issues aimed at ensuring the future success of the UK aerospace sector.
The low carbon vehicle innovation platform of the Technology Strategy Board is open to motorsport companies to apply. Already a number of motorsport companies have successfully applied to competitions under this platform, including the ultra low carbon vehicle demonstrator competition. In addition, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is looking to support the fifth European Cleaner Racing Conference and to help UK companies meet with international visitors to Autosport International in Birmingham.
Sport: Motorsport
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will work with the motorsport sector to exploit the export potential of products and services with a high technological content.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action UK Trade & Investment proposes to promote the export of expertise and products related to motorsport.
Baroness Wilcox: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) will continue to work with the motorsport sector to exploit the export potential of products and services with a high technological content. UKTI's national sector team, working with the network of commercial staff overseas, identifies global opportunities and facilitates matchmaking with UK supplier capability through a number of means, including support for groups visiting key overseas markets, participation in motorsport trade fairs and participation in conferences and seminars. Additionally, UKTI promotes the sector to an international audience at appropriate events in the UK and uses the sector to promote the wider advanced engineering sector globally.
In 2010-11, UKTI will support groups attending a number of overseas motorsport trade shows including MotorSport ExpoTech in Modena, Professional MotorSport World in Cologne, the International Motorsports Industry Show in Indianapolis, and the Performance Racing Industry show in Orlando. In addition, they are looking to support the fifth European Cleaner Racing Conference and to help UK companies meet with international visitors to Autosport International in Birmingham. This is in addition to initiatives already supported in the USA this year. They will shortly be considering possible support for next year with industry representatives.
Taxation: Income Tax
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following their decision to increase the personal income tax allowance for those under 65 but not the allowances for those aged over 65 or 75, they intend to phase out the differentials entirely.
Lord Sassoon: This Government will announce the amount of the personal allowances for those aged 65 and over for 2011-12 in the autumn, when September's inflation figures are known. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2010-07-14a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2010",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights: Funding
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the funding of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights by the United Nations' regular budget and by voluntary contributions respectively, in each of the years 1995 to 2000.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The allocation to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) from the United Nations regular budget is made on a biennial basis. The OHCHR have only recorded annual allocation figures since 1998. The following data have been supplied to us by the OHCHR.
The level of OHCHR funding from the UN regular budget since 1994 has been:
US$
1994-1995 42,195,900
1996-1997 46,354,300
1998 21,300,600
1999 22,076,400
2000 21,299,700
The level of voluntary contributions to the OHCHR since 1995 has been:
US$
1995 15,043,117
1996 24,971,066
1997 24,590,363
1998 34,441,516
1999 26,870,647
2000 43,829,835
European Security and Defence Policy and NATO
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 26 February (WA 105)
(a) Whether the United Kingdom is free to disassociate itself from the "suggestion" contained in the Appendix to Annex VII of the French Presidency Report on the European Security and Defence Policy, and if so, whether it will do so; and
(b) Whether NATO and/or the United States will have a veto on proposed European Security and Defence Policy activities.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: (a) Her Majesty's Government support the suggestions in the Appendix to Annex VII of the Presidency report to Nice concerning the implementation of "Berlin Plus" arrangements. These suggestions are the EU's initial contribution to further work in NATO and the EU. We look forward to further discussions of these arrangements, in which the UK will play an active role.
(b) EU member states would decide to launch an EU-led operation. This would happen following consultation with NATO. The EU would act only where NATO as a whole is not engaged. In practice, this means that the EU will act only when NATO has decided not to.
European Security and Defence Policy and NATO
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 26 February (WA 105):
(a) What are the "Berlin Plus arrangements"; and
(b) Whether NATO agreed to make "lift" and intelligence available for European Security and Defence Policy activities at the European Union's request; and
(c) When they expect the "detailed arrangements" to be worked out by the European Union and NATO, and whether these will be submitted to Parliament for approval.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: (a) "Berlin Plus" refers to the arrangements proposed by NATO at the 1999 Washington Summit for the EU to have access to the collective assets and capabilities of the Alliance for EU-led operations. These arrangements build on the similar arrangements for the WEU to use NATO assets and capabilities which were agreed in 1996 at NATO's Berlin Summit.
(b) NATO will take case-by-case decisions on which assets to make available to the EU.
(c) We hope to conclude the arrangements for implementing "Berlin Plus" in the course of this year. EU Council decisions concerning the EU/NATO agreements will be submitted for parliamentary scrutiny in the normal way.
European Security and Defence Policy and NATO
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 26 February (WA 105), whether the United Kingdom will be free of its own accord:
(a) To avoid participation in any European Union-led operation; and
(b) To withdraw from any operation once it is under way.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The commitment of national resources to, and their withdrawal from, an EU-led operation is a sovereign decision for the nation concerned.
European Security and Defence Policy and NATO
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 26 February (WA 105), what are the "elements of the remanent consultation arrangements" which have now been agreed by the European Union and NATO.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The EU proposals on EU-NATO permanent arrangements for consultation and co-operation (Annex VII to the Nice Presidency Report) together with the proposals in paragraph 31 of the NATO Foreign Ministers' communique in December 2000 constitute the elements of the permanent consultation arrangements. This was agreed in an exchange of letters between the NATO Secretary-General and the Chairman of the Council of the European Union. I have put a copy of this exchange in the Library of the House.
European Security and Defence Policy and NATO
Lord Blaker: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 26 February (WA 105), whether they will set out the elements of the permanent consultation arrangements agreed by the European Union and NATO for the European Union-led operations within the arrangements agreed at the recent Nice Conference.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The EU proposals on EU-NATO permanent arrangements for consultation and co-operation (Annex II to the Nice Presidency Report) together with the proposals in paragraph 31 of the NATO Foreign Ministers' communique in December 2000 constitute the elements of the permanent consultation arrangements. This was agreed in an exchange of letters between the NATO Secretary-General and the Chairman of the Council of the European Union. I have put a copy of this exchange in the Library of the House.
East Timorese Refugees
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are discussing with the Government of Indonesia the return home of those of the 65,000 East Timorese still in camps in West Timor who wish to do so; and what progress has been made in securing their return.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We raise the situation in West Timor with the Indonesian authorities and with UN officials at every appropriate opportunity.
We remain concerned about the situation in the camps in West Timor and urge the Government of Indonesia to comply fully with the UN Security Council Resolution 1319 to disarm and disband the militia and speed up the repatriation of those refugees wishing to return to East Timor and resettle those wishing to remain in Indonesia.
East Timorese Refugees
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United Nations Administration in East Timor has reported that attacks by armed militias based in West Timor are continuing; and, if so, what measures are being taken to prevent them.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Sergio Vieira de Mello, Head of the UN operation in East Timor (UNTAET), told Mr Battle on 6th March that the situation in West Timor has improved considerably since the appointment of General William da Costa as Regional Commander. Da Costa is determined to resolve the refugee situation and has instructed the TNI to take a tougher line with armed militia. UNTAET will continue to work with the Indonesian authorities to speed up the return of refugees in time for them to register to vote for the East Timor elections.
Treaty of Pelindaba: Ratification of Protocols I and II
Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the United Kingdom intends to ratify its signature of Protocols 1 and 2 to the African Nuclear Weapon's Free Zone Treaty (the Treaty of Pelindaba).
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Foreign Secretary signed the UK's Instrument of Ratification of Protocols I and II to the Treaty of Pelindaba on 27th February 2001. The Instrument has been sent to our Embassy in Addis Ababa for deposit with the Organisation of African Unity. I will arrange for a copy of the Instrument, together with the Declaration made on deposit of the Instrument to be placed in the Library of the House.
Learning Disability Services
Lord Stone of Blackheath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What strategies they have in place to improve services for people with learning disabilities.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are today publishing Valuing People: A New Strategy For Learning Disability for the 21st Century, which sets out cross-government proposals for improving the life chances of people with learning disabilities. This is the first White Paper on learning disability for 30 years and sets out an ambitious and challenging programme of action for improving services for a particularly vulnerable and socially excluded group in our society. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Our proposals are based on four key principles: civil rights, independence, choice, and inclusion. Valuing People takes a life-long approach, beginning with an integrated approach to services for disabled children and their families and then providing new opportunities for a full and purposeful adult life. It has cross-government backing and its proposals are intended to result in improvements in education, social services, health, employment, housing, and support for people with learning disabilities and their families and carers.
We are establishing a new Learning Disability Development Fund of up to £50 million a year to support the proposals for adults in the White Paper. Up to £30 million a year of this will be revenue funding and £20 million capital. The fund will be introduced from April 2002 and will be targeted on the priorities set out in the White Paper. We are also setting up an Implementation Support Fund of £2.3 million a year for three years from April 2001 to provide central support for key aspects of the White Paper. Priorities for the Implementation Fund, which includes £300,000 a year from the Home Office Active Community budget, includes developing independent advocacy services and establishing a National Learning Disability Information Centre and Helpline in partnership with Mencap.
We will be setting up a Learning Disability Task Force to take forward the implementation of the White Paper and an Implementation Support Team to promote good practice and share practical experience.
We are also publishing an accessible version of the White Paper; Nothing About Us Without Us, a report from the Learning Disability Service Users Advisory Group: Learning Difficulties and Ethnicity, a report commissioned from the Centre for Research in Primary Care, University of Leeds; and Family Matters, Counting Families In, a report on the particular needs of family carers. Copies will be placed in the Library.
We should like to pay particular tribute to the people with learning disabilities who helped us develop Valuing People. This is the first occasion on which people with learning disabilities have taken part in developing government policy; their contribution has been invaluable and has helped us understand the problems they and their families face every day.
Flooding: Environment Agency Report
Baroness Mallalieu: asked Her Majesty's Government:
If they will publish the Environment Agency's report on the serious flooding in the autumn and winter 2000.
Baroness Hayman: We are today publishing this report, copies of which are being placed in the House Libraries, copies of the regional reports will be placed in the Libraries by 30 March. We welcome publication of this report, which I commissioned the Environment Agency to produce in partnership with the other bodies responsible for responding to the flooding, particularly local authorities and the emergency services.
The report shows that since last October we have seen the worst flooding for half a century, following the wettest autumn on record. Thankfully no loss of life was directly associated with the floods, though 10,000 properties suffered flooding--some repeatedly--and we again extend the Government's sympathies to all those who were affected.
We endorse the key finding that the agency, and those responsible for the emergency response, performed well. We are particularly pleased to note that the seamless and integrated service of flood forecasting, warning and response for which we called after the Easter 1998 floods was delivered in most if not all areas. We are also pleased to note that in a number of localities the emergency response arrangements benefited from exercises conducted last summer between the Environment Agency, local authorities and the emergency services. The new flood warning codes, introduced by the agency within weeks of the floods, also worked well.
We want to thank the agency, and all of the other organisations and individuals involved, for their efforts in response to the flooding. This involved many hours of long, hard work, rapid decisions which needed to be made, and also individual acts of bravery, for which the country must express its gratitude. The effects of the flooding would almost certainly have been much worse were it not for their efforts.
Nevertheless, the report identifies some further lessons to be learned, the key ones being:
The flood warning arrangements worked well but there are some detailed lessons for further improvement. We have asked the agency to provide me with their proposals for implementing changes by September 2001. Also, the report notes some deficiencies in the weather forecasts received by the agency. A review will be taken forward by the Environment Agency in conjunction with the Met Office, to report by September 2001.
There is a need for the current Home Office review of local authority emergency planning arrangements to take account of the lessons learned from the floods.
There remains some confusion in the minds of the public about responsiblity for measures to prevent flooding, and for responding to it. The key to sound action is planning, partnership and provision of information. Through the Ministry's High Level Targets operating authorities are required to provide policy statements which will indicate flood risk locally and how it will be managed, and to describe local partnerships. Such statements are due to be completed soon. These statements will provide information on "assumed" responsiblity which will provide a useful basis for determining if further action on attribution is necessary in specific instances and developing a sound local partnership. Provision of a "one stop shop" may then be possible by local agreement.
We have a High Level Target in place for the Environment Agency to organise a programme of local and regional emergency exercises and should also conduct a national emergency exercise during the course of 2001. While local and regional exercises should continue, we have accepted the agency's recommendation that it is unnecessary to conduct a national exercise this year. We shall consider with the agency the timetable for a future national exercise.
We need to determine the appropriate level of investment in flood and coastal defence. Substantial increases were made in the Comprehensive Spending Review and the 2000 Spending Review. An additional £51 million was announced in November, and we have also put together an £11.6 million package to fund the exceptional costs of the Environment Agency in responding to the flooding and in undertaking emergency repairs. However, we recognise that we need to be ready to consider whether further expenditure may be justified. We have already instituted additional research to identify in broad terms what future investment may be required so that this can be considered in future spending reviews. Other developments such as strategic catchment studies should assist in the future production of more realistic needs-based expenditure programmes.
We have established a series of High Level Targets to ensure government policy for flood and coastal defence is delivered by the operating authorities and others. One group of targets requires the Environment Agency to establish a database of flood and coastal defences and to record information on their condition, based on inspections undertaken by the operating authorities. The database is an important development, for which MAFF is currently contributing towards the cost; we will consider whether additional funding is needed. It is also necessary to ensure that inspections of defences are completed by the operating authorities accurately and to time. We are asking the Environment Agency to report on this, as part of the report on the inspections and assessment of flood risk required under the High Level Targets.
The Environment Agency's report raises questions about the process for making investment decisions. I have asked the agency to provide me with supporting evidence by September 2001 and will consider with it, and the other operating authorities, whether changes are required. This issue will be relevant to the review, already under way, of the priority scoring arrangements for consideration of MAFF financial support for flood and coastal defence schemes.
Also under way is a review of the current funding arrangements for flood and coastal defence. We shall ensure that relevant recommendations in the report are considered by the Review Steering Group.
The agency has also undertaken to carry forward further reviews and studies, which we anticipate receiving with interest.
My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister was right when, on 31 October [Hansard, col. 607 et seq], he referred to the effects of the earlier violent storm as a "wake-up call". We can certainly expect climate change to mean that events of this type will occur more frequently in future. Another inevitable fact is that governments--past, present and future--cannot prevent all flooding; but where it is sensible and sustainable to do so, we can take further action to reduce the risk.
We can also take action to ensure that as a nation we are prepared to deal with the effects of severe weather, including but not limited to flooding, and that our key national infrastructure can withstand these effects. This is a matter on which we are working closely with local authorities and other key players through the Central Local Partnership.
In summary, if it had not been for the effective response of the agency and others, the flooding would have had much more serious effects than it did. There are still lessons to be learned, but we have all come a long way since the flooding three years ago.
National Taxing Team: Untaxed Claims
Baroness Buscombe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the percentage of claims for the Criminal Defence Crown Court fees made to the National Taxing Team in Maidstone which in January 2001 remained untaxed after three months of becoming ready to tax.
Lord Bach: At the end of January, 35 per cent of the outstanding claims at the National Taxing Team in Maidstone remained untaxed after three months of being ready to tax.
European Development Fund: Disbursement Rate
Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is now the average disbursement time for European Union aid from the European Development Fund; what improvement in the rate of disbursement in comparison to the average of the past five years this represents; whether they are satisfied with the current situation; and, if not, what action they are taking with other European Union member states to ensure an acceptable standard.
Baroness Amos: There are no published figures for the disbursement time of the European Development Fund. However, at the beginning of 2000, of the total commitments of 6.8 billion euros which had been made from the EDF and were awaiting payment, approximately 1.3 billion euros were either over five years old or had been inactive for at least two years. This was a clear indication of slow disbursement. As part of the present reform process, the Commission is making a significant effort during this year to clear this backlog of commitments. In addition, changes to Commission management procedures and to the EC's Financial Regulation have been proposed which would require commitments entered into in external programmes to be paid within three years. The UK has pressed hard for these changes, which, if adopted, would bring a significant improvement in the EC's disbursement rates.
House of Lords: Modes of Address
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Ministers are expected to adhere to the guidance in para 4.39 of the Companion (Appellations) on the correct ways of referring to other Members of the House.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: The rules are the same for Ministers as for other Members. However, the rules are sometimes complex and it should be recognised that Members of the House, including Ministers, may inadvertently err from the proper forms without intending to offend.
Public Libraries: Internet Access
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they respond to the decision to ban all Internet access in Glasgow's libraries because of the discovery that children have been downloading adult content; and what implications this has for their target of providing universal access to the Internet by 2005.
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: The responsibility for public libraries in Scotland lies with the local authorities and it is therefore a matter for Glasgow City Council to consider what action is required. It is understood that Glasgow City Council has already taken steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect children from inappropriate material and Internet access has been resumed. The Government have made a commitment to all public libraries in the UK being online by the end of 2002 and resources of £120 million are being made available through the New Opportunities Fund to fund this. It will be for local authorities as library authorities to ensure that all necessary protections and safeguards are in place as they implement these plans.
Sudanese Nationals Working in UK Engineering and Power Industries
Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many personnel funded or sponsored (or both) by the Government of Sudan are working or studying in (a) the engineering industry, and (b) power-related industries in the United Kingdom; and whether there are any implications for national security.
Lord Davies of Oldham: Information about personnel funded or sponsored by the Government of Sudan is not available. Since 1 January 1995, some 50 work permits have been granted to employers for Sudanese nationals to be employed or undertake work experience in the enginering or power-related industries. There are also 226 full-time and 85 part-time students from the Sudan currently studying in UK higher education institutions. All overseas nationals resident in the UK are expected to obey UK law.
Equal Employment and Occupational Treatment Directive
Lord Shore of Stepney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list those Directives agreed under Article 13 of the Treaty of European Union, and any Acts of Parliament amended by those Directives, that require the defendants in a civil action to prove their innocence of the charges of discrimination brought against them.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Directive establishing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of race or ethnic origin (2000/43/EC) and the Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation (2000/78/EC) agreed under Article 13 of the Treaty of the European Union both include provisions relating to the burden of proof in cases (other than criminal proceedings) of alleged discrimination. These provisions do not mean that defendants will be required "to prove their innocence" in such cases. Instead they stipulate that, where a claimant is able to prove facts from which the Court or tribunal can properly infer that discrimination has occcured, it will be for the defendants to show that their actions did not contravene the law. This is a shift rather than a reversal of the burden of proof and largley represents what already happens in practice in the UK in sex and race discrimination cases, following the judgment from the House of Lords in Zafar v Glasgow City Council (1998 IRLR 36). The Directive requires this approach to be formalised as a rule of law in the Race Relations Act 1976 and in the new legislation needed to give effect to Directive 2000/78/EC.
Free-to-air Digital TV Channels
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Department for Culture, Media and Sport accepts that the Government's own targets for analogue switchover could be advanced through additional free-to-air digital channels from public service broadcasters.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government's estimated timescale for digital switchover is 2006-2010 and the conditions that need to be met before the analogue signal will be switched off were announced in September 1999. One of the conditions is that 95 per cent of the population must have access to digital television before switchover is completed. As set out in my Answer to another Question from the noble Lord, we believe that the provision of high quality free-to-air digital services could affect the take-up of digital television, and therefore the speed at which this condition is met.
BBC Digital Television Service
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many meetings the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has had with representatives from commercial broadcasting organisations to consider and hear representations in connection with the consultation for new BBC digital services.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State has had two such meetings.
BBC Digital Television Service
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will make a decision regarding the BBC's proposed digital channels; and whether the Secretary of State is either obliged to, or is intending to, take account of any other political, commercial, or media considerations before reaching a final decision.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State will reach a decision as soon as he has considered all the evidence. The issues he will take into account are set out in the department's guidelines for assessing BBC public service proposals which were published on 10 January. Copies were placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Resort Regeneration
Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the English Tourist Council's report into the promotion of traditional English tourist resorts as expressed in the recent report entitled Sea Changes.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government welcome the English Tourism Council's (ETC) report on resort regeneration, Sea Changes--Creating World Class Resorts in England, which was published on 27 February. We will discuss with the ETC how best their recommendations for action by key national, regional and local organisations, can be taken forward.
Duty-free Sales
Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the effect on consumers, tourists and the tourism industry of the 1999 cessation of duty-free sales in the European Union and in the United Kingdom in particular.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I am not aware that any substantive analysis or assessment has been made on the effect on consumers, tourists and the tourism industry following the cessation of duty-free sales in the European Union in July 1999. However, there is currently no direct evidence to suggest that the abolition of duty free sales has had an unfavourable impact on the tourism industry.
Trafficking in Persons
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will respond to the recommendations made in the report Stopping Traffic: Exploring the extent of, and responses to, Trafficking of Women for sexual exploitation in the UK by Liz Kelly and Linda Regan, published as Police Research Series Paper 125 by the Home Office.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government have noted the recommendations of the report Stopping Traffic. The Home Office is currently doing work on a number of fronts to tackle the problem of trafficking. The Home Office published a review of sexual offences, Setting the Boundaries, in July 2000, which recommends to the Government that a specific offence of trafficking for sexual exploitation be established--these recommendations have been the subject of consultation until the beginning of March. The Government are also currently negotiating a European Union Framework Decision on Trafficking in Human Beings, which would require harmonisation of member states' laws on trafficking. In parallel with this, the Protocol on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children for Sexual Purposes, which supplements the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime, calls upon participating states to criminalise the trafficking of persons. The Government have strongly supported efforts to introduce an agreed international instrument which addresses this particularly offensive trade in human beings, and signed the Convention and its Protocols in November 2000.
A multi-agency task force has been established to improve the response to people smuggling and trafficking. Aims of this task force include ensuring that good intelligence is developed which leads to effective operational deployment against those organising trafficking, and creating a central database of information. There will be liaison with Europol and European partners.
The Immigration Service (IS) is also increasing its commitment to the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) by deploying additional staff at its headquarters within its Organised Immigration Crime Section (OICS) and its International Section and at its regional offices. In co-operation with NCIS, IS is expanding the number of Immigration Liaison Officers stationed abroad initially with new posts in central Europe and the Balkans. These officers will work with European Union colleagues and local law enforcement agencies to target trafficking and smuggling routes and the racketeers organising them.
We are also considering what needs to be done to create the circumstances in which a non-governmental organisation could be formed which would provide support and advice to the victims of trafficking.
Mr Phillip Wilson (Stephen Darren Boch)
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What information the Metropolitan Police have about the name and date of birth given on arrest by the person who was convicted at Bow Street Magistrates Court on 4 February 1970 under the name "Phillip Wilson (aka Stephen Darren Boch)".
Lord Bassam of Brighton: It is not the practice to disclose personal information of such a nature without the consent of the subject, unless there is a clear public interest ground for doing so.
Asylum Seekers: Appeal Conditions
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that asylum seekers who inform the Immigration Service of their intention to appeal against removal from the United Kingdom on human rights grounds under Section 65 of the Immigration Appeal Act 1999 are permitted to remain in the United Kingdom pending the determination of their appeal.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: There is a right of appeal under Section 65 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 against a decision relating to entitlement to leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, which is exercisable if that decision was taken on or after 2 October 2000, when that section came into force. The right of appeal is normally suspensive. That is to say, anyone who has made an appeal cannot be removed while the appeal is pending.
However, the right of appeal is not triggered until an allegation is made that the decision breaches the person's human rights. Once the appeal right has been triggered, there is a 10 working day period for lodging the appeal and the person will not be removed during that period unless he or she agrees to depart voluntarily.
A statement indicating a possible intention to make an allegation or to appeal at some point in the future is not sufficient to trigger an appeal and therefore does not prevent removal.
People appealing against immigration decisions made before 2 October 2000 cannot benefit from Section 65 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which is not retrospective. We have given assurances that such people, if they have human rights concerns, may make a separate human rights claim and will have an opportunity to appeal.
We wish to make it clear that we will not provide an opportunity for an appeal on human rights grounds where the human rights issue has been fully considered at an earlier appeal or by the courts or where the human rights claim is based solely on facts which the adjudicator at an earlier appeal or the Immigration Appeal Tribunal or higher court has not accepted. We expect claims by those who wish to benefit from an independent review of their case from a human rights perspective to give some clear indication of how their human rights arguments could result in a different decision. Alternatively, they may of course present a claim based on relevant evidence or circumstances which have arisen since the earlier appeal was dismissed.
Human Rights Convention: Protection of Atheists and Agnostics
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that any legislative measure they introduce forbidding religious discrimination also forbids discrimination on the ground of lack of religious belief.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Under Section 19 of the Human Rights Act 1998, the Minister in charge of a Bill must give his or her view about the compatibility of the Bill's provisions with the Convention rights. The case law of the European Court on Human Rights has established that Article 9 of the Convention protects atheists and agnostics.
Asylum Applications: "Safe Countries"
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have prescribed a list of safe countries of origin to be used by the members of the Immigration Service in determining applications for asylum; and, if so, whether they will publish the list.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: There is no list of safe countries of origin used in determining applications for asylum. Each asylum claim is considered on its individual merits.
The former "white list" of designated countries was abolished on 2 October 2000, when Part IV of, and Schedule 4 to, the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 came into force. This was part of a wider package of far-reaching reforms to the appeal process in the 1999 Act.
Illegal Immigrants on Eurostar
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why they have imposed charges of £2,000 on rail freight operators in respect of illegal immigrants hidden on freight trains through the Channel Tunnel from 1 March, but have not imposed similar charges on Eurostar in respect of the nine illegal immigrants hidden under its passenger trains on 2 March.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The civil penalty provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 were extended to the Channel Tunnel rail freight operation from 1 March 2001 in response to the rising numbers using this method to enter the United Kingdom illegally. The provisions are deisgned to ensure that those responsible for the rail freight operation take the necessary precautions to secure freight wagons against this abuse, which has become more widespread following the introduction of the civil penalty for road vehicles in April 2000.
The civil penalty provisions do not apply to passenger trains using the Channel Tunnel and there was no power to impose a penalty in the case cited where the persons concerned were concealed in a compartment beneath a Eurostar train.
European Telecommunications Market: Liberalisation
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider that the Lisbon European Summit's call for a fully integrated and liberalised telecommunications market within Europe by the end of 2001 will be delivered.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government consider that four key elements will contribute to the delivery of a fully integrated and liberalised telecommunications market within Europe:
concluding work on the legislative proposals following the European Commission's 1999 communications review. The Government welcome the fact that, by the end of June, the European Parliament and the Council will have undertaken first readings of the four most important proposals for Directives--Framework, Access, Authorisation and Universal Service & Users' Rights--arising from the 1999 review. It will continue to work to ensure that final agreement is reached as soon as possible on these proposals as well as on others--on spectrum policy and communications data protection--that are not yet so far advanced in negotiation;
introducing greater competition in local access networks and unbundling the local loop. Fixed wireless access (FWA) offers a competitive alternative to wireline local access networks. The roll-out of FWA systems will be facilitated by harmonised use throughout Europe of the radio frequency bands identified by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPR). Many Community member states have already allocated these bands for FWA and have granted--or are planning to grant--licences to operators. The Government also welcome the Parliament and Council Regulation on unbundled access to the local loop that came into force in January. This provides valuable underpinning for further development and expansion of unbundling throughout the EU. In the UK the first loops have now been unbundled, and BT is accepting orders for co-location of other operators' equipment at all of its exchanges. OFTEL will continue to work with all interested operators to see that unbundling can proceed in accordance with commercial demand. The Government consider that the basis exists for a fully competitive market in higher bandwidth services to develop quickly;
meeting frequency requirements for future mobile communication systems in a timely and efficient manner. The Government welcome the recognition in the Commission's Communication on spectrum management of the value of spectrum as an economic resource and of the need for its effective strategic management. The precise mechanisms for Community involvement in the spectrum management process are being taken forward in negotiations on a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on a regulatory framework for radio spectrum policy in the European Parliament. The Government are playing an active part in these negotiations, with a view to ensuring that Community involvement is truly strategic and does not duplicate the activities of the CEPT; and
ensuring the availability of low-cost, high-speed networks for Internet access. 34 per cent of UK homes and half of UK small businesses now have an Internet connection. Penetration in the UK is behind that in Scandinavia but ahead of the rest of Europe. OFTEL's international benchmarking programme showed that UK residential consumers had the cheapest or nearly the cheapest prices for off-peak and peak services. Due to swift and early regulatory intervention, the UK is among the front-runners on unmetered Internet access and is one of only seven countries in the OECD to offer unmetered peak access. A number of Internet Service Providers, including BT itself, are already offering services based on a flat-rate wholesale interconnection product mandated by OFTEL. This will lead to an increase in both penetration and usage of Internet access in the UK. Action is also being taken by OFTEL to ensure that leased lines, providing always-on access, are available on competitive terms to consumers.
The eEurope Action Plan 2002 is taking these actions forward at Community level and is on track. The Government fully expect the Stockholm European Council later this month to reinforce the importance of completing the integration and liberalisation of the telecommunications market and of ensuring rigorous enforcement of the Community regulatory framework based on competition principles. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2001-03-20a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2001",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Home Office
Asylum: EU Law
Baroness Jowell: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many take charge requests the UK has received from each EU country per year since Dublin III came into force; how many of those were successful; how many involved minors; and how many of those requests involving minors were successful.
Lord Keen of Elie: Data on cases progressed under the Dublin III Regulation is recorded on the main immigration database. However, this data is not held in a way that allows it to be reported on automatically and is therefore not currently available.
Asylum: France
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many asylum cases they have received from France under the Dublin III regulations.
Lord Keen of Elie: Data on cases progressed under the Dublin III Regulation is recorded on the main immigration database. However, this data is not held in a way that allows it to be reported on automatically and is therefore not currently available.
Asylum: France
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have established the current facts concerning access by the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration to (1) the informal and organised camps for refugees near Calais and Dunkirk, and (2) the Centres d’Accueil for asylum applicants elsewhere in France; and in both cases, whether there is full access during the whole, or only part, of the working week.
Lord Keen of Elie: This is a matter for the French authorities.
Health Services: Immigrants
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether revenue generated from the immigration health surcharge for foreign nationals will be re-directed back into funding for the NHS; and if so, what measures have been put in place to achieve that.
Lord Keen of Elie: All funding derived from the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) will be spent on the National Health Service, with the exception around £7 million per annum which will be used to fund some costs that fall to the Home Office associated with collecting and handling the surcharge.The Home Office transfers funds to the Department for Health and, consistent with the Barnett Formula, the devolved administrations through the Estimates process. In the event that IHS in-come exceeds the amount transferred, the balance will be surrendered to the Consolidated Fund for Extra Receipts and made available for spending on the NHS in the following financial year.
Health Services: Immigrants
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what form they will report on the revenue collected from the immigration health surcharge for foreign nationals; and whether that information will be placed in the public domain.
Lord Keen of Elie: The Home Office committed to provide information about its administration of the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) within 12 months of the surcharge going live. The Immigration Minister wrote to the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee to provide an update on 23 March, including details of the number of migrants who have paid the Surcharge and the total amount of Surcharge funding directed to the National Health Service (NHS).A copy of the letter has been placed in the House library to ensure the commitment to Parliament is met. The Home Office will also report on total IHS income received in its Annual Report and Accounts.
British Nationality
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received an explanation from the government of the United States as to why the approved biometric permit enrolment centres are delayed in that country; what is the revised targeted roll-out date; and what steps they are currently taking to assist those applying under the UKF form citizenship route to achieve their UK citizenship in a timely manner, whilst those centres are facing delays in implementation.
Lord Keen of Elie: The use of US Application Support Centers (ASCs) to capture biometrics for nationality (‘citizenship’) applications has required new IT provisions, as well as a refreshed Memorandum of Understanding. These changes have required the approval of both the US Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. Agreement has drawn on our strong existing relationships, but due to competing priorities has taken longer than expected.There were some initial challenges in delivering the intricate IT arrangements, resulting in delays in implementation; these have now been resolved and the IT is in place.We have advised applicants of the reasons for the delay and have put in place provisions for customers in urgent cases to attend the UK Visa office at the UK Consulate in New York to exceptionally enrol their biometrics there.Within the last week, the necessary authority has been received to proceed and we will now move to urgently finalise arrangements. We hope to be able to complete the necessary contractual work as a priority and then to begin the roll out as soon as possible thereafter.
Visas: South Asia
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total number of visitor visa applications received from (1) India, and (2) Pakistan, in the last six months; and what was the success rate in each case.
Lord Keen of Elie: For July to December 2015, there were 155,928 and 40,985 Entry clearance visitor visa applications from Indian and Pakistani nationals. Of the cases resolved (granted, refused, withdrawn or lapsed) in the same period, the proportion granted was 86% and 47% respectively. The information is provided in the table.The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, October-December 2015’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics
Table - HL7263
(Excel SpreadSheet, 17.6 KB)
Immigration: Afghanistan
Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) Afghan interpreters, and (2) members of their immediate families, have been relocated to the UK under (a) the ex-gratia redundancy scheme, and (b) the intimidation policy.
Lord Keen of Elie: Up to the end of February, 262 Afghan locally engaged civilians along with 356 members of their families have been relocated to the UK under the ex gratia redundancy scheme.No locally engaged civilians have been relocated to the UK under the current intimidation policy. One former staff member has been relocated to the UK under a previous version of the policy.
Offences against Children
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of grooming and sexual exploitation in Rotherham and elsewhere which has been carried out by (1) Muslims, and (2) those of other faiths or no faith.
Lord Keen of Elie: The Government does not hold information on the faith of those accused or convicted of child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences.CSE is not exclusive to any single culture, community, race or religion, and anyone who abuses children must be stopped. It happens in all areas of the country and can take many different forms. However, the previous Government’s ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation’ report of March 2015 makes it very clear that the issue of race, regardless of ethnic group, should be tackled as a priority if it is known to be a significant factor in the criminal activity of organised abuse in any local community.The College of Policing (CoP) has issued clear guidance on how police forces should respond to allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation. This is available on the CoP website at: https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/child-abuse/ .In addition the National Policing Lead for child protection has taken action to revise the national policing CSE action plan to take account of the learning from the Professor Alexis Jay report and other recent publications. All Chief Constables have committed to this action plan that aims to raise standards in tackling CSE so that the police are providing a consistently strong approach to protecting vulnerable young people. The action plan is available on the CoP website at: https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/child-sexual-exploitation/cse-action-plan/
Safeguarding Children
(PDF Document, 1.5 MB)
CSE Action Plan 2014-16
(Word Document, 262.5 KB)
Offences against Children
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the cases of organised grooming and sexual exploitation in Rotherham and elsewhere, whether police forces have been issued with new guidance on responding to allegations of abuse; and if so, what is that guidance.
Lord Keen of Elie: The Government does not hold information on the faith of those accused or convicted of child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences.CSE is not exclusive to any single culture, community, race or religion, and anyone who abuses children must be stopped. It happens in all areas of the country and can take many different forms. However, the previous Government’s ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation’ report of March 2015 makes it very clear that the issue of race, regardless of ethnic group, should be tackled as a priority if it is known to be a significant factor in the criminal activity of organised abuse in any local community.The College of Policing (CoP) has issued clear guidance on how police forces should respond to allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation. This is available on the CoP website at: https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/child-abuse/ .In addition the National Policing Lead for child protection has taken action to revise the national policing CSE action plan to take account of the learning from the Professor Alexis Jay report and other recent publications. All Chief Constables have committed to this action plan that aims to raise standards in tackling CSE so that the police are providing a consistently strong approach to protecting vulnerable young people. The action plan is available on the CoP website at: https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/child-sexual-exploitation/cse-action-plan/
Safeguarding Children
(PDF Document, 1.5 MB)
Action Plan
(Word Document, 262.5 KB)
Refugees: Syria
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of Syrian refugees scheduled for resettlement to the UK are located in refugee camps in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Lord Keen of Elie: We work closely with The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement according to agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. The scheme is based on need and supports those who cannot be supported effectively in their region of origin.We cannot therefore provide long term forecasts relating to the location of refugees within the region but have agreed a timetable of referrals. Volumes will vary, it is therefore not possible to give a percentage figure.
Asylum: France
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for asylum from refugees in the Calais and Dunkirk camp they have accepted under the Dublin III Regulations.
Lord Keen of Elie: Whilst all asylum claims, including those accepted under Dublin III, are registered on the main immigration database the specifics of each case including the route of travel and possible stay in the camps in Calais and Dunkirk can only be ascertained by a manual check of the notes on the immigration database and a physical check of the paper file.It will therefore not be possible to answer this question for reasons of disproportionate cost.
Asylum: Young People
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have forecast how many of the 20,000 asylum seekers to enter the UK by the end of this Parliament will be under 18.
Lord Keen of Elie: We work closely with The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement according to agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme.The scheme is based on need and supports those who cannot be supported effectively in their region of origin.The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Latest statistics published on 25 February 2016 confirms in 2015, a total of 1,194 people were resettled the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) including 1,085 who arrived in the last quarter of 2015. Of those resettled under the scheme in 2015, 605 were under 18 years old.
Refugees
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 19,000 remaining refugees to enter the UK by the end of this Parliament have been already identified by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Lord Keen of Elie: We work closely with The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement according to agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. The scheme is based on need and supports those who cannot be supported effectively in their region of origin.We cannot therefore provide long term forecasts but have agreed a timetable of referrals. This remains subject to change due to a number of operational factors.
Asylum: France
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 15 March (HL6859), how many take-charge notices issued by French authorities have been accepted by British authorities.
Lord Keen of Elie: Data on cases progressed under the Dublin III Regulation is recorded on the main immigration database. However, this data is not held in a way that allows it to be reported on automatically and is not currently available.
Asylum: France
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 15 March (HL6859), whether the number of Home Office officials seconded to the Interior Ministry's Dublin Unit in Paris will increase.
Lord Keen of Elie: The case for seconding UK experts to the Interior Ministry’s Dublin Unit is under review.
Tickets: Touting
Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 9 July 2015 (HL Deb, col 243), what action the City of London Police and Action Fraud have taken to enforce the ticket touting controls set out in the Consumer Rights Act 2015; and what action is being taken in cases where the law is being broken.
Lord Keen of Elie: The City of London Police is working closely with the Society of Ticketing Agents and Retailers and is actively part of a number of initiatives they are taking to raise standards within the ticketing industry. They are also engaging directly with organisers of major ticketing events in an attempt to stop ticketing touts obtaining tickets on a large scale and proactively search for new websites set up to sell tickets which are in high demand. The City of London Police is also actively engaged with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in their review of secondary ticketing platforms.All ticketing fraud reports received through Action Fraud, where viable lines of enquiry can be identified and links between cases can be seen, are disseminated by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau to the local police force for investigation.
Deportation
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of non-EU citizens who face being deported after 6 April because they earn less than £35,000.
Lord Keen of Elie: No migrant workers will be deported from April 2016 as a result of the £35,000 settlement threshold.The threshold only applies to those who entered Tier 2 (General), the skilled work route, from 6 April 2011. Tier 2 workers sponsored in shortage or PhD-level occupations are exempt. Skilled workers may remain in Tier 2 (General) for up to six years in total, after which they are expected to meet the settlement criteria or leave. For those who entered in April 2011, the six year maximum period of stay will expire in April 2017.Those who are paid below the threshold may apply to switch into any other routes for which they are eligible. Those workers who cannot extend their stay will be expected to leave the UK voluntarily when their visa expires. The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This is available on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf.
Copy - Impact Assessment - Tier 2
(PDF Document, 285.73 KB)
Immigrants: Detainees
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people held in Immigration Control Centres are not free to leave to go to other jurisdictions.
Lord Keen of Elie: There are no countries to which, as a matter of immigration policy, the Home Office does not return people if they wish to return voluntarily.There may be a small number of people who might be detained for immigration purposes who are not free to leave the jurisdiction of the UK because, for example, of ongoing criminal proceedings but this is not centrally recorded.For those being detained with a view to removal, detention may continue lawfully only for as long as there is a realistic prospect of removal within a reasonable period of time. Home Office guidance is clear that detention must be used sparingly and for the shortest period reasonably necessary to achieve its purpose.
Immigrants: Private Rented Housing
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the letter from Lord Bates on 21 March following the Report Stage of the Immigration Bill, which states that "migrants who do not understand whether they may qualify for permission to rent may contact the Home Office to establish whether this is the case", whether they will provide a reference to guidance on how migrants can contact the Home Office department or team who will deal with such requests, including requests to confirm that a "right to rent" exists in cases where documents are with the Home Office.
Lord Keen of Elie: Under the Right to Rent scheme, landlords must check the immigration status of those renting, to ensure they are here legally. Where a migrant’s documents are with the Home Office, landlords can confirm the right to rent through the Landlords Checking Service using the migrant’s case reference number.In some limited circumstances, such as where there are genuine obstacles to them leaving, migrants here without leave may be afforded permission to rent although disqualified from renting. Where a migrant is unsure as to whether they qualify for permission to rent, they may contact the caseowner or team that is dealing with their case or ask when they attend the Home Office in compliance with reporting conditions.Guidance on right to rent and when permission to rent may apply is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/landlords-right-to-rent-checks-guide. As I wrote recently, the Government is reviewing the guidance that has already been published and this will provide further detail on how migrants may make these enquiries.
Landlords - Rigth to Rent Checks Guide
(PDF Document, 273.12 KB)
Cabinet Office
West Lothian Question
Lord Renwick of Clifton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether it is appropriate for Scottish MPs to vote on trading hours in other parts of the UK.
Lord Bridges of Headley: MPs from all parts of the United Kingdom can vote on all legislation before the House of Commons. The introduction of English Votes for English Laws has given English MPs a greater say over matters affecting England only. However, clause 33 of the Enterprise Bill, which related to Sunday trading laws, included provisions that extended to Scotland meaning that Scottish MPs were rightly entitled to vote at every stage in the legislative process.
UK Membership of EU: Referendums
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 14 March (HL6673), whether Mr Hopkins importuned any persons to sign letters to national newspapers concerning the European Referendum or the consequences of a national vote for leaving the EU; and if so, how many (1) were importuned, (2) signed, and (3) declined to do so.
Lord Bridges of Headley: I refer the Noble Lord to the Prime Minister's answer to the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Ms Dorries) on 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 32. As set out in the Civil Service Code, it is the role of the civil service to support the Government of the day in developing and implementing its policies.
G4S: Government Contracts
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the financial difficulties of G4S will have an impact on any government security contracts.
Lord Bridges of Headley: G4S is a listed company, active in over 110 countries. Information on G4S’s financial performance is publicly available. As one of Government's Strategic Suppliers Cabinet Office undertakes regular analysis of G4S’s performance and financial standing in line with the Strategic Supplier Risk Management Policy, to monitor any possible risks to Government contracts.
Elections: USA
Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions since 1990 a British Prime Minister has made public remarks about how citizens of the US should vote.
Lord Bridges of Headley: This information is not held.
Government Departments: Newspaper Press
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 16 March (HL6672), whether the respective Codes of Conduct for (1) ministers, (2) officials, and (3) special advisers, allow them to draft letters to be signed by retired military officers or business people and then published in national newspapers.
Lord Bridges of Headley: The respective Codes of Conduct for Ministers, officials and special advisers make clear the role of these individuals in developing and implementing Government policies.
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
STEM Subjects: Females
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to encourage more females into STEM professions.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Government continues to work with partners to raise awareness and interest in STEM careers, including among females.The Government launched the £30m Inspiring Science Capital Fund in January 2016, in partnership with the Wellcome Trust. The fund will help UK science centres invest in exhibitions and education spaces, and reach those who think science is not for them.We also support STEM Ambassadors, a nationwide volunteer network of over 32,000 people from STEM companies or academia, who visit schools to encourage more young people into STEM.In 2014 the Government helped to establish the industry-led Your Life campaign. Your Life has built a strong social media presence to inspire young people, particularly young girls, to study maths and physics as a gateway to exciting and wide-ranging careers.DfE is funding programmes such as the Stimulating Physics Network (£2.15m in 2015-16) and the Further Maths Support Programme (£5m in 2015-16) to support schools and colleges to increase take up of maths and physics with a particular focus on engaging more girls.109, 000 women were accepted onto STEM higher education courses in 2015. This represents an increase of 19.1% since 2010. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2016-04-12 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Department for Transport
Travel Restrictions: Coronavirus
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 15 June (HL Deb col 1767), what plans they have to compensate suppliers and customers, including in the air travel and holiday let sectors, who lost money because of changes to COVID-19 restrictions made at short notice which prevented delivery of the service without breaking the law.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government recognises the challenging times the air transport and tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors have faced due to COVID-19. The industries have drawn on an unprecedented package of economic measures which we have put in place. We estimate that by the end of September 2021, the air transport sector (airlines, airports and related services) will have benefitted from approximately £7bn of Government support since the start of the pandemic. Over £25bn has been provided to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors, which includes holiday lets, in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks.Consumers are legally entitled to a refund within a reasonable time when operators cancel.
Ministry of Justice
Prisoners
Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners with an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence are waiting for a place on an offender behaviour programme, broken down by prison; and what is the average waiting time at each prison for a prisoner with an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence to obtain a place on such a course.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: There are 161 prisoners with Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences identified as currently waiting for an accredited offending behaviour or sexual offending programme. For the purposes of answering this question we have considered accredited offending behaviour programmes to be defined as both offending behaviour and sexual offending programmes. Substance misuse programmes are the responsibility of NHS commissioners and we do not hold this information.This table below shows each prison with IPP prisoners waiting to commence an accredited general, violence, domestic violence, or sexual offending programme based on information gathered from an April 2021 snapshot of data returns from prisons which run accredited offending behaviour programmes. The information has been drawn from local records and, as with any large-scale reporting tool, may be subject to inaccuracies as well as subject to change.The numbers presented reflect those who are fully assessed as suitable and identified as motivated and waiting for a place. The symbol ‘- ‘denotes suppressed values of 5 or fewer to avoid the risk of identifying individuals. PrisonOffending Behaviour ProgrammesSexual Offending ProgrammesAshfield 6Belmarsh_ Birmingham_ Buckley Hall_ Bullingdon _Bure _Channings Wood_ Dartmoor_8Dovegate_ Downview_ Elmley_ Erlestoke_ Forest Bank_ Frankland__Full Sutton_ Garth__Gartree_ Guys Marsh_ Highpoint_ Hindley_ Holme House_ Hull _IOW _Lancaster Farms_ Lewes_ Lindholme12 Littlehey_8Long Lartin_ Lowdham Grange_ Manchester_ Moorland_ New Hall_ Northumberland__Oakwood_ Parc_ Risley_ Rye Hill_6Stafford _Stocken_ Stoke Heath_ Swaleside_ Swinfen Hall_ The Mount_ Wakefield__Wayland_ Wealstun_ Whatton 7Whitemoor_ Woodhill_ Wymott__Grand Total10952 It has not been possible to provide the information requested in respect of average waiting time as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The Government’s primary responsibility is to protect the public. Accredited programmes aim to protect the public and reduce reoffending and are part of a range of rehabilitation and risk reduction opportunities available. In recent years, there has been a reinvestment from shorter, moderate intensity programmes in favour of longer, higher intensity programmes. HM Prison and Probation Service remains committed to supporting the progression of those serving IPP and life sentences in custody, so that the Parole Board may direct their release, or as the case may be, re-release, as soon as it is safe to do so.
Ministry of Justice: Mothers
Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Justice, in any of its official (1) paperwork, (2) guidance, (3) instructions, (4) manuals, or (5) other documents, (a) has replaced, or (b) intends to replace, the word “mother” with the phrase “parent who has given birth”.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: As laid out in Hansard, 8 March 2007, Col. 146ws, in 2007, the then Government resolved to shift to gender-neutral drafting of legislation to avoid stereotypes that only men could hold positions of authority. Notwithstanding, Ministers believe it is entirely appropriate to continue to refer to sex in legislation where helpful for clarity or pertinent (for example, legislation relating to the health needs of women). In that light, we have not, nor do we intend to, replace the word ‘mother’ with the phrase ‘parent who has given birth' in Departmental paperwork, guidance, instructions, manuals or other documents.
Treasury
Small Businesses: Debts
Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of personal debt of (1) entrepreneurs, and (2) company directors of small businesses, who have not been eligible for assistance through the CoronavirusJob Retention Scheme; and what assessment they have made of the proportion of such debt which has been used to keep businesses afloat.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has helped to pay the wages of people in 11.5 million jobs across the country, and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) has paid out £24.5 billion in grants to 2.8 million self-employed individuals. Both of these schemes were designed with two principles in mind. First, the need to target support at those who need it most. Second, the need to protect money against error, fraud and abuse, whilst reaching as many people as possible. The Government recognises that some of the eligibility criteria and conditions needed to ensure that the CJRS or SEISS work for the vast majority of people have meant that some may not qualify for them. Those ineligible for the SEISS or CJRS may still be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented financial support available, such as tax deferrals and billions in loans and business grants. The Government loan guarantee schemes (including the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS)) have provided unprecedented support to businesses, with over 1.5 million loans worth over £75bn. Under BBLS no repayments are due from the borrower for the first 12 months of the loan, giving businesses the breathing space they need during this difficult time. In addition, the Government covers the first 12 months of interest payments charged to the business by the lender. To give businesses further support and flexibility in making their BBLS repayments, the Government has implemented the “Pay as You Grow” (PAYG) options. PAYG will give businesses the option to repay their BBLS facility over ten years. The Government has also made the full repayment holiday available to borrowers from the first repayment. Together, the 12-month payment holiday and interest-free period for borrowers, along with the PAYG options, provide a generous support package giving businesses the time to get back on their feet. Businesses concerned about repayment should contact their lender to discuss the options available to them.
Cryptocurrencies
Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response tothe research by the Financial Conduct Authority Cryptoasset consumer research 2021, published on 17 June, which estimates that 2.3 million people in the UK own cryptocurrencies and that 14 per cent of those borrowed money to invest in cryptocurrencies.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government welcomes the FCA’s recent consumer research, which offers insights into the growth of the cryptoasset market in the UK over the past year. The Government is closely monitoring developments in the industry through the UK’s Cryptoassets Taskforce. HM Treasury and UK authorities have taken a series of actions to mitigate risks to stability and market integrity and prevent the use of cryptoassets in illicit activity. The Government launched a consultation on its regulatory approach to cryptoassets and stablecoins on 7 January. It also included a call for evidence on the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in financial markets. This set out the Government’s position that new innovations in the sector could deliver substantial benefits, but also present new challenges and risks. Last year, the Government issued a consultation on a proposal to bring certain cryptoassets, including Bitcoin, into the scope of financial promotions regulation. This would ensure that relevant cryptoasset promotions are held to the same high standards for fairness, clarity, and accuracy that pertain in the financial services industry. The Government will be publishing its response in due course. To further protect consumers, the FCA has banned the sale of cryptoasset derivatives to retail consumers, and alongside the Bank of England has issued consumer warnings stating that consumers who invest in cryptoassets should be prepared to lose their money. Alongside this, the Government launched a new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime for cryptoassets in 2020.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Iraq: Turkey
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with the government of Turkey on their unilateral military operations in the Dohuk province of Iraq and, in particular, whether they raised, or intend to raise, in any such discussions the reports of (1) the bombing of civilian areas in Metina, Zap and Avashin, and (2) the use of white phosphorus weapons.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has not made representations to Turkey following recent airstrikes in northern Iraq but we continue to follow the situation closely. We reiterate the importance of dialogue and cooperation between Iraq and Turkey to combat terrorism, ensure regional security, and protect civilians. We welcome recent discussions between Iraqi and Turkish Defence Ministers regarding Ankara's military operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Ministry of Defence
Patrol Craft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the size of the Royal Navy Overseas Patrol Squadron.
Baroness Goldie: The Royal Navy has no plans at present to expand the size of the Overseas Patrol Squadron once the fifth Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessel is declared in service later this summer.
Porton Down: Recruitment and Vacancies
Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported staff shortages at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down; what steps they are taking to recruit to the 300 more staff requested by the interim chief executive; and what percentage increase in staffing that figure would represent.
Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is investing £6.6 billion in research and development over the next four years, and this includes an additional £1.1 billion specifically for science and technology and pull through activities. It's part of the government's announcement 'to sustain strategic advantage through S&T' in the recent Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. Dstl is using a number of routes to attract diverse talent with apprenticeships, bespoke targeted advertising, schemes for mid-career returners to science, and a focused offer to graduates. Dstl will be seeking to attract niche skills and scarce talents through a network of 'Centres of Excellence', the first being in Newcastle. Dstl's Full Time Equivalent number of people is 4,357. An additional 300 represents an increase of 6.9 per cent.
Department for Work and Pensions
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money in benefits was disbursed by the Department for Work and Pensions through the appointee system in the last year for which figures are available.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: Information about the amount of benefit paid to appointees is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Local Housing Allowance
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the Local Housing Allowance is returned to the 30th percentile and brought into line with average rents in any given geographical area.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Secretary of State reviews the Local Housing Allowance rates annually. Housing support for private renters was increased significantly in April 2020 and Local Housing Allowance rates have been maintained at the same cash level for 2021/22, ensuring that all claimants who benefitted from the increased levels of housing support will continue to do so.
Kickstart Scheme
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people (1) have been, and (2) are currently, on the Kick Start scheme, broken down by age.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: An initial assessment of a sample of the first 20,000 claimants who started a Kickstart job placement from the commencement of the scheme up to 6th May 2021 found the age range noted in the table below. The Department will be monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme throughout its implementation, and will continue to evaluate the longer term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six month job placements. This will include an examination of the demographic make-up of participants, including age. Age at Kickstart job placement start% share of all startersUnder 18less than 1%187%1912%2011%2114%2219%2319%2416%25less than 1% The above table shows a small number of claimants were over 25 when they began their Kickstart job. This is as a result of some participants applying when aged 24 but turning 25 by the time their role began. Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Kickstart Scheme
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many employers are involved in the Kick Start scheme.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: As of 16th June 2021, The Department has approved Kickstart applications for over 6,000 employers. This includes employers who applied directly to the Kickstart Scheme and employers who applied via a gateway. Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Fisheries: Territorial Waters
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many ships are used by (1) the Marine Management Organisation, and (2) Marine Scotland, to enforce fishery rules in United Kingdom waters, broken down by type of vessel.
Lord Benyon: Fisheries protection is a devolved matter. Nonetheless, Defra, the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive continue to work together to share information and ensure a coordinated approach to monitoring, compliance and enforcement across UK waters. In England, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has significantly increased its maritime surveillance assets dedicated to fisheries protection. This includes two offshore MMO patrol vessels for at-sea surveillance, supplemented by up to 15 vessels from the Royal Navy Overseas Patrol Squadron and Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities.
Poultry: Australia
Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the use of unenriched hen cages in Australia, (2) how such cages comply with British standards, and (3) whether eggs and egg products from hens caged this way will qualify for zero import tariffs under the in-principle Free Trade Agreement agreed on 15 June.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government is committed to scrutiny of animal welfare considerations in FTAs through a range of measures, including relative animal welfare standards. This includes standards and industry practices for Australian egg production. Conventional (“battery”) cages for laying hens have been banned in the UK since 2012. The Free Trade Agreement will contain a commitment to an Animal Welfare Working Group to provide a forum for ongoing cooperation and initiatives in areas of mutual interest, to review animal welfare developments and to promote high animal welfare practices. The UK tariff treatment for pigs, poultry and eggs from Australia is not yet determined.
Cabinet Office
Access to Information Central Clearing House: Freedom of Information
Lord Stunell: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Freedom of Information requests were considered by the Cabinet Office's Clearing House in each of the last ten years; and how many of these were (1) answered in full, (2) answered in part, and (3) refused, broken down by the statutory grounds for refusal.
Lord True: The Clearing House function does not have full time members of staff, and its work is done by a small team of people in the FOI team, including the Deputy Director of Freedom of Information and Transparency, alongside their other day to day responsibilities. There is no separate budget for the Clearing House. The Cabinet Office does not routinely capture data on the number of requests which are referred to the Clearing House. However, in 2020, Clearing House gave advice on 516 aggregated ‘round robins’ (requests made to more than one department and that have repeat characteristics); a small proportion of over 30,000 requests received by government departments in the same time period. The Cabinet Office has referred requests to the Clearing House where appropriate and in line with the published criteria, which is available on gov.uk here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-and-freedom-of-information.Information on Freedom of Information statistics is also published on gov.uk here - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.
Department for International Trade
Department for International Trade: Mothers
Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for International Trade, in any of its official (1) paperwork, (2) guidance, (3) instructions, (4) manuals, or (5) other documents, (a) has replaced, or (b) intends to replace, the word “mother” with the phrase “parent who has given birth”.
Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Department for International Trade is committed to ensuring HR policies and guidance are inclusive and regularly undertakes internal policy reviews to keep our policies up to date and compliant with statutory legislation and best practice. The department is satisfied that its HR policies are consistent with this commitment and there are currently no plans to replace the word ‘’mother’ with the phrase “parent who has given birth” to our HR policies. The department will continue to monitor any developments or changes in legislation.
Trade Agreements: Australia
Lord Grantchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government ho many non-disclosure agreementsandpersonal confidentiality agreements have the Department for International Trade signed with stakeholders in relation to negotiations and the final text of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement.
Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: 502 stakeholders have signed confidentiality agreements with the Department for International Trade to facilitate detailed discussions about trade negotiations. As yet, there is no final UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement text to share with stakeholders.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Musicians: EU Countries
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Let the Music Move Campaign regarding the (1) restrictions, (2) costs, and (3) delays, for touring musicians arising from the settlement reached in the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement; and what assessment they have made of the statement by Sir Elton John on 10 June that the UK music industry could lose “a generation of talent” due to those restrictions.
Baroness Barran: The UK’s creative industries are the finest in the world and this government is determined to support them, including young and emerging artists. UK performers and artists are of course still able to tour and perform in the EU, and vice versa. However, we understand the concerns about the new arrangements and we are working with the creative and cultural sectors to help them get to grips with the changes to systems and processes.As the Secretary of State has said, we have moved at pace and with urgency, and have provided much greater clarity about the current position. This includes through the DCMS-led working group, whose membership includes the Featured Artists Coalition, the Music Managers Forum, LIVE, UK Music and other bodies organising the Let the Music Move Campaign. The group has discussed the issues faced by the sector, has worked to provide clarity regarding the practical steps that need to be taken by touring professionals when touring the EU, and has explored further steps as to how these sectors can be supported to work and tour in the EU with confidence.Through bilateral engagement with EU Member States, we have established that at least 17 out of 27 Member States, including France and Germany, allow some visa and permit free touring. We are now engaging with those Member States that do not have any visa or permit free touring to encourage them to adopt a more flexible approach in line with the UK’s own rules, which allow creative professionals to tour easily here. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2021-07-01 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Department for Transport
Road Haulage Association
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with representatives of the Road Haulage Association, following its petition for an extension to the transition period.
baroness vere of norbiton: The Government meets regularly with representatives from the Road Haulage Association to discuss a number of issues of importance to the logistics sector, at both official and Ministerial level.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund
lord mann: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the publication of guidance on the COVID-19 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund on 1 April, whether its reference to qualifying properties 'wholly or mainly being used as a hospitality, retail, or leisure venue’ refers to the rateable area of the business being used for such purposes or to its turnover.
lord callanan: Under the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF) businesses in England that would have been in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure) on 11 March 2020, with a rateable value of less than £51,000, will be eligible for cash grants of up to £25,000 per property. It is for local authorities to decide, having regard to the Government’s guidance, whether individual properties are eligible for the RHLGF based on the circumstances of each case.
Business: Insurance
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what risk assumptions they will use in the pricing of reinsurance offered to trade credit insurers; and what commitments they have obtained from these insurers to maintain cover.
lord callanan: The Trade Credit Reinsurance Scheme operates as a reinsurance agreement which will see trade credit insurers continuing to write and maintain cover to businesses affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. The cost to insurers of participating in the scheme is ceding 90% of their premium income to Government, with 35% returned to cover their costs. The retention of 10% income by insurers ensures alignment of incentives so that underwriting standards and pricing approaches are maintained in line with normal market conditions. Losses are also being shared with Government taking 90% and insurers 10%, up to a £3 billion cap. Losses between £3 billion and £10 billion will be 100% covered by Government. Insurers will offset the 10% of premium they retain against their share of the losses. The Scheme will see the vast majority of TCI cover maintained in the market. The reinsurance agreement requires insurers to maintain cover where there are reasonably identifiable Covid-19 related economic impacts on an in-scoped insured. Where there are no identifiable Covid-19 related economic impacts, participating insurers will continue to act according to their existing underwriting practices. BEIS’s delivery partner will have oversight of insurers throughout the scheme and monitor their behaviour to ensure that underwriting standards and prices are maintained.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review
baroness hodgson of abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government which work streams were identified for the upcoming Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy before it was paused.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: Following the Chancellor's announcement that the Comprehensive Spending Review is being delayed, the Integrated Review has been paused given the pressing need to focus on COVID-19. We will return to the Integrated Review when appropriate to do so, aligned with the CSR, ensuring that we engage with all relevant stakeholders.
International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
baroness hodgson of abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict on 19 June.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK plans to mark the sixth annual International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict by announcing the launch of the draft Murad Code of Conduct for documenting conflict related sexual violence for global consultations. The Code will uphold international standards and best practice by donors, international organisations, and civil society when documenting conflict-related sexual violence, and prevent the re-traumatisation of survivors. As the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict I will also attend a UN virtual event hosted by the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict to raise awareness of the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic on survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.The UK remains at the forefront of the global efforts to tackle conflict-related sexual violence through our Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative. We are committed to strengthening justice and accountability for all survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences
baroness hodgson of abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reschedule the International Conference on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict that was postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: As the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict I issued a statement on 14 April that the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) International Conference, Time for Justice: Putting Survivors First had been postponed in light of the international COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure that the event had the inclusive, global impact which the issue demands. This was a difficult decision to make. The Foreign Secretary and I will revisit dates when the international situation allows.
British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the UN to update World Map 4170 to show the Chagos Archipelago as Mauritian territory; and what plans they have to comply withUN General Assembly resolution 73/295 on the withdrawal of the UK administration of the Chagos Archipelago.
baroness sugg: The UK notes that the designation of the British Indian Ocean Territory has been modified on maps produced by the UN, following UN General Assembly Resolution 73/295. This resolution is not legally binding and the UK voted against its adoption.This modification by the UN does not alter, or determine, sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago and it makes no difference to the UK's position, which we have consistently made clear. The UK has no doubt about our sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. Mauritius has never held sovereignty, so we do not recognise its claim. We have, however, made a long-standing commitment to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.
British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received the report of the United Nations Secretary-General to the United Nations General Assembly on the implementation of its resolution calling on the United Kingdom to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius by 22 November 2019; and if not, when they expect to receive it.
baroness sugg: The United Nations published the Secretary General's report on the 'Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965' on 12 June. The UK government has issued a statement following the publication of this report. A copy of the statement can be found at gov.uk, United Nations Secretary General's report on the implementation of Resolution 73/295: UK statement.
Ilois: Black Lives Matter
baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the support expressed by the Prime Minister for the Black Lives Matter campaign in his message of 8 June, what steps they are taking to ensure that the ethos of that campaign is fully incorporated into their decision-making regarding the treatment of citizens of the British Indian Ocean Territory and the right of return of Chagossians to the Outer Islands.
baroness sugg: The UK Government has expressed sincere regret about the manner in which Chagossians were removed from the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in the 1960s and 1970s. It announced in November 2016 that resettlement of Chagossians could not be supported on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests, and cost to the British taxpayer. The Government further announced at that time that it would implement a support package worth approximately £40 million over ten years. The support package intends to provide Chagossians in the communities in which they currently live - predominantly UK, Mauritius and Seychelles, - with better life chances. The Government recognises the emotional connection of Chagossians to BIOT, and has expanded the heritage visit programme to allow more Chagossians to visit in the coming years.
Department of Health and Social Care
Coronavirus: Gloucestershire
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to undertake an inquiry into the numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Gloucestershire; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the Cheltenham Festival race meeting in March on those numbers.
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate, if any, they have made of the number of people who attended the Cheltenham Festival race meeting in March who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.
lord bethell: The Department has no plans to undertake an inquiry specifically into the numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Gloucestershire. No assessment has been made centrally of the impact of the Cheltenham Festival race meeting in March on numbers of deaths related to COVID-19 in Gloucestershire or the number of people who attended the race meeting who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.At all times during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government’s response has been guided by the latest scientific advice. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) provides scientific advice to support United Kingdom decision-makers during emergencies. In recognition of the importance of transparency in these unprecedented times, SAGE has been publishing the statements and the accompanying evidence it has reviewed online on GOV.UK to demonstrate how the scientific understanding of COVID-19 has continued to evolve as new data emerges, and how SAGE’s advice has quickly adapted to new findings that reflect a changing situation. It will be updated as SAGE releases papers from recent and future meetings.
Health Services: Coronavirus
baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that travel restrictions do not impede the movement of medical personnel and supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
lord bethell: The Government has published safer travel guidance for passengers and operators online at GOV.UK. Services might be operating at a reduced rate and passengers are urged to identify alternative routes and options in case of unexpected disruption. It is advised that all other forms of transport should be considered before using public transport and that where possible, people should walk or cycle. There will be some exemptions to the border control measures, such as to ensure the continued security of United Kingdom supply chains, or journeys within the Common Travel Area. We will set out further detail in due course.
Disease Control: Medical Equipment
lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they took, following the conclusion of Exercise Cygnus, to ensure that additional funding was made available for purchasing equipment from stockpiles to be used for satellite care so that timely decisions could be made regarding the discharge of patients from hospitals to residential care, community care or home.
lord bethell: The lessons learned from Exercise Cygnus continue to be considered by the Government and a range of stakeholders, including expert advisory groups and local emergency planners in reviewing response plans. As part of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Programme we maintain national stocks of clinical countermeasures for a future influenza pandemic with arrangements in place for how these would be distributed in an emergency. The content of the stockpiles is informed by scientific and clinical advice and kept under review. The Department receives advice on these matters from Public Health England and various independent Government advisory committees including NERVTAG and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
Care Homes: Finance
lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that their extra funding for care homes announced since15 March has arrived in the bank accounts of care homes; and what consideration they have given to transferring such funding direct to care homes.
lord bethell: The Government has taken significant steps to provide financial support for public services during COVID-19, including making £3.2 billion available to local authorities so they can address pressures on local services caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care. To improve transparency, local authorities should also publish on their websites the support they are offering to providers of residential and domiciliary care services, as well as any other social care services they are supporting. We have asked for these to be published by 29 May 2020. Furthermore, on 15 May we published details of an additional £600 million Infection Control Fund for Adult Social Care to support adult social care providers in England reduce the rate of transmission in and between care homes and to support workforce resilience. The Government will continue to monitor pressures in the National Health Service and local government and will keep future funding under review.
Neurology: Health Services
lord dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of what additional NHS services, including rehabilitation, will be required as a result ofthe neurological complications seen in inpatients with COVID-19.
lord bethell: COVID-19 is a new disease with many new and unexpected complications. Clinicians in the National Health Service have adapted rapidly to this evolving situation and rehabilitation programs for COVID-19 have been developed in many parts of the NHS, providing rehabilitation both in hospital and in the community.On 29 April, Sir Simon Stevens and Amanda Pritchard published a letter on the second phase of the NHS response to COVID-19, and recommended actions for the next phase including preparing to support the increase in patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and who having been discharged from hospital need ongoing community health support.The NHS also published guidance on 5 June entitled After-care needs of inpatients recovering from COVID-19, which supports primary care and community health services to meet the immediate and longer-term care needs of patients discharged following an acute episode of COVID-19, by describing the typical expected health care needs of patients post-discharge. These include neuromuscular and neuro-psychological, amongst others.Copies of the NHS letter and guidance are attached.
After-care needs of inpatients recovering COVID19
(PDF Document, 370.93 KB)
NHS England letter 29 April 2020
(PDF Document, 267.96 KB)
Care Homes: Coronavirus
lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 28 May (HL4485), what was the policy in respect of discharging patients from hospitals to care homes in the period from the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown to 14 April.
lord bethell: On 19 March, we published the COVID-19 Hospital Discharge Service Requirements, which sets out guidance on supporting the discharge of patients who no longer need acute care, following the ‘Discharge to Assess’ model. Wherever possible, people who are clinically ready should be supported to return to their place of residence, where an assessment of their longer-term needs will take place. A copy of this guidance is attached.For those coming out of hospital, we have made available £1.3 billion funding via the National Health Service to support the discharge process. This funding can also cover the costs of providing alternative accommodation to quarantine and isolate residents, where needed, before returning to their care home from hospital, as set out in COVID-19: Our Action Plan for Adult Social Care on 15 April. A copy of the Action Plan is attached.Our guidance published on 2 April, Admission and Care of Residents during COVID-19 Incident in a Care Home, sets out advice to care homes on the appropriate isolation required for care home residents who have been discharged from hospital following treatment for COVID-19. A copy of the guidance is attached.We are currently reviewing our care homes guidance and will be publishing new guidance shortly.
Hospital Discharge Service Requirements
(PDF Document, 919.95 KB)
COVID19 Action Plan for Adult Social Care
(PDF Document, 284.73 KB)
Admission and Care of Residents During COVID19
(PDF Document, 313.97 KB)
Care Homes: Coronavirus
lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much in total of the Infection Control Fund has been used by care homes to provide personal protective equipment for staff; what steps have been taken to ensure expeditious testing for care home staff and residents before 6 June; how many such staff and residents are yet to be tested; and why.
lord bethell: We have now made £3.2 billion available to local authorities so they can address pressures on local services caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care. On 15 May we published details of an additional £600 million Infection Control Fund for Adult Social Care. This funding is to support adult social care providers in England reduce the rate of transmission in and between care homes and to support workforce resilience. As part of the grant conditions, local authorities have been asked to report later this month on the measures taken, such as steps taken to isolate residents within care homes and support staff who are self-isolating.
Coronavirus: Disease Control
baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what plans they have to introduce regional strategies to address COVID-19 death and infection rates. [T]
lord bethell: We are currently considering a range of options for addressing future phases of the COVID-19, including the implementation of tailoring containment measures to the regional and local level. As recently announced, each local authority will be given funding to develop local outbreak control plans, working with the local National Health Service, Public Health England and other stakeholders.Any decisions on how to approach the mid- to long-term strategy to address the pandemic will be led by the science, build on the Government’s test and trace strategy, and be supported by the new Joint Biosecurity Centre.
Care Homes: Coronavirus
lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients from (1) nursing homes, or (2) care homes, have been transferred to Nightingale hospitals in England since these hospitals were opened.
lord bethell: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Coronavirus: Social Distancing
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to change the COVID-19 social distancing guidance from two metres.
lord bethell: The plans to change the COVID-19 social distancing guidance from two metres is under constant review. The Government continues to encourage two metre social distancing wherever that is possible.In easing the lockdown, the Government accepts that maintaining two metre social distancing may be difficult in certain circumstances and will be issuing updated workplace guidance to address that and, subject to legislation, is mandating the use of face coverings on public transport from 15 June.The Government collaborates closely with Public Health England to ensure guidance on two metre social distancing is kept up to date as regulations change in light of latest medical and scientific evidence.
Care Homes: Coronavirus
lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish their response to the letters sent by the National Care Forum on (1) 26 March, and (2) 10 April which (a) stated that care homes were “being pressured into taking hospital discharge patients who had not been tested for the virus, even though they were exhibiting symptoms”, and (b) called for discharged patients to be tested or risk litigation over the “avoidable deaths” of residents who subsequently became infected.
lord bethell: The Department does not have record of the correspondence from the National Care Forum.
Public Sector: Contracts
baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) effectiveness, and (2) value for money, of Government contracts with private companies to provide public services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to remove any potential conflicts of interest when awarding Government contracts relating to their response to the COVID-19pandemic.
lord bethell: Guidance on how contracting authorities should respond to COVID-19 was published on 18 March. Authorities are allowed to procure goods, services and works with extreme urgency in exceptional circumstances using regulation 32(2)(c) under the Public Contract Regulations 2015. Various options are available which include: - direct award due to extreme urgency;- direct award due to absence of competition or protection of exclusive rights;- call off from an existing framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system;- call for competition using a standard procedure with accelerated timescales; and- extending or modifying a contract during its term.We have also made it clear that authorities must continue to achieve value for money for taxpayers, use good commercial judgement and publish the details of any awards made, in line with Government transparency guidelines.
Dementia: Coronavirus
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of data from the Office for National Statistics which shows that there has been a 52.2 per cent increase in excess deaths of people dying of dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
lord bethell: Keeping people safe throughout this period is the Government’s top priority. We have been working closely with the sector and public health experts to put in place guidance and support for adult social care and we will continue to ensure they have everything they need to respond.We are monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on people with dementia. Informed by the Office for National Statistics’ 15 May publication ‘Deaths involving COVID-19 in England and Wales: deaths occurring in April 2020’ and the 5 June publication ‘Analysis of death registrations not involving coronavirus (COVID-19), England and Wales: 28 December 2019 to 1 May 2020’, we are working with our partners to understand what additional mitigating actions may be required to ensure the safety of people with dementia.
Coronavirus: Disease Control
lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comments by the Chief Executive of NHS Providers on 6 June about the Government’s introduction of new measures to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, and in particular that NHS Trust leaders (1) felt “completely in the dark” about "significant and complex" changes; (2) are asked to make operational changes with little notice; (3) are concerned that there is insufficient strategy and planning; and (4) felt that last-minute decisions are overly influenced by politics. [T]
lord bethell: We are committed to working closely with the National Health Service on the introduction of new measures to counter the COVID-19 pandemic and give as much advance notice as possible. However, this is a fast-moving situation and at times it has been necessary to introduce measures at short notice.
Coronavirus: Disease Control
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many antibodies have been identified which have had a neutralising effect on the COVID-19 virus.
lord bethell: Characterisation of neutralising antibodies is still in its infancy. The role of neutralising antibodies in providing treatment or as a marker for protection against reinfection is not yet fully understood. Scientists at Public Health England and elsewhere are working in this area, and conclusions will be reported in scientific journals as new evidence emerges.
Coronavirus: Radiation
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of low dose radiation in the treatment of COVID-19.
lord bethell: Chest X-rays or chest computed tomography scans are frequently performed for radiological lung assessments during which patients may be exposed to low doses of ionising radiation. Public Health England has not undertaken any specific assessment of the value of this diagnostic approach in the management of COVID-19. Medical exposure to ionising radiation is justified by the clinical team providing care on the basis that the benefit outweighs any potential risks to health.There have been suggestions in the scientific literature that low dose radiation exposure of the lungs may be an effective treatment for COVID-19 related pneumonia, but this has yet to be proven.
Coronavirus: Disease control
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking toestablisha permanent body to (1) seek to avert future pandemics, and (2) ensure affordable, widespread availability of vaccines and therapies to treat COVID-19 as they become available.
lord bethell: The United Kingdom believes that the World Health Organization (WHO) has an important role to play in leading the health response to COVID-19 and in longer term leadership in global health including preparedness. We also want to see WHO continue to learn lessons on how to improve its response to global health emergencies and as such would expect a full review of all elements of their response once they are out of response mode, as has occurred after previous Public Health Emergencies of International Concern. The UK intends to engage constructively with a future review, including working with other governments.Since 2017, we have, through the Department’s Global Health Security Programme, used our public health expertise to provide technical support to countries. This technical support and knowledge sharing helps build resilient public health care systems to prevent, detect and respond to disease and to better manage future public health emergencies including pandemics.The UK supports strong mechanisms to promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. At the Global Vaccine Summit on 4 June 2020, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, launched a new Advance Market Commitment (AMC) for COVID-19 vaccines aimed at incentivising vaccine manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities of eventual COVID-19 vaccines, and to ensure access for developing countries with a primary focus on subsidising vaccines for the poorest countries. The UK committed £48 million to the AMC at the Summit.In addition, the UK supported AstraZeneca’s announcement at the Summit of a $750 million agreement with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Gavi to support the manufacturing, procurement and distribution of 300 million vaccine doses globally this year, including for the world’s poorest countries. AstraZeneca also announced a deal with the Serum Institute of India to manufacture a further 1 billion doses for distribution to developing countries.
Mental Illness: Prescription Drugs
the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prescriptions have been issued for (1) antidepressants, (2) anxiolytics, (3) sedatives and hypnotics, and (4) antipsychotics, in the last six months; how many prescriptions in each of these categories were new prescriptions;and how these figures compare with the same period last year.
lord bethell: The information requested is provided in the following tables by the NHS Business Services Authority: Number of itemsMonth and YearAntidepressantsAnxiolyticsBarbiturates and HypnoticsAntipsychoticsOctober 20186,242,966559,541738,4971,059,542November 20186,105,746538,508715,0051,030,777December 20186,043,242527,892704,8351,022,515January 20196,279,989547,545743,3851,052,933February 20195,680,329492,331656,344955,569March 20196,153,299527,789699,7361,021,958 Number of itemsMonth and YearAntidepressantsAnxiolyticsBarbiturates and HypnoticsAntipsychoticsOctober 20196,574,909547,721720,3621,091,403November 20196,324,255515,711683,1981,045,301December 20196,428,992525,749698,3381,067,155January 20206,701,671539,735733,0031,098,917February 20206,097,134490,517653,315997,909March 20206,828,732529,601704,0711,080,136 The data provided is for prescriptions prescribed and dispensed in England only. The time periods covered are October 2019 – March 2020 inclusive and also October 2018 – March 2019 for comparison. March 2020 is the most recent dataset available.The term ‘items’ refers to the number of times a product appears on a prescription form, and not the quantity prescribed. Any secondary indications or unlicensed uses of any of these medicines will not be apparent from the data.The NHS Business Services Authority does not have enough information to determine if a prescription is ‘new’ for a particular patient.
Care Homes: Coronavirus
lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many care home residents were admitted to hospital for another condition, and died in hospital of COVID-19, since 1 April.
lord bethell: The data is not available in the format requested.
Department for International Development
Palestinians: Overseas Aid
baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value for money of aid sent to the Palestinian Authority, following reports that it spends seven per cent of its budget, and up to 40 per cent of its foreign aid receipts, on payments to terrorists and their families.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: No UK aid is used for payments to prisoners or their families or the so called Martyrs Fund. Our financial support to the Palestinian Authority health and education sectors goes into a dedicated bank account and is only paid to individual workers carefully vetted through the PEGASE mechanism (Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism). Each payment is independently audited to ensure it has been received by the intended recipient.As is standard practice for all DFID programmes, we assess value for money for the UK taxpayer annually through our review process. Last year UK aid enabled 26,000 young Palestinians in the West Bank to get an education, delivered 3,300 MMR vaccinations for children and enabled 111,000 medical consultations. This is an important contribution towards supporting a stable Palestinian Authority (PA) that can deliver essential services to Palestinians and act as an effective partner for peace with Israel.
Overseas Aid: Conflict Resolution
lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to ensure that at least 50 per cent of their overseas aid budget remains committed to fragile and conflict afflicted states; and what proportion of that budget is earmarked for conflict resolution and peace building.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: DFID’s work on addressing the underlying drivers of fragility, conflict and instability in fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS) is vital. This is why the UK is pursuing a strong and co-ordinated global response to COVID-19, particularly for the most vulnerable countries. DFID is taking steps to ensure that both our immediate responses to COVID-19 and long-term recovery efforts do not exacerbate conflict and instead help to build peace and improve governance, especially in FCAS.DFID has consistently spent at least 50% of its Official Development Assistance in fragile and conflict affected states from 2015 to 2017. Figures for 2018 will be published in due course.
Department for Education
Children: Coronavirus
lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when legal safeguards for vulnerable children removed during the COVID-19 outbreak will be reinstated.
baroness berridge: In regard to children’s social care, the department has not removed any primary legislative responsibility that local authorities have towards safeguarding children. The Children and Adoption (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 will expire on 25 September unless there is a clear need to extend them related to the COVID-19 outbreak, which will be informed by feedback from across the sector including children’s charities.In regard to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), we have temporarily changed some aspects of the law on education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments and plans. Detailed guidance on these changes is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-law-on-education-health-and-care-needs-assessments-and-plans-due-to-coronavirus/education-health-and-care-needs-assessments-and-plans-guidance-on-temporary-legislative-changes-relating-to-coronavirus-covid-19.We are committed to ending the temporary changes to the law on EHC needs assessment and plan processes at the earliest opportunity. We are keeping these measures under constant review, working with a range of stakeholders to monitor the situation on the ground.The Regulations will expire on 25 September unless there is a clear need to extend them and we are committed to continuously reviewing them. They will be considered on a case by case basis and decisions will the informed by feedback across the sector, including children’s charities. Changes will also be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
Racial Hatred: Primary Education
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ensure that primary school children in England are taught about racism.
baroness berridge: We want to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe. We also want to equip them for adult life and to make a positive contribution to society. That is why from September 2020, we are making relationships education compulsory for primary school-age pupils, relationships and sex education compulsory for secondary school-age pupils, and health education compulsory for pupils in all state-funded schools.The statutory guidance sets out that as part of relationships educations, all primary-aged pupils will be taught the importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them, or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs. Pupils will also be taught what a stereotype is, and how stereotypes can be unfair, negative or destructive.Schools can also teach about racism in personal, social, health and economic education and citizenship education where pupils can develop their understanding of the diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding. There is also flexibility within the history curriculum for teachers to teach about Black history across the spectrum of themes and eras.Schools are required to actively promote fundamental British values, including democracy as well as the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faith and beliefs.
GCE A Level and GCSE: Assessments
lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are satisfied that the process being adopted by Ofqual for exceptional arrangements for awarding calculated grades in GCSEs, AS and A Levels takes sufficient account of recent improvement trends in the educational establishment the student is from.
baroness berridge: Ofqual conducted a public consultation from 15-29 April, seeking views on aspects of the proposed assessment arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels, including standardisation of centre assessment grades. Ofqual received over 12,500 responses to their consultation, and on 22 May they published their decisions.Ofqual have decided not to include the trajectory of exam centres’ results in the statistical standardisation process. This is due to potential unfairness caused by the unreliability of any trajectory predictions and the disadvantage that this might cause students in those centres with stable results.Whilst this is a matter for Ofqual as the independent regulator of qualifications, I am satisfied that Ofqual’s approach is the best solution given these extraordinary circumstances.
Apprentices
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to announce details of the apprenticeship guarantee announced by the Prime Minister on 2 June; and what arrangements have been made with employers to ensure every young person in Britain will be guaranteed an apprenticeship.
baroness berridge: Apprenticeships will have an important role to play in creating employment opportunities, particularly for young people, and in supporting employers in all sectors to access the skilled workforce that they need to recover and grow, following the COVID-19 outbreak.We are looking to support employers of all sizes, and particularly smaller businesses to take on new apprentices this year. We will set out further details in due course. We will also ensure that there is sufficient funding to support small businesses that want to take on an apprentice this year.
GCE A-level: Assessments
lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what safeguards they have in place to ensure that predicted gradesreplacing A-level exams this year are awarded fairly; and whether they plan to introduce an appeals system.
baroness berridge: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation and I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write to the noble Lord and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Children: Coronavirus
baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reintroduce a 'play strategy' for England to help to tackle the (1) mental, and (2) physical, impact of COVID-19 on children.
baroness berridge: The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework sets the regulatory standards for learning and development and safeguarding and welfare for all early years providers caring for children from birth to 5. The framework defines seven areas of learning and development, including physical development and personal, social and emotional development. The framework is clear that each area must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity. The framework is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.The EYFS does not promote a particular pedagogical approach. It is for individual early years settings to determine how the areas of learning should be implemented to support children to meet the expected level of development by the end of the Reception year. The priorities at this time are helping young children to adapt to their new routines and supporting children to settle back into the setting, especially where there have been staffing changes. Continuing to support their early language and communication skills is essential. Children who have had limited opportunities for exercise should be encouraged to exert themselves physically.
Universities: Wales
baroness finlay of llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their modelling relating to controls on numbers of students domiciled in England attending Welsh universities; and whether such modelling recognised the risk of a disproportionate financial impact on Welsh universities as a result of such controls.
baroness berridge: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Universities have regular meetings with Welsh ministers, and ministers from all the devolved administrations, about higher education issues. These discussions have included the development of student number controls policy. The department’s officials also have regular meetings and discussions with their counterparts. Student number controls are a direct response to the COVID-19 outbreak. They are designed to minimise the impact to the financial threat posed by COVID-19 and they form a key part of the package of measures to stabilise the university admissions system. These controls are a temporary measure and will be in place for one academic year only. Student number controls for institutions in the devolved administrations only apply to the number of English-domiciled entrants who will be supported with their tuition fees through the Student Loans Company. They are set at a level which will allow every institution to take more first year English students than they took last year. The funding of English-domiciled students is not a devolved matter and it is right and fair that this policy should apply as consistently as possible wherever they are studying in the UK. Ministers will continue to work closely with the devolved administrations on strengthening and stabilising the higher education system following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Carers: Young People
baroness morgan of huyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what help they have arranged for school-aged young carers who cannot attend schools because they are self-isolating with parents who have vulnerable conditions.
baroness berridge: Ensuring that vulnerable children and young people, including young carers, are protected and supported is a top priority for this government. That is why we have included young carers as a target group for our new See, Hear, Respond service. It will provide a range of support, including online counselling or therapy, and will help identify children who would most benefit from extra support so that they can reintegrate into school in September. In addition, the government will shortly be publishing advice for young people with caring responsibilities, which will include information and guidance on how and where they can get help and support, including for those who cannot currently attend school.We are committed to ensuring that any pupil who cannot yet return to school continues to learn at home. Schools know their pupils best, including those with caring responsibilities, and we have been clear that school leaders should use their resources, particularly pupil premium funding, to support pupils who have particular needs because of their home circumstances. This will include young carers and pupils who have a social worker. We are working with a range of partners, including the Education Endowment Foundation, to explore how schools can best help their disadvantaged pupils to make up lost ground. Our latest guidance on remote education during the COVID-19 outbreak is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.The government has committed over £100 million to support children to access remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers. We have ordered laptops and tablets for children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examination in year 10, those receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. We are providing over 50,000 4G wireless routers to disadvantaged children with a social worker in secondary school, care leavers and children in year 10 who do not have access to a suitable internet connection through other means. We are also ensuring every school that needs it has access to free, expert technical support to get set up on Google for Education or Microsoft’s Office 365 Education. We are offering peer support through the EdTech Demonstrator schools programme – with leading schools and colleges helping others to make the best use of available technology to teach pupils remotely.The department is continuing to assess the potential impact of school closure on children and young people’s mental health and attainment. We are working closely with schools and colleges, sector organisations, the Department for Health and Social Care, NHS England and Public Health England to understand the risks to academic attainment, mental health and wellbeing and identify the children and young people that may need support.
Pupils: Disadvantaged
baroness morgan of huyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) vulnerable, and (2) disadvantaged, pupils are not currently attending school.
baroness berridge: The closest matching available data on the attendance of vulnerable children in educational establishments since 23 March was published on Tuesday 16 June at the following link and covers data up to Thursday 11 June: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings.The data is collected from individual education establishments and the published figures include estimates for non-response.We do not currently hold attendance statistics for the number of pupils who are classed as disadvantaged.The attendance of children with an education, health and care plan should be based on an individual risk assessment, carried out and regularly reviewed to judge whether they are best supported at school or at home at this time. Attendance may not be appropriate for some children, including because of health considerations for them and their family. Full guidance on the definition of vulnerable children and expectations around attendance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people.
Ministry of Justice
Custodial Treatment: Protective Clothing
baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on the (1) provision, and (2) use, of facemasks in (a) prisons, and (b) juvenile detention facilities, by (i) staff, and (ii) prisoners and detainees.
lord keen of elie: Social distancing and hygiene are the most effective controls to reduce transmission.Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service follows the public health advice on the use of medical face masks alongside other items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) where close contact is sustained, essential and unavoidable.
Probate
lord soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how long on average it takes for an applicant to receivea grant of probate.
lord keen of elie: Probate timeliness data up to March 2020 are due for publication on 25th June 2020.
Treasury
Construction: VAT
lord naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the implementation of the forthcoming VAT reverse charge for construction services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
lord agnew of oulton: In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the construction sector, the Government has decided to delay the introduction of the VAT domestic reverse charge for building and construction services, to 1 March 2021.
Inspections: Dover
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government where they plan to locate inspection zones for vehicles travelling into the UK via the port of Dover.
lord agnew of oulton: On 12 June the Government committed to building new border facilities in Great Britain to carry out the required checks following the end of the transition period, building inland port facilities where there is no space at ports for new infrastructure. The Government will also provide targeted support to ports to build new infrastructure. The Government is consulting with ports across the UK to agree what infrastructure is required.
Bank of England
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are considering adjusting the mandate of the Bank of England to make (1) full employment or (2) nominal GDP an equal or higher priority than inflation.
lord agnew of oulton: Monetary Policy in the UK has the primary objective of achieving price stability, as set out in the Bank of England Act 1998. Price stability is an essential pre-requisite for long run growth. As the Chancellor reaffirmed in the remit of the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at the Budget, price stability is defined as a symmetric inflation target of 2 per cent, as measured by the 12-month increase in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). The Government’s commitment to price stability and the inflation target remains absolute.
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
lord forsyth of drumlean: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is their intention that employers are reimbursed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for employees who are under notice of redundancy.
lord agnew of oulton: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has been successful in supporting employers whose operations have been severely affected by coronavirus in retaining their employees and protecting the UK economy.Where a business considers that redundancy is the only option, standard employment law applies to employees on furlough. CJRS grants cannot be used to substitute redundancy payments.
Covid-19 Corporate Financing Facility
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria will be used to assess whether a business seeking funding under the Covid Corporate Financing Facility qualifies as making "a material contribution to the UK economy".
lord agnew of oulton: In practice, firms that meet this requirement would normally be: UK incorporated companies, including those with foreign-incorporated parents and with a genuine business in the UK; companies with significant employment in the UK; firms with their headquarters in the UK. We also consider whether the company generates significant revenues in the UK, serves a large number of customers in the UK or has a number of operating sites in the UK. These criteria are set out in the Facility’s pages on the Bank of England website.
Public Finance: Coronavirus
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what investigations they are undertaking to ensure that the financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic is not disproportionately borne by minority communities.
lord agnew of oulton: The Government has announced unprecedented support for public services, workers and businesses to protect against the current economic emergency. These measures are supporting millions of families, businesses and self-employed people from every community in the UK to get through this crisis and emerge on the other side both stronger and more united. HM Treasury takes care to pay due regard to the equality impacts of its policy decisions relating to the COVID-19 outbreak, in line with all legal requirements and the Government’s commitment to promoting equality. There are internal procedural requirements and support in place for ensuring that such considerations inform decisions taken by Ministers.
Stamp Duties
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to assess the economic impact of stamp duty on the residential property market, including the impact on (1) construction, (2) home repairs, (3) consumer expenditure, and (4) inter-generational wealth distribution.
lord agnew of oulton: The Treasury continually monitors the residential property market and Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) returns, and HMRC publish quarterly SDLT statistics. The Government keeps all tax policy, including SDLT, under review.
Small Businesses: Credit
lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help small- and medium-sized businesses access extended credit terms.
lord agnew of oulton: The Government announced an unprecedented support package to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) through this challenging time, including the Government-backed loan schemes. The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) provides Government-backed finance of up to £5m per business, helping SMEs who risk becoming unviable during this period. The scheme has provided over 49,000 finance facilities worth a value of over £10.1bn. The Bounce Back Loans Scheme (BBLS), ensures that the smallest businesses can access the finance they need in a matter of days. The scheme so far has provided over 863,000 loan facilities worth over £26bn. The Government also continues to work with banks and other finance providers to help SMEs access the finance they need, and welcomes lenders ongoing support for customers, such as repayment holidays and fee-free overdraft extensions.
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue guidance on whether people previously furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and now back in work full-time can be moved onto flexible furlough.
lord agnew of oulton: From 1 July, employers can bring back to work employees that have been furloughed for any amount of time and any shift pattern, while still being able to claim CJRS grant for the hours not worked. On 12 June, the Government issued public guidance that provided details of how employers can use flexible furloughing.
Contact Tracing
baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support will be made available to people required to self-isolate under the COVID-19 contact test and trace system who are unable to work from home; and what considerationthey have given toincluding such people as eligible for theCoronavirus Job Retention Scheme. [T]
lord agnew of oulton: Employees who are on sick leave or self-isolating as a result of coronavirus have access to Statutory Sick Pay subject to other eligibility conditions. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is not intended for short-term absences from work due to sickness.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Social Rented Housing: Construction
baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many homes were built for social rent in England (1) in each of the last five years for which figures are available, and (2) in 2010.
lord greenhalgh: The number of social rent completions for 2009-10 and each of the last five years for which there are available data, including new build, can be found in the table below: 2009-102014-152015-162016-172017-182018-19Social Rent, of which:33,4919,3316,7985,8956,6796,287New Build30,3968,4646,0665,2965,5975,320Acquisitions2,7868676845961,058956Not Known30904832411 This information, broken down by tenure and whether the units are new build and acquisitions, is published in Live Table 1009 which can be found (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
Mayors: Coronavirus
lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what involvement, if any, the Metro Mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region had in decisions relating to the easing of lockdown measures for COVID-19; and when they were informed of these decisions.
lord greenhalgh: There has been regular engagement between Government and the Metro Mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region during the COVID-19 emergency. This includes Ministerial calls with the Metro Mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region, as well as a call between the Prime Minister and the M9 Metro Mayors, to help inform Government’s approach to restarting the economyA Ministerial-led Economic Recovery Working Group has also been established to provide regular engagement on Government’s restart and recovery planning, chaired by the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government. This features four Metro Mayors including the Mayor of Greater Manchester.Ministers are also holding a series of regional stocktakes as case-studies, including with Greater Manchester and Liverpool, to establish an understanding of local plans for restart and to enable collaboration across Government and local partners. The Mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region led the stocktakes with their respective areas.
Prayer: Islam
lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government which local authorities have authorised the broadcasting by loudspeaker of the Muslim call to prayer; and what assessment have they made of the effect of such broadcasts on community cohesion.
lord greenhalgh: We understand that some Mosques across the country have been given permission to broadcast the call to prayer, particularly during Ramadan, due to the closure of all Places of Worship during the Covid-19 pandemic. Places of Worship play an important role in spiritual and mental health for many, and in bringing our communities together, which is why we want to reopen them as soon as we can. Local councils understand best the needs of their communities and it is a matter for them to work with their local community. We will continue to engage with stakeholders on matters relating to integration, and the Government remains committed to building strong integrated communities.
Rough Sleeping: Protective Clothing
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatarrangements they are making to provide all rough sleepers with face masks so that they can comply with the requirements to use such masks on public transport.
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to provide homeless people with free access to public transport to enable them to travel greater distances to access support services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
lord greenhalgh: £3.2 billion has been provided to support councils to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, including meeting the costs of accommodating some of the most vulnerable people in our society.This is in addition to £3.2 million in targeted funding for councils to support vulnerable rough sleepers. This funding is specifically to assist local authorities in dealing with the impacts of the challenges faced by the most vulnerable in society during this difficult time.Local authorities are able to use this funding flexibly to ensure that the rough sleepers they are supporting are given the support they require. This includes supporting rough sleepers in a variety of ways, potentially including travel if necessary.
Homelessness: Coronavirus
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toensure that all refuge centres for the homeless have sufficient funds to continue their work during theCOVID-19 pandemic.
lord greenhalgh: Almost 15,000 vulnerable people have been housed in emergency accommodation, including hotels, since the start of the COVID-19 emergency, according to returns from local authorities to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). This includes people coming in directly from the streets, people previously housed in shared night shelters and people who have become vulnerable to rough sleeping during the pandemic.£3.2 billion has been provided to support councils to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, which councils can use to provide support for vulnerable rough sleepers. This is in addition to £3.2 million in targeted funding for councils to support vulnerable rough sleepers.Local authorities are able to use this funding flexibly to ensure that those being offered accommodation to self-isolate are given the support they require. This funding is alongside significant investment including £112m across England in 2020/21 for the Rough Sleeping Initiative to help around 270 areas tackle rough sleeping across 2020/21.MHCLG also recently announced the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Homelessness Response Fund, granting £6 million to charities, including those who run hostel accommodation. This is to be spent on organisational sustainability in order to ensure the ongoing activities that help keep people who are homeless safe and supported during the pandemic.
Homelessness: Coronavirus
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to find homeless people in England long-term housing after the COVID-19 pandemic.
lord greenhalgh: To support local authorities effectively, the funding for 2020/21 includes:The Flexible Homelessness Support Grant of £200m which seeks to help local authorities plan and respond to their local homelessness pressures; andA £63m Homelessness Reduction Grant to implement the Homelessness Reduction Act enabling local authorities to do more to prevent and relieve homelessness in their areas.This is in addition to the £160m allocation for the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Project, which seeks to provide thousands of long-term, safe homes for vulnerable rough sleepers taken off the streets during the COVID-19 pandemic and the £112m Rough Sleeping Initiative fund. This fund is designed to support the establishment or enhancement of coordinated local services for rough sleepers, or those at risk of sleeping rough.To further enable local authorities to respond to COVID-19 pressures, we have made over £3.2 billion of additional funding available for their response across the services they deliver including helping homeless people. This is in addition to £3.2 million targeted funding to ensure that we minimise the risk to those rough sleepers currently unable to self-isolate.We have announced that Dame Louise Casey will spearhead a Taskforce to lead the next phase of the Government’s support for rough sleepers during this pandemic. The Taskforce will work hand-in-hand with councils across the country on plans to ensure rough sleepers can move into long-term, safe accommodation once the immediate crisis is over – ensuring as few people as possible return to life on the streets.Additionally, in April 2020 the Government increased the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants to the 30th percentile of market rents. This will mean it will be easier for local authorities to fulfil their homelessness duties by assisting people to find suitable and affordable accommodation in the private rented sector.
Ministry of Defence
RAF Waddington: Unmanned Air Vehicles
baroness stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of Protector drone flights on the British public, particularly in and around the area covered by the airspace change proposal initiated by the Ministry of Defence in Enabling Remotely Piloted Air System Operations Out of RAF Waddington.
baroness stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government when local people likely to be affected by the airspace change proposal initiated by the Ministry of Defence in Enabling Remotely Piloted Air System Operations Out of RAF Waddington, including those in (1) Nottingham, (2) Mansfield, (3) Scunthorpe, (4) Grimsby, (5) Grantham, and (6) Boston, will have an opportunity to engage in a consultation on the proposal.
baroness goldie: In developing its Air Change Proposal, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is following the CAP1616 process as mandated by the Civil Aviation Authority with respect to any air space changes within the UK.Currently, the exact dimensions of the airspace required are not yet known as the Air Change Proposal has yet to enter the design phase. Once the proposed dimensions are known, CAP1616 prescribes how stakeholder and public consultations are to take place.The MOD expects to carry out a full consultation with communities within any potentially affected areas in the summer of 2021. This will provide an opportunity for the public to offer their views on the proposal.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
baroness stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether forthcoming Protector drones operating out of RAF Waddington or other RAF military bases will undertake any live fire exercises within UK territory.
baroness goldie: Once the RAF's Protector has achieved Full Operational Capability, it is planned that, as with other military aircraft, it will conduct live firing training within existing UK Air Weapons Ranges.
Sentinel Aircraft
lord craig of radley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 10 June (HL4948), what assessment they have made of extending the use of Sentinel beyond 2021; and whether this will be included in this year's Strategic Defence and Security Review.
baroness goldie: Sentinel's radar and mission system are now increasingly obsolescent and will face increasing reliability issues as time progresses. Retaining the capability would have required significant upgrade expenditure and the March 2021 out of service date (OSD) has been retained. It is necessary to retire certain capabilities at planned OSDs to allow re-investment in future capability.
Armed Forces: Pay
lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government when Armed Forces personnel will receive their annual pay rise. [T]
baroness goldie: The Government is currently considering the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body’s (AFPRB) recommendations, taking into account the need to recruit, retain, and motivate personnel, as well as the long-term affordability of the Armed Forces. Once a decision has been reached, any pay rises will be backdated to 1 April 2020.
Department for Work and Pensions
Occupational Health
lord blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government when theyplan to publish a White Paper in response to the Health is everyone’s business: proposals to reduce ill health-related job lossconsultation,which closed on 7 October 2019; and what plans they have to include in any such White Paper proposals to reduce the costs of ill health and absence from work for (1) individuals, and (2) businesses. [T]
baroness stedman-scott: We plan to publish the response to the consultation ‘Health is everyone’s business: proposals to reduce ill health-related job loss’ later this year. The consultation set out proposals to encourage all employers to take positive action to support employees who are managing health conditions in work, and to manage sickness absence more effectively.
Home Office
Asylum
lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances individual applications for asylum are referred to ministers; what proportion of Home Office decisions on asylum applications are notified to ministers’ private offices (1) before, and (2) after, those decisions are communicated to the applicant for asylum; and how many such decisions have been so notified during the first five months of 2020.
baroness williams of trafford: Individual applications for asylum are referred to ministers when they are identified as potentially sensitive or high-profile. Such cases may be referred to Ministers by the relevant case working team if they feel it appropriate or, dependant on the circumstances of the case, when they are raised through MPs representation, or in Parliament; or when specific Ministerial authorisation is required.The Home Office is unable to state what proportion of decisions on asylum applications are referred to Minister’s private offices, before and/or after those decisions are communicated to the applicant for asylum or how many such decisions have been notified during the first five months of 2020, as this does not form part of any routinely published data and is not held in a reportable format.
Asylum
lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many grants of asylum were granted in (1) 2017, (2) 2018, and (3) 2019; and what was the breakdown of nationality of those granted asylum in each of those years.
baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release). Data on the number of grants of asylum are published in tables Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement’ (attached) datasets, and are broken down by nationality and type of grant (asylum, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave etc.) for all requested years. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2020. Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the ‘summary tables’ (attached). The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on asylum and resettlement. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’ (https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?keywords=immigration&content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=home-office&order=relevance). Annex A (attached) provides the published data from Asy_D02. The data relate to grants made at initial decision and include main applicants only. The pivot table can be used to show data on nationality.
Asylum applications, initial decisions
(Excel SpreadSheet, 5.18 MB)
Asylum summary tables
(Excel SpreadSheet, 122.08 KB)
Annex A
(Excel SpreadSheet, 3.3 MB)
Immigrants: Health Services
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 4 June (HL4833), what assessment they have made of the cost of removing the requirement to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for allworkers from overseas and their families.
baroness williams of trafford: The purpose of the Surcharge is to benefit the NHS, help to care for the sick and save lives. It has raised approximately £900million since its introduction in 2015. This income goes to the NHS, funding life-saving work right across the UK.An Impact Assessment was published alongside the laying of the latest SI. This can be found at the following link: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2020/30/pdfs/ukia_20200030_en.pdf.
Immigration Controls: Musicians
lord stevenson of balmacara: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the impact of COVID-19 on live music events, what plans they have to consult with music industry representatives on how that sector can be supported through amendments to the Immigration Rules.
lord stevenson of balmacara: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the commercial and cultural cases for facilitating continued ease of movement for musicians between the UK and EU; and what steps they are taking to ensure that this is reflected in the Immigration Rules.
baroness williams of trafford: The Government continues to engage with the creative sector to ensure the future immigration system will enable the UK’s cultural life to continue to thrive. Currently, visiting artists, entertainers and musicians can perform at events, take part in competitions and auditions, make personal appearances and take part in promotional activities for up to 6 months without the need for formal sponsorship or a work visa. Artists wishing to come to the UK for longer-term work will need to do so under the future points-based system. There will continue to be special arrangements for creative workers, which in future will encompass both EEA and non-EEA citizens.
Police: Israel
baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training British police officers have received from the Israeli police force in (1) the UK, or (2) Israel, in the last 12 months.
baroness williams of trafford: We are not aware of any British police officers having received training from the Israeli police force, nor the IDF, in the UK or Israel in the last 12 months
Disease Control: Research
lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their commitments outlined in the UK Biological Security Strategy, published in July 2018, what options they have explored for a cross-Government data platform to improve data sharing between sectors.
lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the cross-Government governance board, referenced in their UK Biological Security Strategy, published in July 2018, met in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, and (3) 2020.
lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government who were the members of the cross-Government governance board referenced in their UK Biological Security Strategy, published in July 2018, in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, and (3) 2020.
baroness williams of trafford: The main focus over the last twelve months has been to develop the governance structures and cross-government biological security community. There are already processes in place for sharing information between departments. Enhancements to data sharing will be one of many areas that will likely be considered by the Biological Security Strategy Governance Board after the COVID-19 response.
Coronavirus: Quarantine
baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020, (1)why are people who travel to and from England regularly for work purposes, usually weekly, exempt, and people who travel fortnightly, or frequently but irregularly, not exempt, and (2)why the quarantine measures apply to most travellers without a threshold of the period of length of stay abroad. [T]
baroness williams of trafford: From 8 June, all passengers arriving in the UK without having travelled through another part of the Common Travel Area are required to self-isolate for 14 days, apart from those on a short list of exemptions. This particular exemption ensures those who travel to or from England on a weekly basis to pursue their employment are able to continue doing so, and is in keeping with the approach those who are unable to work from home and can return to work should do so. This is a different category of traveller to those who travel less frequently or even irregularly.The self-isolation measures apply to all arrivals, as the scientific advice is, when domestic transmission of Covid-19 is reduced, new health measures at the border are an important part of managing the risk of new cases entering the UK from abroad and contributing to a second peak of the virus.
Detention Centres: Risk Assessment
baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any additional guidance has been issued to Home Office immigration detention case workers on completing IS91RA risk assessments as a result of COVID-19.
baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their current policy on classifying those with COVID-19 comorbidities under the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy; and how that policy has been disseminated to (1) detainees, (2) stakeholders, (3) providers, and (4) caseworkers.
baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a person at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 due to an underlying health condition will be automatically assessed as Level 3 under the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy.
baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any additional guidance has been issued to Home Office immigration detention case workers on making assessments under the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy as a result of COVID-19.
baroness williams of trafford: The most recent guidance for staff operating in immigration removal centres (IRC) and residential short-term holding facilities (RSTHF) on the principles for managing COVID-19 in places of detention came into force on 5 May 2020 and has been published on Gov.UK. This guidance includes advice on the circumstances in which an IS91RA form should be completed and submitted to the Home Office. Supplementary guidance on managing cases of individuals with COVID-19 comorbidities under the adults at risk in immigration detention policy (AAR) came into force on 20 March 2020. Under this policy, individuals suffering from one of the conditions set out in Public Health England guidance on COVID-19 are automatically regarded as falling within level 3 of the AAR. The policy was made available to Home Office staff and to contracted staff in immigration removal centres, and it has been published on Gov.UK. As of 19 June, there are currently no cases of Covid-19 in immigration removal centres.
Cabinet Office
UK Relations With EU
lord stevenson of balmacara: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, as part of their ongoing negotiations with the EU, they have considered arrangements for short-term business visits; and whether musicians and their crews will be included in any such scheme.
lord true: We are open to negotiating reciprocal arrangements to facilitate business visits to deliver services, building on provisions that are standard in trade agreements.A reciprocal agreement based on best precedent will mean that UK citizens will be able to undertake some business activities in the EU without a work permit, on a short-term basis. The same would apply for EU citizens making business visits to the UK.
Honours: Ethnic Groups
lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to include in the terms of reference for their commission on race and ethnic disparities the replacement of the references to the British Empire in the honours system with honours that recognise the UK’s multi-racial society.
lord true: The terms of reference will be announced in due course.
Department for International Trade
Riot Control Weapons: Exports
lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to suspend the provision of export licences to the United States for tear gas and plastic or rubber bullets.
lord grimstone of boscobel: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and I have been sorry to see the violence that has taken place in the United States of America. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (‘Consolidated Criteria’). In reaching a decision, the Department for International Trade (DIT) receives advice from a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Together, we draw on all available information, including reports from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and our diplomatic missions. The Consolidated Criteria provides a thorough risk assessment framework and requires us to think hard about the impact of exporting any equipment. These are not decisions my Department takes lightly, and we will not license the export of items where to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria. Any licence granted by my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade may be subject to conditions. In addition, in line with the Consolidated Criteria, my Department are able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when circumstances require. There are currently eight extant licences that may be linked to law enforcement agencies. Six are Open Individual Export Licences (‘OIELs’), which have potential end users that include law enforcement agencies. Two are Standard Individual Export Licences (‘SIELs’), which have numerous potential end users that include law enforcement agencies. There are also fifteen Open General Licences (‘OGLs’) for which businesses can register that cover the export of anti-riot gear. We continue to monitor developments in all countries closely. We are able to review licences and suspend or revoke as necessary when circumstances require, and this is done in line with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. We have suspended or revoked licences when our assessment changes. This shows how seriously we take the guiding principle of responsible export controls. Much information is in the public domain already. We publish information on all export licences issued, refused and revoked on a quarterly and annual basis as official statistics on GOV.UK – at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data – and whilst data on actual exports is not required to be centrally held, the licences issued until the end of December 2019 are available.
Arms Trade: USA
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy regarding the sale of arms to the United States of America.
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what types of arms are currently sold to the United States.
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of arms sold to the United States in (1) 1990; (2) 2000; (3) 2010; and (4) 2018.
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government to which countries the UK exports arms.
lord grimstone of boscobel: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and I have been sorry to see the violence that has taken place in the United States of America. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (‘Consolidated Criteria’). In reaching a decision, the Department for International Trade (DIT) receives advice from a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Together, we draw on all available information, including reports from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and our diplomatic missions. The Consolidated Criteria provides a thorough risk assessment framework and requires us to think hard about the impact of exporting any equipment. These are not decisions my Department takes lightly, and we will not license the export of items where to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria.All countries are under continual review, in line with the Consolidated Criteria, and my Department is able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when circumstances require. We do not hold complete records based on shipments of items exported to the United States or any country, although we do hold some information based on the value of licences granted for Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs). The Government publishes Official Statistics (on a quarterly and annual basis) about export licences granted, refused and revoked to all destinations on GOV.UK. These reports contain information including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. This information is available at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data. The most recent publication was in April 2020, on licences issued until the end of December 2019. Quarterly reports are available from 2008 onwards. Records from 1997–2007 are available in the United Kingdom Strategic Export Controls Annual Report, laid each year and placed within the libraries of the House.
Arms Trade: USA
lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arms and equipment the UK exports for use by police services in the United States; and what restrictions, if any, are placed on such exports.
lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the sales of arms to police services in the United States; and, if so, how.
lord grimstone of boscobel: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and I have been sorry to see the violence that has taken place in the United States of America. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (‘Consolidated Criteria’). In reaching a decision, the Department for International Trade (DIT) receives advice from a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Together, we draw on all available information, including reports from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and our diplomatic missions. The Consolidated Criteria provides a thorough risk assessment framework and requires us to think hard about the impact of exporting any equipment. These are not decisions my Department takes lightly, and we will not license the export of items where to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria.The United Kingdom has issued licences that permit the export of crowd control equipment to the United States. The details are published online on GOV.UK. We publish information on all export licences issued, refused and revoked on a quarterly and annual basis as official statistics on GOV.UK. The most recent publication was in April, covering decisions taken up to the end of December 2019. Any licence granted by my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade may be subject to conditions. In addition, in line with the Consolidated Criteria, my Department are able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when circumstances require. There are currently eight extant licences that may be linked to law enforcement agencies. Six are Open Individual Export Licences (‘OIELs’), which have potential end users that include law enforcement agencies. Two are Standard Individual Export Licences (‘SIELs’), which have numerous potential end users that include law enforcement agencies. There are also fifteen Open General Licences (‘OGLs’) for which businesses can register that cover the export of anti-riot gear. We are able to review licences and suspend or revoke as necessary when circumstances require, and this is done in line with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. We have suspended or revoked licences when our assessment changes. This shows how seriously we take the guiding principle of responsible export controls.
Music: Coronavirus
lord clement-jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the UK music sector remains internationally competitive(1) during, and (2) after, the COVID-19 pandemic.
lord grimstone of boscobel: The Department for International Trade consistently champions the British music industry and the incredible talent which makes the sector such a great success story for the UK. The Government has put in place unprecedented support for businesses and workers to protect them against the economic impact of COVID-19. In 2020/21, the Government is providing export support of around £1 million to UK music companies. Most of this is grant support offered to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the UK’s music sector through the International Showcase Fund and the Music Export Growth Scheme. During the pandemic, the Government has provided support for digital events so music companies can continue to do business with international customers. The Government is working closely with the Creative Industries Trade and Investment Board, which includes music representatives, to develop a creative industries trade and investment recovery strategy which will enable the UK music sector to maintain its strong international position.
Insulin: Manufacturing Industries
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with companies in Denmark and Germany about setting up manufacturing bases for insulin in the UK.
lord grimstone of boscobel: The Government is keen to attract companies to set up manufacturing facilities in the UK across the Life Sciences sector. However, we have not had any discussions with companies in Denmark and Germany about setting up manufacturing bases for insulin in the UK as we are not aware of any companies from these countries who have such plans.
Trade Agreements
baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in rolling over UK trading arrangements with countries that have an agreement with the EU.
lord grimstone of boscobel: As of 31st January 2020, when the United Kingdom left the EU, we had successfully concluded and signed trade continuity agreements with 48 countries. This accounts for £110 billion of United Kingdom trade in 2018, which represents 74% of the trade with countries with whom we were seeking continuity before the Withdrawal Agreement was signed – and we are continuing our programme to replicate the effects of existing EU trade agreements with other countries to ensure maximum continuity for British businesses following the transition period. Work continues on these remaining trade continuity agreements in a way that reflects the reality of the current situation and respects public health. An up-to-date list of trade continuity agreements, signed and in discussion, is publicly available at: gov.uk/guidance/uk-trade-agreements-with-non-eu-countries.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Musicians: Reciprocal Arrangements
the earl of clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Barran on 3 June (HL Deb, col 1360), on what basis they consider that a touring visa is not "legally possible".
lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Baroness Barran on 3 June (HL Deb, col 1360), why they believe that a reciprocal two-year EU-wide multi-entry touring visa for musicians and others is not legally possible.
baroness barran: In my response to The Earl of Clancarty in Parliament on 3 June, I said that a touring visa as he proposed was not “legally possible”. I am afraid that this could have been phrased more accurately. While a visa of the kind he proposed is not legally impossible, the legal arrangements of the EU make it less negotiable, and each individual EU member state retains the right to caveat the third-party mobility arrangements negotiated at an EU-wide level. We are not asking for a special, bespoke, or unique deal. We are looking for a deal like the free trade agreements the EU has previously struck with other friendly countries such as Canada. We recognise that music and the performing arts are culturally and economically crucial industries. Through negotiations with the EU on Mobility and Mode IV we are exploring how we can provide greater certainty to these industries in the future through reciprocal provisions based on best precedent.
UK Anti-doping: Coronavirus
lord moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many out-of-competition testsUK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has undertaken since the decision to reduce the UKAD testing programme as a result of COVID-19 was announced on 17 March.
lord moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tests have been carried out by Doping Control Personnel in athletes' homes since 17 March; and how many athletes declared in advance of these tests that they were living with people who are (1) at higher risk from, or (2) clinically extremely vulnerable to, COVID-19.
baroness barran: UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) publishes its doping test figures on a quarterly basis to preserve the integrity of the test allocation process and ensure the “no advance notice” testing principle is protected. Therefore, UKAD’s figures for the in- and out-of-competition tests it has carried out since 17 March 2020 are only partially available. Testing figures for Q4 of 2019/20, which covers January-March 2020, have been published on UKAD’s website. According to this report, the domestic and international Anti-Doping Testing Programme carried out 2,512 tests during this period. Testing figures for Q1 of 2020/21, which covers April-June 2020, will be published after the period is complete. Athletes are not required to declare in advance of tests if they, or anyone they are living with, are at higher risk from, or clinically extremely vulnerable to, COVID-19. UKAD has asked athletes and National Governing Bodies to provide this information to help their planning, however does not have plans to make this publicly available.
UK National Anti-Doping Programme Results
(PDF Document, 343.15 KB)
Sports: Drugs
lord moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of UK registered athletes are adhering to requirements to provideWhereabouts information in the Anti-Doping Administration Management System.
lord moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK registered athletes are currently selected for inclusion inUK Anti-Doping out-of-competition testing.
baroness barran: There are currently 561 athletes registered on UKAD’s National Registered Testing Pool and Domestic Testing Pool, with an approximate 50/50% split between the two pools. These athletes are required to provide their Whereabouts via the Anti-Doping Administration Management System to enable out-of-competition testing. Whereabouts Failures for the current period will be reported in the next Quarterly Testing Reports, likely to be published in mid-July on UKAD’s website.
Sports: Drugs
lord moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Anti-Doping Rule Violations hearings have taken place since 17 March.
baroness barran: The National Anti-Doping Panel has heard three cases of Anti-Doping Rule Violations via videoconference since 17 March 2020, which is in line with what the Panel usually hears.
Musicians: Brexit
lord stevenson of balmacara: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, as part of their preparations for exiting the transition period, of the economic viability of UK venues booking acts from EU member states for live music events and studio performances.
baroness barran: DCMS has engaged extensively with union bodies, artists and cultural organisations to help understand the needs of the creative and cultural sector on their preparations for the ending of the transition period. We understand the diverse circumstances of companies, organisations and individual practitioners and how they may need to adapt as the transition period ends.We will continue to work with these stakeholders in the coming months and we will continue to keep Parliament informed with analysis at appropriate times in a way that does not impede our ability to strike the best deal for the UK.
Musicians: Brexit
lord stevenson of balmacara: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood of any restrictions introduced on EU musicians touring in the UK following the completion of the transition period being reciprocated for UK musicians touring in the EU.
baroness barran: DCMS has engaged extensively with union bodies, artists and cultural organisations to help understand the needs of the creative and cultural sector on their preparations for the ending of the transition period. We understand the diverse circumstances of companies, organisations and individual practitioners and how they may need to adapt as the transition period ends. On temporary entry for business purposes (mode 4) as part of a free trade agreement, we want a reciprocal agreement that would enable UK citizens will be able to undertake some paid business activities in the EU without a work permit, on a short-term basis. The precise details, including range of activities, documentation needed, and the time limit, is a matter for negotiationWe are confident that such a free trade agreement based on friendly cooperation can be achieved. However, in all circumstances, we expect UK musicians’ work to continue to be an export that is highly valued in the EU as it is across the world. We will continue to work with these stakeholders in the coming months and we will continue to keep Parliament informed with analysis at appropriate times in a way that does not impede our ability to strike the best deal for the UK.
Music
lord clement-jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of international examples of sector-specific support for (1) the live music sector, and (2) the music sector, particularly examples of good practice.
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of international examples of sector-specific support for (1) the live music sector, and (2) the music sector, particularly examples of good practice.
baroness barran: We are aware of, and monitor, examples of support for the music industry in other countries. The UK Government has put in place an unprecedented support package for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including: The Coronavirus Job Retention SchemeThe Self-Employed Income Support SchemeThe Bounceback Loan SchemeExpanding eligibility for the business rates reliefs As well as this, to support the safe re-opening of cultural and creative sectors, DCMS has launched the Cultural Renewal Taskforce. This includes several working groups to develop practical guidance on how the music production and performance sectors can operate safely with social distancing measures in place. As well as establishing these working groups, we will continue to work with the music industry to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and recovery.
Music: Government Assistance
lord clement-jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their employment and business support measures for (1) workers, and (2) businesses, in the music sector.
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to assess the efficacy of their employment and business support measures for (1) workers, and (2) businesses, in the music sector.
baroness barran: Whilst we have not completed a specific survey for the music sector, we have analysed the wider Creative Industries sector through the DCMS Coronavirus Impact Business Survey, which provides information on the effects of the pandemic on DCMS’ sectors. Results for DCMS sectors as a whole are published on gov.uk and further analysis of the responses will be available in the coming weeks. As the music industry is a vital part of the UK’s creative economy, the Government has put in place an unprecedented support package for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including: The Coronavirus Job Retention SchemeThe Self-Employed Income Support SchemeThe Bounceback Loan SchemeExpanding eligibility for the business rates reliefs We continue to speak with HM Treasury colleagues to ensure that the full spectrum of government support reaches the UK's world-leading music industry. To support the safe re-opening of cultural and creative sectors, DCMS has launched the Cultural Renewal taskforce. This includes several working groups to develop practical guidance on how the music production and performance sectors can operate safely with social distancing measures in place. As well as establishing these working groups, we will continue to work with the music industry to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.
Digital Economy Act 2017
lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the report on the impact and effectiveness of the regulatory framework provided for in Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 will be published.
baroness barran: As the government announced on 16 October last year, we will not be commencing Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 and its provisions on age verification for online pornography. Instead the online harms regime will include provisions to protect children from inappropriate content, including online pornography. The requirement for a report on the impact and effectiveness of the regulatory framework set out in Section 29 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 will therefore not be brought into force.
Newspaper Press: Coronavirus
baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support local and regional newspapers following the COVID-19 pandemic.
baroness barran: This Government is clear that local and regional newspapers play an invaluable role in the fabric of our society. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government committed to supporting local and regional newspapers, both through its manifesto, and in response to the 2019 independent Cairncross Review on the future of high quality journalism. The Cairncross Review looked at the overall state of the news media market, identifying a range of challenges and making nine recommendations for Government, regulators and industry to support sustainability within the sector, including at a local and regional level. The Government response, published in January this year, set out support for the majority of the recommendations, and the Government had already begun taking some of them forward before the onset of the current health crisis. Covid-19 has exacerbated and accelerated many of the issues identified in the Cairncross Review and, in recognition of the importance of high quality local news provision, the Government has focused both on alleviating the existential threat posed by the pandemic and simultaneously continuing to progress commitments made in our response to the Review. To date, we have worked with Nesta to develop a £2million pilot innovation fund, launched in October 2019, which seeks to invest in new technological prototypes, start-ups and innovative business models to explore new ways of sustaining the industry. The pilot Future News Fund is due to come to an end in June. The Government is considering options for a full, expanded fund ahead of the next Spending Review. The Cairncross Review noted that society is increasingly moving online and news publishers are facing significant challenges in transitioning to sustainable digital business models. Covid-19 has expedited these structural changes. As set out in our response to the Review, the Government agrees that codes of conduct that formalise the relationships between news publishers and online platforms may help to rebalance that relationship. We are continuing to consider options in this area in the context of wider work on competition in digital markets, and look forward to the recommendations in the Competition and Market Authority’s final report into the online advertising market, due by 2 July. The Government will continue to consider all possible options in the interests of promoting and sustaining high-quality news journalism beyond the immediate threat of Covid-19. We are committed to getting this work right, so future generations can engage with and be inspired by a free and vibrant press.
Cricket
baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the England and Wales Cricket Board to enable spectators to watch First Class and National Counties cricket safely this summer.
baroness barran: We are working closely with the sector, including the England and Wales Cricket Board, to facilitate the return of spectators to elite sport. A multidisciplinary working group, including medical directors from a number of sports, has begun to develop Stage 5 guidance around the return of spectators to stadia. Guidance will incorporate medical, sports, and venue expertise as well as the experience of other sectors that will reopen to audiences. We will continue to be led by wider public health guidance and the working group will reflect on all emerging best practice, both domestically and internationally, in their work.
Data Protection
baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of data theft in the UK.
baroness barran: The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2020 shows that 46% of businesses and 26% of charities identified cyber breaches or attacks in the last 12 months. Of these, 1% of businesses and 4% of charities had personal data altered, destroyed or taken. In addition, 1% of businesses and charities which experienced a breach or attack said they suffered lost or stolen assets, trade secrets or intellectual property, which may include personal and non-personal data. Through the National Cyber Security Strategy, the Government is investing £1.9 billion to help organisations stay secure and make the UK the safest place to live and work online.As part of the current cross-Government Cyber Aware campaign, the National Cyber Security Centre recently launched a Suspicious Email Reporting Service to enable the public to report suspicious emails and help prevent data theft. We have also strengthened our data protection legislation through the Data Protection Act 2018. The Act includes criminal offences of unlawfully obtaining personal data and/or re-identifying pseudonymised data. The legislation is enforced by the Information Commissioner's Office who can - and do - bring prosecutions where appropriate.
Tourism and Travel: EU Countries
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with tourism and travel industry representatives about the UK's participation in the Re-open EU application and website; and what assessment they have made of the impact of their decision not to participate on those sectors. [T]
baroness barran: The UK is no longer part of the EU, and therefore we would not expect to be included in a map representing member states. The UK regularly shares information on our travel, border and health measures with key partners, including the European Commission, as part of our ongoing international cooperation during the Coronavirus crisis. The Minister for Tourism discussed the recovery and lifting of travel restrictions with ministers from several European countries and the European Commission at the recent Extraordinary G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting on COVID-19. We will work closely with foreign governments to help the global tourism industry recover from the current crisis. Officials in my Department are also in regular contact with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and World Travel and Tourism Council. We continue to share information about the UK’s response to COVID-19.
Football: Ethnic Groups
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Football Association about the number of black football managers.
baroness barran: We are in regular dialogue with the Football Association (FA) across a range of matters, including diversity. I welcome the FA’s recent announcement of a new voluntary code for Equality in Football Leadership, which aims to champion equality in football and tackle all forms of discrimination in the game. The government is committed to working with sports to ensure opportunities to progress are open to all, from athletes to administrators, to board members. As an example of this, on 11 June 2020 the Minister for Sport announced a review of the Code for Sports Governance. The Code sets out the levels of transparency, accountability and financial integrity required from those who ask for government and National Lottery funding. It currently says that organisations must show a "strong and public commitment" to progressing ethnic diversity. However, it is right to review this to ensure that opportunities to progress are open to all. Government will be working with UK Sport and Sport England to set new expectations and ensure the sport sector leads by example.
The Senior Deputy Speaker
House of Lords: Coronavirus
lord truscott: The Senior Deputy Speaker what is his roadmap for restoring the (1) procedures, and (2) sitting patterns, in place in the House of Lords before COVID-19.
lord mcfall of alcluith: The Procedure and Privileges Committee has been meeting weekly and has made a series of changes to procedure to allow the House to sit first virtually and then as a hybrid House. We will continue to keep procedures under review and listen to feedback from members and staff. Advice from Public Health England has been central to all the Committee’s considerations and plans to return to physical sittings and procedures will depend on how and when that advice changes.The sitting patterns of the House are a matter for the Usual Channels. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2020-06-22 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2020",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Professions: Regulation
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) new powers, and (2) opportunities for regulatory autonomy, will be available to regulators following the passage of the Professional Qualifications Bill.
Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Professional Qualifications Bill will ensure that regulators can determine whether individuals with overseas qualifications can practise in the UK, where this will enable demand for the services of a profession to be met.The Bill also contains a power which will enable an appropriate national authority to authorise regulators to enter into recognition agreements with counterparts from other countries where they do not already have the power to do so. Recognition agreements, agreed by regulators, will ensure that UK professionals are able to seize the opportunities of international trade.It is the Government’s intention that the Bill will not interfere with regulators’ autonomy to determine independently which overseas qualified professionals can practise in the UK.
Department of Health and Social Care
Long Covid
The Lord Bishop of London: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to collect, and (2) to report, data on the number of people affected by long-COVID alongside the data on hospitalisations and death.
Lord Bethell: We are developing our understanding of ‘long’ COVID-19, including collecting the numbers of people affected and methods of reporting. Currently, the Office for National Statistics collects and publishes data on prevalence of ongoing symptoms following COVID-19 infection in the United Kingdom. From September 2021 activity data on referral, assessments and waiting times for post-COVID-19 assessment clinics and the patient journey, including the use of Your COVID Recovery, will be published on a monthly basis.
Department for Education
Askham Bryan College: Grants
Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government when Askham Bryan College of York’s application for a grant for a calf and grower teaching building for cattle was (1) submitted, and (2) approved; how much funding was provided; and on what date.
Baroness Berridge: Askham Bryan College’s application for capital funds to support the development of a calf and grower teaching building for cattle was included in the Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology proposal which was submitted on 21 November 2018.The Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology proposal was approved on 7 November 2019.Within the Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology proposal, Askham Bryan College were approved to receive £1,746,448 capital funds.Askham Bryan College have been paid £489,880 to date. The balance of funding, £1,256,568, is due to be paid in this financial year (2021/22).
Ministry of Justice
Marriage: Humanism
Baroness Featherstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of legally recognising humanist marriages on choice for same-sex couples wanting to get married.
Baroness Featherstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have undertakeninterim civil marriage reform to legislate for outdoor weddings but have not done the same for humanist marriages.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Marriage (Same Sex) Couples Act 2013 enables same-sex couples to have a civil marriage and also allows religious organisations to opt in to marry same-sex couples, should they wish to do so. Separately, Government consulted in 2014 on marriages by non-religious belief organisations. A summary assessment of costs and benefits was published in the response, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/marriages-by-non-religious-belief-organisations. The Government in 2019 committed to accelerate plans to allow civil weddings and civil partnerships to be held outside and said it would look to implement these changes through secondary legislation, subject to any necessary consultation. On 1 July, time limited amending regulations came into force to allow couples who can already legally marry to have their civil wedding ceremony in the linked outdoor areas of Approved Premises. The Government will undertake a public consultation on these measures and intends to produce an Impact Assessment. A further instrument will be laid in Spring 2022. A Law Commission project on marriage and civil partnership is due to report later this year and is expected to present recommendations for wholesale reform to the law governing marriage ceremonies, which the Government will consider carefully. Options being explored by the Law Commission as part of their review include offering couples greater flexibility over the form of their ceremony, allowing the ceremony to take place in a much broader range of locations and to provide a framework that could allow non-religious belief organisations, such as Humanists and independent celebrants, to conduct legally binding weddings. The Government will decide on provision for non-religious belief marriage in light of the Law Commission's recommendations.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Turkey: Human Rights
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to add Turkey to their list of human rights priority countries.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The decision on whether a country is designated a Human Rights Priority Country (HRPC) is based on the human rights situation in the country; trajectory of change; and the UK's potential to work on human rights and have influence. The list of HRPCs is published in the Government's annual human rights report. As regards the list of HRPCs, we keep all countries, including Turkey, under regular review.The UK has been consistently active and vocal in promoting human rights in Turkey through diplomatic and ministerial channels, and through support to civil society. We also use relevant multilateral institutions, such as the Council of Europe, to emphasise the importance of shared values and accountability. Respect for human rights are vital for the long-term health of Turkish democracy and will remain at the heart of our policy towards Turkey.
Israel: Palestinians
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will meet the government of Israel to express concern about (1) house demolitions, and (2) forced evictions, of Palestinian communities.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK regularly raises the issue of demolitions and forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes with the Government of Israel. The Foreign Secretary raised ongoing evictions, demolitions and settlement activity with the Israeli Authorities during his visit to the region on 26 May. The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.
Jordan and Lebanon: Refugees
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of refugees sheltered by (1) Lebanon, and (2) Jordan, relative to the (a) population size, and (b) economic resources, of those countries; and what plans they have to provide assistance to (i) the UNHCR, and (ii) refugee-hosting countries, to resettle refugees and close refugee camps.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK recognises the tremendous generosity Lebanon and Jordan have shown in hosting significant numbers of refugees. Lebanon currently hosts 1.7 million refugees, the highest concentration of refugees per capita anywhere in the world. Jordan hosts approximately 667,000 registered Syrian refugees, 90,000 non-Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR, and 2.2 million Palestinian refugees.Recognising the substantial pressures both host countries face, the UK and international partners have provided significant assistance to the Lebanese and Jordanian governments to help manage this challenge. The UK is one of the leading donors in supporting Lebanon in hosting both Syrian and Palestinian refugee, and has contributed over £704 million in bilateral development assistance to Jordan since 2011. The UK's pledge of at least £205 million to the Syrian crisis in 2021 will ensure the UK continues to support the most vulnerable in Lebanon and Jordan, allowing refugees to live in safety and with dignity until they are able to return home.On 25th February we completed our commitment to resettle 20,000 refugees under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). We continue to welcome refugees through the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), as well as through the Community Sponsorship and Mandate Resettlement Schemes.
Jerusalem: Palestinians
Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make to the government of Israel about protecting Palestinians living in the Silwan area of East Jerusalemfrom having their homes demolished.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK regularly raises the issue of demolitions and forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes with the Government of Israel. The Foreign Secretary raised ongoing evictions, demolitions and settlement activity with the Israeli Authorities during his visit to the region on 26 May. The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. We monitor the situation in Silwan closely, and officials regularly visit and attend related court hearings.
Greece and Middle East: Refugees
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of refugee children in (1) Lebanon, (2) Jordan, (3) Turkey, and (4) Greece, who are not receiving primary education; and what assessment they have made of the steps necessary to improve (a) the availability, and (b) uptake, of education for these children.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to providing refugee children with access to quality education. In Lebanon, since 2011 we have provided education to over 280,000 children, and support to over 135,500 out-of-school boys and girls with nonformal education since 2016. In Jordan, the UK has supported over 130,000 Syrian refugee children access primary education. Approximately 85,000 Syrian refugee children remain without any type of learning. The Government does not hold figures for refugee children not receiving primary education in Turkey or Greece. As of March 2021, the EU Managed Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT), to which the UK is a leading contributor, had allocated €400 million to the "Promoting Integration of Syrian Kids into the Turkish Education System" project that has 627,582 Syrian students enrolled at public schools and 9,288 enrolled at Temporary Education Centres. In Greece, UK support has helped deliver educational programmes for vulnerable children and we will continue to work with Greek partners to identify opportunities to provide further support.
China: Prisoners' Release
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ask the government of China to release the Catholic priests and seminarians arrested in Xinxiang in May.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in China, including the persecution of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Falun Gong practitioners. The Foreign Secretary has personally raised our serious concerns with his Chinese counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a number of occasions, most recently on 27 May. We are also aware of the concerning reports that Catholic priests were arrested in Xinxiang in May, and will continue to monitor developments. We remain committed to working with our international partners to stand up for the rights of all religious minorities in China.
Conflict Resolution
Baroness Sugg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contributionlandmine clearance will make to the achievement of the aim set out in the Integrated Review that the UK will be seen globally as a leader in conflict prevention and resolution.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's mine action investments are a vital part of our global effort to promote conflict prevention and resolution. We invested £124 million to help clear deadly explosive devices worldwide in the last three years through the Global Mine Action Programme 2. This funding has cleared and confirmed safe 394 million square metres, the equivalent of over 55,000 football pitches, and delivered UK commitments under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and the Cluster Munitions Convention.In financial year 2021/22 we will remain a leading donor in this sector.
Convention on Cluster Munitions
Baroness Sugg: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will set out the UK's prioritiesfor its upcoming term as president of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom expects to take on the Presidency of the Convention on Cluster Munitions from 22 September. We are developing an action plan for how we can best use the Presidency to support our disarmament objectives and show our multilateral leadership. The plan will be finalised in the coming months.
Lithuania: Migrants
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) media reports that the government of Belarus is ‘weaponising’ migration by sending migrants to Lithuania, and (2) the government of Lithuania’s response to such action; and what plans they have to support the government of Lithuania with (a) technical aid, or (b) resettlement.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is aware of media reports of an increase in people irregularly crossing the border from Belarus into Lithuania. We are also aware of the steps that the Lithuanian Government have taken to respond, including increasing funding to the Lithuanian State Border Guards, and expanding capacity at the border with Belarus to process those arriving across the border. The Foreign Secretary discussed the issue with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on 28 June, and officials are currently evaluating how best we can support the Lithuanian Government in response to these developments. We collaborate closely with the Lithuanian Government and Lithuanian State Border Guards, and stand ready to provide appropriate support. The UK remains committed to future close co-operation with the EU and our European partners on all issues including migration.
Ministry of Defence
HMS Defender: Black Sea
Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Goldie on 6 July (HL 1576) and her remarks on 30 June (HL Deb, col 793) that HMS Defender was“conducting an innocent passage through a stretch of water open to international navigation”, what military operation HMS Defender was engaged in on the Black Sea on 23 June.
Baroness Goldie: HMS DEFENDER was in the Black Sea from 14 June - 2 July 2021 to conduct planned defence engagement activity with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Georgia as a disaggregated unit of the Carrier Strike Group. These events focused on the UK's commitment to Black Sea security through capability demonstrations and exercising with other NATO allies and partners who operate in the Black Sea.
Marines
Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost, and over what period, for the introduction of the Royal Marines Future Commando Force.
Baroness Goldie: A generous settlement of over £24 billion has allowed Defence to invest in amongst other things the delivery of the Future Commando Force and we will be spending in excess of an additional £200 million over ten years to support this. Other elements of the Royal Navy's programme, such as the future landing craft project, are funded to over £50 million. The wider ship building pipeline will also support the UK's Commando Forces.
Armed Forces: Coronavirus
Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy in relation to UK armed forces personnel deployed overseas who refuse a COVID-19 vaccine; and whether such personnel are required to return to the UK.
Baroness Goldie: Defence's vaccination policy for all vaccines, is voluntary and administered under the principles of informed consent. Those who cannot or are refusing to take a COVID-19 vaccine would be subject to a risk assessment. If ineligible to deploy, they would be removed from the operational deployment and employed in an appropriate alternate role.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Colombo Declaration on Sustainable Nitrogen Management
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given, if any, to signing the Colombo Declaration on Sustainable Nitrogen Management.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government recognises that reactive nitrogen has damaging impacts on habitats, water and air quality and contributes to climate change. The UK is committed to tackling nitrogen and has a variety of regulations, incentive schemes and advice in place to help reduce the sources and impact of nitrogen pollution. For example, the UK has adopted legally binding targets to reduce emissions of two nitrogen-containing air pollutants - ammonia and nitrogen oxides. The Clean Air Strategy sets out comprehensive action to control emissions of these pollutants which is expected to reduce damaging deposition of reactive forms of nitrogen by 17% over England’s protected priority sensitive habitats by 2030. The Government has been engaging with the International Nitrogen Management System and has been working at a regional level with the Government of Sri Lanka on the issue of nitrogen management. The Government will continue to monitor progress on the Colombo Declaration as this initiative develops.
Home Office
Electric Scooters: Confiscation Orders
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many illegal e-scooters have been confiscated in (1) London, (2) Birmingham, and (3) other cities in England, in each of the last three months.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Information on numbers and types of vehicle seized is not held centrally.The Metropolitan Police seized over 1,000 scooters in June 2021.
Treasury
Pensions: Public Sector
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was invested by the (1) Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, (2) NHS Pension Scheme, (3) Teachers’ Pension Scheme, (4) Local Government Pension Scheme, (5) Firefighters’ Pension Scheme, and (6) Armed Forces Pension Scheme, into (a) Huawei Technologies Co., LTD., (b) Huawei Investment & Holding Co., LTD., and (c) Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., LTD, in the period between 2014 and 2020.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The main unfunded public service pension schemes have not invested in any of the mentioned companies. Most Public Service Pension schemes are unfunded Defined Benefit pension schemes, with the exception of the Local Government Pension Scheme. Members’ pension benefits are set out in statute and there is no fund of assets from which pension benefits are paid. Employer and employee contributions are paid to the relevant public service pension scheme, but these contributions are not invested. Instead, the public service pension scheme uses the contributions to meet the cost of pensions in payment. Where there is a difference between pensions in payment and total contributions, the difference is made up by HMT through Annually Managed Expenditure (AME). The Local Government Pension Scheme is a funded scheme in which all the assets are owned by the administering authorities, which are responsible for the management of their investments. The data requested is not held centrally.
Coronavirus Self-isolation Payment Scheme
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase self-isolation payment support once the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The purpose of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), which will end on 30 September, is to support businesses to preserve employer-employee matches. Since the start of the scheme, the CJRS guidance has been clear that: “Short term illness or self-isolation should not be a consideration when deciding if [employers] should furlough an employee”. The government will continue to keep other elements of its Covid-19 response under review.
European Union: Finance
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the UK has paid to the EU since the 2016 referendum; how much they anticipate the UK will pay to the EU in the future; and for what purposes.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government publishes a summary of the UK’s financial relationship with the European Union in an annual report to Parliament by HM Treasury. The latest edition of the European Union Finances Statement has been laid before Parliament today, covering the calendar year 2020 as well as certain information for previous years. A copy is available in the Library of the House. The Statement reports the UK’s contributions to the EU Budget and public-sector receipts from the EU, in addition to receipts which flow directly to the private sector without being included in Government accounts. The EU Finances Statement provides the most complete analysis of the UK’s financial relationship with the EU. The European Union Finances Statement also includes an annex on the impact of EU Withdrawal, which provides an updated estimate of the total value of the financial settlement. The Statement explains all components of the outstanding net liability and provides an extended description of the assurance arrangements which will ensure the UK pays only what it owes under the Withdrawal Agreement.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council
Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members there are of theTelecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council; and what their names are.
Baroness Barran: The membership is not fully decided yet, but many of the members of the Diversification Taskforce have agreed to continue providing expertise as part of the Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council. The Government will publish the full membership ahead of the first meeting in the autumn.
Telecommunications: China and Russia
Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many companies in the UK telecommunications sector are estimated to be majority owned by Russian or Chinese entities.
Baroness Barran: The telecommunications sector includes tens of thousands of companies, including telecommunications providers, equipment providers and service providers in the supply chain. The Government does not monitor the nationality of the owners of each of these on a routine basis. The UK economy thrives, in part, as a result of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the Government therefore strives to be the premier destination for investment in the world. However, an open approach to international investment must include appropriate safeguards to protect our national security and the safety of our citizens. The new National Security & Investment Act introduces a new regime for reviewing and intervening in business transactions, such as takeovers, that might raise national security concerns. The Government has also recently introduced the Telecommunications (Security) Bill to establish an enhanced legislative framework for telecoms security, which includes new national security powers for the Secretary of State to manage the risks posed by high risk vendors.
Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council: Pay
Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the salary of the chairof theTelecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council.
Baroness Barran: The work of the Advisory Council is non-remunerative. The Chair and all members have volunteered their time and effort.
Platinum Jubilee 2022
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure the Queen's Platinum Jubilee is celebrated across the UK.
Baroness Barran: Her Majesty’s Government is delighted to be working with Buckingham Palace to develop UK-wide opportunities to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.We are working closely with the Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that individuals, communities and organisations across the UK are able to come together to mark the occasion.A UK-wide Bank Holiday was announced on 12 November 2020 to enable communities across the UK to share in the celebrations together.
Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council: Public Appointments
Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government who made thefinal decision on the appointment of Simon Blagden as chair of the Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council.
Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport discussed the appointment of the new chair of theTelecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council with the Prime Minister before the announcement on 2 July.
Baroness Barran: Simon Blagden was formally appointed by Matt Warman MP, Minister for Digital Infrastructure. This was agreed through the usual public appointments procedure.
Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council: Public Appointments
Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the appointment (1) criteria, and (2) process, for the chair of theTelecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council.
Baroness Barran: Simon Blagden, Chair of the Telecoms Supply Chain Advisory Council, was selected on the basis of having the skills and experience required for the role, with over 30 years experience in the telecoms and digital industries. He was appointed following the standard Government process for direct appointments, suitable for short term roles where an independent advisory function is filled. Appropriate due diligence and conflict of interest checks have been carried out. The Terms and Conditions which the Chair and members of the Advisory Council are expected to adhere to will be published on GOV.UK following the first meeting of the Advisory Council. The Council is advisory and there will be a wide ranging membership incorporating views from industry and academia. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2021-07-15 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Foreign and Commonwealth Office
European Union: Treaties
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which EU countries are required by their constitutions to hold a referendum before their governments can agree changes to the EU treaties; and which countries have done so in the past.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: No EU country has an absolute constitutional requirement to hold a referendum before their government can agree to any amendment to the EU Treaties. Indeed, no EU Member State held a referendum on the most recent change to the EU Treaties which came into effect in 2013.The following countries have a constitutional requirement to hold a referendum in certain circumstances (e.g. if proposed changes require a revision of a Member State’s constitution or constitute a transfer of competence/sovereignty to the EU):• Austria • Croatia • Denmark • Ireland • Lithuania • Romania • SlovakiaThe following countries have previously held a referendum on changes to the EU Treaties:• Denmark • Ireland • France • Italy • Luxembourg • Netherlands • Spain
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Pregnancy: Discrimination
Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why publication of the research by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Equality and Human Rights Commission into pregnancy discrimination has been delayed, and when the final report can be expected.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The final reports into Pregnancy and Maternity-related Discrimination and Disadvantage in the Workplace were published on 22 March 2016, together with the Government response to recommendations made by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.We had intended to publish the final reports in December 2015, but this did not prove possible as the extensive research reports took longer than expected to finalise.
Consumer Goods
Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a legal obligation for goods offered for sale in shops in the UK to carry contents and usage instructions in English.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Labelling and information requirements vary by product.If information on a UK product label is a mandatory requirement, this information must be provided in English.For non-food consumer products, the UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which implements the European General Product Safety Directive, require that a product is safe when placed on the market. In this context, it is considered safe to have the instructions and safety information in the language of the Member State where the product is being sold.
New Businesses: Females
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support female start-up company founders in the light of the study by MIT, Harvard and Wharton Universities in 2014 showing that males are 60 per cent more likely to get funding.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The UK is a great place to start a business, with an increase of 760,000 businesses between 2010 and 2014. There are more women-led businesses in the UK than ever before - around 1 million (20%) of all Small and Medium sized Enterprises. But we know more needs to be done to ensure we create the right environment for women to start and grow their own businesses.Women can benefit from the full range of wider business support available from government. This includes Start-Up Loans which provides funding and intensive support to new entrepreneurs (38% of Start-Up Loans have been awarded to women); and the New Enterprise Allowance which provides a business mentor and access to financial support for Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants who want to start their own business (37% of NEA loans have been awarded to women).We have developed a specific web page on the Business is Great website for potential and existing female entrepreneurs to find out what help is available to them (http://www.greatbusiness.gov.uk/women-in-enterprise/). We are also currently undertaking research to increase our understanding of the best way to reach female entrepreneurs.
Ministry of Justice
Prisoners
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current total number of prisoners in HM Prison Service; and how that number is broken down by faith category.
Lord Faulks: Religion is self-declared and prisoners are under no obligation to declare their religion. Statistics on the prison population by religion in England and Wales are published quarterly and the latest available information can be found within table 1.5 of the ‘Offender Management Statistics Quarterly, Prison Population 31 December 2015’. The latest information is provided below. Table 1: Prison population by religion, as at 31 December 2015, England and Wales Total Males and females84,968 All Christian42,063 Anglican15,835 Free Church848 Roman Catholic15,197 Other Christian(1)10,183 Muslim12,328 Hindu438 Sikh705 Buddhist1,543 Jewish398 Other religious group(1)1,383 Non recognised11 No religion26,007 Not recorded92 (1) On 30 June 2015, 350 prisoners who were previously recorded in the other religious group will now be included in the other Christian category. More detailed information on religion in prison population data and improvement of classifications has allowed the identification of these prisoners. Data Source and Quality These figures have been drawn from IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
*No heading*
Lord Beith: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that cases in the Court of Protection involving personal liberty are not delayed by lack of representation for persons with mental disabilities, following the recent ruling of that Court requiring representation in such cases.
Lord Faulks: The Court of Protection deals with some of the most vulnerable people in our society and is responsible for making difficult decisions including where a person must be deprived of their liberty for the purpose of care or treatment. The protection of vulnerable people is a priority for the Government and we remain committed to finding a fair and proportionate resolution. We are considering whether changes need to be made to the way these cases are dealt with in the courts following the recent ruling on this topic.
Ministry of Defence
Reserve Forces: Languages
Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that those in the reserves of the armed forces have opportunities to use and develop linguistic skills.
Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the valuable skill sets of our reservists, all of whom have full access to the MOD's language schemes. We work to ensure that those reservists who already have a second language are able to use and develop that language. Any reservists employed in roles with direct requirements for language capability receive the same training as regular personnel.The MOD maintains a pool of linguists through the Education and Training Services (Reserves), which provides additional language capability to exercises, operations and Defence Engagement tasks. A new training programme, which makes use of courses and bespoke training provided by the Defence Centre for Languages and Culture, has recently been introduced to develop the skills of linguists in the reserves.
Department for Work and Pensions
*No heading*
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for those countries and territories in which those in receipt of the UK state pension are subject to the frozen pensions regulations, what is the process necessary to negotiate reciprocal agreements for pensions to be uprated annually.
Baroness Altmann: There are a number of considerations around whether to initiate the negotiation of reciprocal agreements for pensions and other social security benefits. These include reciprocity between the social security systems in the respective countries, the movement of people between the two countries, and the affordability of concluding and administering an agreement.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food: Waste
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage supermarkets to redistribute surplus food to charities rather than disposing of surplus via anaerobic digestion or landfill.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: If surplus food cannot be prevented, the next best option is to ensure that it is redistributed for human consumption. Working through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and our voluntary agreements with the grocery sector, we have taken action to ensure that more surplus food is redistributed to people before being put to any other use. All major retailers now have arrangements in place to redistribute surplus food. Signatories to phase 3 of the Courtauld Commitment have reported a 74% increase in food redistribution between 2012 and the end of 2014, and we expect this to increase further. Last year, the Secretary of State held a meeting with industry and redistribution organisations to take stock of progress on food redistribution. Outcomes from this include the recent publication of a Redistribution Framework to help facilitate closer working between potential donors and recipients of food surpluses. WRAP has commissioned research to identify where and why waste and surpluses occur in the supply chain to inform further action to increase waste prevention and redistribution. Following the success of earlier agreements, WRAP launched the Courtauld Commitment 2025 in March this year. This is an ambitious new agreement that takes a whole food supply chain approach, and will build on the progress we have already made to prevent waste, including through the redistribution of surplus food. There will always be some unavoidable food waste. The Government’s Anaerobic Digestion Strategy is in place to reduce the amount of organic material going to landfill and drive the waste that is produced into energy recovery or recycling.
HM Treasury
Capital Gains Tax
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the budget made concessions available on capital gains to non-domiciled residents of the UK that are not available to standard UK tax payers.
Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Summer Budget reforms to the domicile tax regime are the most significant since the rules were introduced. They are forecast to raise £1.2 billion this Parliament. The transitional provisions announced at Budget 2016 are necessary for a reform of this scale as they help to ensure that non-doms remain here and continue to pay UK tax on their income and gains within the new domicile tax regime. In April 2017, over 3,000 non-doms will still become subject to UK taxation on their worldwide income and gains.
Financial Markets
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether central clearing houses in financial markets are required to prepare living wills; and what measures have been put in place to manage a capital failure.
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any increase to the economic risk supervised by the Prudential Regulatory Authority of the proposed merger of the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Börse; whether obligations of the combined group will fall to the UK taxpayer; and whether there have been any discussions about risk sharing with the government of Germany.
Lord O'Neill of Gatley: UK legislation requires central counterparties (CCPs) to develop recovery plans and to have ‘loss allocation’ rules, in order to allocate any losses sustained by the CCP either following the default of a clearing member or due to certain non-default events, so that the CCP can continue to provide its critical functions. The Government has also broadened the scope of the UK’s Special Resolution Regime to cover CCPs. When certain conditions are met, this allows the Bank of England to intervene by transferring all or some of the business of a CCP to either a private sector purchaser or to a bridge CCP owned by the Bank of England, or to transfer ownership of the CCP to any person. Qualifying changes of control of CCPs are assessed by the Bank of England and I refer the noble Lord to my written answer HL7153 of 1 April 2016.
Employee Ownership
Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to meet with the representative bodies of employee share ownership schemes to discuss the recent decision to withdraw HM Revenue and Custom’s valuation check service.
Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Officials from HM Revenue and Customs have already met representative bodies of employee ownership schemes. HMRC will be working with those groups to develop further public guidance and discuss any other proposals their members might raise. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2016-04-06 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Arms Trade
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which 10 countries were the largest exporters of weapons to Africa in each of the past 10 years; what were the volumes of exports; and what receipts were generated from the exports.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The UK does not as a matter of course compile information about arms imports and exports, other than where the UK is an exporter. It would incur disproportionate cost for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to collate the information requested. Information about the UK's strategic export controls is available on the FCO website at www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=Open Market/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid= 1007029395474.
Cyprus
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of the declaration of independence of Kosovo, they will review the right to self-determination of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; and whether their position on any such right is affected by the practicalities of retaining military bases in the south of Cyprus.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The independence of Kosovo does not set a precedent. There is no universal blueprint that can be applied to every post-conflict scenario; each is unique and different criteria apply. We should give no comfort to those looking to exploit Kosovo in relation to unrelated agendas, either in the Balkans or further afield.
Our long-standing policy on the non-recognition of the so-called "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" will not change. Our objective in Cyprus is to achieve a comprehensive and viable settlement, based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality. We welcome the continued commitment of the leaders of both sides to these basic principles. Our continued support for a settlement is not affected by the presence of the sovereign base areas.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make representations to the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure that evidence against Pastor Fernando Kutino obtained by alleged torture should not be used in his forthcoming trial and that he is held in humane conditions in the mean time.
Lord Bach: We and our international partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including the EU and UN, have registered our concerns at the conduct of the investigation and subsequent trial of Pastor Kutino with the Congolese on several occasions. The UN is in regular contact with the Congolese authorities on the issue of his treatment. Officials from our embassy in Kinshasa are considering what further action to take in conjunction with representatives of other EU member states.
Department for International Development: Personnel
Baroness Northover: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many staff are employed by the Department for International Development and bodies within its control; whether they have plans for staff reductions in that department; and, if so, in which areas such reductions would fall.
Baroness Crawley: The Department for International Development currently employs 2,552 staff including UK based civil servants and staff employed locally overseas. This number is expected to fall by about a further 80 staff by the end of the current financial year.
Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are making representations to the Government of Egypt following the arrest of 101 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including candidates in the provincial elections due on 8 April.
Lord Malloch-Brown: Officials raised their concerns about the recent arrest of Muslim Brotherhood members with the Egyptian embassy in London on 27 February 2008.
We regularly raise human rights issues with the Egyptian Government. We also look forward to these issues being discussed at the forthcoming EU-Egypt political sub-committee established under the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan.
Energy: Smart Meters
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to suspend the current programme of electricity meter replacements to await the introduction of smart meters; and
What safeguards they will incorporate into the smart meter programme to protect consumers and households from intrusion into their privacy and from changes in payment arrangements that benefit suppliers at the expense of their customers; and
Whether they intend to ensure that smart meters replace existing models in a sequence starting with the oldest first.
Lord Bach: The Government have consulted on a range of metering and billing proposals, and will shortly respond to that consultation. In doing so, they will set out their views on the next steps on smart metering.
Equatorial Guinea: Simon Mann
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 21 February (WA 80-1), whether they were informed by the Zimbabwean authorities of the imminent extradition of Simon Mann from Zimbabwe to Equatorial Guinea immediately prior to his being extradited; what response they had from the Zimbabwean authorities regarding their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and what contact they have had with Simon Mann since his extradition.
Lord Malloch-Brown: Further to the Answer I gave the noble Lord on 21 February (Official Report, col. WA 81), we were not informed by the Zimbabwean authorities of the imminent removal of Simon Mann from Zimbabwe to Equatorial Guinea immediately prior to his removal. The Zimbabwean authorities have since told us that they believe they complied with their international obligations in this case.
Our Deputy High Commission in Lagos provides consular assistance to British nationals in Equatorial Guinea. Our consul in Lagos travelled to Malabo and visited Mr Mann in prison on 12 February and plans to do so again soon.
EU: Legislative Competence
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 4 February (WA 154), whether there has been any instance of a European Union legislative institution having altered legislation as a result of proceedings in either House of Parliament.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The House of Lords committee (HL Paper 27) recommendations on a restricted scope and the country of origin principle were incorporated into the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (amending the Television Without Frontiers Directive).
European Court of Human Rights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will seek to persuade other member states of the Council of Europe to introduce a pension plan for judges of the European Court of Human Rights to reinforce their independence.
Lord Bach: The Government continue to look closely at opportunities to increase judicial independence for judges at the European Court of Human Rights. We are waiting to hear a joint proposal from the President of the Court and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe.
European Court of Human Rights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will seek to persuade other member states of the Council of Europe to ensure that judges of the European Court of Human Rights are appointed in accordance with objective and transparent criteria based on professional qualification.
Lord Bach: The criteria for office as a judge of the European Court of Human Rights are set out in Article 21 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which provides that "the judges shall be of high moral character and must either possess the qualifications required for appointment to high judicial office or be jurisconsults of recognised competence".
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, of which the United Kingdom is a member, has specified that national procedures for the selection of candidates for appointment as a judge at the court should respond to criteria of fairness, transparency and consistency.
The United Kingdom has selection procedures that meet these criteria and which are designed to ensure that the judge elected in respect of the United Kingdom fulfils the requirements of Article 21.
Although national selection procedures are a matter for each member state, we expect that those adopted by other member states would also meet the criteria of fairness, transparency and consistency. To encourage this among other member states, the United Kingdom has shared its own best practice in this regard.
Health: Contaminated Blood Products
Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will hold a public inquiry into the deaths of haemophiliacs who have died because of transfusions of blood products contaminated with HIV or Hepatitis C.
Lord Darzi of Denham: As previously stated, the Government do not accept that any wrongful practices were employed and therefore a public inquiry is not justified.
Health: Contaminated Blood Products
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration they have given to the decision of Lord Mackay of Drumadoon in the Court of Session to overturn the ruling of the Lord Advocate not to hold a full public inquiry into the deaths of haemophilia patients through contaminated National Health Service blood products on the ground that the decision was not compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights; and what are the implications of the ruling for National Health Service patients elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
Lord Darzi of Denham: The decision of Lord Mackay was against the Scottish Government and it is for the Scottish Government to consider how to respond to it.
Health: Prescription Charges
Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have for a review of prescription charges.
Lord Darzi of Denham: The Government will shortly be seeking comments on possible options for changes to prescription charges that are cost neutral to the National Health Service.
Homeless People
Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proposals they have to increase investment in future services to raise the skills levels of homeless people.
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: We recognise that education, training and employment are a key route out of homelessness and the cycle of disadvantage. We are working closely with colleagues across government, at the Learning and Skills Council and in the voluntary and community sector to tackle the wider causes and symptoms of homelessness, including improving access to learning and skills provision, benefits and jobs. We believe one of the most effective ways we can help homeless people is to ensure that they have access to the skills they need to gain employment and to help them transform their own lives.
Through our World Class Skills reforms, we are committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all learners, including the most vulnerable in our communities. Our targets cover workers and learners of all ages and backgrounds and our reforms balance skills and economic prosperity with fairness and inclusion.
The funding settlement announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review represents the biggest ever government investment in skills. Of the £3 billion we are investing in each of the next three years in adult skills participation, we will invest some £1.5 billion annually in learning below level 2, to help the low skilled and workless learn, progress and achieve sustainable employment.
Our vision for the workforce of the future is of one unrivalled in its skills, dynamism, equity and inclusiveness. We are working with employers through train to gain to meet skill needs and to ensure that all employees have the basic skills, including literacy and numeracy and level 2 skills, to sustain and progress in employment. We also want employers to fill more of their vacancies with people who are further away from the labour market and to actively engage with their sectors and localities to lead on appropriate reform. We are increasing funding for train to gain from £440 million in 2007-08 to over £900 million in 2010-11.
Homeless People
Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What additional resources they will provide to charities that offer housing support to homeless asylum seekers, refugees and economic immigrants.
Baroness Andrews: The Government have recently announced homelessness grant funding of £50 million for the voluntary sector and £150 million for local authorities, who in many cases fund voluntary sector organisations, over the next three years. This is the largest ever cash injection for homelessness services, and there are no current plans for further funding over and above this three-year settlement. Homelessness grant is used to support delivery of the Government's targets on homelessness and rough sleeping. Eligibility for public services, including housing, is determined by migrants' immigration status.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 28 February (WA 135—6) stating that membership of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority requires acceptance of the fundamental principles behind the authority's existence, whether that extends to expressing views contrary to a prohibition of reproductive cloning or the culture of embryos for more than 14 days in vitro.
Lord Darzi of Denham: The members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority must be mindful of the full range of views held on embryology and assisted conception. While individual members may acknowledge such views, in carrying out their statutory functions they are obliged to recognise and act within the regulatory parameters of the 1990 Act and associated regulations.
Iraq and Afghanistan: Military Casualties
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the names, ages and, where appropriate, regiments of all British nationals who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 25 April 2007; and what are the dates of their deaths.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The details of UK military fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan between 25 April 2007 and 27 February 2008 are shown in the following tables. Where an individual was holding an acting rank at the time of their death this has been given rather than their substantive rank.
UK military fatalities from operations in Iraq
Date Name Age Regiment
13 December Gdsm Stephen Ferguson 31 Scots Guards
20 November Soldier A1 - -
20 November Soldier B1 - -
14 October LCpl Sarah Holmes 26 Royal Logistics Corps
21 September Sgt Mark Stansfield 32 Royal Logistics Corps
5 September Sgt Eddie Collins 33 The Parachute Regiment
9 August LSgt Chris Casey 27 1st Battalion The Irish Guards
9 August LCpl Kirk Redpath 22 1st Battalion The Irish Guards
7 August LAC Martin Beard 20 1 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment
6 August Pte Craig Barber 20 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh
31 July Cpl Steve Edwards 35 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
21 July LCpl Timothy Darren Flowers 25 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers2
19 July SAC Matthew Caulwell 22 1 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment
19 July SAC Christopher Dunsmore 29 504 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force
19 July SAC Peter McFerran 24 1 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment
7 July Cpl Christopher Read 22 Royal Military Police
7 July LCpl Ryan Francis 23 2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh
6 July Rfn Edward Vakabua 23 4th Battalion, The Rifles
28 June Cpl Paul Joszko 28 2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh
28 June Pte Scott Kennedy 20 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland3
28 June Pte Jamie Kerr 20 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland3
22 June Cpl John Rigby 24 4th Battalion, The Rifles
20 June Maj Paul Harding 48 4th Battalion, The Rifles
16 June LCpl James Cartwright 21 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
7 June Cpl Rodney Wilson 30 4th Battalion, The Rifles
21 May Cpl Jeremy Brookes 28 4th Battalion, The Rifles
6 May Pte Kevin Thompson 21 Royal Logistics Corps
1 May Maj Nick Bateson 48 Royal Corps of Signals
29 April Rfn Paul Donnachie 18 2nd Battalion, The Rifles
1 Names, Ages and Regiments withheld due to the coroner's order. In the event that this order changes, I will inform the House.
2 Lance Corporal Timothy Darren Flowers was from the Corps of Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, but was attached to the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment at the time of his death.
3 Private Scott Kennedy and Private Jamie Kerr were from the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland but were serving on attachment to the Royal Welsh at the time of their deaths.
UK military fatalities from operations in Afghanistan
Date Name Age Regiment
20 February Cpl Damian Mulvihill 32 40 Commando Royal Marines
17 February Cpl Damian Lawrence 25 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (the Green Howards)
20 January Cpl Darryl Gardiner 25 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
8 December Sgt Lee Johnson 33 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (the Green Howards)
4 December Tpr Jack Sadler 21 2nd Squadron, Honourable Artillery Company
14 November Capt John McDermid 43 The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland
9 November LCp1 Jake Alderton 22 36 Regiment Royal Engineers
4 October Maj Alexis Roberts 32 2nd Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles
20 September CSgt Phillip Newman 36 4th Battalion, The Mercian Regiment
20 September Pte Brian Tunnicliffe 33 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters & Foresters)
17 September Cpl Ivano Violino 29 20 Field Squadron, 36 Regiment, Royal Engineers
8 September Sgt Craig Brelsford 25 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters & Foresters)
8 September Pte Johan Botha 25 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters & Foresters)
5 September Pte Damian Wright 23 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters & Foresters)
5 September Pte Ben Ford 18 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters & Foresters)
30 August SAC Christopher Bridge 20 51 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment
23 August Pte Aaron James McClure 19 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
23 August Pte Robert Graham Foster 19 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
23 August Pte John Thrumble 21 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
11 August Capt David Hicks 26 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
10 August Pte Tony Rawson 27 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
29 July LCpl Michael Jones 26 Royal Marines
27 July Sgt Barry Kean 34 14 Royal Corps of Signals
26 July Gdsm David Atherton 25 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards
25 July LCpl Alex Hawkins 22 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
12 July Gdsm Daryl Hickey 27 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards
1 July Sgt Dave Wilkinson 33 19th Regiment Royal Artillery
30 June Capt Sean Dolan 40 1st Battalion Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment
24 June Pte Thomas Wright 21 1st Battalion Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment
9 June Gdsm Neil Downes 20 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards
6 June LCpl Paul Sandford 23 1st Battalion Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment
30 May Cpl Mike Gilyeat 28 Royal Military Police
28 May Cpl Darren Bonner 31 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
26 May Gdsm Daniel Probyn 22 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards
20 May Cpl George Russell Davey 23 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
3 May Gdsm Simon Davison 22 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards
UK civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan
During the same period, we are aware of the deaths of 12 UK nationals in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. These figures only include those cases where consular assistance has been sought. The figures do not include UK dual nationals. For reasons of confidentiality, we are unable to release specific details.
Kosovo
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will work with the Government of Kosovo, the NATO Kosovo Force, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and the relevant European Union institutions and officials to ensure the safety of all Kosovans, both north and south of the Ibar river.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The UK is committed to working with Kosovo's Government, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), the UN and EU to ensure the safety of all Kosovo's people.
The UK contributes around 175 troops to KFOR, a ready battalion to NATO's pan-Balkans reserve force and a two-star general, working to reform the Kosovo Protection Corps. In addition, around 60 UK police officers are working with the UN Mission in Kosovo. The UK intends to contribute a similar number to the EU's police and Rule of Law Mission to Kosovo.
Local Government Ombudsman
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Andrews on 26 February (WA 113), when they last reviewed the powers of the Local Government Ombudsman in cases where a local authority has repeatedly not given effect to the ombudsman's findings; and whether they will establish a further such review.
Baroness Andrews: While the Government keep the powers of the Local Government Ombudsman under careful review with the ombudsmen, there are no current plans for a specific review of this matter. The vast majority of local authorities and other bodies which fall within the ombudsman's jurisdiction abide by the ombudsman's recommendations. In 2007-08 to date, only two local authorities have been required to publish a statement of the kind referred to in my Answer of 26 February. No statements were published in 2006-07 and only one was published in 2005-06.
NHS: Staff
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many physical assaults on NHS staff were reported in the last three years; and what proportion of those assaults took place on (a) hospital premises, and (b) other NHS premises; and
How many incidents of nuisance and disturbance to NHS staff other than physical assaults were reported in the last three years; and what proportion of these took place on (a) hospital premises, and (b) other NHS premises.
Lord Darzi of Denham: In April 2003 the National Health Service Security Management Service (SMS) was created and assumed responsibility for tackling violence against NHS staff. Since 2004-05 the NHS SMS has collected data on the number of physical assaults reported against NHS staff in England, broken down by sectors as shown in the table.
Assaults by sector 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07
Ambulance service 1,333 1,104 1,006
Acute/foundation trusts 10,758 11,100 9,685
Primary care 5,192 5,145 3,445
Mental health/learning disability 43,097 41,345 41,569
Other (Special Health Authorities) 5 1 4
Total 60,385 58,695 55,709
Information on numbers of incidents of nuisance and disturbance to NHS staff other than physical assaults is not collated centrally.
Northern Ireland: Bill of Rights
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
With which Northern Ireland Members of the Legislative Assembly, Members of Parliament and Peers the chairman of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum has had meetings since his appointment.
Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer given on 3 March (Official Report, col. WA 156.)
Northern Ireland: Bill of Rights
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the average number of days per week that the chairman of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum spent in Northern Ireland between his appointment and the end of 2007.
Lord Rooker: The Northern Ireland Office does not keep a record of Mr Sidoti's movements. The noble Lord may wish to write to the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum.
Northern Ireland: Bill of Rights
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the chairmanship of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum is a full-time position.
Lord Rooker: Chris Sidoti, the chair of the Bill of Rights Forum, has worked on a part-time basis since his appointment on 15 March 2007.
The Bill of Rights Forum is due to report to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on 31 March 2008, by which time we estimate that Chris Sidoti will have worked 70 days.
Northern Ireland: Bill of Rights
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the annual salary of the chairman of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum.
Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer given on 3 March (Official Report, col. WA 157).
Northern Ireland: Bill of Rights
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What payment the members of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum receive.
Lord Rooker: I am advised that no payment is made to members of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum.
Northern Ireland: Equality Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
With which Northern Ireland Members of the Legislative Assembly, Members of Parliament and Peers the chairman of the Equality Commission has had meetings since his appointment.
Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer given on 28 February (Official Report, col. WA 137).
Northern Ireland: Equality Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether an equality impact assessment was prepared for the Northern Ireland Equality Commission's most recent allocation of funding; if so, whether they will place a copy in the Library of the House; and if not, why not.
Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer given on 28 February (Official Report, col. WA 137).
Northern Ireland: Equality Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland uses the Irish language on its website but not Ulster Scots when both languages are recognised as equal under the Belfast Agreement of 1998.
Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer given on 28 February (Official Report, col. WA 137).
Northern Ireland: Equality Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many cases have been referred to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland each year since its creation; how many have been supported by the commission; and of those how many have been successful in court.
Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer given on 28 February (Official Report, col. WA 137).
Nuclear Weapons
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures they support to reduce the stock and proliferation of nuclear weapons throughout the world.
Lord Bach: The UK is committed to working towards a world free from nuclear weapons and to zero tolerance of proliferation. We will use the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 2008 Preparatory Committee to take forward work to strengthen the treaty. The UK will promote consensus around key measures encompassing the treaty's three pillars: zero tolerance of proliferation; safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology; and a reinvigorated commitment to a world free from nuclear weapons.
The UK has now met the commitment outlined in the 2006 White Paper on the future of the UK nuclear deterrent to reduce the number of operationally available warheads to fewer than 160. The explosive power of our nuclear arsenal has been reduced by 75 per cent since the end of the Cold War.
Passports
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many passports for (a) citizens, and (b) subjects were issued during 2007 by the British embassy in Dublin.
Lord Bach: Our embassy in Dublin issued 9,543 passports between 1 January and 31 December 2007. Of these 9,501 were EU common format passports and 42 were non-EU passports.
EU common format passports can be issued to either British citizens or to British subjects who have a connection to Ireland, as both are eligible to receive the benefits that are afforded to EU citizens (eg free movement within the EU).
We do not hold figures on the proportion of these passports that were issued to British citizens and British subjects. Collating this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Planning
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Following the remarks of Mr Justice Mitting in Regina (Buglife—The Invertebrate Conservation Trust) v Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation that the biodiversity duty in Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 was weak and that the statutory duty of a development corporation to regenerate an area must prevail over it and all other considerations, including planning policy statement 9, whether they will strengthen planning policy statement 9.
Baroness Andrews: We have no plans to amend planning policy statement 9 at this time. Planning policy statements set out the Government's national policies on different aspects of planning. Planning authorities must have regard to these policies when preparing plans and they are material considerations which must be taken into account, where relevant, in decisions on planning applications.
It would be inappropriate to comment on the merits of an individual case, particularly in advance of consideration of the full judgment and with the possibility of an appeal.
Prisoners: Life Sentences
Lord Wallace of Tankerness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many life prisoners had their licences revoked and were recalled to prison under (a) Section 32(1) and (b) Section 32(2) of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 in each of the years 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The requested information is provided in the Table below.
Number of life prisoners recalled
Year Section 32(1) Section 32(2)
2004 14 66
2005 21 93
2006 27 150
2007 3 130
Public Spending: Equality Impact Assessments
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 19 February (WA 48) concerning equality impact assessments in Northern Ireland, what are the public authorities to which Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 applies.
Lord Rooker: Subsection (3) of Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, as amended by the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 and the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002, defines the public authorities who are subject to the statutory duties set out in that section. The designation of public authorities is kept under review and a copy of the current list of all bodies subject to the duties will be placed in the Library of the House.
Quangos
Baroness Quin: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they plan to promote regional representation on quangos; and
Whether they will issue an official response to the report of the New Local Government Network entitled You've been Quango'd! Mapping Power across the Regions.
Lord Davies of Oldham: Appointments to the boards of public bodies are made on merit. The Government encourage applications for appointment from a wide range of candidates—and advertises in national and regional media as appropriate. The final decision, however, is made on merit and the successful candidate will have evidenced the necessary skills and experience required for the role. Where a public body has a particular regional or local focus, every effort is made to encourage applications from the local area. As the report of the New Local Government Network makes clear, the boards of local and regional public bodies—such as primary care trusts and regional development agencies—are already broadly representative of the communities they serve.
The Government note the report of the New Local Government Network with interest. However, they have no plans to issue an official response.
Railways: First Great Western
Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the depots and platforms in the First Great Western area are long enough to accommodate any lengthening of trains which may be necessary by the end of the high-level output statement period in 2013; who they expect to pay for any modifications; and what measures they propose to take to alleviate overcrowding on local railway services in the Bristol area.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: As part of the development of its strategic business plan, Network Rail is currently assessing platform lengths and other infrastructure issues relating to capacity enhancements required by the high-level output specification. This includes the Bristol area.
Republic of Ireland: Human Rights
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Government of the Republic of Ireland to ensure the establishment of human rights measures to a level at least equivalent to that in Northern Ireland.
Lord Rooker: There is no formal mechanism in the Good Friday Agreement for monitoring the progress of each Government other than the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. Human Rights issues have been discussed within this forum, both at ministerial and official level.
Restorative Justice
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 7 January (WA 178), what resource considerations might prevent the use of restorative justice as a commissioned service of Victim Support Plus.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Victim Support Plus is currently being rolled out across England and Wales. Until that is complete, it is not possible to be clear on what demand there will be for the new range of support services and their impact on resources, including grant funding from the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, funds raised by Victim Support itself, and Victim Support staff and volunteer time.
Teaching: Qualifications
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer on 31 of January (WA 146-7), what proportion of entrants to Bachelor of Education degree courses are candidates with less than two A-levels; what is the average A-level attainment of those entrants; and what is the overall average A-level attainment of all entrants, including candidates with less than two A-levels, in table 1 of the Answer.
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The attainment of trainees who enter initial teacher training (ITT) with less than two A-levels is not separately identified. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2008-03-12a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2008",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Independent Living Fund: Autism
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people with autism spectrum disorder currently receive support under the Independent Living Fund.
Lord Freud: It is not possible to calculate this because the Independent Living Fund’s systems categorise its users by their main condition only; it is not known therefore how many users may have an autism spectrum disorder in addition to the main disability or health condition recorded.
India
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent hangings in India; and what steps they will take to ensure that the values set out in the Commonwealth Charter are being upheld in that country.
Baroness Warsi: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), expressed his concern about the recent gang rape and death of the two girls in Budaun on 28 May.
We are committed to working with the Government of India and international partners to address the problem of gender-based violence, human trafficking and child exploitation in India. Through the Department for International Development (DFID) programme, the UK supports measures in India’s 120 poorest districts to promote the empowerment and access to benefits and services of excluded groups. DFID India also provides support to national and state governments in India which includes helping girls to complete basic education and further tackling violence against women and girls. We will continue with work with the government of India on this important issue, and continue to encourage all Commonwealth countries to uphold the values set out in the Commonwealth Charter.
Medical Records: Data Protection
Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the present arrangements for the protection of patients' private medical information by general practitioners.
Earl Howe: General practitioner (GP) practices are individually responsible for ensuring that they comply with legal and ethical requirements and central guidance in relation to data protection and patient confidentiality. A majority of GP practices in England provide assurance that they do so by completing annual assessments of their compliance against information governance requirements through the National Health Service Information Governance Toolkit, and the results of these assessments are publicly available.
Medical Records: Data Protection
Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the rules relating to the release of patients' private medical information to insurance companies by general practitioners.
Earl Howe: General practitioners (GPs) must ensure that patients have provided explicit consent before disclosing information to insurance companies. Additionally, under the provisions of the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988, patients have the right to view medical reports prepared for insurance companies and, where a patient has exercised this right, a GP cannot disclose the report to the insurance company until the patient has had the opportunity to review it or if the patient withdraws their consent.
Middle East
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to ensure that the rights in international law of both Israel and Palestine become the starting point for any renewal of negotiations.
Baroness Warsi: The Government has strongly supported the tireless efforts of US Secretary of State Kerry to facilitate a lasting final status agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. It is disappointing that, despite these efforts, greater progress was not made. However, we remain convinced that common ground and political strength can be found, and we remain committed to doing all we can to support the US and the parties as they seek to find a way forward.
Middle East
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel concerning reports of two Palestinian youths killed by live fire, and one critically injured, during the Nakba Day demonstration.
Baroness Warsi: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised the use of lethal force in this case with both the Israel Defence Force and the Israeli Border Police on 16 May.
On 21 May, the local EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah issued a local statement expressing deep concern about the deaths of two Palestinian youths on 15 May in the West Bank and emphasising the importance of such incidents being investigated thoroughly. They reiterated the need for security forces, whether Israeli or Palestinian, to refrain from the use of lethal force, except in cases where there is a real and imminent threat to life.
Sri Lanka
Lord Tyler: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent assessment they have made of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka; and what recent discussions they have had with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights about the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka of 27 March.
Baroness Warsi: We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka especially in the North. Our concerns include the continued intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders (HRDs) and activists, attacks on religious minorities, and the protection of the right to freedom of expression and opinion.
Through our Mission in Geneva, we maintain regular contact with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Following the adoption of the resolution, we are engaging with international partners to ensure the implementation of the resolution's international investigation into violations of international law by both sides during Sri Lanka’s conflict. We believe that progress on accountability, human rights and reconciliation is important in establishing enduring peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Such progress will ensure Sri Lanka can reach its full potential as a strong and prosperous nation. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2014-06-11a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2014",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Department for International Development
Yemen: Humanitarian Aid
lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what inter-governmental deliberations are currently taking place regarding the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
lord bates: International deliberations on the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen are being led by the UN. The UK welcomes the recent appointments of Martin Griffiths as the new UN Special Envoy to Yemen and Lise Grande as the new UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for Yemen. The UK will continue to support their efforts to work with all parties to bring about peace and end the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.The UK is also playing a leading role in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict. As the pen-holder on Yemen at the UN Security Council the UK proposed and coordinated a UN Security Council Presidential Statement adopted on 15 March, which called on all parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, facilitate humanitarian access, and emphasised the need for an inclusive political solution. The UK will continue to press for a political solution to the conflict in the next Quad meeting between the UK, US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The UK is also taking a leading role in the Yemen Donor Coordination Group.
Yemen: Humanitarian Aid
the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the evidence of extreme humanitarian distress requiring immediate relief on a large scale in Yemen; and what action they are taking to save lives and to relieve human suffering in that country.
lord bates: The UK remains deeply concerned by the humanitarian crisis in Yemen - the largest in the world. Over 22 million people - 75% of the population - are in need of humanitarian assistance. The UN estimates that 17.8 million people in Yemen do not have reliable access to food and 8.4 million people face extreme food shortages.On 3 April, the UK announced £170 million in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen for the financial year 2018/2019. This will meet immediate food needs for 2.5 million Yemenis, and adds to over £400 million in bilateral support since 2015.
Department for Transport
Monarch Airlines: Insolvency
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in negotiations to secure contributions to the cost of repatriating stranded passengers of Monarch airlines from related parties of the airline, including Greybull Capital.
baroness sugg: We are focused on making sure that there is clear burden sharing of the repatriation operation, and are seeking to recover costs of the operation from several third parties. This process is ongoing and a final position on cost recoveries is unlikely to be known until the completion of the administration, which may take several months. We will in due course be able to report back with more detail.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Rented Housing: Older People
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of housing for older peoplein the private rented, social and council housing sectors.
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) housing associations, (2) private rented sector bodies, and (3) local authorities, about the availability of suitable housing for older people.
lord bourne of aberystwyth: In our Housing White Paper, the Government set out proposals to do more to provide the homes we need for all in our society, including older people. We are strengthening the National Planning Policy Framework, so that local planning authorities are expected to have clear policies for addressing the housing needs of older people. Planning authorities should also include a plan policy setting out their approach to promoting Build to Rent. We will be publishing further guidance on housing for older people this summer. We have also been clear that housing will form a part of our considerations as we set out proposals in our forthcoming Green Paper to reform care and support for older people which will be published in summer 2018.Since 2012, this Government has supported growth of the Build to Rent sector with a Build to Rent Fund (£630m) and debt guarantees to increase delivery. Over 20,000 homes have been completed since 2012 and a further 97,000 are in the pipeline (British Property Federation, Quarter 1, 2018). We would also note that greater institutional investment in the Private Rented Sector will improve standards, give tenants greater security and increase choice for all tenants.Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that their provision of social housing meets local need, including for older people. This Government is providing a stable investment environment for councils to support the delivery of new homes, by allowing local authorities to increase rents by up to CPI +1% for 5 years from 2020. This will give councils the security and certainty they need to plan investment, and provide greater confidence about their future rental income to underpin their future house building plans. Furthermore, we will raise the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap by a total of up to £1 billion in areas of high affordability pressure, for local authorities who are ready to start building new homes. Local authorities will be able to bid for increases in their caps between 2019-20 and 2021/22.In addition, since 2011, we have delivered almost 30,000 supported housing units for disabled, vulnerable and older people. At Autumn Statement 2015, we announced £400 million for new specialist affordable homes for vulnerable, older or disabled people.
Internal Drainage Boards: Taxation
lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Internal Drainage Board Levies setting new funding baselines as part of the Local Authority Fair Funding Review.
lord bourne of aberystwyth: We are continuing to make good progress with our fair funding review of relative needs and resources, in close collaboration with the Local Government Association. Our recent consultation was an important opportunity for local authorities to tell us about factors which drive expenditure and I know Internal Drainage Board Levies were raised by some. We received over 300 responses to the consultation and these will be carefully considered in the coming weeks. We are considering factors which affect council tax income as part of our assessment of the relative resources available to authorities to fund local services, including Internal Drainage Board Levies, and we will consult on this area in due course.
Grenfell Tower: Fires
lord tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 11 April (HL6665), whether the commitment to provide lifetime tenancies in social housing extends to holders of tenancies in Grenfell Tower who had sublet their property and so were not resident at the time of the fire.
lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea committed that all households who were living in Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk as their main home immediately before the fire will be offered a lifetime tenancy in social housing, and the Council has made clear this includes:Council introductory or secure tenants;Resident leaseholders;Subtenants or lodgers of the above; andTenants of non-resident leaseholders.The Government continues to support the Council to deliver this commitment.
Ministry of Defence
Nuclear Weapons
baroness miller of chilthorne domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the promotion of measures such as (1) the no first use policy, (2) de-alerting, and (3) communication protocols, to support efforts to downgrade the threat of accidental nuclear weapon use.
earl howe: The United Kingdom's nuclear weapons policy is set out in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, and is kept under regular review.
Syria: Military Intervention
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total cost of the recent air strikes carried out by the RAF in response to the chemical attack on Douma.
earl howe: The costs of operational flying sorties are calculated on a net additional cost basis, i.e. they are based on those costs, over and above existing funding, that the Department would not have incurred but for the activity. As the aircraft involved were already deployed on operations, additional operating costs are not expected from the activity. No net additional costs for the weapons consumed will materialise unless the Department assesses that additional weapons must be procured to meet current planning assumptions.
Department for Work and Pensions
State Retirement Pensions
baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much higher the basic state pension is in 2018–19 than it was in 2010–11, following the increase announced in April by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
baroness buscombe: In 2010-11 the basic State Pension was £97.65 per week. In 2018-19 it is £125.95 per week, an increase since 2010-11 of £28.30 per week or over £1450 per annum. Legislation for the basic and new State Pensions allows for annual increases at least in line with average earnings growth. This ensures that people above State Pension age receive increases in their basic State Pension income that are in line with earnings growth in the population as a whole. In addition, this Government has committed to increases in line with the Triple Lock for the duration of this Parliament, ensuring that increases will be the highest of the growth in prices, earnings or 2.5%. For 2018/19 these pensions increased by 3% (the rate of prices growth under the Consumer Price Index). The full rate of basic State Pension is now £660 more than if it had been uprated by earnings over this period. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2018-04-25 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2018",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Armed Forces: Bowman
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Ministry of Defence intends to install the Bowman combat infrastructure platform programme in the Apache fleet in the future.
Lord Drayson: The Apache has an effective communications capability, including some connectivity with the Bowman network, allowing secure communication with key force elements. Decisions on full integration of this platform into the Bowman network will be made in time for Apache's mid-life upgrade.
Armed Forces: Bowman
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Ministry of Defence envisages a future operational capability being developed beyond, or in conjunction with, the Bowman combat infrastructure platform programme 5 as a result of the coalition blue force situational awareness demonstrator.
Lord Drayson: Following the success of the coalition blue force situational awareness demonstrator in showing it was technically possible to exchange tactical situational awareness data generated by the Bowman combat infrastructure platform system with United States systems, we expect that future enhancements of Bowman CIP capability will address the requirement to exchange coalition blue force situational awareness information.
Armed Forces: Bowman
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many personnel and units have been through the full Bowman conversion and training programme to date; and how many of these personnel and units are presently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lord Drayson: The Bowman radio system will only be received by units that require it for overseas operations or training purposes.
Some 35,500 personnel and 137 units have gone through the full Bowman conversion package to date. In addition, 17 units have received Bowman urgent operational requirement (UOR) training. Bowman UOR training is specific Bowman training provided to units that are due to deploy to a Bowman-equipped theatre prior to their programmed full conversion to Bowman. The course provides units with the relevant training and expertise for deployment on that specific operation.
12 Mechanised Brigade are currently deployed to Afghanistan and all its units have completed the full Bowman conversion and training programme; 19 Light Brigade, which is currently deployed to Iraq, has received Bowman UOR training with the exception of the Second Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment and 1 Squadron from the Queen's Royal Lancers, both of which have received full Bowman conversion.
Armed Forces: Nuclear Weapons
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have responded to the suggestion of Mikhail Gorbachev on 8 March that a final decision on maritime nuclear weapons replacements should not be made until after the next review conference of the non-proliferation treaty in 2010.
Lord Drayson: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, replied to the letter on 10 March.
On 14 March, the House of Commons voted to endorse the Government's plans for the future deterrent as set out in the White Paper The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994), published December 2006.
The timing of these decisions is driven by the expected lives of the Vanguard-class submarines and the estimated time it will take to design and build new boats.
Armed Forces: Postage
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will permit letters and packages to British forces personnel in Afghanistan and the Gulf region to be posted free of charge.
Lord Drayson: The Government have never charged to carry postal packets up to 2 kilogrammes through the British Forces Post Office system to personnel serving on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The cost payable is that charged by Royal Mail Group to carry postal packets from local post offices to the British Forces Post Office depot at Mill Hill, London. This means that the overall cost of postage to operational theatres is fixed at the standard UK inland rate for packages up to 2 kilogrammes (currently £5.31 for a 2 kilogramme packet), which are dispatched by surface mail; an air mail service is also available. However, for operational reasons an airmail-only service is operated to Iraq and Afghanistan. The cost of this service is currently £6.50 for a 2 kilogramme packet, which represents only 38 per cent of the Royal Mail Group airmail rate for those countries of £19.58. The prices charged by Royal Mail Group are a commercial decision for that organisation.
A scheme whereby the Government paid Royal Mail Group's charges was introduced on 17 April 2003, as a temporary measure unique to Iraq, at a time when service personnel did not have access to the welfare facilities now available in theatre. When the provision of goods and services in Iraq reached the required standard, the decision was taken to end the scheme on 8 April 2004. It was later reintroduced for a period of one month before Christmas 2004, and subsequently confirmed by the then Secretary of State for Defence, prior to Christmas 2005, that the government payment of Royal Mail Group charges in the pre-Christmas period was to become a standard element of the operational welfare package. The centrally funded posting dates for Christmas 2006 were 10 November to 8 December inclusive, for which Royal Mail Group charged the Government £577,000; this sum does not include the costs for additional air transport and onward distribution that were also paid for by the Government.
Armed Forces: Postage
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much they estimate that the British Forces Post Office (BFPO) receives in payment for packages and letters sent to British forces personnel in Afghanistan and the Gulf region on a monthly basis; and what are the operating costs of the BFPO to deliver such items to these destinations over the same period.
Lord Drayson: The British Forces Post Office (BFPO) does not receive payment for letters and packets sent to HM forces deployed to operational theatres in Afghanistan and the Gulf.
The distribution of mail to BFPOs overseas is heavily subsidised by the Ministry of Defence. The net operating cost of the BFPO for the year ended 31 March 2006 was £30,235,000. This figure does not include the cost of providing RAF transport, which delivers the majority of BFPO mail to operational theatres and permanent bases by air, or the costs incurred in distributing the mail to the individual addressees in theatre. To attempt to allocate these costs specifically to the mail being handled would involve disproportionate effort.
The BFPO does receive a limited contribution from Royal Mail Group (RMG) towards the cost of its UK operations, to reflect the work it does in collecting BFPO mail in bulk from a central RMG sorting office.
Austria: Freedom of Speech
Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Triesman on 19 April (HL3022), whether legislation in Austria provides for the exercise of freedom of speech on the circumstances in which (a) Armenians lost their lives in 1915-16, and (b) Jews lost their lives in Germany during the Second World War; and whether this legislation is compatible with membership of the European Union.
Lord Triesman: We are not aware of legislation in Austria preventing free discussion of the events in the then Ottoman Empire in 1915-16. Denial of the Holocaust is an offence in Austria and a number of other European states.
As well as their undertakings under other international human rights law, all members of the EU are obliged to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. Article 10 of the convention covers the right of freedom of expression, although that right may be subject to restrictions in certain circumstances specified in the convention. An individual prosecuted under national law in a member state of the EU may challenge the legislation in the European Court of Human Rights.
Census: Test Questions
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why, in the 2007 census test questions published by National Statistics, English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and Irish are provided as options for the national identity question when English, Irish and Other British are the options for the ethnic-group question; and why Irish is the only non-United Kingdom nationality given a specific option in the national identity question.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested falls within the responsibilities of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, Director of Macroeconomics and Labour Market,to Lord Laird dated 27 April 2007, replying in the absence of the National Statistician.
The questions for the 2007 test were developed based on consultation with users of census data. The census test provides the opportunity to test new and updated questions and the test questions are not necessarily those which will be included in the census in 2011. It is apparent that demands for information from the census are greater than are likely to be able to be accommodated and difficult trade-offs will need to be made.
After the 2001 census there was strong demand for information, especially on Welsh identification—and a national identity question was introduced into government surveys such as the labour force survey from 2001 onwards. National identity information is used to measure identification with different countries of the UK, as well as nations outside the UK. The question being used for the 2007 census test specifically lists the national identities of the UK and Ireland in order to meet specific user requirements and also to harmonise with proposals for the question to be asked in the Northern Ireland census. Other national identities are able to be recorded using a write-in box. We know that the question requires more development before it can be included in the 2011 census. However we need to know now that it would meet the user requirements before carrying out further question testing.
Another reason for measuring national identity is to separate it from ethnic group, to make it possible to record national identity as "British" at the same time as recording ethnic group as, for example, "Pakistani". There was criticism of the 2001 ethnic group question because the only category for British was listed under the heading "White".
A question on ethnic group was first asked in the 1991 census for the prime purpose of identifying areas with high levels of ethnic minority groups in order to help provide valuable information for planning and provision of services and monitoring racial disadvantage and social exclusion.
The categories identified in the current ethnic group question being used in the test have been developed from the frame of the 2001 census question which itself had resulted from an extensive programme of research and development. The question has adopted that mix of geographic origin and colour characteristics that testing had shown to be publicly most acceptable and from which the most useable statistics could be obtained. A separate "Irish" response category was included in the 2001 census ethnic group question as a result of representations made by census users, particularly from Irish community groups, for information to help monitor discrimination and measure health inequalities among the "Irish" population. Whilst ethnicity is clearly a dynamic characteristic when considered nationally—and the census must seek to reflect this as much as possible—an equally important criterion is the ability to compare the results from one census to another—and to that end the question must retain a degree of comparability over time.
We have recently conducted further consultation on user needs for information on ethnicity, national identity, and also language and religion from the 2011 census in England and Wales. This has focused in particular on assessing public acceptability of the descriptions of the ethnic categories. The relevant documents are available on the National Statistics website (see www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/cn_ 155.asp).
It is likely that the ethnicity classification will be updated for the 2011 census but it is not possible to confirm what questions and response categories are to be included until the consultation and testing programme is complete and formal approval is given by Parliament in 2010. A White Paper setting out the Government's proposals including the wording of any questions about ethnicity and identity is scheduled to be published in 2008.
Children: Secure Institutions
Lord Ramsbotham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much time children spend outdoors on average each week in the past 12 months in (a) young offender institutions; (b) secure training centres; and (c) local authority secure children's homes in England and Wales.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The information requested is not collected centrally, but young people under 18 in custody should spend an average of at least seven hours a week in the open air. For young offender institutions, this requirement is contained in Prison Service Order 4950 ("Care and Management of Young People") and for secure training centres and secure children homes in the Youth Justice Board's national standards for youth justice services.
Climate Change: Car Emissions
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking through the European Union Council of Ministers to persuade the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, and its United Kingdom section, to accept the European Council's target of 120 grams per kilometre for carbon dioxide emissions by 2012.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The European Commission currently has voluntary agreements in place with the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) and the two industry associations for Japanese and Korean manufacturers (together covering most cars sold in the EU), to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from new cars to 140g/km by 2008-09.
This target is unlikely to be met. In a recent communication, the Commission announced its intention to require industry to meet an efficiency target for 2012 through legislation. This would entail a target of 130g/km through improvements to the main structure of the car itself, and several other measures (for example, tyres with lower rolling resistance, and use of biofuels) contributing further savings, to make the target an equivalent of 120g/km.
We welcome the Commission's intention to introduce mandatory proposals. The Commission's proposal is still in its early stages: further detail on the mechanism of the target and how it would be implemented is yet to be decided. While we believe that the target is at around the right level, clearly this is a matter that will need careful thought and will involve much discussion with stakeholders. We have already started engaging with the key industry body in the UK, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, and will continue to do so.
Coast
Lord Howell of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people in the United Kingdom live in towns and villages on the sea coast.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Jil Matheson, Census Demography and Regional Statistics, to Lord Howell dated 30 April 2007, replying in the absence of the National Statistician.
There is no standard definition of "towns" and "villages" and so I am unable to provide a figure to answer your specific question.
You may, however, find it helpful to know that at the time of the last census in 2001, a total of 12,896,487 people lived in urban areas in England and Wales near the coastline. This represents 24.78 per cent of the total resident population (52,041,916).
For the purposes of this Question we have applied the definition of "urban areas" used in the census. This includes major urban agglomerations, cities and smaller towns defined in terms of their physical extent rather than by administrative boundaries. The "coast" (as defined by Ordnance Survey) includes tidal estuaries and rivers and so the figure includes people living in some urban areas that might more usually be regarded as being inland. The definition of "near the coastline" we have used is those "urban areas" whose boundaries fell wholly or partially within 500 metres of the "coast (mean high water)".
If you wish to discuss this further the contact within ONS on this topic is Alistair Calder, ONS Geography, tel: 01329 813562 e-mail: Alistair.Calder @ons.gsi.gov.uk.
Courts: Funding
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of concerns expressed by members of the Judges' Council, they will ensure that the cost of responsibilities, such as the Prison Service and offender management, will not put at risk the proper funding of the court service.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Lord Chancellor has a statutory duty under Section 1 of the Courts Act 2003 to,
"ensure that there is an efficient and effective system to support the carrying on of the business of the Supreme Court, county courts and magistrates' courts, and that appropriate services are provided for those courts".
There are no plans to change legislation regarding the duties of the Lord Chancellor.
Courts: Sentencing
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Who is responsible for ensuring that all sentencers understand the availability, effectiveness and limitations of non-custodial sentences.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Criminal Justice Act 2003 amended Section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 to require the Secretary of State to publish information enabling those engaged in the administration of justice to become aware of the relative effectiveness of different sentences in preventing reoffending and in promoting public confidence in the criminal justice system. The Research Development and Statistics Directorate within the National Offender Management Service publishes research on the effectiveness of sentences and interventions in reducing reoffending.
The Judicial Studies Board conducts training for judges and magistrates. The National Offender Management Service provides input to this training about the options available to sentencers for punishment in the community and evidence about relative effectiveness.
Liaison meetings are held regularly between probation and sentencers at a local level. These provide an opportunity for probation to provide up-to-date information about the availability within its area of different programmes and other provision which can form part of non-custodial sentences.
In their pre-sentence reports for the courts in individual cases, probation officers make clear when they consider that a non-custodial sentence is appropriate. They will explain why this is the case and deal with the availability of potential components of the sentence such as drug or alcohol treatment.
Crime: Domestic Violence
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What statistics on suicide arising out of domestic violence are collected either nationally or locally; and whether such statistics identify the gender of such suicide cases.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, Director of Macroeconomics and Labour Market, to Lord Campbell-Savours, dated 27 April 2007, replying in the absence of the National Statistician.
Statistics based on death registration identify the method of suicide and the age, gender, marital status and occupation of the deceased, but not the circumstances of or background to the event.
Crime: Rape
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration has been given to proposals for ending compensation in rape cases and introducing victim support and counselling services for post-experience trauma.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government have no plans to change the current arrangements.
Crossrail
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What contribution they intend to make from public funds to ensure the completion of Crossrail; and when they envisage that Crossrail will become operative.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Crossrail funding and financing issues will be considered further in the context of Sir Michael Lyons's recommendations and wider spending pressures and priorities. However, the affordability challenge represented by the scheme remains significant.
Subject to funding decisions and progress on the Bill, we would expect Crossrail to be constructed over the period to 2016 and for services to begin thereafter.
Fishing: Salmon and Sea Trout
Lord Dear: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in light of the decision by the Government of the Republic of Ireland to buy out, on a compulsory basis, all licences to take salmon and sea trout in drift nets off its coast, they will take steps to accelerate the closure of mixed-stock net fisheries for salmon and sea trout in England.
Lord Rooker: A policy has been in place since 1993 to phase out salmon fisheries in England and Wales that predominantly exploit mixed salmon stocks. In 2003, the Environment Agency confirmed that this policy also extends to sea trout.
Reduction in fishing has generally been by natural wastage as fishermen have retired, except where more urgent action has been required to conserve stocks or where arrangements could be made to compensate fishermen who were prepared to retire early.
We currently have no plans to modify this policy.
Fishing: Salmon and Sea Trout
Lord Dear: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which mixed-stock net fisheries in England for salmon and sea trout are expected to operate in 2007; which river stocks these fisheries predominantly exploit; and, in the case of salmon, which of these river stocks (a) are currently failing to meet their conservation limits; and (b) are expected to fail their conservation limits in 2010.
Lord Rooker: The following fisheries are described under the heading, "Stocks exploited by Mixed Stock Fisheries in England and Wales" in the EC report, Review of Mixed Stock Fisheries for Atlantic Salmon in European Community Waters Excluding the Baltic Sea1 , and will be operating in 2007:
North-east drift net and T&J net fishery—exploit Aln, Coquet, Tyne, Wear, Tees, Yorkshire Esk and eastern Scottish river stocks.Anglian coastal (mainly drift) net fishery—exploits mostly sea trout; only 15 salmon declared for 2006. Stocks derive from rivers in the north-east of England (as listed for the north-east fishery above) and the River Tweed in Scotland.The Severn estuary fishery (seine nets, lave nets and putchers)—exploits stocks from the Wye, Usk, Severn, Taff, Ely, Rhymney, Ebbw and Parrett.
The table below indicates which of the river stocks mentioned above (a) are currently failing to meet their conservation limits; and (b) are expected to fail their conservation limits in 2011.
River Currently failing CL (2006 data)? Current compliance with management objective(1)? Predicted compliance with management objective in 2011(2)?
Aln CL and management objective not set for this river
Coquet No Pass Pass
Tyne No Pass Pass
Wear No Pass Pass
Tees Yes Fail Fail
Yorkshire Esk No Uncertain Uncertain
Wye Yes Fail Fail
Severn No Uncertain Uncertain
Usk (Wales) No Uncertain Uncertain
Taff &Ely (Wales) Yes Fail Fail
Rhymney & Ebbw (Wales) & Parrett CLs and management objectives not set for these rivers
Note:
(1) The management objective is to meet or exceed conservation limits four years out of five
(2) The Environment Agency's predictions of compliance are to 2011 not 20101 Potter and O'Maoileidigh, 2006
Fishing: Salmon and Sea Trout
Lord Dear: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On which rivers in England licensed net fisheries for salmon and sea trout are expected to operate in 2007; and which of these rivers (a) are currently failing to meet their conservation limits; and (b) are expected to fail their conservation limits in 2010.
Lord Rooker: The information requested is set out in the table below:
River with net fishery Currently failing CL (2006 data)? Current compliance with management objective(1)? Predicted compliance with management objective in 2011(2)?
Hants Avon (3) Yes Fail Fail
Stour (3) Yes Fail Fail
Frome No Uncertain Uncertain
Piddle Yes Fail Fail
Exe No Uncertain Uncertain
Teign No Uncertain Uncertain
Dart Yes Fail Fail
Camel No Pass Pass
Fowey No Pass Pass
Taw No Uncertain Uncertain
Torridge Yes Fail Uncertain
Severn No Uncertain Uncertain
Wye Yes Fail Fail
Dee No Uncertain Uncertain
Ribble No Uncertain Uncertain
Lune No Pass Pass
Kent No Pass Pass
Leven Yes Fail Uncertain
Duddon No Uncertain Uncertain
Eden No Uncertain Uncertain
Border Esk No Uncertain Uncertain
Notes:
(1) The management objective is to meet or exceed conservation limits four years out of five
(2) Our predictions are for failure of management objective in 2011 not 2010
(3) Avon and Stour nets fish for sea trout and release all salmon caught
Health: Stem Cell Therapy
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is (a) the number of scientists, and (b) the total allocation of public and private funds currently allocated in the United Kingdom for the development of embryonic stem cells and to work on adult stem cells.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Statistics on the allocation of private funds available for the number of scientists involved in embryonic or adult stem cell research are not collected centrally.
In the March 2005 Budget, the Chancellor announced the establishment of the UK Stem Cell Initiative (UKSCI). A task force led by Sir John Pattison developed a vision and costed strategy, covering the period 2006 to 2015, to make the United Kingdom a global leader in stem cell research. The UKSCI report was published in December 2005 and made 11 recommendations. In their response, the Government accepted the recommendations in full. As a result, the Government have allocated an additional £50 million, bringing total investment up to £100 million, for stem cell research between 2006 and 2008.
Health: Stem Cell Therapy
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What hazards to health have been identified in connection with the use of embryonic stem cell therapies; and what therapies are currently available in which embryonic stem cells are being used; and
What hazards to health have been identified in connection with the use of adult stem cells; and what therapies are currently available in which adult stem cells are used.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The UK Stem Cell Initiative report in 2005 summarised experience with the clinical application of stem cell knowledge in areas such as bone marrow transplantation, skin grafting and eye surgery. It also noted the potential concerns over the safety and efficacy of other types of stem cell therapies and recommended specialist research ethics committee oversight of pioneering trials of stem cells. Some stem cell clinical trials will already fall under the remit of the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee. Its membership has been strengthened to provide oversight of other relevant stem cell clinical trials and to act as a source of expert advice to researchers and other research ethics committees.
Home Office: Response to EU Committee
Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 23 April (WA 118), whether they will now answer Question for Written Answer HL3073 by Lord Jopling.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 23 April (WA 118).
Housing: Fuel Poverty
Lord Whitty: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What energy efficiency measures and fuel poverty prevention measures they plan to include in future (a) building regulations, and (b) decent homes standards in the social housing sector.
Baroness Andrews: The building regulations apply whenever work is carried out and the current energy efficiency requirements came into effect in April 2006. In the consultation document Building a Greener Future issued on 13 December 2006, the Government proposed improvements in the requirements by 25 per cent in 2010 and of 44 per cent in 2013 leading to a zero-carbon standard in 2016. The response is still being analysed. Before any amendment is made the detailed proposals will be subject to formal consultations, and they will include a review of the provision for works on existing homes as well as new construction. The building regulations do not address fuel poverty.
The decent homes standard has done much to address fuel poverty by increasing the energy efficiency of social housing stock and the homes of vulnerable people in the private sector. We have no plans to change the decent homes standard at this time.
Using the Government's standard assessment procedure for the energy rating of homes (SAP ratings) the average score for new dwellings built to 2006 standards is around 80. For social housing in 2003 the average is around 57, compared to 48 in 2001, whereas the average SAP rating for private housing was 50, up from 45. The SAP rating performance scale extends from 1 (poor) to 100 (excellent).
Immigration
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they allow officials from their embassies to interview foreign national asylum seekers for the purpose of documenting them only after the asylum seekers have exhausted their rights of appeal.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: No application for a travel document will be submitted to any foreign Government until any application for asylum has been refused. If the application has been refused, but an appeal is pending, then we would not delay applying for the travel document. For the purpose of satisfactorily establishing the nationality and identity of an individual, foreign government officials may interview the individual. However, Her Majesty's Government do not disclose information about the individual's asylum claim to other Governments.
Immigration: Asylum Seekers
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they propose to take to regularise the status of asylum seekers, particularly with regard to the right to work.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government will continue to consider asylum applications in accordance with current policy. We have no plans to allow those awaiting a decision on their asylum applications to work. However, asylum seekers may seek permission to take employment if their asylum claim remains outstanding for longer than 12 months without the Border and Immigration Agency making a decision on it, provided the reason for the delay cannot be attributed to them. Asylum seekers who are destitute are eligible to apply for asylum support.
Immigration: IND Caseholders
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Evans of Temple Guiting on 26 February (WA 292), what is the range of the number of cases held by each caseholder in the Immigration and Nationality Department.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: It is not possible to provide these data.
The Border and Immigration Agency is formed of many teams where differing priorities result in quotas and targets being set locally. The number of cases that any caseholder has at any time is affected by the intake, available resources and the individuality of each case, which can be complex and require further information.
Management data track cases individually rather than by caseholder.
Immigration: Torture
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Evans of Temple Guiting on 26 February (WA 292), what instructions or advice are available to an Immigration and Nationality Department caseworker who receives a report from a medical practitioner expressing concern that a detained asylum applicant may have suffered torture; and what steps the caseworker is expected to take.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The current asylum policy instruction and the asylum process manual instruction dealing with the involvement of the medical foundation are available to caseworkers and case owners on the Border and Immigration Agency's internal asylum website. These documents set out the steps that caseworkers and case owners need to follow. They are published on the external website at www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/asylumpolicyinstructions/and www.ind.home office.gov.uk/documents /chapter2/.
Work is under way to draw up a combined policy and process instruction for asylum caseworkers and case owners on medical evidence, including allegations of torture.
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What revenue is gained by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency from interest gained on fees paid by pharmaceutical companies and held by the agency pending (a) assessment work being completed, and (b) refunds of fees made to applicants.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: As Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) funds from all its various sources of revenue are co-mingled and used to cover all its expenditures, it is not possible to identify which funds earning interest come from fees paid by pharmaceutical companies and held by the agency pending assessment work being completed and refunds of fees made to applicants.
The most recent published accounts for the MHRA show that in 2005-06 the agency received £463,000 in interest that year.
North Korea: Refugees
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What information they have received from their diplomatic missions in south-east Asia about North Korean refugees, including some children, reaching that region; and whether they have received representations from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on that issue and on the treatment of North Koreans in China.
Lord Triesman: We are aware of recent media reports of North Korean refugees arriving in south-east Asia. Where appropriate, we will continue to lobby against the forcible expatriation to North Korea of people who do not wish to return.
Our missions in the region have so far not received representations from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). We continue to lobby for the UNHCR to have a role in the handling of North Korean refugees in China, as elsewhere.
Passports: Interviews
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the addresses of the passport interview offices in Wales; how many staff there are at each office; and what has been the total expenditure on premises, equipment and staff to 1 February 2007.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There will be four interview offices located in Wales and the information is in the table.
The Identity and Passport Service is unable to separately identify the expenditure on these offices within the total 2006-07 costs of the whole office network.
Office Address Staff (full and part-time)
Newport 15th floor, Chartist Tower, Upper Dock Street, Newport, NP20 1DW 10
Swansea Axis Court, Riverside Business Park, Swansea, SA7 OAJ 8
Wrexham First floor, Kingsway House, Ellice Way, Wrexham, LL13 7YT 7
Aberystwyth Not yet acquired 4
People Trafficking
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will withdraw their derogation from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child before Parliament ratifies the European convention on action against trafficking.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Council of Europe convention on trafficking deals with particular activities that we are also seeking to combat. It defines those activities and sets out procedures to combat them that are practical, in such a way that signatories are aware when they are achieving compliance. It requires parties who sign to accept back a victim of trafficking who is a national, and that children will not be returned if there is an indication, following a risk and security assessment, that such a return would not be in the "best interests" of the child.
The UN convention does not contain such definitions. It is written in terms of broad statements rather than precise legal language and it is possible for signatory countries to interpret it in different ways. Notwithstanding the reservation, we consider that we have sufficient protection for children and safeguards for their welfare in our own domestic laws.
Peru: Alberto Fujimori
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made representations to the Government of Chile in support of Peru's request for the extradition from Chile of former President Alberto Fujimori, to face charges related to human rights violations, corruption and money laundering.
Lord Triesman: The Government have not made representations to the Government of Chile in support of Peru's request for the extradition from Chile of former President Alberto Fujimori. This is a matter for the Peruvian and Chilean authorities.
Prisoners: Parole
Lord Eden of Winton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the replies by the Attorney-General on 12 March (Official Report, cols. 441-43), whether they will review the rules governing parole for prisoners convicted of a sexual offence who continue to protest their innocence; and
What consideration is being given to the case of Karl Smith, a prisoner at HM Prison Littlehey, who protests his innocence and has received legal advice that for that reason he may not be eligible for parole.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Applications for release on parole licence are considered by the independent Parole Board and it would not be appropriate to comment upon consideration being given to individual cases.
There is no requirement for an offender to admit guilt prior to making an application for parole, nor is denial of guilt a bar to release on parole. Whether an offender denies the offence or not, the Parole Board must always satisfy itself that the risk of reoffending is sufficiently reduced not to jeopardise the safety of the public before it directs release. In doing so its starting point will always be that the offender was properly convicted by the courts. The Government are satisfied that this is appropriate.
Taxation: VAT
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 27 March 2002 (WA 72), why HM Revenue and Customs Notice 701/39, VAT Liability Law (August 2004) limits to 2,300 litres the amount of fuel oil, gas oil and kerosene which are deemed to be for domestic use at the reduced rate of VAT; and whether two deliveries, each under 2,300 litres, which together exceed 2,300 litres, made on the same day to the same premises qualify for the reduced rate of VAT.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The reduced rate of VAT for fuel and power applies to supplies for "qualifying use", which the VAT Act 1994 specifies as meaning domestic and charity non-business use. All other supplies of fuel and power have been subject to the standard rate of VAT since 1990.
"Domestic use" includes supplies for use in dwellings and certain other residential accommodation, regardless of the quantity supplied. As a simplification measure, the law deems certain supplies within specified limits as always being for domestic use.
For supplies of fuel oil, gas oil or kerosene the specified limit is,
"a supply of not more than 2,300 litres".
To guard against any possible abuse of the reduced rate, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) regards "a supply" as comprising all deliveries to one site on one day, even if there are separate delivery notes or invoices.
HMRC Notice 701/19, VATFuel and Power, contains detailed guidance on the VAT liability of supplies of fuel and power in particular circumstances.
Telephone Numbers: FCO
Lord Tyler: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many non-geographic telephone numbers are in use by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its agencies; what services can be accessed by calling each of them; and what revenue has been received from them between September 2004 and September 2006.
Lord Triesman: There are three non-geographic telephone numbers in use by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and its agencies in the UK. Two are used for consular and visa inquiries, and one is for use by internal staff in the event of an emergency. No revenue was accrued by the FCO during the period September 2004-September 2006 in relation to these numbers.
It would incur disproportionate cost to compile the information requested by the noble Lord in relation to FCO missions overseas.
Telephone Numbers: MoD
Lord Tyler: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many non-geographic telephone numbers are in use by the Ministry of Defence and its agencies; what services can be accessed by calling each of them; and what revenue has been received from them between September 2004 and September 2006.
Lord Drayson: The use of 0800, 0845 or 0870 numbers in the department and its agencies is determined at local level in accordance with individual business requirements and ordered directly from the supplier. Records of these numbers are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Telephone Numbers: Treasury
Lord Tyler: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many non-geographic telephone numbers are in use by HM Treasury and its agencies; what services can be accessed by calling each of them; and what revenue has been received from them between September 2004 and September 2006.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested is not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Ukraine
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assistance they are providing to the Government of the Ukraine, through European institutions or bilaterally, towards the resolution of current constitutional and political issues in that country.
Lord Triesman: The UK and EU are urging Ukraine's leaders to act peacefully, responsibly and democratically, to respect the rule of law and to work together in support of the national interest. EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso have spoken regularly to the main political players. Our embassy in Kiev has been closely engaged with all the parties. There has been no formal invitation for foreign mediation in the crisis and the onus for now is on Ukraine's political leaders to find a democratic solution. The UK is ready to help underpin a compromise deal when it emerges.
My right honourable friend the Minister for Europe, Geoff Hoon, made clear during his visit to Kiev on 26 and 27 February that the UK firmly supports Ukraine's commitment to political and economic reform. The EU is supporting Ukraine's programme of reform through the European Neighbourhood Policy, which offers deeper EU-Ukraine relations in return for progress on key reforms. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's global opportunities fund currently disperses around half a million pounds under its Reuniting Europe programme in Ukraine, including to projects that support Ukraine's policy of EU integration, particularly in the field of improved governance. The Council of Europe supports Ukraine's democratic development through regular monitoring of its obligations and commitments. Secretary-General Terry Davis has confirmed that the Council of Europe stands ready to offer further help to Ukraine in the context of a political settlement to the current crisis, particularly in the field of elections and any possible future constitutional commission.
Voice Risk Analysis
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What estimate they have made of the cost of the proposed pilot of voice risk analysis technology for reviews of housing benefit and council tax benefit claims in Harrow Council.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The estimate for the cost to the department of the pilot of voice risk analysis for reviews of housing benefit and council tax benefit claims by Harrow Council is £62,800.
Voice Risk Analysis
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much they estimate that they will pay to Capita and DigiLog UK for their assistance in the development and implementation of the pilot of voice risk analysis technology for Harrow Council.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: So far, the department has agreed to pay Harrow Council £62,800 to conduct the pilot. In this instance no payments will be made by the department direct to any contractor.
Voice Risk Analysis
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they intend to assess the results of the pilot of voice risk analysis technology in Harrow Council.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The pilot will be evaluated by the department in conjunction with Harrow Council. A range of statistical and other methods will be used to determine the effectiveness of the technology and ensure that it represents value for money.
Voice Risk Analysis
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they will ensure that the normal voice of an individual, as measured by the voice risk analysis, is the usual voice of the individual.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Voice risk analysis enables a risk score to be produced based on the changes in voice frequency made during a telephone call, which should not be affected by the caller adopting an unusual voice. However, the accuracy of the technology will be tested as part of the pilot.
Voice Risk Analysis
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the length of the contract given to Harrow Council to pilot voice risk analysis technology.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The department does not have a contract with Harrow Council but is making funding available to the council for a contract to pilot voice risk analysis scheduled to last for one year from 21 May 2007.
Voice Risk Analysis
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they plan to roll out voice risk analysis technology on Jobcentre Plus systems; and how much they estimate spending on this.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Jobcentre Plus will test how voice risk analysis technology works with its systems later this year. Any decision concerning plans to roll out on a wider scale and estimates of the cost will be made once a full evaluation of this test has been carried out.
Waste Management: Chemicals
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many parts per million of Aroclor 1254 in water would affect the immune, neurological, reproductive and endocrine systems of fish, rats, sheep, cattle and humans; what levels would cause death; for how long the chemical remains active in the environment; and for how long these effects have been known.
Lord Rooker: Aroclor 1254 is a mixture of more than 80 different polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) chemicals. PCBs are practically insoluble in water. Available data for aquatic life indicate effects on mortality, growth and reproduction at concentrations of 8 micrograms/litre. There is little information on the effects on sheep or cattle, nor on the endocrine-disrupting effects of PCBs on aquatic life. A single oral dose of 1 to 1.3 grams of Aroclor 1254 per kilogram of bodyweight has been reported as sufficient to kill half a group of treated rats.
The UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) issued a statement on PCBs in 1997, and recommended that, where humans are exposed to a mixture of PCBs, the risk to health can be assessed by reference to the tolerable daily intake (TDI) rather than concentration. The TDI is based on the most sensitive end-point and will protect against the risk of other adverse effects.
After reviewing the animal toxicity data on commercial PCB mixtures, COT concluded that the most critical effects—that is, those seen at the lowest level of exposure—are those on the skin, the immune system, reproduction and postnatal behavioural development. It was not possible to derive no adverse effect levels (NOAELs) for these effects from the available data but it is possible to derive lowest observed adverse effect levels (LOAELs) by means of tests on animals. A LOAEL of 5 micrograms (micrograms)/kg bw/day for Aroclor 1254 was identified for effects on the skin and on the immune system, while the effect on the reproductive system was considered to lie in the range from 5 to 30 micrograms/kg bw/day.
In the UK, the sale of PCBs for use in open applications was prohibited in 1972 and their manufacture and use in new plant and equipment prohibited in 1986. Since then, the phase-out of any remaining uses has been of PCBs sealed in older equipment and phase-out by 2010 is required by EU legislation. Action has been taken at both national and global level; the UK is a signatory to the Stockholm convention, a global treaty signed by 151 countries with the objective to protect human health and the environment from a range of 12 chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants including PCBs. Under the convention the use, manufacture, import and export of the 12 listed substances including PCBs is banned.
Young Offender Institutions: Brinsford
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the most recent situation at Brinsford young offender institution as regards (a) open air exercise, and (b) showers or baths for inmates; and whether there have been improvements since December 2006.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Young people at Brinsford currently have 1.5 hours of outdoor physical education each week. A staff re-profile is due to take place shortly, which will provide daily time in the fresh air.
Approximately 90 per cent of young people have daily access to showers. In exceptional circumstances where operational pressures require it, showers may not be offered to all young people at the weekend. A programme of shower room refurbishment is in progress on the main accommodation blocks, providing improved decoration and modesty screens. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2007-04-30b | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2007",
"language": "en",
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British Council: Global Health Issues
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How the reorganisation of the British Council will ensure that the role of Britain in global health concerns will be strengthened.
Baroness Amos: Under the reorganisation of the British Council, global health issues will be further strengthened by their integration into the council's broader governance portfolio. This will include areas such as health sector reform, child protection and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Current work will be underpinned by the recruitment of a health professional at the senior management level and a senior practising surgeon on a consultancy basis.
The British Council's science department will continue its work in the field of bio-medicine.
Algeria
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider the human rights situation in Algeria to have improved since the European Union signed an association agreement with Algeria on 22 April, given that the agreement contains a clause requiring the contracting parties to promote and protect human rights.
Baroness Amos: The signature of the EU/Algeria Association Agreement on 22 April marked the conclusion of negotiations between the EU and Algeria. The next stage is ratification of the agreement by all member states, the European Community and Algeria. Only after all have ratified will the agreement enter into force. This therefore means that neither
the trade provisions nor the other provisions of the agreement are at present binding. However, signature of the association agreement means that when the agreement does enter into force the EU will be in a position to monitor closely adherence to the human rights principles laid out in the text of the association agreement:
"Relations between the Parties, as well as all provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this agreement".
The agreement provides for dialogue through the creation of an EU-Algeria Association Council at ministerial level and association committee at senior official level. These bodies will follow up and monitor the agreement on a regular basis, including, of course, respect for human rights.
The ratification process also provides member states with the opportunity to raise their concerns about human rights in Algeria.
South Asia
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What decisions were taken by the meeting of G8 Foreign Ministers on 12 to 13 June with regard to the international community's goal of reducing the levels of tension in South Asia and realising more stable relations between India and Pakistan.
Baroness Amos: At their meeting on 12–13 June,
G8 Foreign Ministers set out their commitment to continuing to work with India and Pakistan to deal with the fundamental problems underlying the current crisis and to sustaining co-ordinated diplomatic efforts in the region.
The international community remains fully engaged in seeking further de-escalation and in encouraging India and Pakistan to work towards a lasting settlement of their differences.
Prisoners: Self-inflicted Deaths
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many suicides and how many attempts at suicide there have been inside HM Prisons in each of the last four six-month periods for which figures are available.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The figures requested are set out in the tables.
Self-inflicted deaths 2000–02
Year First half (Jan–June) Second half (July–Dec)
2000 39
2001 31 42
2002 *44
* As at 5 July 2002.
It is important to note that the Prison Service uses the term "self-inflicted deaths" to refer to all apparent suicides.
Attempted suicide/self-harm incidents 2000–02
Year First half (Jan–June) Second half (July–Dec)
2000 2,762
2001 3,307 4,179
2002 *4,524
* As at 5 July 2002.
The Prison Service currently makes no distinction between incidents of self-harm and attempted suicides.
Prisoners: Transfers
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to ensure that next of kin are notified when prisoners are moved to another prison so that visits will not be missed.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: For confidentiality reasons, there are no plans to make it a requirement for the Prison Service to inform a prisoner's next of kin when a transfer takes place. Subject to security considerations, prisoners are normally notified of their transfer in advance.
It is a mandatory requirement for prisoners to be allowed to make telephone calls immediately on reception to a new establishment so that they can inform their next of kin of their new location if they wish to do so. They also have access to telephones on each association period and may also ask prison staff to contact their next of kin on their behalf. In addition, there is provision for prisoners to be issued with special letters, over and above any statutory entitlement, which may be sent at public expense, either before or immediately after the transfer takes place.
Ms Lindis Percy
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the cost of detaining Ms Lindis Percy in custody for 11 days following her arrest on a charge of aggravated trespass; what was the cost to the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts of dealing with the case.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Ms Lindis Percy was remanded into custody at Holloway Prison on 4 March 2002 and was bailed on 12 March 2002, a total of nine days. The annual cost of holding a prisoner at Holloway in 2001–02 was £40,020. On this basis the cost of detaining Ms Lindis Percy in Holloway for nine days is estimated to be £991.
Generally, Crown Prosecution Services costs for specific cases are not available, as records are not kept to this level of detail. Averages of various case types are kept, however. The average cost of a case prepared for summary trial is £395. The approximate cost for the court time in this case was £600. This does not include legal aid costs or other agencies' costs. The total cost is estimated to be £1,986.
Boris Project
Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their view of the Boris Project (Blakenhurst Offender Rehabilitation and Resettlement in Solihull); and where they intend to continue to fund it.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government Office for the West Midlands has funded this project in order to provide the potential for seamless throughcare and action planning from the point of arrest through to resettlement. The project has been awarded funding under the Partnership Development Fund of some £238,000 up until the end of 2002–03. Feedback so far from the scheme has been encouraging, Funding beyond 2002–03 will depend on availability of funding following decisions on the Spending Review.
Terrorism Arrests
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Mr M Karayilan, Mr K Ceren, Mr O Gecsoyler and Mr N Noori, arrested on 15 March, and since held in HM Prison Belmarsh, have been charged with offences; if so, what offences; whether bail has been refused, and, if so, on what grounds.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I can confirm that Oruc Gecsoyler, Kahraman Ceren, Mehemet Karayilan and Noori Noori have been arrested and charged with offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. A trial date has been set for 8 August 2002. As this matter is sub judice it would not be right for me to comment further.
Rehabilitation of Offenders
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 intends to report.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 has completed its work. The report, Breaking the Circle, is published today. A copy has been placed in the Library.
European Arrest Warrant
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list the offences covered by the European arrest warrant; and whether they will indicate which, if any, are not offences in the United Kingdom.
Lord Filkin: The framework decision on the European arrest warrant can apply to all offences which carry a maximum sentence of at least 12 months' imprisonment or, in conviction cases, where a sentence of at least four months' imprisonment has been imposed.
The United Kingdom Government are not responsible for the criminal justice systems of other European Union (EU) member states. It is therefore not possible to provide a list of offences which will be covered.
Accommodation for Victims of Trafficking
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will discuss with the Housing Corporation the provision of housing where the victims of human trafficking may receive protection and support.
Lord Filkin: Our work on the provision for the victims of trafficking is at an early stage. Our proposals are set out in the White Paper Secure Borders, Safe Haven. We wish to have discussions with the voluntary sector and government departments and agencies, including the Housing Corporation, about the provision of safe accommodation and other services.
House of Lords Membership
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider it appropriate for non-British citizens to sit in the House of Lords.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: The Government are content with the existing provisions by which Commonwealth citizens and Irish Republic nationals can take seats in the House of Lords, reflecting the political ties that exist between the United Kingdom and the nations concerned.
Criminal Justice System Annual Report
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to publish the criminal justice system annual report for 2001–02.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary, my noble and learned friend the Attorney-General and I will today be publishing jointly an annual report for the criminal justice system for England and Wales.
The document is a report back on the criminal justice system business plan 2001–02. It summarises the progress which has been made in modernising the criminal justice system, building on what was reported in the previous two annual reports.
Copies of the report will be placed in the Library of the House.
Crumlin Road Courthouse
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have for the former court house in the Crumlin Road in Belfast.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Ownership of the Crumlin Road Courthouse in Belfast transferred to the private sector for a nominal sum in July 1999 as an integral part of the public private partnership scheme to develop Laganside Court. Dunloe Ewart Plc is the current owner of the property.
RPIX
Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the change in the RPIX for the month of June compared with the previous 12 months; and what would be the figure if it were to be calculated on an inflation formula similar to that in other Common Market countries.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated July 2002.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question in which you asked what was the change in the RPIX for the month of June compared with the previous 12 months; and what would be the figure if it were to be calculated on an inflation formula similar to that in other Common Market countries. [HL5169]
The twelve month percentage change in the RPIX for the month of June 2002 is 1.5 per cent.
The Harmonised Indices of Consumer Price Indices (HICPs) are calculated in each member state of the European Union for the purposes of European comparison, as required by the Maastricht Treaty. The twelve month percentage change in the UK HICP for the month of June 2002 is 0.6 per cent.
The latest Consumer Price Indices can be found on the National Statistics website www.statistics.gov.uk under Latest Economic Indicators.
RPIX
Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the most significant differences in the manner in which the continental inflation rate is calculated as compared with the RPIX.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated July 2002.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on the most significant differences between the calculation of the continental inflation index and the Retail Prices Index excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX). [HL5170]
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Commission calculates the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for the European Union as a whole, and for the Member States of the Euro area. It is compiled from individual HICPs calculated by each EU Member State. The HICP is the measure of inflation used by the European Central Bank for monitoring price stability within the Euro area.
The rules underlying the construction of the HICP are specified in a series of European Regulations. While the methodology of the HICP is similar to that of RPIX in a number of respects, it differs in the following ways:
Method of Aggregation: The HICP uses the geometric mean to aggregate prices at the most basic level whereas RPIX uses arithmetic means.
Weights: the weights underlying the HICP are based on the expenditure of all private households in the UK, foreign visitors to the UK, and residents of institutional households. RPIX weights are restricted to the expenditure of private households, excluding the richest four per cent, and pensioner households largely dependent on state benefits. Also expenditure on insurance is treated differently when constructing weights. For construction of the RPIX weights, expenditure is assigned to the relevant insurance heading. However, for the HICP weights, the amount paid out in insurance claims is distributed amongst the Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP) headings according to the nature of the claims expenditure, with the residual (service charge) being allocated to the relevant insurance heading.
Classification: The coverage of the HICP is based on the international classification system, COICOP. RPIX uses a bespoke classification system developed for the RPI.
Coverage of items: A number of series used for RPIX are excluded from the HICP, most notably those mainly relating to owner-occupiers' housing costs e.g. Council Tax, depreciation, buildings insurance. In addition the HICP includes series which are not currently included in RPIX. These include, air fares, university accommodation fees and unit trust and stockbrokers charges. In addition, the index for new cars in RPIX is imputed from movements in second hand car prices, whereas the HICP uses a quality adjusted index based on published prices of new cars.
Further details of the HICP are given in a series of Economic Trends articles available on the National Statistics Website: www.statistic.gov.uk/HICP.
Each month, the ONX publishes in the Consumer Prices First release a numerical breakdown of the differences between the HICP and RPIX. Below is the breakdown of differences as published in the May First release.
Difference between annual rates HICP-RPIX Breakdown of differences (unrounded figures)
rounded figures unrounded figures housing components excluded from HICP other differences in coverage of goods and services Formua effect coverage of weights
2002
March –0.8 –0.73 –0.40 0.09 –0.42 0.01
April –1.0 –0.96 –0.52 –0.02 –0.42 0.01
May –1.0 –0.96 –0.62 0.01 –0.42 0.07
(1) Difference due to use of different formulae to aggregate prices at the most basic level.
RPIX
Lord Jacobs: asked her Majesty's Government:
What would be the change in the RPIX for the months of December 1998, 1999, 2001 and June 2002 compared with the previous 12 months if the depreciation of owner occupied houses which has been a component of the index since 1995 were to be excluded from 1 January 1998; and how this compares with the RPIX of the relevant months.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated July 2002.
As National Statistican I have been asked to reply to your recent question in which you asked what would be the change in the RPIX for the months of December 1998, 1999, 2001 and June 2002 compared with the previous 12 months if the depreciation of owner occupied houses were to be excluded from 1 January 1998; and how this compares with the RPIX of the relevant months. [HL5171]
These figures are provided in the following table:
Percentage change over 12 months
RPIX RPIX excluding depreciation
Dec 1998 2.6 2.4
Dec 1999 2.2 1.9
Dec 2001 1.9 1.7
Jun 2002 1.5 1.1
These figures are published each month in table 2 of the Consumer Price Indicies First Release and on the National Statistics Website www.statistics.gov.uk.
United States: War Loans to UK
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 27 May (WA 127) concerning the six occasions on which the United Kingdom deferred payments to the United States Government, when were these occasions; and what was the reason in each case.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The United Kingdom, as allowed for under the loan agreement, deferred payments on the Second World war debt to the United States Government in 1956, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1976. These deferments have occurred after considering the conditions of international exchange and the level of the United Kingdom's foreign currency and gold reserves.
United States: War Loans to UK
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether all the war-related debt to the United States from the period of the First World War has been paid off in full; if not, when it will be, and how much the debt was in the first place.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: At the end of the First World War the United Kingdom debt to the United States amounted to around £850 million. Repayments of the debt were made between 1923 and 1931. In 1931 President Hoover of the United States proposed a one-year moratorium on all war debts, which allowed extensive international discussions on the general problems of debt repayment to be held. However no satisfactory agreement was reached, In the absence of such an agreement no payments have been made to, or received from, other nationals since 1934.
At the time of the moratorium the United Kingdom was owed more by other nations (£2,269 billion) than the outstanding principal it owed the United States ($4,368 billion).
Armed Forces Personnel Processes
Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there are plans for a review of Armed Forces personnel processes.
Lord Bach: A review of Armed Forces personnel processes is to be carried out this year. Preliminary work (Phase 1) has defined the scope of the study and identified the processes concerned. The aim of the review is to ensure that the outcome of the processes (providing the Armed Forces with the right number of people with the right skills in the right place at the right time) is achieved effectively and as efficiently as possible.
The review will proceed in two further phases, under the sponsorship of the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel). Phase 2 will identify management, organisational and structural options for improving the delivery of the personnel process outputs. The examination will include the busines planning and performance management framework within which these processes operate. The sponsor expects to receive the report early in 2003. Phase 3, to be completed in mid-2003, will develop more detailed proposals for improvements in future performance and service delivery.
This process-based review, whose approach is support by the Treasury and Cabinet Office, will replace planned quinquennial reviews of the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency (NRTA), the Army Training and Recruiting Agency (ATRA) and the RAF's Training Group Defence Agency (TGDA). Although the future of these agencies will be considered in detail, the review will focus on end-to-end processes, and not primarily on historical agency performance.
The review team will conduct wide consultation with representatives of stakeholders. However, the team will be interested to hear the views of other organisations or individuals (including people currently in the Armed Forces) who would like to make a contribution to the review. Those wishing to
do so should send their contributions by Monday 16 September by post to:
Service Personnel Processes Review Team,
c/o 2nd Floor Open Plan
Ministry of Defence
St Giles Court,
1–13 St Giles High Street,
London WC2H 8LD
or by e-mail to: [email protected]
President of Ireland: Visits to UK
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many visits to the United Kingdom by Mary McAleese, President of the Republic of Ireland, have been organised in conjunction with the Irish Embassy.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Her Majesty's Government and the Irish Embassy have co-operated in the organisation of 10 visits by President McAleese to the United Kingdom since her inauguration as President in 1997. We understand that the President of Ireland has also made a number of private visits, on which the FCO does not keep records.
Illegal Residence and Employment
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the number of foreign persons living and working illegally in each member state of the European Union.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: By its nature, the scale of illegal residence and employment is extremely difficult to measure. For the UK, while there are no accurate means of estimating the numbers involved, the most reliable indicators suggest that they could run into hundreds of thousands. We do not hold such information in respect of other European Union countries.
Turkey
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Turkey has signed or ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and its draft optional protocol; and, if not, whether they will ask Turkey to do so.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Turkey signed and ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture in August 1998.
No country has signed or ratified the draft optional protocol. Once the draft optional protocol has been adopted, the UK will encourage all countries to sign and ratify it.
Hunting with Dogs
Lord Donoughue: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 19 June (WA 88), whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has asked the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals if it has the resources to find homes for up to 16,000 hounds, should hunting with hounds be banned.
Lord Whitty: No. My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Rural Affairs (Alun Michael) has written to interested organisations, including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, inviting them to contribute their views and evidence, in particular on the issues of cruelty and utility. If the society wishes to offer advice on the issue of hunting hounds my right honourable friend will take any views into account.
Foot and Mouth: Computer Models
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the computer models used in the March 2001 to predict the probable course of the foot-and-mouth outbreak have yet to be peer reviewed.
Lord Whitty: The Government do not propose to ask for any peer review of those models used in March 2001. Defra made extensive use of a computer simulation model, Interspread, originally developed in New Zealand. For the control policies in operation in late March, the model predicted an epidemic of 1,800 to 1,900 affected farms and estimated that the epidemic would be eradicated by between July and October 2001, with a low probability of continuing beyond October 2001.
New Homes
Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the average rate per annum of construction of new homes for the periods (a) 1946–2001; and (b) 1946–50; 1951–55; 1956–60; 1961–65; 1966–70; 1971–75; 1976–80; 1981–85; 1986–90; 1991–95; 1996–2001.
Lord Rooker: The average rates per annum of construction of new homes in England for the periods requested, are shown in the table below.
Period Average rate per annum of construction of new homes (thousands)
(a) 1946–2001 214.6
(b) 1946–50 137.8
1951–55 237.2
1956–60 248.0
1961–65 284.3
1966–70 324.8
1971–75 261.5
1976–80 236.0
1981–85 169.6
1986–90 182.9
1991–95 151.6
1996–2001 141.0 | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2002-07-17a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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"language": "en",
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Education Action Zones
Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 11 November 1999 (WA 196-198) regarding evaluation reports on Education Action Zones, whether they will indicate what progress has been made in the publication of such reports.
Baroness Blackstone: We intend to publish a progress report in the next six months.
Education Action Zones
Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 11 November 1999 (WA 196-198) regarding a statement of private sector contributors to each Education Action Zone, whether they will indicate what progress has been made in providing such a statement. [HL
Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.
Baroness Blackstone: Details of private sector donations are contained within the annual audited accounts for each zone. These are laid in the Libraries of Parliament by the National Audit Office.
Millennium Dome
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what basis the moneys promised to the Millennium Dome company by commercial sponsors have not yet been paid in full.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) has advised that, under the terms of the contractual arrangements with sponsors, the following payments are outstanding or due as indicated:
Tesco £500,000--was due for payment on 1 March but withheld while issues raised by Tesco were being resolved in discussion with NMEC. NMEC considers that these issues have now been resolved.
L'Oreal £365,322--due on contract signature. Advised by NMEC to be imminent with no outstanding issues.
BskyB £500,000 payment due in October 2000. £500,000 payment due in December 2000.
Mars £250,000 payment due in December 2000.
Coca Cola £250,000 payment due in December 2000.
BA £100,000 payment due in December 2000.
Millennium Dome
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Millennium Dome was advanced a further £43 million from the funds of the Millennium Commission on 3 August; and
Whether they consider that the sum of £43 million advanced to the Millennium Dome on 3 August was a grant or a loan; and what were the terms express or implied under which the money was advanced; and
What undertakings were given to the Millennium Commission by Lord Falconer of Thoroton and the Government as a condition of the grant of £47 million being made from Lottery funds to the Millennium Dome in August.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Millennium Commission does not have the statutory powers to make loans and has never offered loans to the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). Grant made to NMEC will be repayable from any operational surplus or asset disposal achieved after the organisation has met its other contractual liabilities.
On 3 August, in light of the £53 million receipt from the then expected sale of the Dome to Dome Europe plc, the Millennium Commission announced a grant of up to £43 million to the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). In doing so, the commission allowed NMEC to realise the potential of the funds due from the sale of the Dome in order to allow the Dome to continue trading, and to facilitate the deal with Dome Europe. The grant to NMEC was awarded subject to a number of conditions, including that the income from the sale would be given directly to the Millennium Commission; that there would be continued regular and detailed reviews of NMEC's financial position; and that the management team would be strengthened.
On 13 September, the Millennium Commission made a further grant of £47 million to allow NMEC to continue operating the Dome to the end of the year and to deal with the company's specified expected liabilities. NMEC's new executive chairman has been investigating the scope of possible further liabilities, but the board is confident that the company can operate the Dome until the end of the year and achieve solvent liquidation thereafter, within the level of Lottery grant available.
Millennium Dome
Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Millennium Dome was advanced a further £47 million from the funds of the Millennium Commission on 5 September; and
Whether they consider that the sum of £47 million advanced to the Millennium Dome on 5 September was a grant or a loan; and what were the terms express or implied under which the money was advanced.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Millennium Commission does not have the statutory powers to make loans and has never offered loans to the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). Grant made to NMEC will be repayable from any operational surplus or asset disposal achieved after the organisation has met its other contractual liabilities.
On 5 September, the Millennium Commission announced that it had offered to the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) a grant of up to £47 million in order to facilitate the deal with Dome Europe. The Millennium Commission's decision was based on the findings of PricewaterhouseCoopers' independent analysis of NMEC's financial situation. This grant offer fell away when Dome Europe decided not to pursue its bid, as the purpose of grant could not be achieved.
On 13 September the Millennium Commission made a further grant of £47 million to allow NMEC to continue operating the Dome to the end of the year and to deal with the company's specified expected liabilities. In doing so, the commission sought assurances that arrangements are introduced to ensure that contingencies and provisions in the budget are used only as essential and with the commission's prior consent, and action plans are developed for managing and mitigating the risks identified; that NMEC's management capacity is significantly stregthened, and NMEC attends regular monitoring meetings with the Millennium Commission. NMEC's new executive chairman has been investigating the scope of possible future liabilities, but the board is confident that the company can operate the Dome until the end of the year and achieve solvent liquidation thereafter, within the level of Lottery grant available.
Nandrolone
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 27 July (WA 69), when they will publish their response to the United Kingdom Sport Report on Nandrolone which was published in January.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: We are waiting for UK Sport to report on the developments that have taken place since the publication of the original report in January. The Nandrolone Committee, established by UK Sport under the chairmanship of Professor V H T James, has continued to receive further information and decisions of hearings as they have become available. UK Sport has also been working with the food supplement industry on the issues highlighted in the report and met with the leader of the Aberdeen University research team that has been looking at dietary supplements on behalf of UK Athletics.
British Museum South Portico
Baroness Jeger: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Who was responsible for the use of imported French stone in the south portico of the British Museum when Portland stone had been contracted; and what action is being taken and at what cost to rectify this mistake.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Trustees of the British Museum decided to continue constructing the south portico in French oolitic limestone after receiving the results of petrographic tests, from which they concluded that the French stone was fit for the purpose and that it was within the original specification: "Oolitic limestone--Portland stone from the basebed or similar." That specification and the subsequent use of the French stone were approved by English Heritage, which gave further advice on the steps to be taken to improve the colour match with the surrounding stone by washing away the embedded dust. The washing has now been completed. The trustees remain fully confident that their decision was right.
The museum has withheld payments under the contract amounting to £300,000. The cost of washing away the dust is estimated at £15,000.
Parliamentary Cost Comparisons
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give, separately, the total cost of each House of the United Kingdom Parliament and of the European Parliament, for the most recent year for which figures are available, indicating in respect of each the annual cost per Member.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave the noble Viscount, Lord Tenby, on 5 July (Official Report, WA 133).
Population Breakdown: Ethnic Minorities
Lord Willoughby de Broke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Based on the most recent census figures, what percentage of the British population consists of ethnic minorities; what is the breakdown in percentage terms between those minorities; and what percentage is the minority of Irish descent.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter to Lord Willoughby de Broke from the National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, Office for National Statistics, Mr Len Cook, dated 23 October 2000.
As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking, "based on the most recent census figures, what percentage of the British population consists of ethnic minorities, what is the breakdown in percentage terms between those minorities, and what percentage is the minority of Irish descent." [HL4157]
The 1991 Census is the most recent census and the percentage of the population of Great Britain (54,888,844) from an ethnic minority background was 5.5 per cent. The breakdown in percentage terms between those minorities was:
Percentage
Black Caribbean 0.9
Black African 0.4
Black Other 0.3
Indian 1.5
Pakistani 0.9
Bangladeshi 0.3
Chinese 0.3
Other Asian 0.4
Other 0.5
There was no explicit category of 'Irish' in the ethnic group question in the 1991 Census, although space was allowed for people to describe their ethnic group in their own words if they felt that none of the pre-coded categories applied.
In statistical material published after the 1991 Census, the numbers of people 'born in Ireland' were presented as a proxy for data on 'Irish' as an ethnic group. The percentage of persons who stated they were born in Ireland in response to the Country of Birth question was 1.5 per cent. This includes those born in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland.
The above figures were calculated from data published in Table 6 of the 1991 Census Report for Great Britain Part 1, laid before Parliament in 1993. This report is available from the House of Commons Library.
Bovine Material in Vaccine Manufacture
Lord Woolmer of Leeds: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any information concerning the use of bovine material in the manufacture of vaccines.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: European guidelines issued in 1999 made clear that the manufacturing process for medicinal products should not use bovine materials from countries in which there are known cases of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. The first guidance on this subject was issued by the Committee on Safety of Medicines in 1989. From 1989 onwards, the Medicines Control Agency sought and received assurances from drug companies that they were implementing this guidance and subsequent guidance produced at a European level on a phased basis.
On the advice of the MCA, I informed the House on 4 May 2000 that the 1989 guidelines obliged all pharmaceutical companies to source bovine material from outside the United Kingdom. I am now advised by the MCA that these 1989 guidelines did not have the full force of law and that they applied to injectable medicines and medicines applied to the eyes or open wounds. However, the 1999 guidelines do apply to bovine materials and pharmaceuticals generally. From March 2001, these guidelines, which at present are not legally binding, will have the full force of the law.
I also informed the House on 4 May 2000 that vaccines that use bovine material in the manufacturing process manufactured since March 1989 had used bovine material from non-UK sources and that the MCA had established that the latest date that vaccines manufactured before the guidelines came into force could have been used was November 1993. On 28 March 2000, my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health informed Parliament on the advice of the MCA that from April 1989 no bovine materials sourced in the United Kingdom were introduced as an element of the manufacturing process for vaccines produced at that time. In particular, she told the other place on the advice of the MCA that all vaccines manufactured by Wellcome after 1989 used bovine material from New Zealand. She also informed the other place on 19 October 1999 on the advice of the MCA that since 1993 all vaccines in use were manufactured without UK-sourced bovine material. I have now been advised that the advice from the MCA that formed the basis of these statements was incorrect. The MCA was provided with information by manufacturers.
The MCA advised Ministers last week that in the case of the Wellcome oral polio vaccine, the assurances given by the company have proved inaccurate. This oral polio vaccine was originally produced by Wellcome. Part of Wellcome's vaccine business was transferred over to Medeva in 1991. Part of the oral polio vaccine was manufactured in 1985 using growth medium containing foetal calf serum of UK bovine origin, and this element continued to be used in the production process after 1989.
This oral polio vaccine continued to be used up until 2000, in specific breach of the 1999 guidance. The Department of Health has therefore recalled this oral polio vaccine manufactured by Medeva (supplied by Medeva under the brand name Evans).
The MCA has carried out a risk assessment and people who have received this oral polio vaccine in the past can be advised that the breach is of guidance which has been formulated on a precautionary basis; under the European guidelines. Foetal calf serum is in category IV (no detectable infectivity); the processes used in manufacturing are designed to remove all but a remote trace of unwanted proteins such as foetal calf serum. The MCA, taking all these points together, have advised that any risk associated with this Medeva oral polio vaccine is incalculably small.
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health asked the CSM in March to produce a comprehensive assessment of BSE-related issues in vaccines. The Government are committed to publishing the assesssment. In the light of the new information, we are also reviewing the advice given to Ministers on this issue to ensure that all the information given to Parliament is correct.
Chief Dental Officers: Support Staff
Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many full time senior dental officers, dental officers and regional dental officers assisted the previous three Chief Dental Officers (Dr Robin Wild, Mr Brian Mouatt and Professor Martin Downer); and how many full-time dental officers will be available to assist the new Chief Dental Officer, Dame Margaret Seward.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Mr Robin Wild is currently supported by two full-time senior dental officers, as well as a part-time dental adviser in each regional office of the National Health Service Executive and a number of administrative staff. Dame Margaret Seward will succeed Mr Wild on 1 November and will inherit the current staff complement. I regret that information is no longer available about the staffing arrangements under previous Chief Dental Officers.
Housing Benefit: Backdating
Lord Blackwell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the recent announcement of regulations to restrict the backdating of housing benefit to three months is consistent with the assurances given by the Baroness Hollis of Heigham on 6 April 1998 (H.L. Deb., cols. 546-547) in withdrawing the proposed clause 72 of the Social Security Bill.
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The intended changes to the backdating rules are consistent with our aims to improve the structure and administration of housing benefit. These proposals have been now considered by the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC), and we expect to receive their report to the Secretary of State shortly. We have also consulted the local authority associations (LAAs) on these proposals.
We will consider the responses from the LAA consultation and points raised in SSAC's report very carefully and will take these into account along with other representations made.
Working Time Directive: Extension to Excluded Sectors
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the regulations, and the dates on which they come into effect, in the European Union's Working Time Directive in respect of: (a) railway workers; (b) self-employed road freight transport drivers; (c) other road freight transport drivers; (d) public service vehicle drivers; (e) marine operatives; and (f) port operatives.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Directive 2000/34/EC was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 1 August 2000. It extends the provisions of the existing Working Time Directive in full to non-mobile workers in the previously excluded sectors (air, rail, road, sea, inland waterway and lake transport, sea fishing, other work at sea--mainly the offshore oil and gas industry--and doctors in training).
For mobile workers, the amending directive provides an entitlement to paid annual leave, a 48-hour working week and health checks for night workers. Member states have until 1 August 2003 (1 August 2004 for junior doctors) to implement the directive. Industry representatives within these sectors will be consulted on proposals to implement the directive in due course.
Negotiations for a separate road transport directive, covering breaks and rest periods for mobile workers, are continuing within the transport working group. At this stage we are unable to say when this proposal is likely to be agreed, or when it is likely to be implemented into UK legislation.
House of Lords Office Accommodation
Lord Dubs: asked the Chairman of Committees:
What discussions have taken place with the House of Commons authorities regarding the return to the House of Lords of certain Commons office accommodation in the light of the extra space that will be available at Portcullis House.
Lord Boston of Faversham: There have been no such discussions. I wrote to the Speaker of the House of Commons on 28 July to draw to her attention the views of Members of this House, and to inform her that Black Rod had been instructed to obtain comparative information on the accommodation available to the two Houses. This information is now to hand, and the Administration and Works Sub-Committee and the Offices Committee will use it to help them reach a decision on how to proceed.
Refreshment Department: EPOS System
Lord Dubs: asked the Chairman of Committees:
What was the cost of installing the Refreshment Department's new computerised billing system; what benefits were supposed to be achieved; and what assessment he has made of the delays that have resulted.
Lord Boston of Faversham: The cost to date of installing the new EPOS (electronic point of sale) system in the Refreshment Department is £60,846. A further £20,000 will be spent on an associated stock control system. The introduction of the system in the Refreshment Department follows a recommendation by the National Audit Office. EPOS systems are, and have been for some time, standard in the retail and catering industries and enable accounting procedures to be improved while delivering more accurate information to management on sales and stock control. The staff of the Refreshment Department have put a great deal of effort into ensuring the smooth roll-out of the system in the department's eight outlets. The roll-out is now complete and, while the introduction of a major new system of this kind is bound to lead to teething problems, I understand that, with the temporary exception of the Home Room, no significant delays to customers have been identified. The problems in the Home Room have now been resolved.
Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor: Palace of Westminster Survey
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked the Chairman of Committees:
When Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor were appointed to survey the Houses of Parliament; how and by whom the appointment was made; what is the total cost; and whether he will give a breakdown of the costs between remuneration and estimated expenses; and
What was the remit given to Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor; and how many of their staff will be employed over what period of time.
Lord Boston of Faversham: Following competitive tendering, Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor were appointed in the summer of 2000 by the Parliamentary Works Directorate to carry out septennial condition surveys of the Palace. The cost of the commission is £69,460. There are no additional expenses. The work will take three to four surveyors and their assistants four months.
Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor: Palace of Westminster Survey
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked the Chairman of Committees:
What guidance has been given to the staff of Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor on answering questions from Members of the House.
Lord Boston of Faversham: They have been told to answer any questions from Members as fully as possible.
Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor: Palace of Westminster Survey
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked the Chairman of Committees:
What work has been undertaken previously for the Houses of Parliament by Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor; and what were the dates and cost of this.
Lord Boston of Faversham: This is the first commission for the Parliamentary Works Directorate carried out by Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor.
Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor: Palace of Westminster Survey
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked the Chairman of Committees:
When it is anticipated the report of Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor will be completed; to whom it will be submitted; and when it will be available to Members of the House of Lords.
Lord Boston of Faversham: The results of the survey will be submitted to the Director of Parliamentary Works in phases between October 2000 and the new year for the use of the Works Directorate in preparing the 10-year rolling programme.
Lorry Drivers' Hours
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a self-employed lorry driver who spent four hours loading his lorry and then nine hours driving (with a mid-shift break) would:
(a) be operating within the drivers' hours regulations; and
(b) if exempt from the Working Time Directive be capable of driving a heavy goods vehicle safely at the end of a 13-hour shift.
Lord Whitty: A self-employed driver of a lorry over 3.5 tonnes would be subject to the European Union drivers' hours rules. Under these rules, a driver would normally be allowed to drive up to nine hours a day but this can be increased to 10 hours twice a week. Drivers are also required to take a daily rest of normally 11 hours but this can be reduced to nine hours not more than three times a week. The effect of this is to limit the driver's working day--driving plus other work--to a maximum of 13 hours or 15 hours three times a week. But a driver working a 15-hour day would be required to compensate for the reduction in his daily rest period by taking an equivalent period of rest before the end of the following week.
Train Drivers' Hours
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a train driver would be permitted under current regulations to drive for 13 hours with only a mid-shift break.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The Railway (Safety Critical Work) Regulations 1994 require train operating companies (TOCs) to ensure that train drivers do not work for such a period that could cause fatigue and put safety at risk. Any changes to existing limits on working times would require a risk assessment to be carried out by the train operating company. The Health and Safety Executive also makes routine inspections to ensure TOCs' compliance with the regulations.
A Railtrack Group Standard specifies the following limits:
(a) no more than 12 hours to be worked per turn of duty;
(b) no more than 72 hours to be worked per calendar week (Sunday to Saturday);
(c) a minimum rest period of 12 hours between booking off from a turn of duty to booking on for the next turn. This may be reduced to eight hours at the weekly shift changeover, in case of staff working a shift pattern which rotates or alternates on a weekly basis;
(d) no more than 13 turns of duty to be worked in any 14-day period.
Multi-ethnic Britain: Runnymede Trust Report
Baroness Uddin: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they will respond to the recommendations of the Parekh Report on the future of multi-ethnic Britain.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: On 11 October 2000, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department launched the report of the Runnymede Trust's Commission on the Future of Multi-ethnic Britain. He said that he welcomed all contributions to the debate about how we promote race equality in this country and many of the recommendations made by the commission; that he was disappointed that the commission appeared grudging in its recognition of what the Government had achieved already; and that he disagreed with the commission's views on Britishness. Specific recommendations addressed to the Government are being considered, and a more detailed response will be given in due course.
Life Sentence Prisoner Releases on Licence
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many life sentence prisoners were considered for release on licence since the beginning of 2000; and whether they will publish a table showing the applications determined; the number of prisoners among those applications claiming to be innocent and not innocent respectively; and the proportion of each group who were successful in their application.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The principal consideration in the release of life sentence prisoners whose tariffs have expired is whether the risk of reoffending and of harm to the public has been reduced to an acceptably low level. Denial of guilt is one element relevant to the assessment of risk but it is not a bar to release. Life sentence prisoners who continue to maintain their innocence can be and have been released on licence.
A separate record of those who maintain their innocence is not held on computer and the information requested is therefore not readily available.
Immigration Appeals Tribunal and Human Rights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, and if so how, the Immigration Appeals Tribunal and adjudicators were warned by the Home Office that they would not be empowered to protect the human rights of asylum seekers and would-be immigrants in appeals relating to decisions taken before 2 October.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: A draft of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Commencement No. 6, Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Order 2000 was sent to the deputy president of the tribunal, who responded on 3 August. The draft made it plain that Section 65 of the 1999 Act was not retrospective. After the order was made, it was given to and discussed informally with two senior members of the tribunal as well as Non Governmental Organisation representatives at an Immigration and Nationality Directorate workshop on 17 September.
It is a matter for the immigration Appeals Authority as to how information is distributed to individual members of the judiciary.
Immigration Appeals Tribunal and Human Rights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that those who come before the adjudicators of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, and are prevented by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Commencement No. 6, Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Order 2000 from raising human rights relating to decisions taken before 2 October, are informed by the Home Office of their right to raise human rights issues when a decision is made to remove them.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: If someone who has appealed against a decision taken before 2 October believes that his removal would be in breach of his human rights the onus is for them to say so--as would be the case if they wished to claim asylum. They should not wait until the arrangements have been made for their departure. If a human rights claim is made and refused, the applicant will be made aware of his or her appeal rights under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Immigration Appeals Tribunal and Human Rights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the opportunity to raise human rights objections to removal will apply to certified appeals under paragraph 5 of Schedule 2 to the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 where the adjudicator upholds the certificate, so as to prevent the unsuccessful appellant's summary removal without consideration of human rights objections.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Yes. The opportunity to raise human rights objections to removal is not affected by the provisions of paragraph 5 of Schedule 2 to the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993.
Immigration Appeals Tribunal and Human Rights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the reasons for the decision to deprive adjudicators and the Immigration Appeal Tribunal of the power to consider human rights issues in appeals against decisions made before 2 October.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The new appeal provision in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1998 for appeals on the grounds that a decision breaches someone's human rights under Section 6(1) of the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998 was not made retrospective because the HRA did not come into force until 2 October. Where someone wishes to claim such a breach, the Government believe it right that the Secretary of State should have the opportunity to consider that claim before it is the subject of an appeal.
Human Rights: Protocol No 12
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 11 October (WA 37), whether they consider the text of Article 26 of the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to have the defects they discern in the text of Protocol 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Our difficulties in accepting Protocol 12 are not related to Article 26 of the Covenant. A number of other states, including France, Germany, Spain and Sweden, did not vote for adoption of this text.
Human Rights: Protocol No 12
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 11 October (WA 37), what is the significance of the fact that Protocol 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights does not make clear whether "rights set forth by law" include international as well as national law.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government's concern is that the European Court of Human Rights might hold that a right set out in an international agreement, but not incorporated into United Kingdom law is covered by Protocol 12.
Human Rights: Protocol No 12
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 11 October (WA 37), whether they consider that the text of the Preamble to Protocol 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights, "Reaffirming that the principle of non-discrimination does not prevent States Parties from taking measures in order to promote full and effective equality, provided that there is an objective and reasonable justification for those measures", is intended to enable Contracting States to take positive measures; and, if not, what is their understanding of the meaning of the Preamble.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Preamble does not have the same force as a substantive provision in the Protocol itself.
Human Rights: Protocol No 12
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 11 October (WA 37), in what respects they consider that the text of Protocol 12 does not follow the case law of the European Convention on Human Rights in allowing objective and reasonably justified distinctions.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Protocol 12 states that the enjoyment of any right set forth by law shall be secured without discrimination on the ground of any status; it does not provide any exception.
Asylum Seekers' Appeal Rights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the United Kingdom Immigration Service is continuing to send to the representatives of asylum seekers standard notifications of removal indicating that the individual concerned has "exhausted all rights of appeal" without making it clear that there is an opportunity to ask the Secretary of State to reconsider on human rights grounds.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The form in question is a locally produced form, the wording of which has now been amended. However the right of appeal only arises where an allegation is made to the effect that a decision breaches a person's human rights and is made unlawful by Section 6(1) of the Human Rights Act 1998.
UN Peacekeeping Operations: Deployment of UK Forces
Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the deployment up to brigade level of United Kingdom-based forces in support of United Nations peacekeeping operations, including those in Sierra Leone, will in all circumstances only be at the explicit request of the United Nations made either by the Security Council or by the uniting for peace procedure and that all such deployment will remain accountable to the United Nations whatever the field operational command arrangements.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The precise terms of any deployment of UK forces in support of UN peacekeeping operations, including the command arrangements, would depend on the circumstances at the time. The final decision on making any deployment would rest with Her Majesty's Government. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2000-10-23a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2000",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Alcohol
Lord Monson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many units of alcohol are in a litre of liquid with an alcoholic strength of 7 per cent alcohol by volume.
Lord Darzi of Denham: Seven units.
Alcohol
Lord Monson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the excise duty on a litre of (a) beer, and (b) cider, containing (1) 6 per cent alcohol by volume, (2) 7 per cent alcohol by volume, (3) 7½ per cent alcohol by volume and (4) 8 per cent alcohol by volume.
Lord Myners: Excise duty imposed on a litre of beer and cider containing (1) 6 per cent alcohol by volume, (2) 7 per cent alcohol by volume, (3) 7½ per cent alcohol by volume and (4) 8 per cent alcohol by volume, are shown in the table below. Full details on alcohol duty rates can be found on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2009/bn86.htm.
Amount of Excise Duty imposed on a litre of:
Alcoholic Strength Beer Still Cider
6.00% £0.99 £0.32
7.00% £1.15 £0.32
7.50% £1.24 £0.32
8.00% £1.32 £0.48
Figures are excluding VAT.
Asylum Seekers: Detention of Children
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children of asylum seekers were detained at Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre and for what length of time in (a) January to June 2007, (b) July to December 2007, (c) January to June 2008, (d) July to December 2008, and (e) January to June 2009.
Lord West of Spithead: The information requested on the number of children of asylum seekers detained at Yarl's Wood and the periods for which they are detained is not yet centrally collated. The information requested could only be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
Asylum Seekers: Detention of Children
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children of asylum seekers were detained at Tinsley House immigration removal centre and for what length of time in (a) January to June 2007, (b) July to December 2007, (c) January to June 2008, (d) July to December 2008, and (e) January to June 2009.
Lord West of Spithead: The information requested on the number of children of asylum seekers detained at Tinsley House and the periods for which they are detained is not yet centrally collated. The information requested could only be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
Autism
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 June (WA 3), why the decision was taken not to proceed with the study by Professor Gillian Baird and her colleagues announced on 8 May 2008 by Mr Ivan Lewis in a press notice and on the No 10 website but instead a different set of researchers was chosen.
Lord Darzi of Denham: The decision to undertake transition research for young people with autism with the University of York and not through the services of Professor Baird, was taken after detailed consideration of the remit of the research and strict Government procurement requirements.
This is no reflection on Professor Baird or her team and we hope that she will continue to work with the department on future projects. We value her expertise and the contribution she has made so far to our understanding of autism and autism services.
Civil Service: Costs
Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what efficiency savings they expect to achieve in 2010—11 within the administrative costs of the civil service.
Lord Myners: The 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review agreed 5 per cent annual real reductions in administration budget across all departments, releasing over £1.2 billion by 2010-11 for investment in priority areas and further reducing the cost of running central government.
Climate Change: Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in the last three years in reducing carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles in the Government car service.
Lord Adonis: The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) has reduced the carbon dioxide emissions from its car fleet by 15.9 per cent from 160.32 grammes per kilometre (g/km) in 2006-07 to 134.84 g/km in 2008-09. The GCDA is on target to meet the Government's target of an average of 130 g/km for its fleet by March 2010.
Department for Transport: Ombudsman
Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the letter or letters from the Local Government Ombudsman to the Department for Transport regarding the proposal by the Department for Transport, enacted and brought into force in 2008, to remove from the Ombudsman his powers to investigate complaints concerning the civil enforcement of traffic regulations where there was a right of appeal to an adjudicator, and of any replies to those letters.
Lord Adonis: A copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House of the response from the Local Government Ombudsman to the consultation on the draft parking regulations that took place in July 2006. There were no individual replies to any of the responses to the consultation.
Department of Health: Arm's-length Bodies
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department of Health has reduced the number of arm's length bodies to 20, as proposed in the 2004 review Reconfiguring the Department of Health's Arm's Length Bodies; which arm's length bodies are involved in health and social care (under the review's definition of such bodies); and what their total expenditure was in 2008—09 (in 2003—04 prices).
Lord Darzi of Denham: Following the review of the department's arms length bodies (ALBs), the number of pre-existing ALBs has been reduced from 38 in 2004 to 20 in 2009. Subsequent to the review, responsibility for one ALB (the Alcohol Education and Research Council) has transferred to the Department of Health from the Home Office, raising the current number of ALBs to 21. All of these ALBs have roles in the health and social care system.
In 2008-09 there were 24 ALBS as the transfer of three ALBs into the new Care Quality Commission, and the merger of the National Institute of Biological Standards and Control into the Health Protection Agency, took place on 1 April 2009. Total ALB revenue expenditure funded by the department in 2008-09 (also in 2003-04 prices) is summarised in the following table:
Arms-Length Body Department Funding £m Restated at 2003-04 Prices £m
Commission for Social Care Inspection 106 94
Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence 2 2
General Social Care Council 11 10
Health and Social Care Information Centre 38 34
Health Protection Agency 176 155
Healthcare Commission 66 59
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 4 3
Human Tissue Authority 1 1
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority 11 10
Mental Health Act Commission 6 5
Monitor (Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) 13 11
National Institute for Biological Standards and Controls 19 16
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 34 30
National Patient Safety Agency 28 25
National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse 12 10
NHS Appointments Commission 4 4
NHS Blood and Transplant 83 74
NHS Business Services Authority 140 124
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement 81 71
NHS Litigation Authority 1 0
NHS Professionals 10 9
NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency 45 40
Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board 2 2
2008-09 department revenue funding for ALBs 893 789
Other ALB related expenditure 3 3
Total 2008-09 department funded ALB revenue expenditure 896 792
Notes:
2003-04 prices quoted are calculated using the GDP Deflator at market prices issued by ONS, as at 30 June 2009.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what new offences will be brought into force by the draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Special Exemption) Regulations 2009.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures the Department of Health intends to take to address the comments of the Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee in its 21st Report (HL Paper 118) about the quality control system for drafting statutory instruments in the department; and how they propose to address the committee's observation that the drafting errors might have been identified at an earlier stage if the department had put the proposal out for public consultation.
Lord Darzi of Denham: The draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Special Exemption) Regulations 2009 will replace the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Special Exemption) Regulations 1991. The regulations have been updated to take account of the changes made by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (the 2008 Act), specifically to the definition of embryo and the introduction of human admixed embryos. The regulations themselves do not introduce any new offences or new policy. The regulations are simply being remade in consequence of amendments made by the 2008 Act.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 Act prohibits storage of gametes and creating, keeping or using embryos without a licence. This key principle has been retained by changes made by the 2008 Act. There are two exceptions to this that were set out in the 1991 regulations. The same two exceptions have been retained in the updated regulations. The regulations do not remove the requirement for a licence to create or use and embryo.
The first exception relates to the keeping of gametes or embryos in connection with an investigation or proceedings relating to an offence under the 1990 Act. This power to provide for such an exception is set out on the face of the 1990 Act. It refers only to gametes and embryos, not human admixed embryos, so there is no scope for the regulations to provide for this. If such circumstances arose, the human admixed embryos could be kept as evidence at a centre that had a storage licence. It does not alter the principle that no person may create, keep or use a human admixed embryo without a licence or mean that the HFEA would not investigate thoroughly any suspected offence under the 1990 Act.
Earlier this year the department consulted on four sets of regulations in connection with the implementation of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. However, the department did not consider it necessary to specifically consult on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Special Exemption) Regulations 2009 as they do not represent a change in government policy. The changes made to these regulations were consequential to changes in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. There was extensive consultation, scrutiny and debate on the changes in the Bill leading to the 2008 Act, which these regulations reflect, during the passage of the Bill itself. However, we do regret that it was necessary to re-lay the draft special exemption regulations. We note the Merits Committee's acknowledgement that the department acted quickly to correct the draft regulations and we will look at any lessons learnt from the laying of these regulations.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision is made in the draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Special Exemption) Regulations 2009 for criminal offences concerning the storage and experimentation on human admixed embryos under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008.
Lord Darzi of Denham: The power under which the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Special Exemption) Regulations 1991 and the draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Special Exemption) Regulations 2009 are made is set out in Section 43 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. This limits the scope of the regulations to make provision in relation to the keeping and examination of gametes and embryos, and not human admixed embryos. It is a criminal offence to keep a human admixed embryo without a licence. If it were necessary for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to keep a human admixed embryo in connection with crime, it would need to be stored at a licensed premise.
Food: Supplements
Earl Howe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect the Food Standards Agency to issue briefing material to United Kingdom Members of the European Parliament on (a) progress in establishing maximum permitted levels for nutrients in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive, and (b) the procedures through which the Parliament will consider those figures.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions officials of the Department of Health or the Food Standards Agency or both intend to have with Directorate General Enterprise of the European Commission on the economic impact on United Kingdom specialist health food retailers and manufacturers of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to raise with Mr José Manuel Barroso their concerns about the impact of establishing maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements prior to his reappointment as President of the European Commission.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that candidates for appointment later this year to the position of the Health Commissioner in the European Commission are aware of the United Kingdom's wish for a proportionate interpretation of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive.
Lord Darzi of Denham: No specific levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements have yet been proposed by the European Commission or discussed in Commission-led working group meetings with member states.
There are no plans to provide briefing material to United Kingdom (UK) Members of the European Parliament at this stage on progress in establishing maximum permitted levels for nutrients in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the food supplements directive, or the procedures through which the Parliament will consider those figures.
In the absence of specific levels, it is not possible to assess the potential economic impact on United Kingdom specialist health food retailers and manufacturers of Article 5 of the food supplements directive. No discussions have therefore taken place between officials of the Department of Health or Food Standards Agency with the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission on this issue.
In the mean time, the Food Standards Agency continues to work with the food supplements industry to consider the potential impact of levels, when they are proposed, on UK businesses and consumer choice.
There are no plans to raise the issue of setting maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements with the President-elect of the European Commission or to inform potential candidates for the post of European Commissioner for Health of the UK's position on this issue.
Government Departments: Advertising
Lord Tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Crawley on 1 July (WA 55), what was their expenditure on advertising which was not handled by the Central Office of Information, by issue and by department, in each of the past five financial years for which figures are available.
Baroness Crawley: This information is not collected centrally. Each government department, agency and NDPB is responsible for setting its own communications priorities and outputs, and each Secretary of State is responsible to Parliament.
Health: Obesity
Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce measures to allow employers to place contractual obligations on their employees to avoid becoming obese.
Lord Darzi of Denham: There are no plans to place any contractual obligations on employers in respect of preventing employees from gaining weight. However, as part of the obesity strategy we are working with employers to encourage healthy eating and physical activity.
In addition, the Government's response to Dame Carol Black's review of the health of the working age population Improving Health and Work: Changing Lives a copy of which has been placed in the Library, contains a number of initiatives to encourage employers to promote wellness among their staff and make health at work part of their core business model to help reduce obesity.
HMS "Caroline"
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their plans for HMS "Caroline", the Royal Naval Reserve light cruiser berthed in Belfast.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: We are exploring with the National Museum of the Royal Navy whether it would be willing to assume responsibility for the ship, not as a commissioned warship but as a historically important example of naval power from the World War I. This decision is dependent on the provision of National Lottery funding for the Royal Navy National Museum and is also determined by timescales set by the Belfast City Council. At this stage it would be premature to announce any decision, however, we should have a clearer idea about its plans in December 2009.
Jersey and Guernsey
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey make to the United Kingdom Exchequer in return for services provided through overseas representation and in international negotiations.
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last assessed the costs of services provided by the United Kingdom to the Crown Dependencies and the level of voluntary contributions provided in return for those services.
Lord Myners: The UK Government are constitutionally responsible for defence and international representations of all the Crown Dependencies, including the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. In accordance with the Jersey and Guernsey (Financial Provisions) Act 1947, the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey occasionally surrender hereditary revenues of the Crown to the Consolidated Fund. Each payment must then be returned to Jersey and Guernsey within 10 working days. The last such payment from Jersey was for an amount of £225,000 in November 2008 and the last payment from Guernsey was an amount of £7,910,000 in February 2003.
The Isle of Man makes contributions in accordance with the Contribution Agreement 1994. The most recent contribution was £2,559,278.55, made in 2008.
Learning and Skills Council
Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Learning and Skills Council is taking to ensure there are sufficient skills and manpower to deliver their new nuclear programme and their renewable energy target of 15 per cent by 2020.
Lord Young of Norwood Green: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and its future successor body, the Skills Funding Agency, has an important role in responding to the skill needs of the nuclear industry over the coming years. The LSC is working closely with Cogent, the sector skills council responsible for the nuclear sector, to respond to skill needs identified by employers. LSC has also committed to £3.8 million development funding for establishing the National Skills Academy for Nuclear, which, with strong employer-backing, is active in developing and promoting skills and helping ensure the capacity to deliver skills across the nuclear sector. This includes the new Energus Centre in West Cumbria, with £3.5 million capital funding from LSC.
The Skills Academy is developing a number of important initiatives, including a community apprenticeship programme, which will support small and medium-sized firms in the supply chain which take on new and additional apprenticeships; and the nuclear skills passport, to promote mobility and demonstrate supply chain quality and capability.
The Skills Academy and Cogent are currently leading a detailed review of the future skills implications of the nuclear new build, supported by the Office for Nuclear Development (OND) within the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), and by this department. This analysis will provide important data for the Government and their agencies, including the LSC and future Skills Funding Agency. It will also help drive the new Skills Academy's new five-year strategic plan of actions to be taken to ensure there is a suitably skilled, competent and safe workforce to meet these new challenges.
Legislation: Costs
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 23 June (WA 269—70), why they do not keep accounts showing the total cost of preparing and introducing a Bill.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Government accounts are prepared on a departmental basis. The cost of preparing and introducing a Bill is typically borne by several departments and can be difficult to disaggregate from parallel work to develop and implement related government policy. The cost of any given Bill will depend on many different factors, such as, for example, the time spent by civil servants, including Parliamentary Counsel and Ministers across government on developing the Bill as well as associated running costs. As the Civil Service and Ministers do not, in general, work by reference to billable units of time, the collection and disaggregation of that information to make this possible would impose very significant additional burdens on all departments.
Licensing: Live Music
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information or guidance has been provided to schools and local authorities concerning the requirement to license the provision of musical instruments as "entertainment facilities" under the Licensing Act 2003 where such instruments are used in public performances of live music or private performances that seek to raise money for good causes.
Lord Carter of Barnes: The department has provided general advice to applicants on its website and detailed guidance to licensing authorities on the 2003 Act as it affects the provision of regulated entertainment. However, the Act has devolved responsibility for the administration of the licensing regime to individual authorities and it is for them to consider each application on its own merits. The Act does not draw a distinction between events which are put on for charity purposes and those which are not.
Although the 2003 Act requires schools and colleges to obtain a licence for regulated entertainment to which the public are invited, or for a private entertainment where a fee is charged with a view to profit, they are exempt from paying the licence fee if the event is provided by, located at and for the purpose of the school or college.
Licensing: Live Music
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of schools in England and Wales are licensed under the Licensing Act 2003 for performances of live music and the provision of musical instruments as "entertainment facilities".
Lord Carter of Barnes: We do not hold this information. The statistical data collected by the department identify how many premises have permission, in the form of a premises licence or club premises certificate, to put on regulated entertainment, including live music. However, it is not known how many schools have obtained an appropriate permission to cover live performances of music and the provision of entertainment facilities, or indeed any other form of regulated entertainment such as a dance event or a play. In some cases, a school may decide to put on an event by giving a temporary event notice.
Although the Licensing Act 2003 requires schools and colleges to obtain a licence for regulated entertainment to which the public are invited, or for a private entertainment where a fee is charged with a view to profit, they are exempt from paying the licence fee if the event is provided by, located at and for the purpose of the school or college.
National Statistics
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Royal Statistical Society's 2009 Vision for National Statistics and the workings to date of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and the UK Statistics Authority.
Baroness Crawley: The Government are committed to statistical reform and, through legislation, have created the UK Statistics Authority to take forward this reform.
The Government recognise the authority's notable achievements during its first year and look forward to its first annual report, detailing what it has achieved so far as well as what it intends to achieve in the coming year.
The Government have committed to assessing the impact of the new pre-release arrangements, a year after they have been in place. Government are also considering when and whether it is appropriate to review the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007, as is customary for all new primary legislation.
There is a key role for Parliament in scrutinising the work of the Statistics Authority and the Public Administration Select Committee has held several witness sessions already on official statistics. There are also regular debates in the House of Lords.
The Royal Statistical Society is a key stakeholder in statistical reform, playing a key role in the public debate on statistical issues. Government welcome the commitment made by the society to continue to play an active role in the debate over official statistics in their recent publication 2009 Vision for National Statistics.
NHS: Admissions
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government which strategic health authorities have the highest proportion of patients inappropriately placed in hospital beds, in the light of the assertion by the NHS chief executive in his annual report that 25 per cent of patients have been inappropriately placed in hospital beds; and what steps they are taking to reduce that percentage.
Lord Darzi of Denham: Information gathered from the Your Health Your Care Your Say process, and various studies, suggests that a significant proportion of hospital admissions could be avoidable with the right care and support in the community. The next-stage review has identified tackling this area as urgent, and the primary and community care strategy is now in place to start tackling this in a systematic way. Information on the proportion of patients inappropriately placed in hospital by strategic health authority is not held centrally.
Moving day-to-day care that would traditionally be provided in hospital settings into the community has been shown to provide an equally good service. And delivering high quality community services in conjunction with social care can ensure early discharge from hospital and prevent some admissions to hospital.
The transforming community services programme aims to improve community services to develop modern, personalised and responsive care of a consistently high standard and deliver improved health outcomes for communities. Through the world-class commissioning programme primary care trusts are commissioning an increasing number of community services closer to home, to increase well-being and prevent ill health.
Regional and local partners throughout the National Health Service are leading the system changes set out in the next-stage review primary and community care strategy, to ensure that patients are offered care in the most appropriate setting to meet their needs.
NHS: Foundation Trusts
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government which NHS hospital trusts were approved for Foundation Trust status by Monitor at 31 March; and in respect of which of those trusts strategic health authorities did not expect to be able to apply to Monitor for approval as a Foundation Trust by (a) March 2010, and (b) March 2011.
Lord Darzi of Denham: 115 National Health Service foundation trusts had been authorised by Monitor as at 31 March 2009. These are listed in Table 1:
Table 1
2gether NHS Foundation Trust
Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Birmingham Women's NHS Foundation Trust
Blackpool Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Foundation Trust
Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust
Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Dorset Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
East Kent Hospitals University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
East London NHS Foundation Trust
Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Leeds Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust
Luton and Dunstable NHS Foundation Trust
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Mid-Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
North East London NHS Foundation Trust
North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust
Salford Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
Sandwell Mental Health NHS and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Southend University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch NHS Foundation Trust
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Note:
1 Formerly known as Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
The department collects information from strategic health authorities on when NHS trusts are expected to be in a position to seek the support of the Secretary of State for their application. The departmental assessment stage may take two or more months before trusts which receive the Secretary of State's support are passed to Monitor for assessment and potential authorisation.
Those NHS trusts not expected to seek the Secretary of State's support for their application by March 2010 are set out in table 2:
Table 2
Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust
Barts and The London NHS Trust
Bedfordshire and Luton Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust
Bradford District Care Trust
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Ealing Hospital NHS Trust
East Cheshire NHS Trust
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Trust
Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust
Mid Yorkshire Hospital NHS Trust
Newham University Hospital NHS Trust
North Bristol NHS Trust
North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust
North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust
Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal United Bath Hospital NHS Trust
Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust
South London Healthcare NHS Trust
St George's Healthcare NHS Trust
St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust
The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust
West London Mental Health NHS Trust
West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust
Weston Area Health NHS Trust
Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust
Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust
Information is not held on National Health Service trusts unable to apply by March 2011 but only information on National Health Service trusts which are not expected to be able to make an application to the Secretary of State by December 2010.
NHS: Independent Sector
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are measuring progress on encouraging the use of the independent sector and contestability within the National Health Service.
Lord Darzi of Denham: The fundamental principle underpinning our policy is that commissioners should commission services from the providers which are best placed to deliver the needs of their patients and population regardless of whether they are National Health Service, voluntary sector or independent sector providers.1
The information requested is not collected centrally.
Notes:
1 The NHS in England: The operating framework for 2008/9 Annex D—Principles and rules for co-operation and competition.
NHS: Independent Sector
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many contracts were let by the Department of Health or NHS bodies for the provision of primary or secondary care clinical services with a value of £250,000 or more to (a) private sector providers, and (b) social entrepreneurs, in each of financial years (1) 2005—06, (2) 2006—07, (3) 2007—08, and (4) 2008—09.
Lord Darzi of Denham: The department does not centrally collect information on contracts procured by local National Health Service service providers for primary or secondary care. The department can only provide information on contracts procured as part of central programmes led by the department's former commercial directorate or where it has provided commercial and procurement skills and support.
The following tables show the number of contracts that reached financial close in the financial years 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 for primary care and secondary care, which were awarded to independent sector (IS) and social enterprise and third sector (SE) providers
Primary care
2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Commuter Walk-in Centres 7 (IS) - - -
Innovations in Primary Care Contracting - 2 (IS) - -
Fairness in Primary Care - - - 5 (IS) 2 (SE)
Equitable Access in Primary Medical Care - - - 39 (IS) 27 (SE)
Pharmacy Chlamydia Screening Pathfinder 1 (IS) - - -
Notes:
While the department does not hold information on the value of contracts procured by primary care trusts as part of the equitable access in primary medical care programme, they are likely to have been over £250,000 in each case.
Secondary care
2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Independent Sector Treatment Centres 4 (IS) 4 (IS) 6 (IS) 5 (IS)
General Supplementary 2 3 (IS) - - -
NHS: Primary Care Trust Finances
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made by strategic health authorities and primary care trust commissioners in the consolidation of NHS pathology services in their areas, as recommended by the two independent reports by Lord Carter of Coles; and when they expect NHS commissioners to deliver the potential savings of £250—£500 million a year that could be achieved by such consolidation.
Lord Darzi of Denham: The department plans to publish a full report on progress towards implementing all the review's recommendations later this year.
Three strategic health authorities (SHAs)—East of England, South East Coast and Yorkshire and the Humber—agreed in 2008 to work with providers and commissioners on developing approaches that responded to Lord Carter's recommendations about improving quality and patient safety and driving forward efficiencies in pathology services in England. The department is now also working with National Health Service London and is in discussion with NHS North East about how best to support the work in that region; and is continuing to support delivery by funding projects that will enable the improved end-to-end services, full IT connectivity, and best practice in the clinical leadership of pathology services that were assumed in the potential savings identified by Lord Carter. The department and the SHA medical directors together will review progress and next steps in the autumn.
NHS: Primary Care Trusts
Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much each primary care trust in Greater Manchester spent on hospice provision in each of the past five years.
Lord Darzi of Denham: This information is not collected centrally. It is for individual primary care trusts (PCTs) to decide the level of funding that is allocated to local end-of-life care services, including hospices, based on assessments of local needs and priorities.
To support the development of the End of Life Care Strategy, published in July 2008, a survey was undertaken of PCT expenditure on specialist palliative care services in 2006-07. The results of this survey, which gives one total figure for each PCT, were published on the Department of Health website on 16 July 2008.
We are making £286 million available over 2009-10 and 2010-11 to support implementation of the end-of-life care strategy. Most of this will be allocated to PCTs.
Olympic Games 2012
Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 8 June (WA 132—3), how many ethnic minority owned or led businesses were among the successful 935 businesses awarded contracts for the Olympic Delivery Authority; and what percentage of those who have benefited from work as a result of such contracts being awarded are from ethnic minorities.
Lord Davies of Oldham: Information about the ethnic ownership of businesses is provided to the ODA by its contractors through self-evaluation and on a voluntary basis. The ODA currently has over 950 direct suppliers. Of these 40 per cent have chosen to provide information about their ethnic ownership, of which 20—5 per cent—are BAME-owned.
The ODA defines a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) business as being one that is at least 51 per cent BAME-owned. This is in line with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills definition. The ODA does not collect data on BAME-led businesses.
The ODA obtains workforce data from workers on the Olympic Park through self-assessment, but this does not cover employees of contractors which do not operate on the site. The figures published by the ODA in April 2009 showed that at that time there were 4,101 people working on the Olympic Park, of whom 13 per cent stated that they were from a BAME group. The on-site workforce figures include those for subcontractors as well as for the ODA's direct contractors.
Olympic Games 2012
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are established financial reporting arrangements for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games; if so, to whom it reports; when; and how it reports.
Lord Davies of Oldham: LOCOG is a private company limited by guarantee. Its annual report is publicly available from Companies House, as well as being published on www.london2012.com. The last annual report is at http://www.london2012.com/documents/locog-publications/locog-annual-report-2008.pdf. The annual report for 2008-09 will be approved by the LOCOG board later this month and will be filed shortly thereafter.
LOCOG is almost entirely privately-financed, with its revenues accrued through sponsorship, tickets, merchandising and broadcast rights. The Government act as ultimate guarantor of funding to stage the Games and so the department regularly receives updates on LOCOG's financial situation on a commercially confidential basis.
Olympic Games 2012: Temporary Venues
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will disclose to individual members of the House of Lords, or place in the Library of the House, the unedited KPMG and CLM reports and other associated papers used to decide temporary and other venues for the 2012 Olympic Games, together with details of associated construction and costings and legacy benefits.
Lord Davies of Oldham: A redacted summary version of the KPMG report that informed the Olympic Board's decision was published and placed in the House Library. Because of the continuing commercial sensitivity of information contained within the report, I am unable to publish a full copy at this time.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and the Olympic Delivery Authority have also held several briefing sessions with a number of MPs and Peers and are happy to undertake further meetings to explain the rationale behind the Olympic Board's decision as are the British Olympic Association and British Shooting. British Shooting has accepted that Bisley is not a viable option for the 2012 events and will work with London 2012 on legacy for the sport.
Passports
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government which areas offer remote passport interviews; and how many people have applied in each area.
Lord West of Spithead: The attached table shows where we have facilities to conduct remote passport interviews and how many interviews have been conducted so far at each site. It is not possible to say how many customers from each area have actually applied as they may attend an interview at any of our offices, anecdotal evidence suggests they do not always choose to attend at their nearest office.
Table
Location Interviews completed up to 04.07.09
Lerwick 117
Kirkwall 49
Lochinver 1
Ullapool 5
Lochcarron 7
Stornoway 25
Balivanich 22
Barra 1
Portree 17
Elgin 157
Kingussie 5
Fort William 26
Tobermory 3
Tiree 3
Lochgilphead 22
Dunoon 25
Rothesay 12
Bowmore 10
Campbeltown 22
Lamlash 3
Cumnock 29
Dalmellington 13
Girvan 9
Stranraer 67
Caernarfon 246
Newtown 4
Haverfordwest 345
St Mary's 2
Total 1,247
Pensions
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme's income from contributions and transfer payments in the Past three years; and what its expenditure on pension benefits and transfers was in those years.
Baroness Crawley: The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme's income from contributions and transfer payments, and expenditure on pension benefits and transfers, are accounted for in the resource accounts for Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation. The income receivable from contributions and transfer payments is shown in the combined revenue account. Information on benefits and transfer payments is shown in note 26, "Provision for pension liability". Copies of the resource accounts for the years up to and including 2007-08 can be found in the Library.
Police: Racism
Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the Metropolitan Police Authority and the Metropolitan Police Service are complying with guidance on tackling and eliminating racism from the police service in London.
Lord West of Spithead: In November 2008, the then policing Minister published an assessment of minority ethnic recruitment, retention and progression across the police service, including the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), setting out a programme of positive action which is being taken forward by a ministerial-led group.
The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), like all police authorities, has a vital role in setting local strategic priorities in consultation with all communities and holding police forces to account for the service they deliver.
An additional duty proposed in the Policing and Crime Bill will ensure that communities' views on policing are representative, including of minority groups, and are at the core of police authorities' work. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) will begin a programme of inspections of police authorities, including the MPA, in 2009 to assess in part how well they are engaging communities and ensuring that all local groups have access to policing services.
The equality standard for the police service will be rolled out to the police service later this year. This will help police forces to build on the considerable progress that has been made and increase their performance on equality and diversity. HMIC will undertake a major workforce inspection of all police forces, including the MPS, in 2010. This inspection—working for the public—will cover implementation of the equality standard.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 17 June (WA 216), why they refer to government documents to answer Parliamentary Questions instead of supplying the information; and whether they will ensure that answers are extrapolated from any document and provided in full in the Official Report, where the cost of doing so is not disproportionate.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 17 June 2009 (Official Report, col. WA216) which also applies for the procedure for referring to government documents to answer Parliamentary Questions.
Railways: Bridges
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is a requirement of European Community legislation that maintenance and strengthening of railway-owned over-bridges to cater for heavier lorries should be paid for by railway administrations.
Lord Adonis: The European Community legislation requiring that principal routes in the UK used in international traffic should allow the use of heavier lorries does not specify that the maintenance and strengthening of bridges owned by rail infrastructure managers is to be paid for by those asset owners.
Railways: Eurostar
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government following their announcement that Eurostar UK will become a minority government-owned shareholder in a wider Eurostar company with a majority holding by SNCF, what steps they are taking to ensure competition for high speed passenger services on routes currently served by Eurostar.
Lord Adonis: The Government are taking steps to encourage competition on High Speed 1 from 2010 and to expand the number of European destinations available by rail from the UK. This was one of the principal objectives behind the recent financial restructuring of London and Continental Railways which the European Commission said would "benefit competition and users in view of the forthcoming liberalisation of international passenger transport by rail in 2010".
Following this financial restructuring, it is the Government's intention, in due course, to sell a long-term concession for High Speed 1. This will incentivise and maximise usage of the line, and encourage the concessionaire to help train operators develop new international services. It will be for the future operator of High Speed 1 to market the railway and to agree terms of access with international train operators. We understand that High Speed 1 has had some preliminary discussions with potential operators.
The Government's interest in Eurostar is aimed at ensuring that Eurostar can continue to offer attractive service to passengers whilst also being able to compete with expected new train operators on a level playing field in the future. This was also recognised by the Commission in its approval of this support.
High Speed 1 is not the only infrastructure to be used by cross-Channel high-speed trains. The Government maintain their support for the European Commission in promoting policies that ensure the regulatory arrangements and charging structures of the other infrastructure operators do not act as a barrier to competition on Eurostar routes.
Roads: A303
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether in the next three years any stretches of the A303 trunk road will be re-surfaced with sound-reducing materials; and if so, in which areas it will take place.
Lord Adonis: Subject to the availability of funds within the Highways Agency's budget, the following stretches of the A303 trunk road are due to be resurfaced with "low noise" surfacing in the next three years:
Boscombe Down to Countess Roundabout (0.75 miles);
Winterbourne Stoke Improvements (0.31 miles);
Tintinhull Junction to Cartgate Roundabout (0.06 miles);
Willoughby Hedge (A350 Junction) to Mere (5 miles);
Deptford to Stockton Wood (3.1 miles); and
Hazlegrove Roundabout (0.25 miles).
Roads: Abnormal Loads
Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to alter the arrangements for receipt by the Highways Agency of statutory abnormal load movement notifications.
Lord Adonis: The Highways Agency has no plans to alter its arrangements for receipt of statutory abnormal load notifications.
Rural Communities: Taxis
Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they carried out research into the impact of the introduction of taxi metering on the provision of service to rural communities.
Lord Adonis: The Government have not carried out research into the compulsory use of taximeters in rural areas. Responsibility for taxi licensing—including any decision on whether taximeters should be mandatory—rests with local licensing authorities.
Schools: Economy
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Audit Commission report Valuable lessons, and what guidance they issue to school governing bodies on the retention of balances.
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: I welcome the Audit Commission report Valuable Lessons: Improving Economy and Efficiency in Schools.
The department has already provided a range of tools to help schools make the most effective use of their resources including financial benchmarking, the strategic planning guide, the financial management standard in schools and the offer of a free one-day consultancy visit on improving value for money. The Education Procurement Centre is working with schools to carry out procurement health checks which help to identify where savings can be made. The e-procurement tool OPEN has been developed to help schools buy products online and compare prices of a range of suppliers.
The report supports our position on surplus school balances. It is sound financial management for schools to retain a small surplus from year to year, and revenue funding is intended to support the education of children in school now. It should not be necessary for it to be channelled into capital improvement projects given that separate and substantial capital funding has been made available.
Schools and authorities must work to reduce high balances over the next two years. If total revenue balances and the excessive balances held by individual schools do not reduce substantially by 2010-11, the Government will consult on further action from 2011-12 to bring the total down.
The department provides a reference document called A Guide to the Law for Schools Governors (the guide) to all schools and local authorities to inform them of the legal duties applicable to governing bodies of maintained schools. The guide includes information about the allocation of schools budgets and informs governors that there is a provision in the scheme for financing schools (the scheme) for the local authority to claw back excess surplus budgets. The scheme is issued by their local authority and sets out the financial relationship between the local authority and the maintained schools in their area. The scheme must include a mechanism on how the local authority will control excessive school balances, defined as greater than 5 per cent of the annual budget in secondary schools and 8 per cent in primary and special schools.
In accordance with paragraph 2(3) of Schedule 14 to the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (the Act), the local authority must consult all the governing bodies and schools in its area if it proposes to make any revisions to the provision of its scheme.
Additionally we have commenced a survey of local authorities practice and experiences in clawing back and managing surplus balances, in partnership with the Local Government Association and the results of this survey will be used to inform possible further action or guidance.
Shipping: BVT Shipbuilders
Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any liability for possible future redundancies at BVT Shipbuilders; and, if so, what is the basis of such liability.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Consistent with the Defence Industrial Strategy (Cmnd 6697), the department has committed to work with its industrial partners, including BVT Surface Fleet Limited (BVT), to transform the maritime sector, maintain sovereign capability, and seek performance improvements to create a sustainable, world-class UK maritime sector.
The BVT terms of business agreement is planned to be a long-term—15-year—industrial partnership and in that context it is quite normal that provision should be made for redundancy costs to be met at customer expense in certain circumstances. However, there are no current plans to rationalise or reduce the number of BVT shipyards nor, in that context, are we aware of any plans by BVT to announce redundancies.
Smoking
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to make it illegal to smoke near young children.
Lord Darzi of Denham: Because of the dangers to the health of children from second-hand tobacco smoke people are urged to avoid smoking near children, especially in confined spaces such as cars. We have given a commitment to complete a review the smoke-free law in England after three years. The review will be carried out in 2010.
St Helena: Airport
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many submissions they have received to date on the consultation regarding the proposed St Helena airport.
Lord Brett: The deadline for responses to the public consultation regarding the proposed St Helena airport is 31 July.
To date the Department for International Development (DfID) has received 23 submissions by e-mail and 19 submissions by post.
Many respondents are communicating directly with the consultation facilitator rather than with DfID. We will not know how many responses the facilitator has received until she presents her report.
Taxation
Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they propose to ensure that all owners of United Kingdom media organisations pay full United Kingdom personal, corporate and sales taxes.
Lord Myners: The Government are committed to supporting all companies and individuals within the scope of UK tax who seek to pay their fair share, and to deterring and challenging those who do not through a comprehensive range of measures. This applies to the media business in the same way as to any other industry.
UK Border Agency: Staff
Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff the UK Border Agency employs; and, of those, (a) how many are in the United Kingdom, and (b) how many are in each other country in which the agency operates.
Lord West of Spithead: The number of staff that the UK Border employed as at 30 March 2009 was 17,557 and, of those (a) 16,350 are in the United Kingdom: the number, (b) that are employed in each other country in which the agency operates is shown in the attached table.
Country UK Border Agency employees
Bangladesh 11
Belgium 29
China 30
Egypt 8
France 732
Ghana 14
India 68
Jamaica 7
Kenya 10
Nigeria 65
Pakistan 29
Philippines 21
Russian Federation 22
South Africa 15
Thailand 8
Turkey 11
United Arab Emirates 19
Total above specified Countries 1,100
Total overseas unspecified countries 116
Total overseas employees 1,216
Notes to the table.
1. These are full-time equivalent employees as at 30th March 2009.
2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
3. These figures exclude; contingent/ agency workers because they are not employed by the agency, as well as employees on career breaks or maternity leave.
4. The figures include former Border and Immigration Agency staff and those formerly employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who are now part of the UK Border Agency.
5. Countries where there are five employees or less have been excluded for both security and data protection reasons.
Worker Registration Scheme
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to reimburse European workers who have paid the Worker Registration Scheme fee and are then made redundant through their employers' businesses failing.
Lord West of Spithead: There are no plans to reimburse the worker registration scheme fee for those who are made redundant. The fee is designed to recover the cost of administering the scheme and is not linked to how long applicants remain in employment.
Those who are made redundant may seek alternative employment and reregister without charge. The fee applies only to initial applications and not to those who are registering a change of employment. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2009-07-15a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2009",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Company Accounts
baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 18 January (HL12949), whether the overriding obligation for a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss as set out in section 393 of the Companies Act 2006, relates to the public policy objectives of company law; and how itrelates to the objectives relating to setting accounting standards where those objectives differ.
lord henley: The true and fair test in section 393 of the Companies Act is the overarching test that is applied to a company’s annual accounts. If a company produces accounts, in accordance with the legal requirements, which are inconsistent with the Companies Act requirement to give a true and fair view, then the directors must depart from the accounting standards to the extent necessary to give a true and fair view. Particulars of any such departure, the reasons for it and its effect must be given in a note to the accounts. The IAS Regulation (EU Regulation No. 1606/2002) includes requirements to consider the accounting standards system as a whole. Article 3(2) of that Regulation provides that a new form of international accounting standard can only be adopted if it is not contrary to the principle that an undertaking’s accounts must give a true and fair view of the undertaking’s assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. This requirement ensures that no new form of international accounting standard is adopted for use in the UK if the application of that standard would lead to companies in general contravening the true and fair test.
Brexit
lord davies of stamford: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which sectors of commerce or industry they have requested or required that evidence of submissions made to them in connection with legislation relating to the UK's withdrawal from the EU be kept confidential.
lord henley: HM Government uses multiple communication channels to reach a wide range of businesses to discuss a range of issues, including on EU Exit and associated legislation. This includes regular meetings with businesses, such as Sector Councils, the EU Exit Business Readiness Forums, media campaigns, phone calls, emails, letters, press releases and social media.
Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day
baroness mone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark the Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day on 27 June.
lord henley: Our business environment is amongst the best in the world and Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are the backbone of our economy, playing a key role in helping the UK remain the best place to start and grow a small business. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly, recognising the importance of these enterprises, has declared 27 June the Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day which we support through the ongoing work of our modern Industrial Strategy. Through our modern Industrial Strategy, we are doing even more to ensure the UK remains the best place in the world to start and grow a business – whether that is through creating the right environment for business; investing in research; creating a workforce skilled for the future or taking hold of the opportunities EU exit presents for trade. Through programmes operated by the Government-owned British Business Bank they are currently supporting over £5.5bn of finance to over 78,000 SMEs; and since its launch in 2012, the Start-Up Loans programme, part of the British Business Bank, has delivered more than 59,000 loans, totalling over £450m.
Carbon Emissions
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to meet the legally-binding carbon targets in the Climate Change Act 2008.
lord henley: The Government is committed to tackling climate change and we are making strong progress towards our legally binding carbon budgets established in the world-leading Climate Change Act.We over-achieved on the first carbon budget, covering 2008-12, by 1.2%. The final greenhouse gas emissions statistics for 2017 confirmed that we have over-achieved on the second carbon budget, covering 2013-17. We are on track to meet the third carbon budget (2018-22); and are already on track to deliver over 90% of our required performance against 1990 levels for the fourth and fifth carbon budgets. Since 1990 we have reduced emissions by 42% while growing our economy by 72%.We recognise the need to go further and our Clean Growth Strategy sets out our plans through to 2032, including ambitious proposals on housing, business, transport, the natural environment and green finance.Since publishing the Clean Growth Strategy, our key achievements include: holding the first Green GB Week; announcement of two clean growth “missions” as part of our Industrial Strategy; publication of the CCUS Deployment Pathway; actions to reduce emissions from our industry and buildings, including a £315m Industrial Energy Transformation Fund; our Road to Zero Strategy, setting out ambitious measures to drive deployment of zero emission vehicles, while reducing emissions from existing vehicles; publication of the Green Finance Taskforce report; and commissioning the Committee on Climate Change to provide advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets, including on setting a net zero target.
Lighting: Safety
lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that products which convert bayonet light fittings to screw fittings for new LED bulbs are safe to use.
lord henley: The Government places great importance on the safety of consumers. Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 manufacturers are required to ensure that the products they place on the market comply with the safety objectives of the Regulations. Manufacturers must also provide clear instructions and safety information with each product.
Energy: Cost Benefit Analysis
lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out a cost benefit analysis of the investment of public money in securing a mix of energy supplies including nuclear power for the UK.
lord henley: We regularly assess the costs and benefits of different technologies – including nuclear power – and assess the impact of different technologies on energy security, decarbonisation and consumer bills. As my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State set out in Parliament on 17 January 2019, the Government is looking at new financing models for supporting new nuclear projects, including a Regulated Asset Base model as recommended by the National Audit Office. We intend to publish our assessment of this method in due course.
Nuclear Power
lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a mix of energy supplies for the UK must include nuclear power.
lord henley: As my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State set out in his statement to the House on 17 January, we continue to believe that nuclear has an important role to play in the UK’s future energy mix, but it must represent good value for the taxpayer and consumer. Our internal analysis indicates that nuclear power can make a significant contribution to the UK’s energy future, and that decarbonisation of the power sector can be achieved cheaply, securely and reliably if nuclear can deliver good value for money. We will set out more detail on the Government’s approach to new nuclear as part of the planned Energy White Paper to be published in the summer
UK Audit Standards Independent Review
baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Henley on 1 February (HL13348) and 18 January (HL12949), whether thescope for Sir Donald Brydon’s independent review will includethe expectations and protection of shareholders, creditors and the public; and whether the term "users" of accounts encompasses shareholders, creditors and the public.
lord henley: The terms of reference of Sir Donald Brydon’s independent review into the quality and effectiveness of audit have now been published and are available on gov.uk. The terms of reference confirm that the Review will consider “the needs and expectations of stakeholders who make use of company audits” and “will undertake engagement with a wide range of stakeholders in order to fully understand the range of issues involved.” The nature and extent of this work is a matter for Sir Donald’s independent review.
Honda: Swindon
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Honda’s decision to close its factory in Swindon on the wider supply chain in the UK car industry.
lord henley: This is a concerning time for the 3,500 workers at the Swindon plant and the many thousands of people employed by companies in Honda UK’s supply chain. The Government will come together to provide support for those affected by this decision. A Task Force met for the first time on 20 February, bringing together leaders from local and national government, trade unions, workers from Honda UK, representatives from business groups and local civic leaders. There are many companies of varying sizes across the UK which supply components to Honda’s operations in Swindon. Steps will be taken to support those companies which are adversely affected by this news. Through the Automotive Council, a collaboration between Government and industry, we work with the supply chain right across the automotive sector, and this will be a prominent part of our discussions, plans and decisions over the weeks ahead. The Government is determined to ensure that the UK continues to be one of the most competitive locations in the world for automotive and other advanced manufacturing. Despite Honda’s announcement, the UK automotive industry remains one of our great success stories. Global demand for UK designed, engineered and manufactured vehicles is strong. Several companies have recently committed to investing billions of pounds in the sector. Through our Industrial Strategy and landmark Automotive Sector Deal, we are working with industry to put the UK at the forefront of new automotive technologies to ensure the UK remains the destination of choice for future investment decisions. Last year the government announced our mission under the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles and good progress has already been made. Government and industry have committed £1 billion over 10 years to 2023 through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). Government has committed £246m to the Faraday Battery Challenge, and circa £80m in the last Budget to the Stephenson Challenge, newly named ‘Driving the Electric Revolution’. The Sector Deal also includes up to £32 million of joint funding for an industry-led supply chain competitiveness programme to help grow the UK supply chain and make it internationally competitive.
Fracking
lord palmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will review the shale gas fracking regulations.
lord henley: The Traffic Light System for monitoring induced seismicity was introduced after consideration of advice from three scientists, following operations at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in 2011. The level of magnitude 0.5 at which operators must pause operations, was set in consultation with industry as an appropriate precautionary measure. There are no plans to review the traffic light system.
Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs
lord wallace of tankerness: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the Feed-in Tariff budget was committed in each year from 2015 to 2018; and how much of that budget was allocated to (1) wind,(2) solar, (3) hydro, (4) biomass, (5) anaerobic digestion, and (6) micro-combined heat and power in each of those years.
lord henley: The amount of budget committed to each wind band can be calculated using publicly available data. Total capacity deployed for each technology over the period 2016 – 2018 is published under the Feed-in Tariff Deployment Caps Monthly Reports. Total generation can be calculated by applying the load factors (published in the impact assessment that accompanied the 2015 Feed-in Tariffs review) to the total capacity. In order to calculate the value of the generation tariff payments made to each band, the total amount of generation per quarter is multiplied by the corresponding tariff rates available on Ofgem’s website.
Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs
lord wallace of tankerness: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any Feed-in Tariff currently used for a specific renewable technology device or machine on which maintenance is conducted will be annulled after 2019.
lord henley: In our response to the Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) consultation published on 18 December 2018 we indicated our intention to consult on detailed proposals to allow existing FIT generators to replace any element of their plant and retain their current generation tariff. This will be subject to developing cost control measures which would need to be effective and proportionate from an administrative perspective.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Cameroon: Armed Conflict
lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the Biya regime in Cameroon (1) burning down Kumba hospital,(2) destroying villages, and(3) abductingSouthern Cameroonian students from their student accommodation.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned about reports of the burning down of a hospital in Kumba, South West Cameroon, on 11 February which resulted in the death of four people. It is unclear at this stage where responsibility for this terrible act lies, but a full investigation is needed so that the perpetrators can face justice. The British Government was also shocked by footage released in July 2018, although dated, showing the razing of villages. We are aware of increased reports of incidents of kidnap, particularly in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. We assess that both the Ambazonian separatist rebels and government forces are using excessive force and ordinary people are suffering in the crossfire. All schoolchildren and students should be able to access education in a safe environment.The Minister for Africa, Mrs Baldwin, met the Cameroonian Foreign Minister during the EU's Ministerial meeting with the African Union in Brussels on 23 January and raised the UK's concerns for the Anglophone communities and stressed much more needed to be done, including to protect human rights and uphold the rule of law. The UK condemns strongly all violations and abuses of human rights and calls on all sides to end the cycle of violence. We urge the government of Cameroon to work alongside the international community to ensure prompt and thorough investigation of all violations and abuses, and to hold perpetrators to account. The UK stands ready to assist in this regard.
Department of Health and Social Care
Liothyronine
lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey will take to prevent any harm to thyroid patients who require liothyronineand who are unable to secure funding for such treatment by Clinical Commissioning Groupsbecause of the cost of this medicine set by the three UK licence holders.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: Guidance on the prescribing of liothyronine has been published by the Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee (RMOC). A copy of Guidance – Prescribing of Liothyronine is attached. The aim of the guidance is to make best practice on the prescribing of liothyronine clearer. This guidance provides advice on the prescribing of liothyronine and on the review of National Health Service patients who are being prescribed liothyronine. The guidance supports clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and Area Prescribing Committees in local decision making and enables a consistent approach for the exceptional circumstances in which patients have an ongoing need for liothyronine.The guidance states that “As specified by the British Thyroid Association Executive Committee, clinicians have an ethical responsibility to adhere to the highest professional standards of good medical practice rooted in sound evidence. This includes not prescribing potentially harmful therapies without proven advantages over existing treatments’. The RMOC therefore recommends that strict criteria are applied to ensure that liothyronine is only prescribed in the very rare situations where alternative treatments have been found to be inadequate. In such circumstances, an ongoing shared care arrangement may be appropriate if agreed by local commissioners. If a patient is ever initiated on treatment, prescribing responsibility should remain with the hospital consultant for at least 3 months”.CCG are expected to have regard to national guidance, and are responsible for developing their own local approaches to its implementation taking into account local priorities and needs.Any patient who feels they have suffered harm as a result of NHS treatment may raise the matter, in writing, electronically, or orally, with the service provider, or with the commissioner of the service. If local resolution is unsuccessful, the person making the complaint has the right to refer their complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman.
HL13695 attached document
(PDF Document, 507.12 KB)
World Health Day
baroness mone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark World Health Day on 7 April.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: World Health Day is a key event to recognise, promote, and raise awareness of global health matters around the world. It falls on 7 April each year and marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. Each year it has a theme to highlight a global health issue. The theme for the 2019 World Health Day is Universal Health Coverage.The Department works closely with the WHO and will support World Health Day through promotion of the day and its key messages on social media platforms. We have done this for other global health days, including World Health Day 2018.
Health and Care Professions Council: Fees and Charges
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possible impact of the Health and Care Professions Council proposals to increase its mandatory registration fee by 18 per cent from October.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government has not made an assessment of the possible impact of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) proposals to increase its mandatory registration fee by 18% from October 2019. The HCPC is independent of Government, funded by registrants’ fees on a costs recovery basis. Following public consultation, the HCPC is planning to raise its annual fees by £16. If adopted, the HCPC’s annual registration fee will rise from £90 to £106 a year. HCPC registration fees will remain the lowest of any of the United Kingdom-wide health and care regulators. Registration fees are tax-deductible and this fee rise will amount to just over £1 a month extra for most of the HCPC’s registrants.
Health Professions: Migrant Workers
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage health professionals from overseas to work in the UK.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government is committed to ensuring that the National Health Service can recruit as many doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals from abroad as it needs. We also recognise how important it is to make international recruitment as straight forward and user-friendly as possible, both for applicants and employers.As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, the Secretary of State has commissioned Baroness Harding to lead a rapid and inclusive programme of work to set out a detailed workforce implementation plan to be published in the spring. Encouraging overseas health professionals to come and work in the NHS is being considered as part of this plan.Furthermore, our future immigration system will prioritise high and medium-skilled workers and the Tier 2 visa cap will be abolished. In addition to this, the Government will also be removing the Resident Labour Market Test for skilled workers – this will remove a month from the process of recruiting from overseas. As we bring the European Union into a new single immigration system we will make the existing sponsorship system more streamlined.
Department for Education
Voluntary Schools
lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they will take to prevent new voluntary aided schools with a religious character from immediately converting to academy status to bypass the 50 per cent cap on religiously selective admissions that currently applies to free schools.
lord agnew of oulton: Any voluntary-aided schools, including those funded through the recently announced capital scheme, can apply to convert to academy status in the same way as any other maintained school. Whilst we do not plan to put in place specific restrictions on academy conversion for voluntary-aided schools, they will need to obtain the necessary consents, meet our criteria and undertake a consultation before doing so.
Faith Schools: Admissions
baroness bakewell: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to ensure that children within the catchment area of a school with 100 per cent religious intake are not disadvantaged in the choice of schools available to them.
lord agnew of oulton: The government is committed to offering parents and children a diverse education system consisting of a wide variety of schools, and this includes faith schools.Parents are able to express a preference for at least 3 schools they would like their child to attend and, subject to very limited exceptions, local authorities and school admission authorities must comply with that preference. However, where a school receives more applications than it has places available, places must be allocated in accordance with the school’s published oversubscription criteria.It is for the admission authority of individual schools to decide which oversubscription criteria are most suitable for their school, according to the local circumstances.Admission authorities of schools with a religious designation can choose to adopt faith-based oversubscription criteria. However, some faith schools choose to only allocate a proportion of their places with reference to faith, and some do not apply any faith criteria at all. Where a faith school has places available, it must admit all applicants, without reference to faith.Anyone who believes that a school’s admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful may make an objection the Schools Adjudicator.
Universities: Billing
lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is responsible for monitoring the payment performance of universities and ensuring that they comply with the Public Service Contracts Regulations 2015.
viscount younger of leckie: Under the definitions of “contracting authorities” and “bodies governed by public law” as specified by regulation 2 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, not all universities fall under these regulations because, for some, the majority of their funding does not come from public sources.Where the regulations do apply, it is the universities’ responsibility, as independent contracting authorities, to ensure they comply with their legal obligations. Failure to comply can leave them open to legal remedies, as set out in the regulations, following complaints from aggrieved suppliers.
Ministry of Defence
Armed Forces: Casualties
lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the pre- and post-section 104 order protocols between theMinistry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, the Scottish Government Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Chief Coroner on dealing with military deaths in Scotland.
earl howe: The protocol for liaison on Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) relates to fatalities of Armed Forces personnel outside the United Kingdom (the protocol) and is shared between the Ministry of Justice (for the Chief Coroner's Office), the Ministry of Defence (Armed Forces Personnel), and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). The protocol was originally drafted and agreed on 31 August 2012; it was subsequently revised on 25 May 2017 following consultations between the parties. The Ministry of Defence put forward further revisions. Further work on the protocol was delayed due to the Ministry of Justice not being able to provide feedback due to being overwhelmed with the terrorist events in London and they have not been in a position to consider the protocol further. Further consultations on the protocol have not been able to be held due to time commitments by the other parties. COPFS have advised that as part of a modernisation project, they plan to revitalise the discussions on the protocol in the near future. These discussions will now include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The protocol must be owned by all parties as it is a tripartite agreement. The protocol is a draft document until full agreement is achieved by all the parties, and cannot be published at this time.
Military Aircraft: Training
lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further tothe Written Answer byEarl Howeon 12 September 2016(HL1529), whetherthe Ascent Flight Training programme is fully up and running; how many fixed-wing jet trainees have graduated since 2016; and whether Ascent has been fined since 2015.
earl howe: All elements of the UK Military Flying Training System are due to be fully up and running by mid-2020, although training has been under way on the Fast Jet and Rear Crew training pipelines since 2012. To date, a total of 147 fixed wing jet trainees have graduated from the Ascent Flight Training programme since 2016. Ascent has not been 'fined' by the Authority or any external agencies. However, under the terms of its contract with the Ministry of Defence, Ascent has been subject to some payment deductions since 2015 for provision of services not fully meeting requirements. In addition, Ascent has received deductions from its Training Service Availability Payments for late delivery of assets and forgone a percentage of course completion incentive fees for late delivery of training courses.
Department for Work and Pensions
Bereavement Benefits
baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many families with children were receiving Bereavement Benefit or Bereavement Support Payments in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, and (3) 2017–18; and how many such families are estimated to receive payments in (a) 2018–19, and (b) 2019–20.
baroness buscombe: The latest available information is given below. Widowed Parents Allowance recipients with dependants by Quarter, Feb 15 to Aug 18WPA with dependants Feb-1544,949May-1545,589Aug-1543,667Nov-1543,206Feb-1644,350May-1645,411Aug-1644,767Nov-1642,554Feb-1743,884May-1744,138Aug-1739,164Nov-1738,751Feb-1838,158Aug-1834,254 Source: Department for Work and Pensions Notes: Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data. Totals may not sum due to the disclosure control applied.Widowed Parents Allowance: Weekly benefit payable to widowed parents. A widow/widower may be entitled to this if his/her late spouse/civil partner had paid enough NIC and the widow/widower is receiving Child Benefit or can be treated as entitled to Child Benefit,or the late spouse/civil partner was receiving child benefit, or expecting her husband's/civil partner's baby (pregnant from fertility treatment).Bereavement Support Payment claims in payment by rate of BSP and month, April 2017 to September 2018 Rate of BSP TotalStandard RateHigher RateApr-172,2401,880360May-175,1204,210910Jun-177,8506,4701,390Jul-1710,7008,8001,910Aug-1713,50011,1202,370Sep-1716,27013,4302,840Oct-1719,27015,9403,330Nov-1722,25018,4503,800Dec-1725,44021,1604,280Jan-1828,87024,0004,870Feb-1831,86026,5205,340Mar-1834,97029,1205,850Apr-1837,94031,6506,380May-1840,96034,0306,930Jun-1843,86036,4107,450Jul-1846,87038,9007,970Aug-1849,87041,3908,480Sep-1852,73043,7408,990Source: Clerical administrative data Notes: Rate of BSP: There are two rates at which BSP can be paid: higher or standard. Claimants who are entitled to Child Benefit or who were pregnant when their husband, wife or civil partner died will get the higher rate. All other claimants will get the standard rate.Month: These figures represent the situation at a specific point in time, which is on the last day of the reporting month. Monthly claims in payment figures include backdated payments. Forecasted figures broken down to the level requested are not readily available, and to provide them would incur disproportionate costs. However, the figures available at a broader level are presented below. Caseload information by Bereavement benefits Bereavement related benefits caseload2018/19 Forecast (in thousands)2019/20 Forecast (in thousands)Bereavement Allowance (previously widow's Pension)103 98 of which working age10398of which pensioners-- Bereavement Support Payment49 55 of which higher rate89of which lower rate4146Bereavement benefits & Widow's benefits54 43 Notes:Caseload figures represent an average over the full financial year; caseloads for benefits which commenced or ended during a financial year still reflect an average over the full year.Numbers for the years 2018/19 and 2019/20 are forecasts, and as such are liable to change.Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.‘-‘ Denotes nil or negligible.‘.’ Denotes not available.
Poverty: Lone Parents
lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support lone-parent families living in poverty;and in particular, to tackle (1) high housing costs, (2) low-paid work, and (3) cuts to benefits and tax credits.
baroness buscombe: There is clear evidence that work offers the best opportunity for families to move out of poverty and towards financial independence. Children of lone parent workless families are around 4 times more likely to be in poverty than those where their parent works full time. There are now over 1.2 million lone parents in work and this Government has introduced a number of changes to help lone parents address the challenges they face. Working parents on Universal Credit can have up to 85% of their childcare costs reimbursed – worth up to £1,108 per month for someone with two or more children. We have also introduced additional flexibility on support for up front childcare costs, increased work allowances and doubled free childcare available to working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours per week. People on Universal Credit who earn above £542 a month are exempt from the benefit cap, and lone parents need to work just 16 hours a week to be eligible for Working Tax Credits and be exempt from the benefit cap.This Government has introduced the National Living Wage which will increase again to £8.21 from April 2019. This is expected to benefit up to 2.4m people with the rise this April increasing a full-time worker’s annual pay by over £2,750 since its introduction. Our tax changes will make basic rate tax payers £1,075 better off in 2018-19 than in 2010-11. And we have provided around £1billion in Discretionary Housing Payment funding since 2011, enabling local authorities to protect the most vulnerable claimants
Poverty
baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the pilot Department for Work and Pensions and Oxfam Cymru livelihoods and poverty awareness training project carried out in 2016–17; and whether there are any plans to introduce such training elsewhere.
baroness buscombe: The department has not carried out any assessment of the Oxfam Cymru livelihoods and poverty awareness training project. Oxfam Cymru commissioned the University of Salford to carry out an independent evaluation the result of which can be found on their website. The Department is exploring how this approach could be included as part of our claimant offer and the associated training requirements for our staff.
Poverty: Children
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help reduce levels of child poverty in the UK.
baroness buscombe: There is clear evidence that work offers the best opportunity for families to move out of poverty and towards financial independence. Children in workless households are around 5 times more likely to be in poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work. 62% of children living in a workless couple family are in relative poverty (before housing costs) compared with only 3% where both adults work full-time.This is why we are continuing to undertake the most ambitious reform to the welfare system in decades – so that it supports people to find and to stay in work. Nationally, there are now over 3.5 million more people in work. Universal Credit is at the heart of these reforms. It is designed to promote full-time work and employment for partners where possible, through smoother incentives to increase hours.Working parents on UC can have up to 85% of their childcare costs reimbursed – worth up to £1,108 per month for someone with two or more children. We have also introduced additional flexibility on support for up front childcare costs, increased work allowances, and doubled free childcare available to working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours per week.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Zoos: Safety
lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the safety systems and processes in UK zoos to protect staff, customers and animals.
lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is committed to ensuring that zoos are safe places to work and visit, and that there are high standards of welfare for all animals. The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 sets out comprehensive licensing and inspection requirements for zoos. Responsibility for administering these requirements rests with local authorities. Defra supports this by providing the Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, which sets out minimum standards that zoos are expected to meet, covering welfare and safety. The standards are kept under review by Defra’s Zoos Expert Committee, a group of independent experts that advises Defra on zoo issues. Zoos must also comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 which ensures the safety of staff.
Agriculture: Pests
lord wallace of tankerness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential risk to agricultural products in the UK through the import of goods or vehicles carrying the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys.
lord gardiner of kimble: The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is an insect from eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan). It has no established populations in the UK. We are aware that it has spread into the USA and to mainland Europe. For example, it was first reported in Germany in 2001. Subsequent reports have come from Switzerland (2004), Greece (2011), France (2012), Italy (2012) and Hungary (2013). The insect has been intercepted in the UK on several occasions in recent years. We have carried out a risk assessment on the potential for this organism to arrive in the UK and cause damage. Given its establishment in Europe and other parts of the world and its potential to spread by hitchhiking, on vehicles and through human movements, as well as via trade, our assessment has shown that it has the potential to reach the UK. It may be able to survive in our climate, but is unlikely to reach more than one generation per year, preventing it from reaching harmful levels. The insect is not therefore a significant threat to UK horticultural crops but as with all pests and diseases, the UK continues to closely monitor any threats. A Defra fact sheet on the insect has been published on the Plant Health Portal.
Air Pollution
baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey have taken in response to the recommendations madein the report by the House of CommonsEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environmental Audit, Health and Social Care, and Transport CommitteesImproving air quality,published on 7 March 2018,to ensure that they align (1) climate change schemes, (2) urban planning, (3) public transport, and (4) fiscal incentives for zero emission vehicles, with air quality goals to preventtheir policies from working at cross-purposes.
lord gardiner of kimble: The Government responded in full to the recommendations on 22 May 2018. The Government’s focus in the immediate term is bringing forward compliance with legal limits for NO2 concentrations, and stakeholders from seven departments take part in the governance of the NO2 Plan with a view to ensuring policies are aligned. The Government published its new Clean Air Strategy on 14 January 2019, setting out a world leading plan to tackle air pollution that is aimed at all sectors of work and society.
Home Office
Undocumented Migrants
lord green of deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many migrants who had entered the UK illegally were encountered by (1) port authorities,and (2) the police after passing through UK ports in each year since 2010.
baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not routinely publish this level of data on clandestine entry or attempts to enter the UK but data on clandestine detection that has been published can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-clandestines-detected-at-the-juxtaposed-controls-and-at-uk-ports-from-2010-to-2014
Drugs: Organised Crime
baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any police forces plan to increase the number of juvenile covert human intelligence sources to deal with county lines drugs conspiracies.
baroness williams of trafford: The small number of juveniles authorised as CHIS are a vital investigative tool for relevant public authorities to fulfil their statutory obligations, providing unique access to information important in preventing and prosecuting criminality such as gang violence and terrorism. The statutory framework for the deployment of juveniles as covert human intelligence sources is designed to ensure that they are deployed with great care and only in very limited and carefully managed circumstances.The Home Office does not collect information on covert human intelligence sources in county line crimes as this is an operational matter.
Department for International Trade
Arms Trade
lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any significant defence sales of UK manufactured systems that are not used by the UK armed forces.
baroness fairhead: The Department for International Trade’s Defence and Security Organisation supports legitimate UK defence exports, whether they are in service with the UK armed forces or not, as part of its role in helping the UK defence industry to export. The Ministry of Defence is currently considering the Honourable Member for Ludlow’s independent report into growing defence’s contribution to UK economic growth. On a rolling 10-year basis, the UK remains the second largest global defence exporter and in 2017, the UK won defence orders worth £9 billion.
Trade
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on future global trade.
baroness fairhead: Our priority remains getting approval for the deal we have negotiated with our European partners. Alongside this, the Government will continue to do the responsible thing and prepare for all eventualities with partner countries, including a ‘no deal’ scenario. Details of these preparations can be found in the Government paper “Implications for business and trade of a No Deal exit on 29 March” published on the 26 February. Regardless of how we leave, for the first time in more than four decades, the UK will have an independent trade policy once we exit from the EU. We will deploy all the tools at our disposal and tailor our trade policy to the strengths and requirements of the UK economy. The Government is preparing for an ambitious programme of trade negotiations and enhanced market access. We have consulted on our first four potential free trade agreements (FTAs), with Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The Government has committed to publishing Scoping Assessments prior to launching negotiations on new FTAs. We will then publish an impact assessment of any concluded agreement prior to ratification. While we are looking to forge new agreements, the Government is also seeking continuity for our existing EU trade agreements as we leave the European Union. We have made good progress, signing trade continuity agreements with Switzerland, Chile, the Eastern and Southern African (ESA) states, the Faroe Islands, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2019-02-27 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2019",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Irish Language Agency
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 22 April (WA 55) concerning the 2004 budget for the Irish Language Agency, who attended the meetings on 18 September and 2 October 2003; where these meetings were held; and whether they will place copies of the minutes of the meetings in the Library of the House.
Baroness Amos: As a result of a typographical error the Answer given on 22 April 2004 (WA 55), incorrectly stated that a meeting took place on 2 October 2003 rather than 3 October 2003.
I should also clarify that the meeting on 18 September 2003 was held in the Interpoint Centre, 20-22 York Street, Belfast and solely involved officials from the two sponsor departments, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (DCRGA). Irish Language Agency officials were not present at that meeting.
The meeting on 3 October 2003 was held in the offices of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mespil Street, Dublin, and involved officials from DCAL, DCRGA, the Irish Language Agency and the Ulster-Scots Agency.
In relation to providing copies of the minutes of these meetings I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 23 April 2004 (WA 63).
Ulster-Scots Agency
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Lord President on 29 March (WA 127) and 10 May (WA 1) concerning the 2004 budget of the Ulster-Scots Agency, why they state that "proportionality was maintained at the same level as in previous years as no new factors have emerged" if there was no consultation between the agency and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.
Baroness Amos: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 23 April 2004 (WA 63).
Ulster Scots Academy
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Lord President on 6 April (WA 219) and 13 May (WA 47) concerning consultants employed by the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, who was on the evaluation panel which selected the consultants; and why consultants with expertise in the Ulster Scots language were not employed.
Baroness Amos: I have nothing further to add to the Answer given on 13 May (WA 47) regarding the composition of the evaluation panel. Expertise in the Ulster Scots language was not considered necessary for the preparation of a business case.
Northern Ireland Department ofCulture, Arts and Leisure
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20 May (WA 96), whether the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure objected to the Ulster-Scots Agency's organisation of the Washington reception in 2001.
Baroness Amos: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure did not offer any views in relation to the agency's organisation of the Washington reception in 2001.
North/South Implementation Bodies
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What increases there have been in salary and expenses for civil servants from the United Kingdom and from Eire working on the Cross-Border Implementation Bodies since the bodies were created, expressed in monetary and percentage terms for all grades.
Baroness Amos: Those Northern Ireland and Irish civil servants working on the North/South Implementation Bodies are based primarily in the central finance departments, the sponsoring departments, OFMDFM and the North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat. The salaries and expenses of staff in the Irish Civil Service are of course a matter for the Irish Government.
Since the creation of the bodies, the salaries of Northern Ireland civil servants have been reviewed with effect from 1 April in the years 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 as part of the annual pay review for the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) as a whole. The annual base pay increases awarded to Northern Ireland civil servants working on North/South Implementation Bodies are as follows. These are shown in percentage terms only as it is not possible to express them meaningfully in any other way.
Year Civil servantsbelow SCS Senior civil servants
2004 Not yet agreed Not yet agreed
2003 3.67% 5.37%
2002 4.8% 4.38%
2001 4.85% 4.4%
2000 4.5% 4.4%
There is a wide range of out of pocket expenses which can be claimed by Northern Ireland civil servants in connection with their official duties. The most common are in respect of mileage and subsistence. Subsistence rates have remained unchanged since 2000. Mileage allowance changes for the years in question are set out below in monetary terms only, as the basis on which these rates were payable changed radically.
NICS Motor Mileage Rates 2000–02
Cars with Up to 1000cc 1001–1500cc 1501–2000cc Over 2000cc
engine capacity: p per mile p per mile p per mile p per mile
Up to 4,000 miles 28 35 45 53
Over 4,000 miles 17 20 25 36
NICS Motor Mileage Rates 2002–04
All Engine Capacities: Per Mile
Up to 10,000 miles 40p
Over 10,000 miles 25p
Northern Ireland: Loyal Order Parades
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Tourism Ireland or the Northern Ireland Tourist Board have helped to promote Loyal Order parades in Northern Ireland during the past five years; and, if so, in what way.
Baroness Amos: During the past five years the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) has featured the Loyal Order parades on its product database, ensuring that they are available through its consumer website and through tourist information centres. These have also generally featured in its annual events listing brochure throughout this period although in 2004 only the Maiden City Festival (Apprentice Boys of Derry Parade) was featured. NITB has met with the Orange Order to discuss future promotion of the 12 July parades. NITB contributed £20,000 in 2001–02 and £25,000 in 2002–03 towards the Maiden City Festival.
Tourism Ireland has not promoted Loyal Order parades in Northern Ireland.
Cuba
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make representations to the United States Administration concerning the recommendations of the report by the United States Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba which focuses on forcing a regime change in Cuba.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We do not believe that sanctions offer the most effective means of promoting the transition to a pluralist democracy in Cuba. The EU has expressed its rejection of all unilateral measures against Cuba which are contrary to commonly accepted rules of international trade. Our position, which is well understood by the US Administration, is one of constructive engagement and dialogue. This is clearly set out in the EU's common position on Cuba which was adopted in 1996, and which has been regularly reaffirmed since. On 4 November 2003, we again voted against the US embargo at the United Nations General Assembly.
Cuba
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will support measures to encourage holidaymakers to visit Cuba as part of the policy of constructive engagement, dialogue and trade promotion with the Cuban Government.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: EU member states are the biggest investors in Cuba, and its major partners in trade and tourism. The UK has shown strong commitment to such engagement, and we welcome and support the fact that an increasing number of British tourists are taking their holidays there. The British Embassy and the British Council have been among the most active of foreign missions in Havana in promoting cultural, educational and sporting exchanges in recent years which themselves are encouraging interest in and tourism to Cuba.
Cuba
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures they will take to improve United Kingdom and European Union relations with Cuba in the fields of tourism, trade investment, business and cultural exchanges.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The UK's policy with Cuba is defined by the EU common position, which sets out a relationship based on constructive engagement and dialogue. Through this relationship the EU has become the biggest investor in Cuba and its major partner in trade and tourism. The UK has shown strong commitment to such engagement, and we maintain close co-operation in areas that encourage trade, tourism, education, sport, science and cultural links between the two countries. British tourism to Cuba is increasing.
Following a crackdown on the peaceful opposition in March 2003, the EU—in line with the common position—condemned Cuba's actions and adopted a series of measures that reflected our human rights concerns. The Cuban response to these measures was to reject all EU development aid, and to freeze contact with EU embassies in Havana. Despite this, British-funded programmes and projects with Cuba remain very active.
Cuba
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider Cuba to have ownership of a biological, chemical or nuclear weapons capacity.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Cuba has made clear its position on this issue through its adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention and its recent accession to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The United Kingdom routinely monitors the compliance of all states parties with their obligations under these international agreements.
Cuba
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the key elements of their policy towards the Government and people of Cuba.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The UK, along with EU partners, adopted a common position on Cuba in 1996. This is a clear statement of the existing EU policy of constructive engagement to achieve political and economic reform; progress on which is the key to improved EU/Cuba relations. The common position has stood unchanged since 1996, and was re-evaluated on 15 June 2004. The common position identifies that:
"the main objective of the European Union in its relations with Cuba is to encourage a process of peaceful transition to pluralistic democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as improvement in the living standards of the Cuban people."
We see a relationship based on constructive engagement as the best way to achieve this. EU member states are the biggest investors in Cuba and its major partners in trade and tourism. The UK and other member states have shown strong commitment to such engagement.
Helms-Burton Act
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the United States proposals to consider activating Title III and fully enforcing Title IV of the Helms-Burton Act 1996; and what would be the ramifications of activating Title III for British business interests in Cuba.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Government do not believe that the United States intends to change its existing policy whereby a waiver on Title III is renewed every six months.
Title IV is invoked occasionally but the Government have received no indication that the United States intends to do so again in the near future.
People Trafficking: South-east Europe
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What help they are giving, either individually or as part of a concerted approach, to each of the countries of south-eastern Europe, in order to combat the trafficking of persons for exploitation.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The UK is committed to tackling this serious crime, particularly in the key area of south-eastern Europe. Through Reflex, a multi-agency task force set up in 2000 to tackle organised immigration crime, we are funding a range of projects in the region, such as providing an adviser on trafficking to the Bulgarian Government, and a network of immigration liaison officers covering 22 key source and transit countries in Europe. In the last financial year, we funded projects in the region at a total cost of over £1.7 million. We also work closely with our EU partners, the OSCE, NATO, other international organisations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and NGOs such as the International Organisation for Migration.
Guantanamo Bay and Iraq: Interrogation Methods
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have been informed of the advice given to the United States Government by Pentagon lawyers concerning the legality of the use of harsh methods of interrogation in Guantanamo or Iraq.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: No. The documents concerned are internal US Government papers that were not shared with the British Government.
Cyprus: Sovereign Bases
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the memorandum of understanding between the British High Commission and the Republic of Cyprus concerning refugees in the Sovereign Bases; and whether this deals with the future of such refugees already living within the bases.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: A copy of the memorandum of understanding has been placed in the Library of the House.
The memorandum of understanding does not cover the refugees already in the Sovereign Base areas. However, we are discussing their future with the Cypriot authorities.
Cyprus: Green Line
Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether European Union citizens can now cross the Green Line from northern Cyprus into southern Cyprus; and whether any restrictions on such movement are now applied by the Greek Cypriot Government.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave to the noble Lord, the Lord Monson on 17 May (Official Report, col. WA 70).
School Sport
Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Department for Education and Skills intends to assess progress towards achieving its 2002 public service agreement on physical education and school sport.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: On 29 April 2004 my department published the results from the first PE, School Sport and Club Links Survey. The annual survey is primarily designed to help us to measure progress towards the joint DfES/DCMS PE and School Sport PSA target—75 per cent of five to 16 year-olds spending two hours a week on high-quality PE and school sport—but it is also collecting important data on the type and range of provision that schools offer.
Copies of the first PESSCL survey questionnaire and the published results have already been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
BBC: European Union Support
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the BBC received any funding by way of grant or loan from the European Union in the period 2000–04; if so, what was the amount paid in each year; and for what purpose.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: BBC's producers' guidelines make clear that co-funding from any third party is not appropriate for programmes aimed at a general audience. But the BBC does receive some EU funding for some specialised educational and support material (such as basic literacy and IT skills training for adults). For the period 2000–03, the BBC expected to be paid £375,828 by the European Social Fund to help to pay for community outreach work (workshops, publicity, telephone support, databases) among learners and tutors using the BBC's online Skillswise and WebWise sites, which provide literacy, numeracy and IT skills resources. For the period 2003–04, the BBC is expecting to receive a sum of between £130,961 and £139,959 in support of a pilot project which provides specially versioned online resources (basic skills and English as a second language) which are being used in community centres, learning centres (including UK online centres) and colleges.
The corporation also participates in various initiatives relating to the digitalisation and preservation of archives, which is funded from the Commission's R&D framework programme, the sums received or expected for these purposes being £74,837 in 2000, £52,024 in 2001, £133,394 in 2002, £195,125 in 2003 and £146,500 in 2004.
The World Service Trust is an independent charity which is not a division of the BBC, but it has also received some EU funding for media literacy, training and reconstruction projects across the world as follows:
1999–2000 £137,373 2000–01 £527,432 2001–02 £490,703 2002–03 £865,119 2003–04 £1,167,251
The BBC does not borrow from the EU, although its commercial subsidiaries do borrow from the European Investment Bank for commercial purposes.
Identity Documents
Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which documents issued by government departments are accepted as proof of identity; and for which purposes.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The information requested is not held centrally. However, a trawl of departments has produced the following information. Documents are also issued for internal departmental use only. However there may be circumstances where outside organisations have accepted these as proof of identity. Individual departments should be able to provide more information if required.
The United Kingdom Passport Service, an executive agency of the Home Office, issues passports to British nationals in the UK. British passports are issued at the discretion of the Secretary of State by exercise of Royal prerogative, in line with the British Nationality Acts. A passport is issued only after an applicant's nationality status and identity has been confirmed, and is accepted throughout the world as proof of these.
In the UK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office issues diplomatic identity cards, which prove that the holder is a serving foreign diplomat in the UK. Overseas, the FCO issues the following documents: passport; birth certificate; death certificate; certificate of British nationality—issued to a host government when a British citizen in that country has no acceptable ID; declaration of identity (GV3)—issued to a foreign national travelling to the UK who cannot hold a recognised passport.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), an executive agency of the Department for Transport, and part of its Driver Vehicle and Operations (DVO) group, issues provisional and full driving licences. The Driving Standards Agency requires the licence to be produced to show entitlement to undertake a test of competency to drive. Other organisations, in both the public and private sector, accept a driving licence as proof of identity.
Within the Department for Transport, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) issues a warrant pass to all inspectors of air accidents. These are used as proof of identity and detail the inspector's powers. The Marine Accidents Investigation Branch also issues identity cards to all its inspectors, which list their powers.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, an executive agency of DfT, issues the following documents that refer to a seafarer's identity: British seaman's card; discharge book; certificate of competency. Currently none is officially an identity document, but may be accepted as a form of identification in certain circumstances.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs issues it own identity card to those officers who exercise statutory powers, for example inspectorates and veterinary officers.
In the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 11 fire inspectors are issued with identity cards as are 350 planning inspectors. In both cases the cards are for identification purposes and give no right of access.
The Department for Work and Pensions has issued guidance to help people to prove their identity for social security purposes. They list the following as papers which can be used to help to prove identity.
Valid passport/ID card
Two or more passports if of dual/multi nationality
Home Office documents
Work permit
Letter from employer/contract of employment
Evidence of actively seeking work
Payslips
Mortgage/rental agreement of letter confirming where residing
Marriage/birth certificate/deed poll
Student loan documentation
Certificate of incorporation
Memorandum of association
Articles of association
Stock transfer form
Schedule D taxation form
Services contract
Invoices
Letter from accountant
Letter from clients
Letter from college, including details of type and length of course and weekly hours
Student ID card
Full driving licence
Documents issued by departments and agencies in Northern Ireland are shown in the table below.
Type of Identification and Issuing Department/Agency Purpose
Electoral identity card. Issued by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland. To prove entitlement to vote at Northern Ireland elections.
Concessionary fare Smartpasses (various types including the Senior Smartpass for over 65s). Issued by the Department for Regional Development. To prove entitlement for concessionary fares on scheduled public transport services. Of these, the Senior Smartpass is an acceptable form of identification at Northern Ireland elections.
Photographic driving licences (full and provisional). Issued by the Department of Environment. To prove entitlement to drive different vehicles either as a learner or as a fully qualified driver. Northern Ireland driving licences are also very widely accepted as a general form of official ID, accepted by banks, airlines, shops and can also be used to prove entitlement to vote.
Official document indicating IACS number and farm business number for use by farmers in Northern Ireland. Issued by the Department for Agriculture & Rural Development. Farmers are eligible to apply for EU Peace 2 money's under certain measures. As proof of their identity they are required to produce individual IACS and farm business numbers.
In addition to these forms of ID, various Northern Ireland government departments issue certain staff with specific job-related official identification to enable them to carry out their duties. For example, trading standards officers are issued with a warrant card which empowers them to enforce a range of legislation including the authority to enter and inspect premises. Whilst these ID cards are official forms of ID, they are intended to be single-purpose only and are not widely used beyond the scope of the pass-holders duties, as proof of identity.
Focus Groups: Government Expenditure
Identity Documents
Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 5 May (WA 122why they do not hold figures centrally for government expenditure on focus groups.[HL2963]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: It is for departments to decide how much of their total administration budget it is appropriate to spend on focus groups. Consequently detailed data of each department's administration expenditure are not collected centrally. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2004-06-22a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2004",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Food Imports: Safety Controls
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are ensuring that imported foods comply fully with the health and hygiene standards required of British food producers; and, if not, why not.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency, which is responsible for issues of food safety.
Food imported from countries outside of the European Union is subject to import controls at United Kingdom ports. All foods of animal origin from third countries are subject to harmonised EU import controls, including documentary and identity checks, and to prescribed levels of physical checks. Imported foods of non-animal origin from countries outside the EU are subject to inspection under UK legislation. Food may be detained at ports whilst checks are undertaken and food found not to comply with hygiene requirements may be destroyed, used for purposes other than food, or re-exported.
In addition to controls at import, all imported food, including food imported from other EU member states, may be inspected at the point of destination in the UK and is subject to the same checks at retail level as food produced in the UK.
In light of current concerns about illegal imports of food of animal origin, the Food Standards Agency has written to port health authorities and local authorities to ensure continued vigilance and checks on imported products both at the point of import and at the retail level.
Finally, the Government are considering as a matter of urgency whether controls on imports of meat and meat products can be made more effective.
Hospital Cleanliness
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many of the 400 hospitals which were visited by the Patient Environment Action Teams in the autumn of last year to assess the quality of patient environment were categorised as excellent, acceptable or poor respectively; and whether they will publish in the Official Report the names of those hospitals categorised as excellent and those which were categorised as poor.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The report The NHS Plan--Clean Hospitals has now been published and copies have been placed in the Library. Over 700 hospital sites are included.
The results of these visits are shown in the following table.
Red (poor) Yellow (acceptable) Green (excellent)
Autumn 253 297 163
Now 42 368 279
These findings demonstrate a marked improvement in cleaning standards. The percentage of hospitals now showing an acceptable or good standard of cleanliness is 94 per cent. We will continue to support trusts in raising standards further.
Head Injury Patients: Care
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Social Services Inspectorate's report A Hidden Disability.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government recommended the findings of the Social Services Inspectorate report A Hidden Disability to social services departments and other agencies involved in the care of people with traumatic brain injury, and supported a follow-up event to reinforce the messages from the report. In addition, the Government has asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to develop a guideline for the management of people with severe head injury.
MoD Food Waste Disposal Methods
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How waste food is disposed of by Ministry of Defence catering services; and whether any bases have contracts to supply makers of pig swill;
Whether any food waste from any of the Ministry of Defence's bases has been sold to or given to Mr Waugh, who has a pig farm at Heddon-on-the-Wall.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Ministry of Defence policy for procuring food and dealing with the waste food from catering services fully conforms with current national and EU regulations and is subject to inspection by local authority environmental health officers. Current regulations permit three methods of waste food disposal:
With local authority agreement, food waste may be macerated through kitchen garbage disposal units and drained away through the mains drainage system.
Contracts may be let with licensed environmental waste removal contractors, who subsequently dispose of the food waste by incineration or landfill.
Agreements may be made for the disposal of wet food waste to pig swill contractors.
The majority of MoD establishments dispose of food waste through macerator systems or contract disposal rather than pig swill contractors. Where agreements exist with makers of pig swill, the contractors must comply with strict legal restrictions applicable to the carriage and processing of food waste. Contractors are required to be licensed by local authorities and MoD establishments entering into agreements with contractors have a responsibility to ensure that the contractors hold appropriate licences in accordance with extant legislation.
Only one such agreement exists between the MoD and Mr Waugh. For over 25 years an unwritten agreement has existed between local Army commanders and the Waugh Brothers to dispose of a minimal amount of wet food waste on an occasional basis from the Whitburn Training Camp located between Sunderland and South Shields. The Waugh Brothers are licensed by the local authority to collect food waste for delivery to an authorised processor. The agreement was conducted at nil cost due to the very small volumes of waste involved.
MoD Meat Purchasing Policy
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to decrease the amount of foreign meat purchases for the consumption of Service personnel from 52 per cent in 2000-2001; and
What criteria are used to establish that value for money is achieved by purchasing meat from abroad for Service personnel, rather than from British farmers.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The task of buying food for the Armed Forces is carried out by the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) food supply contractor, 3663. Both the Ministry of Defence and 3663 have been working extensively with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Meat and Livestock Commission, and farmers' representatives to explore ways to increase the proportion of British meat that MoD can buy competitively. This has been a successful initiative and we are hopeful that more British meat will be procured as a result. Value for money is achieved for all meat purchases by scrutinising the prime cost of meat that 3663 supply via monthly price checks and independent benchmarking as well as being fully open to audit by Special Procurement Services, a support group of the Defence Procurement Agency.
Tri-Service Legislation
Lord Burnham: asked her Majesty's Government:
What are their present plans for the preparation of a separate new tri-Service Armed Forces Discipline Bill; what provisional timetable they envisage for this process; and what steps they plan to take to keep Parliament and others informed of and consulted in the course of the preparatory process.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Government intend to introduce tri-Service legislation in the 2005-06 session. The opportunity will be taken to review the relevant policies and procedures and to create a legislative framework that is to be capable of meeting the Armed Forces' needs for the foreseeable future.
In its report on the Armed Forces Bill, the Select Committee in another place recommended that the tri-Service Bill should be brought before Parliament within three years. We will examine the scope for accelerating the project, and I confirm that we will keep Parliament in touch with our thinking on that and of progress with the project generally.
Armed Forces Bill and Policing Protocols
Lord Burnham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What alterations they envisage it will be necessary to make to Home Office Circular 17/99 Co-ordinated Policing Protocol between the Ministry of Defence Police and Home Office Police Forces, Scottish Executive Police Circular 14/99 Protocol between Ministry of Defence Police and the Police Forces in Scotland and the comparable document for Northern Ireland to bring them into line with the provisions of the Armed Forces Bill.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: If the changes to MDP jurisdiction proposed in the Armed Forces Bill are enacted, the three Policing Protocols between the Ministry of Defence Police and the Home Department Police Forces will need to be reviewed in order to ensure that responsibility is clearly defined in all circumstances, where, after the changes, both have jurisdiction.
Former MPs: Websites
Lord Naseby: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Who has responsibility for ensuring that at the dissolution of Parliament former Members of Parliament take down their personal websites describing themselves as MPs.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: Such matters are not a government responsibility.
IT: Government Projects
Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether an announcement about the continuing implementation of the recommendations contained within Successful IT: Modernising Government in Action is to be made.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Prime Minister has decided that ministerial and official responsibility for continuing the implementation of these recommendations will move to HM Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce. This will provide greater synergy with the work that Office for Government Commerce already does with departments on IT-enabled projects.
It should be clear that both ministerial and official responsibility for the performance of individual projects remains with each department.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the funding allocation for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission for 2000-01; whether they expect the commission to exceed this amount; if so, by how much; and from where the extra funding will come.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The budget for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission for 2000-01 was set at £750,000. In addition, Parliament approved a carryover of £178,000 from the previous year. The commission has not exceeded its cash allocations in-year. However, the commission's accounts, which have to be produced on an accruals basis, will indicate a small operating deficit. This will be notified to Parliament in due course in the normal way.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission pays, as a percentage of its total budget, for the salaries, national insurance and pensions of its chief executive and chief commissioner.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission spends 15.6 per cent of its annual budget on the salaries, pension and national insurance contributions for the chief executive and chief commissioner.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, and if so when, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission will respond to a letter of 4 September 2000 from the Ulster Scots Language Society requesting a meeting about the Commission's recognition of the Ulster Scots language.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The chief commissioner has been asked to write to the noble Lord. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What work the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has done on the rights of victims of paramilitary violence.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The chief commissioner has been asked to write to the noble Lord. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What groups or individuals from the following sections of Northern Irish society: (a) evangelical Protestant, (b) ethnic minorities, and (c) victims of violence from paramilitaries the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has consulted about potential breaches of human rights and about further human rights legislation.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The chief commissioner has been asked to write to the noble Lord. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consultations and publicity campaigns the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission will undertake in seeking views on a proposed Bill of Human Rights for Northern Ireland.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The chief commissioner has been asked to write to the noble Lord. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What issues in the education sector in Northern Ireland the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is currently addressing.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The chief commissioner has been asked to write to the noble Lord. A copy of his letter will be placed in the library.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What decision-making process the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission follows in deciding which cases it will support.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The chief commissioner has been asked to write to the noble Lord. A copy of his letter will be placed in the library.
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of presentations and written requests made to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission go unacknowledged and unanswered after three months.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The chief commissioner has been asked to write to the noble Lord. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.
Transport and Telecommunications Council: Conclusions
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What conclusions were reached at the recent European Telecommunications Council meeting in Luxembourg with respect to (a) the powers of the European Commission over national telecoms regulators; (b) 3G (third generation); and(c) future allocation of spectrum licences in Europe.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Transport and Telecommunications Council concluded that the Commission should be able to delay a measure proposed by a national regulatory authority for a period of one month during which it could make public a detailed opinion stating why it considered the measure to be incompatible with Community law and, in particular, the objectives referred to in Article 7 of the proposal for a Directive on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services. Since undertakings will be able to appeal against such measures under Article 4 of the Directive and the Commission's powers to take infringement proceedings under the Treaty will be unaffected, the Government believe that this should act as a powerful incentive to national regulatory authorities to act appropriately and strikes the right balance between flexibility for appropriate regulatory intervention and consistency of application across the Community for undertakings.
The Council also welcomed the conclusion of the Stockholm Summit that the Commission work together with the Council towards a supportive policy framework for third-generation mobile communications within the Union, including agreement on a regulatory framework for radio spectrum policy as well as broadband networks, and that the Commission be invited to examine the effect of third-generation licensing on European competitiveness and the advancement of the ICT field.
Employee Consultation: Proposed Directive
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they expect the proposed European Union directive on the information and consultation of employees to be tabled for agreement in the Council of Ministers at or before the Gothenburg European Union summit in June; and how they propose to vote on it.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The agenda of meetings of the Council of Ministers before the Gothenburg summit and the agenda of the summit itself are matters for the Swedish Presidency. The Government have made clear that they see no need for the proposed Directive on informing and consulting employees at national level.
Tourism Summit
Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government.
What was the outcome of the Tourism Summit held on 6 March. [HL1606].
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: At the second annual Tourism Summit on 6 March, Ministers from across Government met to consider progress in implementing the Government's tourism strategy and priorities for Government policies affecting tourism. Ministers agreed to build on the work started at the first Summit in March 2000 and to continue to take tourism interests and the impact on tourism into account when developing policies. Other key outcomes included:
announcing plans from new guidance on signs to tourist attractions and facilities;
publishing the results of research on planning for leisure and tourism;
funding new projects to improve competitiveness and minimise waste in the hospitality industry;
ensuring that seaside resorts gain the maximum benefit from government policies and funding, including Lottery funding;
identifying the difficulties that the foot and mouth outbreak is causing for tourism and the need for policies on controlling the outbreak to take account of the wider economic impacts; and
agreeing to continue to work for better regulation in tourism.
A full report of the summit will be published. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Banks and Small Businesses
Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they support the Competition Commission's recent proposal to levy a windfall tax on past, present and future profits of banks, with the proceeds being used to help small firms to start up, grow and survive; and
Whether they support the Competition Commission's proposals to institute price controls to prevent banks overcharging their small business customers. [HL1664].
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Competition Commission is currently conducting a monopoly inquiry into the supply of banking services by clearing banks to small and medium sized enterprises. It is not appropriate for Ministers to comment on matters which are under investigation by the commission.
Foot and Mouth Disease and the Tourist Industry
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the approximate current and forecast annual loss which may be sustained by the British tourist industry as a result of foot and mouth disease if (a) the present culling programme is maintained; and (b) widespread vaccination is introduced.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Our best estimate on the basis of the information so far obtained is that losses of revenue by the English tourism industry will be around £140 million per week averaged over the eight month tourist season. The eventual total economic impact of foot and mouth will obviously be dependent on the final extent and spread of the disease, its duration, and the effectiveness of the measures we are taking to encourage tourism to Britain in general and to the countryside in particular. I am not, therefore, able to answer precisely in the form of the question. However, the Government's priority, which is shared by the tourism industry, is to eradicate the disease as quickly and effectively as possible.
Air Passenger Duty
Lord Rogan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to extend to Northern Ireland the exemption from Air Passenger Duty to the Highlands and Islands region of Scotland.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: There are no such plans. The exemption from Air Passenger Duty given for flights from airports in the Scottish Highlands and Islands was introduced in recognition of the importance of air transport given the low density of population in the region. Population density in Northern Ireland is greater.
Euro Notes: Exchange
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What arrangements they propose to ensure that from 1 January 2002 British Residents are able to exchange notes of those EU countries which have joined the single currency into euro notes at the correct rate of exchange; and whether they will ensure that British residents are not disadvantaged by British banks charging commission on such changing.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The terms on which banks and other financial institutions may be prepared to exchange notes is a commercial matter for them.
Information on the exchange of notes in those countries which have joined the single currency has been brought together in a factsheet which is available through the Treasury Euro Preparations website at: http://www.euro.gov.uk/keyfacts.asp.
New Deal for Disabled People: Role of Rehab UK
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the criteria for funding under the New Deal programme for disabled people will help to support successful rehabilitation services provided by Rehab UK in its work for people with acquired brain injury.
Baroness Blackstone: The New Deal for Disabled People will offer people on incapacity benefits the opportunity to prepare for and find paid work and move off benefits through a network of Job Brokers from the private, public and voluntary sectors. Job Brokers will be funded through a contract with the Employment Service (ES) on the basis of the numbers of people they help who enter and sustain paid work. Job Brokers will agree with ES how they will address the needs of this varied client group, including those with acquired brain injuries. Rehab UK, in common with other specialist providers, were eligible to bid to be suppliers of provision under the New Deal for Disabled People.
New Deal Employment Statistics
Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many young people, under the New Deal, have taken up one of the options of entering full-time education and training, the voluntary sector and the environment taskforce; and how many have become self employed.
Baroness Blackstone: Latest figures show that from January 1998 to the end of January 2001, 91,700 young people had started the full-time education and training option of New Deal; 44,000 young people started the voluntary sector option and 41,700 started the environment taskforce option. As the Employment Service does not routinely record the type of employment of New Deal leavers, it is not possible to say what proportion has become self-employed. However, over the same period as above, 42,100 people started subsidised employment, of which 3,180 started test trading through the subsidised self-employment route.
The Government recognise the importance of self-employment in encouraging innovation from young entrepreneurs and, as such, support for those wishing to become self-employed is an important part of the wide range of provision available to New Deal participants. In addition to those who have started test trading, many others have already benefited from information, advice, and training in how to set up and run a business and produce a business plan. The New Deal for Young People options provide good tailored training for real jobs, as well as developing general employability--half the people gaining jobs after an option said they received training in those jobs. Nine out of 10 were satisfied with their training.
In the Green Paper Towards full employment in a modern society, we said that we will introduce more individually tailored provision in the option period of the New Deal. This will include development of modular, intensive courses and provision with greater relevance to local labour markets.
Nationally, 279,020 young people have been recorded as gaining jobs. In addition, we know that many people will have left New Deal for employment without telling the Employment Service; these people are not included in the figures. However, extensive surveys show that at least 56 per cent of those recorded as an unknown destination will have entered employment, indicating that a further 82,208 young people gained jobs from New Deal.
Flags of Foreign States: Protection
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the flags of countries other than the United Kingdom should enjoy the same symbolic meaning and protection under the law in the United Kingdom as they do in the countries which they represent.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Any protection accorded to a flag of a foreign state by the law of that state does not apply in the United Kingdom.
Electoral Registers: New Regulations
Lord Graham of Edmonton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress they have made in producing draft regulations to ensure that registered political parties, elected representatives and candidates receive copies of updates of the electoral register.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: We have decided to bring forward self-contained regulations for this purpose and a draft was laid yesterday.
Scottish Intelligence Database
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
To what extent the Scottish Intelligence Database will be subject to the terms of both the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000, bearing in mind the proposal to link it to the National Crime Squad headquarters in London.
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: The Scottish Intelligence Database, when it becomes operational, will comply with the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. There are no plans to link the Scottish Intelligence Database with the National Crime Squad headquarters in London.
Palace of Westminster: Medical Facilities
Lord Jopling: asked the Chairman of Committees:
What medical facilities within the Palace of Westminster which are available to the Members and staff of the House of Commons are not available to Peers or the staff of the House of Lords; why this difference exists; and what steps are being taken to provide comparable facilities to the two Houses.
Lord Tordoff: The House has recently agreed that Members should be offered a free health screening service every three years, analogous to the service offered to Members of the House of Commons. It is expected that the screening service will be introduced next year. A medical screen of staff over 55 is offered to House of Commons staff and will shortly be extended to staff of the House of Lords on the same terms. In all other respects the medical facilities offered to Members and staff of the two Houses are identical.
EU Pensions Policy
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to paragraph 32 of the Presidency Conclusions of the Stockholm European Council, to what aspects of pensions policy the principle of subsidiarity will apply; and by whom that principle will be applied.
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: As yet the EU Commission has not issued proposals for how the open method of co-ordination in the field of pensions will be taken forward. However, with regard to pension systems, the organisation and financing in particular remain the responsibility of each member state.
Foot and Mouth Disease: Vaccination of Fell Sheep
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in pursuing the slaughter policy in order to combat the foot and mouth outbreak, they are prepared in extremis to allow the extermination of the Herdwick and other breeds of fell sheep of the Lake District National Park; and, if not, whether they are making plans for a possible programme of vaccination of these animals; or whether they have any other plans for preventing such extermination, and if so, what these are.
Baroness Hayman: The Government are determined to do all they can to try to ensure that the culling policies needed to deal with foot and mouth do not endanger the survival of Herdwick and other breeds of fell sheep in the Lake District National Park. The Chief Scientific Advisor's foot and mouth disease science group does not recommend a vaccination programme for sheep or rare breeds. The Ministry published proposals for protection of hefted sheep on 19 April. Copies of these are on the Ministry's website.
Foot and Mouth Disease: Vaccination of Zoo and Wildlife Park Animals
Lord Rotherwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will allow vaccination of endangered wildlife park animals that are in a captive-breeding programme and are susceptible to foot and mouth disease; and
Whether they will allow vaccination of endangered zoo animals that are in a captive-breeding programme and are susceptible to foot and mouth.
Baroness Hayman: The Standing Veterinary Committee of the European Commission recently authorised member states to vaccinate susceptible animals in zoos or similar premises containing endangered species, but only in very restricted circumstances, and only after bio-security measures--including closure of premises if necessary--have been taken. The Government are currently considering whether to pursue this option.
Veterinary Establishments
The Earl of Caithness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many government veterinary establishments have (a) closed and (b) opened since 1968.
Baroness Hayman: Since 1968 (a) 15 government veterinary establishments* have closed and (b) five have opened.
Note:
* Defined as Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) and the former Veterinary Investigation Service (VIS).
Breeding Stock Exports
Lord Willoughby de Broke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the annual value for each of the last five years of exports of breeding stock from the United Kingdom.[HL1797)
Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.
Baroness Hayman: The information requested is given in the table shown:
Annual Value of Exports of Breeding Stock for the United Kingdom (Units: £ million)
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Cattle 0 0 0 0 0
Sheep 0 0 0 0 0
Pigs 6 8 5 4 4
Poultry 20 20 25 33 41
Total 26 28 30 37 45
Notes:
Provisional.
Source: HM Customs and Excise Overseas Trade Statistics.
Prepared by: Statistics (Commodities and Food Division, Economics and Statistics Group, MAFF. 18 April 2001. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2001-04-24a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2001",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Home Office
Police: Firearms
lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 28 March (HL6495), whether they will now answer the question asked on when the review into the legal position of police firearms officers will be concluded; and when the findings will be published.
baroness williams of trafford: The official-led review of the legal and procedural framework governing police use of firearms and post-incident investigation is ongoing and taking account of work by the College of Policing to produce new post-incident guidelines for all death and serious injury cases.
Department for Exiting the European Union
British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries
lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan comprehensively to set out the rights of UK citizens living in the EU after the UK leaves the EU; and if so, when.
lord callanan: From the very beginning of this process, the Prime Minister has been clear that safeguarding the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU was her first priority for the negotiations. The UK Government and the European Commission have stated that providing certainty for citizens is a priority - that is why we have worked hard through negotiations to agree a final deal that works for all. This is a commitment we have delivered. The agreement reached and set out in the Withdrawal Agreement text provides certainty on the rights of UK nationals currently living in the EU.
Cabinet Office
Infrastructure: Weather
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of the damage to infrastructure caused by the recent bad weather in the UK.
lord young of cookham: Departments and agencies plan for seasonal disruption and the impact of bad weather. No specific estimates have been made of the cost of the damage to infrastructure caused by the recent spell of bad weather in the UK. However, in the case of road networks, the Department for Transport announced on 26th March 2018 funding of £100 million was being provided to local highway authorities in England, outside London, to help repair local highways and improve the resilience of roads to local flooding and other severe weather events. Details can be found at the following link; https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pothole-fund-boosted-to-repair-roads-after-winter-damage”. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2018-04-19 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2018",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Abortion
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further action they intend to take following the formal censure of 14 NHS hospitals after regulators found they were conducting potentially illegal abortions.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action will be taken against NHS trusts found to be forging abortion certificates with doctors' pre-signed consent forms.
Earl Howe: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is working with the 14 National Health Service hospitals named and has required that all trusts put in place compliance actions. These require providers to demonstrably improve their practices to ensure compliance with legal requirements; all 14 providers have now taken steps to ensure compliance. The CQC will carry out further checks to ensure improvements have been made.
Investigations by the police, General Medical Council, and Nursing and Midwifery Council are continuing and further referrals may result from the publication of the CQC reports.
Abortion
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 12 July (WA 261), whether they will make available copies of the evidence cited; and whether they will specify and provide the evidence that supports the claim that a decision to terminate a pregnancy improves the mental health of a mother facing an unwanted pregnancy.
Earl Howe: The report Induced Abortion and Mental Health produced by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, although commissioned by the department, is an independent review. The evidence reviewed by the steering group was from published research and peer reviewed articles, which are fully referenced in the report and were subject to multiple quality assessments prior to their inclusion. The department does not hold copies of every piece of research cited.
The report does not establish a link between a woman having a termination of pregnancy and a subsequent improvement in her mental health and makes no claim to do so.
Armed Forces: Stations
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which countries and regions servicemen and women of HM Armed Forces are stationed; and in what numbers.
Lord Astor of Hever: The following table details the number of Armed Forces personnel by gender and location as of 1 April 2012:
Country Region Male Female Grand Total
UK Total 141,600 15,380 156,970
England 125,050 14,210 139,260
East Midlands 7,380 1,030 1,030
East of England 15,780 1,560 1,560
London 4,920 480 480
North East 1,250 150 150
North West 2,050 100 100
South East 37,520 5,810 5,810
South West 35,940 3,100 3,100
West Midlands 5,680 880 880
Yorkshire and The Humber 14,520 1,080 1,080
Scotland 10,500 690 11,190
Wales 2,580 200 2,780
Northern Ireland 3,460 280 3,740
Channel Islands - - -
Overseas Locations 20,800 1,650 22,440
Algeria - - -
Argentina - - -
Australia 50 - 50
Austria - - -
Bahrain 10 - 20
Bangladesh - - -
Belgium 300 20 330
Belize 10 - 10
Bermuda - - -
Bosnia and Herzegovina - - -
Brazil - - -
British Indian Ocean Territory 40 - 40
Brunei 130 10 140
Canada 260 10 270
Chile - - -
China (inc. Hong Kong and Macao) - - -
Colombia - - -
Congo - - -
Congo (Dem.Rep) - - -
Cyprus 2,390 200 2,590
Czech Republic 20 - 20
Denmark 20 - 20
Djibouti - - -
Egypt - - -
Estonia - - -
Ethiopia - - -
Falkland Islands 40 - 50
France 30 - 30
Georgia - - -
Germany 15,750 1,240 16,990
Ghana - - -
Gibraltar 200 30 230
Greece - - -
India - - -
Indonesia - - -
Israel - - 10
Italy 160 20 170
Jamaica - - -
Japan - - -
Jordan 20 - 20
Kazakhstan - - -
Kenya 160 10 180
Kuwait 40 - 40
Lebanon - - -
Liberia - - -
Malaysia 10 - 10
Morocco - - -
Nepal 20 - 20
Netherlands 150 20 170
New Zealand 10 - 10
Nigeria - - -
Norway 40 - 40
Oman 80 - 80
Pakistan 10 - 10
Poland - - -
Portugal 30 - 30
Qatar 10 - 10
Republic of Serbia - - -
Russian Federation 10 - 10
Saint Helena - - -
Saudi Arabia 130 - 130
Sierra Leone 20 - 20
Singapore 10 - 10
South Africa 10 - 10
South Korea - - -
Spain 10 - 10
Sudan - - -
Sweden - - -
Syria - - -
Turkey 10 - 10
Uganda - - -
Ukraine - - -
United Arab Emirates 10 - 10
United States 530 30 560
Uzbekistan - - -
Yemen - - -
Zimbabwe - - -
No location recorded (This includes personnel on maternity leave) 40 350 390
Grand Total 162,430 17,370 179,800
Notes: UK regular forces includes all trained and untrained personnel. Gurkhas, full time reserve personnel, and mobilised reservists are excluded.
Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias. "-" denotes zero or rounded to zero.
The UK regular forces figures represent the number of service personnel that are stationed at that location. This may differ from the actual number of people working at that location at that time eg due to deployments.
Assisted Dying
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the effect of the legalisation of assisted dying on the treatment of vulnerable people.
Lord McNally: The Government have not made such an assessment.
Aviation: Air Quality
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the views of the peer reviewers of the Cranfield cabin air monitoring study, who described a series of serious flaws which included aspects deemed "highly unsatisfactory" and "very highly skewed", were taken into account when the report was published; and whether they maintain that contaminants found were at satisfactory levels.
Earl Attlee: Cranfield University's report of May 2011 was submitted in draft for scientific peer review as is normal practice. The peer reviewers' comments were taken into account before a final report was issued. Cranfield stand firmly behind their report.
All the research projects commissioned into cabin air by the Department for Transport have now been completed and published. They have also been referred formally to the Committee on Toxicity-the independent adviser to government on matters concerning the toxicity of chemicals-for its consideration.
Aviation: Air Quality
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Surface Residue Study undertaken for the Department for Transport by the Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, which found concentrations of mono-orthocresylphosphate (MOCP) at around three times the level of tri-orthocresylphosphate (TOCP) in airborne measurements, accords with the statement from the manufacturers of the oils, ExxonMobil, that the level of MOCP is 600,000 times higher than TOCP.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether tri-cresylphosphate (TCP) was found in 23 per cent of flights tested during the Cranfield air monitoring study; at what levels it was found; and what are the occupational exposure limits for TCP in enclosed pressurised spaces.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware that the UK's leading aircraft engine manufacturer has claimed that "toxic cabin air" is its sixth biggest engine problem; and what measures are being taken to rectify the problem.
Earl Attlee: The information available was published in the Cranfield University report of May 2011 and the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) report of June 2012. The department has referred all the research it has commissioned on cabin air quality to the Committee on Toxicity (COT) which is the independent adviser to government on matters concerning the toxicity of chemicals. The next step is for the COT to consider this work.
Aviation: Birmingham/Amritsar Flights
Lord King of West Bromwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the social impact, and (2) the impact on the economy of the number of flights between Birmingham airport and Amritsar airport in India.
Earl Attlee: The Government have made no such assessment. The UK/India Air services agreement allows the airlines of both sides to operate any number of services between Birmingham and Amritsar. Officials from the Department for Transport raised the possibility of a Birmingham-Amritsar service in their most recent discussions with the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation. However, decisions on what services to operate are a commercial matter for the airlines concerned.
Banks: Iceland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 25 June (WS 1), whether minutes of the 2 September 2008 meeting between the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Icelandic Minister of Business Affairs, and the chairman of the supervisory authority for the Icelandic financial sector were produced; and if so, whether the commitment to guarantee the deposits of Icelandic banks in full beyond the maximum amount of £35,000 was recorded.
Lord Sassoon: Treasury Ministers and officials held frequent discussions with the Icelandic Government and supervisory authority for the Icelandic financial sector during 2008. As with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide minutes of these meetings.
Banks: Lending
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of the joint Bank of England HM Treasury Oversight Board monitoring the Funding for Lending Scheme.
Lord Sassoon: The joint oversight board for the Funding for Lending Scheme will be co-chaired by the Bank of England's Executive Director of Markets and the Chief Economic Adviser to HM Treasury. There will be an additional member each from the Bank and the Treasury: the Bank's Head of Sterling Markets Division and the Treasury's Director of Financial Services. Other Bank and Treasury officials will be invited as required.
Bats
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what conclusions they draw from the recent Leeds University research into the effectiveness of four artificial bat bridges constructed over roads in the north of England.
Earl Attlee: The Highways Agency acknowledges the value of the work undertaken by Leeds University regarding bat bridges, published on an online peer-reviewed open access journal in June 2012. The Highways Agency only installs bat mitigation measures where absolutely essential. The agency will continue to keep its policy regarding bat bridges under review and is currently working with Natural England on proposals to look at the effectiveness of this and other appropriate mitigation measures.
Bats
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the location and cost of each of the bat bridges completed in England and Wales in the past five years; and what studies have been made of the cost-effectiveness of each bridge.
Earl Attlee: The table below provides details regarding which roads the Highways Agency has provided bat mitigation on during the past five years, the number of mitigation measures applied, and the respective cost.
Scheme No Total Cost Status
A38 Dobwalls Bypass 2 £300,000 Constructed
A590 High and Low Newton Bypass 1 £84,000 Constructed
A69 Haydon Bypass 1 £60,000 Constructed
A595 Parton to Lillyhall Improvement 1 £34,000 Constructed
All elements of a scheme are subject to appraisal in line with published guidance and to specific value management requirements throughout the project lifecycle. A review is undertaken of the costs, benefits and other predicted impacts (including environmental) at key stages, to ensure benefits are optimised and costs challenged. Comparisons are also made with other projects so that decisions take account of the best available evidence. Consideration is also given to this at the end of projects so that lessons learnt can be applied in the future.
The Highways Agency has published a report titled A Review of Bat Mitigation in Relation to Highway Severance. The report is available on the Highways Agency website.
There is no central list of information relating to bat mitigation on local authority roads.
The Government do not hold information on the cost, location and cost-effectiveness of bat mitigation in Wales as this is a devolved matter and the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government.
Bats
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many bat bridges are under construction or proposed in England and Wales; and what is the proposed location and estimated cost of each.
Earl Attlee: The Highways Agency currently has no bat mitigation measures under construction on its projects.
There are six proposed bat mitigation measures on the Highways Agency A11 Fiveways to Thetford improvement scheme. It is proposed that these will be sited on the All between Gibsons Lodge War Memorial and Elvedon Gap. The estimated total cost for the proposals is £240,000.
There is no central list of information relating to bat mitigation on local authority roads.
The coalition Government do not hold information on the construction, cost and location of bat mitigation in Wales as this is a devolved matter and the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government.
Bats
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what obligations there are on the Government to construct bridges for bats over new roads where these have been recommended by Natural England; what consideration is given to the opportunity cost of each bridge in deciding whether the construction of a bridge is justified; and whether the Highways Agency is able to construct a new road without the installation of a recommended bat bridge.
Earl Attlee: The Highways Agency is responsible for ensuring it meets its legal obligations towards protected species.
The Highways Agency endeavours to avoid or reduce the impact on such species through effective scheme design. Where additional mitigation measures are required, the agency seeks to ensure these are directly proportionate to the importance and the scale of the potential impacts. Wire bat bridges have been constructed where a significant impact on bats is identified and other mitigation measures are not able to be implemented.
Care Homes: Deferred Payment Scheme
Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have for the level of interest local authorities will be able to charge for the proposed national deferred payment scheme for residential care, in the light of the progress report Caring for our Future.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the risks of longevity would be managed under the proposed national deferred payment scheme for residential care.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect to offer a no negative-equity guarantee under the proposed national deferred payment scheme for residential care.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they expect the proposed national deferred payment scheme for residential care will interact with equity release products.
Earl Howe: The department will engage with the care sector including financial services on how the universal deferred payments scheme will work.
This will include what interest or charges are appropriate, as well has how financial risk will be managed.
We will take account of potential impacts on the equity release market.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Ministry of Defence categorises chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis as a psychiatric or mental health disorder on the British Army Health Questionnaire (RG Form 8), when the World Health Organisation ICD 10 categorises it as a neurological condition under G93.3 and the UK Department of Health has confirmed that there is no other ICD category for the condition.
Lord Astor of Hever: The current version of the British Army Health Questionnaire, Recruiting Group Form 8 (RG 8), which has been in use by applicants to the regular Army since 2008, does not assign categories to any medical condition but instead lists conditions which are then verified by the applicant's GP.
However, until recently, applicants to the Territorial Army (TA) completed an older, self-certified version of the RG 8 (dated 2004), which categorised chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis as a psychiatric or mental disorder. This was consistent with advice in place from the World Health Organisation International Classification of Diseases, which allowed clinicians to categorise patients who came under the broad category of chronic fatigue syndrome, under either psychiatry or neurology.
This older version of RG 8 has now been withdrawn and since April 2012 all TA applicants, like their regular counterparts, now complete the current RG 8 version dated 2008.
Courts: Sentencing
Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice on assessing maturity is provided in guidelines for sentencers and court report writers.
Lord McNally: Courts must follow the sentencing guidelines published by the Sentencing Council which direct the court to take maturity into account when making sentencing decisions, where it affects the responsibility of the offender. When sentencing young offenders the court must follow the Sentencing Guidelines Council's "Overarching Principles-Sentencing Youths" which contains guidance on considering maturity. No specific national advice has been given to court report writers in probation trusts or youth offending teams on assessing maturity. However, pre-sentence reports cover areas such as family and personal relationships, thinking and behaviour which can be drawn upon by courts when considering maturity.
Courts: Vulnerable Witnesses, Victims and Defendants
Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of extending the provision of special measures currently available to vulnerable witnesses and victims in court proceedings to vulnerable defendants.
Lord McNally: There are no plans to extend the provision of special measures currently available to victims and witnesses in court proceedings to vulnerable defendants. Courts already provide a range of measures to meet the needs of vulnerable defendants to ensure a fair trial.
Crime: Drugs
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents of drug offences were recorded in Lincolnshire, according to class of drug, in each year from 1996 up to the last year for which records are available.
Lord Henley: The available information relates to drug offences recorded by the police in Lincolnshire and is given in the table. It is not possible to identify the class of drug involved from the police recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office.
Drug offences recorded by the police in Lincolnshire
Year Number of offences
19961 185
19971 235
2, 3
1998-99 1,229
1999-00 975
2000-01 906
2001-02 1,116
4
2002-03 1,060
2003-04 1,061
2004-05 951
2005-06 1,239
2006-07 1,421
2007-08 1,488
2008-09 1,735
2009-10 1,593
2010-11 1,574
2011-12 1,543
1. Trafficking in controlled drugs offences only.
2. The police recorded crime coverage was extended and the counting rules changed in 1998-99. Data before and after that date are not directly comparable.
3. Possession of controlled drug offences were introduced in 1998-99.
4. The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced nationally in 2002-03 and police recorded crime figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.
Crime: Knife Crime
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents of knife crime were recorded in Lincolnshire in each year from 1996 up to the past year for which records are available.
Lord Henley: Data for selected offences involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument are collected by the Home Office. Data for these selected offences were first collected in 2007-08 and are provided for Lincolnshire police in the table.
Data for 2007-08 are not comparable with those shown for latter years due to an expansion in the number of offences covered. In 2007-08, the offences covered are, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, GBH without intent and robbery. In 2008/09, the coverage was expanded to include actual bodily harm (ABH), threats to kill, sexual assault and rape offences.
Homicide figures in the table are taken from the Homicide Index. Figures for 2011-12 for knife and sharp instrument homicides are due to be published in January 2013.
Knife and sharp instrument offences recorded by the police for selected offences in Lincolnshire1,2
Numbers
Year Total selected offences Homicide 3 Total selected offences including homicide3
2007-08 71 3 74
2008-094 169 2 171
2009-10 176 2 178
2010-11 169 3 172
2011-12 141 - -
1. Police recorded knife and sharp instrument offences data are submitted via an additional special collection. Proportions of offences involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument presented in this table are calculated based on figures submitted in this special collection. Other offences exist that are not shown in this table that may include the use of a knife or sharp instrument.
2. In this table offences involving a knife refers to the use of a knife or sharp instrument.
3. Homicide offences are those currently recorded by the police as at 18 October 2011 and are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. 2011-12 figures will be available in January 2013.
4. The collection was expanded in 2008-09 to also include actual bodily harm (ABH), threats to kill, sexual assault and rape offences. Therefore figures are not comparable with those offences recorded in 2007-08.
"-" indicates that data are not available.
Cyclists: Deaths and Injuries
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on roads in Great Britain in 2011; and what action they are taking to reduce the number of such deaths and injuries.
Earl Attlee: The number of pedal cyclists killed as a result of a collision on the road fell by 4% in Great Britain, from 111 in 2010 to 107 in 2011. However, the number of pedal cyclists seriously injured in a road accident rose by 16% in Great Britain, from 2,660 in 2010 to 3,085 in 2011.
Since 2005, our statistics have highlighted that the number of pedal cyclists killed or seriously injured as a result of a collision on a road in Great Britain has been on a continuous upward trend, with the largest year-on-year increase occurring between 2010 and 2011 (15%). A variety of factors may contribute to changes in the number of killed or seriously injured accidents, including the 13% growth in pedal cyclists traffic observed between 2005 and 2011.
Last year the Government set up a Cycling Stakeholder Forum and safety sub-group which comprises representatives from cycling groups, motoring and freight organisations, the Association of Chief Police Officers and local authorities. Good progress is being made on coming up with actions to improve cycle safety.
Furthermore, last month the Government announced a £15 million fund to improve safety for cyclists outside London, by tackling dangerous junctions. This was in addition to the £15 million fund awarded to Transport for London in March for the same purpose.
Data Protection
Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the standards of data security in local government.
Baroness Hanham: It is primarily for local authorities to ensure they have the standards in place to maintain data security. In January 2012 the Permanent Secretary, Sir Bob Kerslake, and the Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, wrote to local authority chief executives emphasising the importance of good information governance.
Drones
Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on the use of unmanned armed drones outside Afghanistan against terrorist suspects.
Lord Astor of Hever: Her Majesty's Government do not use armed remotely piloted air systems against terrorist suspects outside Afghanistan. However, UK personnel flew armed remotely piloted air systems missions against Gaddafi's forces in Libya in 2011, in support of the NATO humanitarian mission authorised under UNSCR resolution 1973.
Energy: Prices
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of both Houses the results of their most recent research into the willingness to adopt RIIO-T1 (Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs) proposals for non-fast-track transmission companies alongside the proposals themselves.
Lord Marland: The RIIO-T1 price control is a matter for Ofgem, as the independent regulator, and the network companies. We have not undertaken any research into the willingness to adopt RIIO-T1 proposals. Ofgem will publish its RIIO-T1 initial proposals for National Grid (the only non-fast-tracked transmission company) on 27 July. We will ensure copies are placed in the Library of both Houses when available.
EU: Taxation
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they did not reply to the letter from the Chairman of the House of Lords European Union Committee dated 20 June, requesting a response to the Committee's conclusion that "If, as is likely, the directive creating a Euro area financial transaction tax equates the UK with third countries, there would still be very significant effects on the UK financial sector", in time for the debate in the House on 11 July.
Lord Sassoon: I regret that the Government did not respond to the letter dated 20 June 2012 from the Chair of the House of Lords European Union Committee within the agreed timeframe of 10 working days. This was partly to ensure that the response reflected latest developments following the Economic and Financial Affairs Council on 22 June and the European Council on 29 June. The Financial Secretary sent his response to the Chair of the Committee's letter on 16 July.
Fire and Rescue Services: Funding
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Association of Metropolitan Fire and Rescue Authorities' submission Potential Impact of the 2013-15 Finance Settlement; and whether they plan to take any action as a result.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the proposed reduction in funding for the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service; how this compares with the average nationwide cut in funding; and why a flat rate reduction, comparable to the police service, has not been made for fire and rescue services.
Baroness Hanham: The Association of Metropolitan Fire and Rescue Authorities submission has been noted.
On the 17 July 2012 the Government published the Technical Consultation on Business Rates Retention detailing proposals for local authority funding from 2013-14. Responses are welcomed from all fire and rescue authorities by the closing date of 24 September 2012. All representations will be considered before final decisions are made. Provisional fire and rescue authority funding baselines will be announced at the usual time-in late November or early December this year.
Firearms: Licensing
The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether guidance issued by HM Treasury on calculating fees charged for firearms and explosives licences is mandatory or advisory for the Northern Ireland Executive; and whether advice has recently been sought by, or provided to, the Northern Ireland Executive on that guidance.
Earl Attlee: The issuing of licences in respect of firearms and explosives are functions that are exercised by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Department of Justice (DoJ). The noble Earl may therefore wish to direct his question to the PSNI and DoJ.
Government: Ministerial Visits
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister met representatives of the Rohingya Muslim minority during his recent visit to Burma.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) did indeed meet representatives of the Rohingya community, along with other representatives from ethnic minority groups, during his visit to Burma in April and listened to their concerns first hand.
Gypsies and Travellers
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 12 July (WA 276-7), what data on the numbers of Gypsy and Irish Traveller patients are available from the sections on healthcare, including mental healthcare, in the Count Me In Census.
Earl Howe: The ethnic categories referred to in the Count Me In Census are those used by the Office for National Statistics in its 2001 census of the general population of England and Wales. The final census was conducted in 2010. There was no category specifically for Gypsy and Irish Travellers.
Haemophilia Society
Lord Roberts of Conwy: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they provide funding to the Haemophilia Society and pay any of its salaried staff.
Earl Howe: The department has provided the following funding to the Haemophilia Society over the past two financial years.
2010-11-£140,709; and
2011-12-£100,000.
The funding was provided for specific projects, not for the salaries of staff, although the society may utilise the funding on salaries of the staff directly involved in the projects.
Health: Coeliac Disease
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust Clinical Commissioning Group to make a decision on whether to de-list gluten-free foods for people with coeliac disease.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the meeting at which the Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust Clinical Commissioning Group makes a decision on whether to de-list gluten-free foods for people with coeliac disease will be held in public.
Earl Howe: We understand this issue will be considered by the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group shadow governing body at its August board meeting and that a decision will be made at that time. The decision will be made public following the board meeting. Meetings of the OCCG board are not currently held in public, as it is a shadow governing body.
Health: Multiple Sclerosis
Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the extent to which guideline CG8 from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the management of multiple sclerosis in primary and secondary care is being implemented.
Earl Howe: Clinical guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provide recommendations on the appropriate treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions within the National Health Service in England and Wales. Their implementation is not mandatory.
However, clinicians are expected to consider clinical guidelines when exercising their clinical judgment, as are NHS commissioners when commissioning services for their local populations.
Existing guidance published by NICE, in addition to other sources of accredited information, will inform the development of a NICE Quality Standard for multiple sclerosis. The Quality Standard will be used by commissioners to ensure that they are commissioning high quality services and by providers to reflect on current service provision, identify areas for improvement and demonstrate the quality of their services in quality accounts.
Health: Osteoporosis
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take action to increase the number of points allocated to the osteoporosis indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework for 2013-14.
Earl Howe: There are no plans to increase the value of rewards to general practitioners (GPs) for achieving the current osteoporosis indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). Recommendations to the Government on the allocation of points between indicators in the QOF are based on the outcome of confidential discussions on the GP contract between NHS Employers and the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association.
Health: Podiatry
Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether housebound people with an identified clinical need for podiatric care are entitled to receive care in their own homes where appropriate.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many home visits by podiatrists were commissioned by the National Health Service in each of the last five years; and whether such services are regarded as an essential element of NHS provision.
Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to my Written Answer on 23 May 2012 (Official Report, col. WA 69).
Internet: Broadband
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the building of a rural broadband network is being delayed by the European Union; and, if so, what are the reasons for their doing so.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Government have had extensive discussions with the European Commission about our request for approval of an umbrella state aid notification for broadband projects, including a meeting that the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport had recently with the Competition Commissioner on this subject. The Commission has been concerned in particular to ensure that the provisions for wholesale access to broadband networks meet its requirements. We have provided the Commission with all the information that it has asked for and I hope it will be able to give a positive decision shortly.
NHS: Clinical Commissioning Groups
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust Clinical Commissioning Group discharges its accountability for rationing decisions to the local community.
Earl Howe: Once established, clinical commissioning groups will be required to involve individuals to whom services are being or may be provided in the commissioning process. Specifically, individuals must be involved in planning commissioning arrangements, and in developing and considering proposals for changes in those arrangements, where those proposals would have an impact on how services are provided or the range of health services available, and in decisions that would likewise have a significant impact.
We understand the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group has involved Oxfordshire's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee in this decision, and, with its support, undertook an extensive public engagement exercise from January to March 2012.
NHS: Funding
Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the financial allocations made to the National Health Service regions in England in 2010-11; what information is available about health service performance outcomes in that period; and what is the most recent information about the health of regional populations.
Earl Howe: Information on the allocations made to primary care trusts (PCTs), summed to strategic health authorities (SHAs) in 2010-11 is provided in the following table.
Allocations to PCTs in each SHA, 2010-11
£000s
North East SHA 4,881,900
North West SHA 12,877,161
Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 8,937,888
East Midlands SHA 7,002,193
West Midlands SHA 9,274,168
East of England SHA 8,905,458
London SHA 14,421,853
South East Coast SHA 7,060,844
South Central SHA 6,080,055
South West SHA 8,364,858
England 87,806,378
Source: Resource Allocation Team
Notes:
1.Allocations are made to PCTs. These have been summed to give the total for PCTs in each SHA.
2. Figures are recurrent allocations and non-recurrent allocations for primary dental services, pharmaceutical services and general ophthalmic services.
3. SHAs are those as at December 2009 when 2010-11 allocations were issued.
National Health Service performance is reported regularly through the publication of The Quarter, which sets out NHS performance against the requirements of the annual Operating Framework. The most recent quarterly data were published in the NHS chief executive's annual report, The Year, which is available on the website at www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/06/the-year-2011_12/.
In addition, since December 2011 the department has published data against 34 indicators in the NHS Outcomes Framework, and of those indicators 23 currently include data for all or part of 2010-11. The department will be updating the remaining indicators for 2010-11 as and when the data become available in readiness for the framework coming into force from April 2013. Data for NHS Outcomes Framework indicators can be accessed via the NHS Information Centre's indicator portal: indicators.ic.nhs.uk/webview/
In future years, the Secretary of State will be required to publish an annual report on the performance of the health service in England. This was introduced by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, and the first annual report was published on 4 July 2012. The NHS Outcomes Framework and the Public Health Outcomes Framework will give more information about the overall performance of the health service.
The annual report is available at: www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/07/annual-report/.
Local Health Profiles are produced annually by the Public Health Observatories in England working in partnership, with funding from the department. They provide a snapshot of the overall health of the population of each local authority in England, and highlight potential problems through comparison with other areas and with the national average.
The profiles draw together information to present a picture of health in each local area in a user-friendly format. They include indicators across five domains: our communities; children's and young people's health; adults' health and lifestyle; diseases and poor health; life expectancy and causes of death. They are a valuable tool for local government and health services in helping them to understand their community's needs, so that they can work to improve people's health and reduce health inequalities.
The latest set of health profiles were published on 26 June and are available at the following link: www.healthprofiles.info/.
Olympic Games 2012
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the recent announcement by the Minister for Sport about access to the London 2012 Olympic Games for visitors from overseas, whether representatives of Israel will be welcome.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Representatives of Israel will, of course, be welcome to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
All international visitors applying to enter the United Kingdom are subject to the UK immigration controls. Anyone who is currently subject to a European Union or United Nations travel ban will not be able to come to the Games. In addition, entry will be refused where an individual's presence at the Games or in the UK would not be conducive to the public good. Where there is independent, reliable and credible evidence that an individual has committed human right abuses, the individual will not normally be permitted to enter the UK. Further to this we do not comment on individual cases.
Overseas Aid
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much is the United Kingdom's contribution to the £10 billion development aid funds pledged to Afghanistan, and whether that sum will be met from the overseas aid budget.
Baroness Northover: The Secretary of State for International Development announced that the UK would maintain its current funding levels of £178 million a year for the next five years up to 2017 and will continue to support Afghanistan's development needs through its transformation decade to 2025 as long as the Afghan Government continue to deliver crucial reforms and results for their people. This assistance will be met from the overseas aid budget.
Railways: East Coast
Lord Palmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to re-franchise the main east coast rail line; and, if so, when.
Earl Attlee: A consultation on the new InterCity East Coast Franchise commenced on Tuesday 26 June and closes on 18 September 2012. The Department for Transport will produce a summary of the consultation responses alongside an invitation to tender which we expect to be published in January 2013. Our plan is that the winning bidder will be announced in August 2013 with the new franchise due to start in December 2013.
Railways: Gatwick Express
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the operators of the Gatwick Express concerning (1) last-minute cancellations of services due to drivers not reporting for work, and (2) replacing ticket machines at the barriers so that they accept all types of automatic tickets.
Earl Attlee: There have been no specific discussions with Southern Railways concerning last minute cancellations of services due to drivers not reporting for work, which is an operational matter for the company. Discussions concerning ticket gates and machines at Gatwick Airport station have been limited to Southern's implementation of its franchise agreement contractual obligations, which it proposed as part of its franchise proposition bid to the Department for Transport.
Railways: Gatwick Express
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 20 June concerning the Gatwick Express (WA 304), when reliability, cleanliness and customer service on the Gatwick Express was most recently monitored by the Department for Transport, and what was the result; and whether they consider that the service is prepared for traffic generated by the 2012 Olympic Games.
Earl Attlee: Officials at the Department for Transport monitor Southern's performance against its contract on a four weekly basis. This review includes operational performance, service quality and the delivery of committed obligations. Southern is currently meeting its contractual performance obligations.
The department has recently agreed a number of initiatives for Southern to pursue with a view to improving its National Passenger Survey results, requiring expenditure of over £500,000 on different schemes including Gatwick Express services. In addition, the Department for Transport has agreed an Olympic Services Delivery Plan with Southern which provides for additional trains and customer service arrangements to be put in place during the Games.
Roads: Shared Space Schemes
Lord Flight: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have monitored and analysed the potential negative effects of shared space road schemes being installed in town centres in England, including the extent to which they increase the risks of crossing the road for those who are disabled, blind or partially sighted, the elderly and parents with children.
Earl Attlee: In October 2011, the Department for Transport published guidance on the design and provision of shared space schemes. It focuses heavily on designing for disabled people in general with a particular emphasis on the needs of blind or partially sighted people. This guidance is available at www.dft.gov.uk/publications/Itn-01-11.
The research underpinning the guidance found no evidence that shared space schemes, including those with a level surface, as implemented in the UK, have more casualties than conventional layouts, or indeed that particular groups, including disabled people, are injured more frequently following their introduction.
It is for local authorities to monitor and analyse the performance of their own shared space schemes.
Schools: Attendance and Attainment
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the report by Partnerships for Schools on the Building Schools for the Future programme, whether they will assess the contribution of design under the programme to improvements in school attendance in 73% of the schools sampled and to improvements in GCSE results at a rate above the national average in 62% of the schools sampled.
Lord Hill of Oareford: School attendance and pupil attainment are influenced by a number of factors, particularly the quality of teaching, and it would be very difficult to assess what contribution design alone has made to improvements in either.
The department will continue to collect and publish termly attendance data and annual GCSE results for all maintained schools and academies in England. The Education Funding Agency is also committed to monitoring the performance of school buildings constructed in the new Priority Schools Building Programme, including the effects they have on users.
Schools: Creationism
Lord Krebs: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have approved the establishment of a free school, Exemplar Academy, by a creationist group.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government have approved the application by Exemplar-Newark Business Academy to progress to the implementation stage of the free schools process. It is not a creationist group. It is composed of local parents and community members, including Christians, non-Christians and secularists.
All free school applications are subject to a rigorous assessment and a thorough interview process. We are clear that the teaching of creationism as a valid scientific theory, in science or any other subject, should not occur in any state funded school and free schools are specifically prohibited from doing so by virtue of their funding agreements.
Scotland Act 2012
Lord McCluskey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to make an order or orders under Section 44 of the Scotland Act 2012 to bring into force Sections 14, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 of that Act.
Lord Wallace of Tankerness: Section 14 of the Scotland Act 2012 came into force on 3 July 2012 by virtue of article 2 of the Scotland Act 2012 (Commencement No.1) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/1710). The Government are working with the Scottish Government, the Crown Office and the courts to enable Sections 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 of the Scotland Act 2012 to be brought into force as soon as is practical.
Taxation: Avoidance
Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what evidence the Prime Minister's spokesperson based his statement, reported in The Guardian on Tuesday 10 April, that some wealthy individuals were avoiding paying tax by donating money to charities that did not "in all cases do a great amount of charitable work".
Lord Sassoon: The vast majority of charities are bona fide and make an important contribution to society. However, the generous nature of tax reliefs available to charities and their donors means that, unfortunately, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) sees cases of fraud and abuse.
The Government have been active in their response to tax avoidance schemes and can and do act as soon as they become aware of them. Their commitment to reducing abusive avoidance schemes has been further enhanced by their recent investment of over £900 million in HMRC for increased compliance activity.
UK Honours
Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 30 January (WA 298-300), whether they will provide the same statistics for the 2012 Birthday Honours list showing whether there was any reduction in the proportion of honours awarded to professors compared to the previous honours list.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested concerning the number of honours recipients at knighthood and CBE levels described as holding the title of professor is in the public domain, and can be found in the London Gazette at www.london-gazette.co.uk.
UK Honours
Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 13 February (WA 140-1), whether they consider that the distribution of top honours is fair, in the light of 31.6% of knighthoods being awarded to professors since the 2007 Birthday Honours List.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Each of the specialist honours committees is allocated an annual quota of available awards at each level. As stated in the Written Answer given by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 13 February 2012, the criteria for awards at knight and dame level are that nominees should be pre-eminent in their field, recognised by their peers and making an impact at national level. Of the nine independent honours committees, three (education, health, and science and technology) account for 34% of the available awards at knight and dame level in each of the Prime Minister's lists, and by the nature of their specialist subject areas consider a large number of people with academic qualifications. Given that the title of professor is accorded to only the most senior of academics and practitioners, it is perhaps unsurprising that the number of top level of awards includes this percentage of people who declare themselves to carry that title.
UN: Rio+20
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the agreed follow-up work to the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development, and the work in the UN committee on the post millennium development goals process to be chaired by the Prime Minister, will be aligned.
Baroness Northover: The Government are taking a proactive approach to ensuring that Rio+20 follow up and the Prime Minister's work on the United Nations (UN) Secretary General's High Level Panel on post-2015 development goals are coherent and co-ordinated. Michael Anderson, the Prime Minister's appointed envoy on post-2015 development goals, has responsibility for co-ordinating this work across Whitehall.
The Government are also working actively through the United Kingdom (UK) Mission in New York and with other European Governments and the European Commission to ensure that the European Union (EU)'s engagement with these two processes is coherent and streamlined.
Young Offenders
Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have calculated how much money would be saved by extending Youth Offending Service Custody Pathfinders to the young offenders institutions estate.
Lord McNally: Pathfinder is a two-year project that began in October 2011. Four Pathfinder areas have been provided with financial incentives to deliver reductions in their use of custody. Pathfinder monitors an area's use of under 18 custody including in under 18 young offenders institutions. Given the relatively early stage of the initiative, it is premature to draw conclusions about potential savings. An independent process evaluation has been commissioned to report on the implementation and delivery of Pathfinder. This will report in 2014.
Young Offenders
Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any plans to increase the number and use of young offender attendance centres across England and Wales.
Lord McNally: We are reviewing our commissioning strategy for attendance centres, with the aim of ensuring that centres are fully adapted to local requirements. In response to local assessments of need, we are planning to open new senior attendance centres in Cheshire and West Mercia and a junior centre in Burnley.
Young Offenders
Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken, or are aware of, any research to identify the cost-effectiveness of young offender attendance centres.
Lord McNally: Research into the cost-effectiveness of one particular aspect of a sentence-such as an attendance centre requirement in a community order or suspended sentence order-would not be easy to undertake, as it would be difficult to isolate the effect of one requirement of an order that may also include one or more other requirements. Obtaining a statistically significant body of data is therefore not straightforward. While no research has been conducted into the link between attendance centre funding and re-offending, work has been undertaken to establish the cost per offender of completing an attendance centre requirement. This has enabled us to implement a performance management framework to deliver efficiencies.
Young Offenders: Interventions
Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions have been taken by the Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service to identify what works in terms of interventions with young adults aged 18 to 24.
Lord McNally: The Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service are committed to evaluating offender management programmes and other approaches to working with offenders in order to improve understanding of what works to reduce re-offending.
Work to date has considered the effectiveness of interventions for all adult offenders rather than targeting the effectiveness for those aged 18-24. NOMS is developing a specific commissioning strategy for young adult offenders and is currently examining both the impact of cognitive skills training with young adults and how to prevent recreational drug use developing into drug dependency. The findings from this work will be shared with commissioners and providers of offender services in due course. NOMS will also continue to work with providers to assist them in robustly evaluating existing and innovative interventions in order to further develop the evidence base for this group of offenders.
Young Offenders: Interventions
Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps have been taken to introduce interventions that have been proved to work into all places in England and Wales where young adults are held.
Lord McNally: The Government's strategy for ensuring that the right interventions are provided in the right prisons, including those holding young adults, is set out in the NOMS Commissioning Intentions discussion document published on 4 July and I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the House Library. We will take proper account of the particular needs of young adults. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2012-07-24a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2012",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
UN Peacekeeping Personnel
Baroness Whitaker: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they can know that United Nations personnel on peacekeeping operations are fully accountable for their actions; and whether any alleged breaches by such personnel are dealt with in accordance with the rule of law.
Baroness Amos: United Nations peacekeeping operations and their personnel are accountable, through the commander of the operation in the field, the Department of Peace-Keeping Operations at UN Headquarters and the UN Secretary-General, to the Security Council.
UN peacekeeping personnel are obliged to act in accordance with international humanitarian law and may be subject to prosecution for any breaches which they commit.
Afghanistan: Dasht-e-Leili
Baroness Williams of Crosby: asked Her Majesty's Government;
What stage has been reached in the investigations of mass graves at Dasht-e-Leili in Afghanistan; whether they are co-operating with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the Afghan Human Rights Commission for this purpose; and what precautions are being taken to protect the evidence at Dasht-e-Leili.
Baroness Amos: Our embassy in Kabul has discussed our concerns about the alleged human rights abuses at Dasht-e-Leili with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the Afghan Human Rights Commission. We support the UN's two-stage approach to the investigation: forensic investigations and dignified reburials now, followed, at a later stage, when the security situation improves, by more detailed witness interviews and investigations. It is important that further investigations should only take place when it is possible to protect potential witnesses. We understand that a UN-led investigation may start in the next few months.
The site is visited weekly by staff from the UN office in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Following their visit to Dasht-e-Leili in January this year, Physicians for Human Rights reported that there had been no deterioration or destruction of the site at Dasht-e-Leili. The UN view is that there is no need for static protection of the site.
Mr Derek Bond: Detention in South Africa
Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What help the Foreign and Commonwealth Office gave to Mr Derek Bond while he was held in detention in South Africa.
Baroness Amos: We provided Mr Bond with all proper consular assistance during his detention in South Africa.
Our consular staff in Durban were notified of Mr Bond's arrest on 7 February. They immediately contacted the South African police. During his detention, consular staff arranged medical support for Mr Bond and visitor access for his wife. Our consular staff in Durban maintained close contact with Mr and Mrs Bond throughout. Consular staff put pressure on the US authorities to resolve issues regarding Mr Bond's identity. Consular staff assisted with arrangements for Mr Bond's release and return to the UK and were at the airport to meet him on his arrival in Britain.lynne
Mr Derek Bond: Detention in South Africa
Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representation they intend to make to the American Government about the conduct of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with reference to the detention of Mr Derek Bond in South Africa.
Baroness Amos: During Mr Bond's detention, our High Commission put pressure on the US authorities to resolve quickly the issue of Mr Bond's identity.
We do not know whether Mr Bond's lawyers intend to pursue this matter with the US authorities. We stand ready to provide Mr Bond with any further consular assistance we properly can.
Police Officers above the Rank of Inspector Currently Suspended
Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What would be the cost to public funds of obtaining information concerning the number of police officers above the rank of inspector currently suspended in England and Wales; and what is the amount of salary and other emoluments being paid to them.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I estimate the cost of this exercise to be over £1,000. This figure is based on an estimated average unit salary cost and an estimated time to collect this information in each of the 43 police forces. This estimate does not include the cost of transmitting the information or the cost to the Home Office of co-ordinating and collating it.
Government IT Systems: Security
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In light of recent advice from the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) about potential threats to key commerical information technology systems, whether appropriate steps are being taken to protect the integrity of the Government's own information technology systems.
Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Each department and agency is responsible, under its Minister, for maintaining its own appropriate levels of protective security. To help meet this responsibility, protective security policy is decided, and advice and guidance provided, through a Cabinet Office committee structure. In addition, the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) helps departments to secure their systems by disseminating reports of significant electronic attack threats from a wide range of sources.lynne
Key Commercial IT Systems: Security
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In light of recent advice from the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) about potential threats to key commercial information technology systems, what practical assistance they are offering to appropriate commercial interests to facilitate an effective response to the risk.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Central government assistance to those systems that are considered to be part of the critical national infrastructure is by way of the Unified Incident Reporting and Alert Scheme (UNIRAS), which is part of the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC).
UNIRAS is the UK Government CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) and receives reports of significant electronic attack incidents, threats, new vulnerabilities and countermeasures from its customer base and other commercial, government and international sources. It then validates, amends (where appropriate) and disseminates the information back to its customers through e-mail alerts and warnings. In addition, UNIRAS provides a helpdesk for its customers, giving advice on IT security incidents, particularly internet related problems; and collates reports of IT security incidents supplied by its customers and issues regular statistics. These reports are suitably amended to protect commercial or departmental sensitivies.
Trafficking Victims
Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made towards establishing the special arrangements for victims of trafficking outlined in Chapter 5 of the White Paper Secure Borders, Safe Havens.
Lord Filkin: The Government are pleased to accounce new measures to support female victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation in the UK.
The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum (NIA) Act 2002 introduced a new offence that commenced on 10 February 2003 of "trafficking a person for the purpose of controlling him or her in prostitution".
From today, safe accommodation and a range of services will be provided to support female victims of human trafficking through a non-governmental organisation. A six-month pilot scheme located in London will cater for approximately 25 women, on a rolling basis, who meet the criteria for access to the services, including a willingness to come forward and co-operate with the authorities in the combating of international organised crime that could lead to prosecutions of criminals.
We will consider, in light of individual circumstances, whether it would be appropriate to allow such victims who have co-operated to remain here. Where they are to return home, we will assist them to do so, providing them with initial counselling, ensuring that they have suitable accommodation to return to and providing help to enable them to reintegrate into their own community and find employment.
We are also publishing a new best practice toolkit for the police, immigration officers and others who deal with illegal immigrants and trafficking victims. The toolkit will help them to identify victims and to provide practical advice on how to deal with them appropriately.
The Sexual Offences Bill, introduced into the House of Lords on 28 January 2003, also proposes new comprehensive offences of trafficking for sexual exploitation to replace the stop-gap offence introduced by the NIA Act 2002 of trafficking in prostitution. These new offences tackle the movement of people into, within and out of the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation and will carry maximum penalties of 14 years' imprisonment. The offence relating to trafficking within the UK applies equally to UK nationals trafficked from place to place in the UK and to foreign nationals brought here and then moved around from place to place within the UK. This is the first time that the trafficking of UK nationals within the UK has been tackled in legislation.
Internationally, we are committed to addressing the issue of trafficking by our involvement with the EU framework decision on combating the trafficking of human beings and the UN protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking. We believe the trafficking provisions in this Bill meet the requirements of the EU decision and the UN protocol, and indeed go further in that they criminalise trafficking for a sexual offence per se, whereas the protocol specifies it ought to be criminal only in certain circumstances; for example, where force, coercion or abduction are involved.
They also go further than the provisions in the NIA Act in specifying that it will be a criminal offence to traffic someone for the purposes of submitting them to a sex offence, rather than limiting this to trafficking them for the purposes of exploiting their prostitution. This allows us to offer greater protection against all forms of sexual trafficking; for example, for those who are trafficked in order to be sexually assaulted by others where there is no prostitution taking place.
In addition, the Bill introduces new offences to tackle directly the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The activities that the offences cover include buying the sexual services of a child, causing or encouraging a child into commercial sexual exploitation, facilitating the commercial sexual exploitation of a child and controlling the activities of a child involved in prostitution. The maximum penalties available for these offences will range from seven years to life imprisonment depending upon the nature of the offence committed and the age of the child victim.
All these provisions together will set in place a comprehensive framework of robust legislation and improved support that will enable us both to bear down on perpetrators, often organised criminals, and provide a better response to victims.
National Asylum Support Service
Baroness Gale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to announce an independent review of the operations of the National Asylum Support Service (NASS).
Lord Filkin: The Government have previously announced an independent review of the operations of the National Asylum Support Service (NASS). The independent review has now been established with the following terms of reference:
To review the organisation, management and staffing and expertise within NASS to identify changes necessary in the short to medium term to enable it consistently to achieve the appropriate standards of operational and administrative performance. Consideration of the staffing arrangements should include the balance between permanent, consultant and agency staff and the match between the skills of the staff and the job to be done, including the handling of complex and publicly sensitive projects and business. Consideration of the organisational arrangements should extend to relations with the linkage necessary between procurement and project terms.
To submit a report, with recommendations, to the Minister of State responsible for immigration matters through the director general of IND by the end of May 2003.
The independent review will be conducted by Gill Noble, CB, formerly director, Law and Order, Health and Local Government, HM Treasury; Ernie Finch, formerly of Marks and Spencer plc; and Alan Barnish, retiring chief executive of Cambridgeshire County Council.
Judiciary: Criticism by Ministers of Court Decisions
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Under what circumstances they consider it constitutionally appropriate for ministers to criticise publicly the decisions of the judiciary.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: The Government unequivocally support the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. These are in no way diminished by the fact that when the courts make a decision adverse to a government department it is open to a Minister to say publicly that he does not accept the decision and intends to test it on appeal.
Ministers do not normally comment publicly on the decisions of the courts in cases in which they are not involved, but they may sometimes do so, if, for example, a particular decision leads Ministers to be of the opinon that the law has not been interpreted by the courts in accordance with Parliament's intentions and needs to be clarified or otherwise amended.
Civil Court Cases: Fees
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they will take to address the concern expressed by the Civil Justice Council in its report on Full Costs Recovery that the present level of fees discourages access to the courts, particularly on the part of the low-wage employees and small business proprietors not eligble for legal aid. [HL1804][
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: My department is taking forward a wide-ranging programme of work on fees in civil court cases which will examine all the issues raised by the Civil Justice Council in its report on Full Costs Recovery. I welcome its contribution to the debate and my officials are already speaking to the council. The fee policy principles which the Lord Chancellor announced to this House on 19 November 1998 state that "Fees should not prevent access to justice" and that "Protection must be provided for litigants of modest means". This is afforded through exemption from fee payment for individuals qualifying for tax credits. Those who do not qualify for tax credits but would otherwise suffer hardship in meeting a fee may apply to the court for remission, whether or not they are a litigant in person or a litigant in person trading as a firm.
Legal Aid: Residents of the Irish Republic
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there are circumstances in which a resident of the Irish Republic could receive United Kingdom legal aid; and, if so, what they are.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There are no nationality requirements for using the courts in the United Kingdom. The availability of public funding or legal aid follows the same basic principle. An applicant for legal aid or public funding in any of the three jurisdictions within the United Kingdom (England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) may be made by any individual regardless of nationality or residence. However, the applicant must pass the relevant merits and means criteria for the civil or criminal schemes within each jurisdiction, and the legal proceedings for which legal aid or public funding is sought must originate within the relevant United Kingdom jurisdiction.
West Bank "Security Fence"
Baroness Williams of Crosby: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Government of Israel about the wall now being built in the West Bank inside the 1967 Armistice line; and what status they expect the wall to be accorded in the road map for peace.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The British Government have raised with the Government of Israel our concerns about the "security fence". The seizure of Palestinian land, the isolation of Palestinian villages and the creation of a further physical obstacle to the two-state solution are unacceptable. While we fully understand Israel's need to take steps, within the law, to protect itself from terrorist attack, lasting security can be achieved only through a negotiated peace.
A final settlement must provide for a viable Palestinian state to exist alongside Israel, both within secure and recognised borders. We look forward to the Quartet publishing its roadmap, which will set out a phased progamme leading to a final settlement within three years, soon. It is important that, in implementing the roadmap, all parties refrain from actions which obstruct the search for peace.
Protection of Cultural Property: Hague Convention
Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will now ratify the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, with the first and second protocols to the convention; and, if not, what are their reasons for delay.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Ratification of the convention and protocols would require primary legislation, and extensive consultation is needed on legal, operational and policy issues relating to implementation of the protocols. Once this is complete, we hope to be in a position to ratify.
Iraq: Attitude of Irish Republic
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether in their recent discussions with the Irish Republic's Government the prospect of a war with Iraq featured; and, if so, whether they are content with the Irish response.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My right honourable friends the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs meet their Irish counterparts regularly in a number of fora. Discussions have covered a range of topics, including Iraq. All EU countries are committed to the full and effective disarmament of Iraq in accordance with Resolution 1441 of the United Nations Security Council. This position was reaffirmed most recently by the Extraordinary Meeting of the European Council on 17 February, which stated that the Iraqi regime must co-operate immediately and fully and would bear sole responsibility for the consequences if it failed to take this last chance to resolve the crisis peacefully.
Cyprus
Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the total area of United Kingdom sovereign bases in Cyprus proposed to be transferred if there is an agreement there; what area in each of the United Kingdom bases is involved; and what areas will be transferred to each of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot states as proposed in the United Nations plan.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The UK has offered to the UN to cede a total of 45 square miles of SBA territory as part of the UN settlement proposals. The UK made this offer after considering what practical help we could offer the UN Secretary-General in his efforts to secure a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem in time for a reunited Cyprus to sign the Treaty of Accession with the EU on 16 April. If there is no agreement within the UN timetable, or if the proposals are rejected in referenda on either side of the island, this offer to the UN, along with the remainder of the UN proposals, will become null and void.
The area that the UK has offered to the UN to cede comprises 10 square miles in the Western Sovereign Base Area and 35 square miles in the Eastern Sovereign Base Area. Approximately 10 per cent of the total area involved would be transferred to the Turkish Cypriots and 90 per cent to the Greek Cypriots.
Cyprus
Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they last had a meeting with representatives of the Council of the Turkish Cypriot Associations in the United Kingdom; and with which other Turkish Cypriot Organisations they have had meetings during 2003.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are in regular contact with representatives of both the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities.
The Southern European Department wrote to the Chairman of the Council of the Turkish Cypriot Associations on 7 January inviting representatives to discuss recent developments. To date there has, unfortunately, been no reply.
Tibet
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any British companies are involved directly or indirectly in exploiting the natural resources of Tibet.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: BP Amoco is indirectly involved in a project on Tibet, having invested $580 million in PetroChina, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation. PetroChina is building the 950km Sebei-Lanzhou pipeline from the Tibetan plateau to north west China. The project is one of 10 under the Beijing Government's Develop the West policy. BP is also investing in Sinopec, which hold the rights to Tibet's Lunpola field, the world's highest oil field. I am aware of no other projects.
Slug Pellets: Song Thrush Population
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What increase in the use of slug pellets they have recorded or estimated on (a) farmland, (b) gardens and (c) horticultural holdings over the past 10 years; what is the decline in song thrush population over the same period; and whether they have any evidence of a correlation between the two.
Lord Whitty: Pesticide products such as slug pellets are assessed by the Pesticides Safety Directorate for their environmental effects. This includes the evaluation of their toxicity to birds and possible effects on reproduction. Products which are likely to cause a direct and unacceptable impact on the environment do not receive approval for sale or use.
Data are regularly collated and reported on the use of molluscicides for agriculture and horticulture in the pesticide usage survey reports. Surveys are conducted on a rolling programme and not all crops are surveyed each year. These reports are available in the House Libraries.
The song thrush population has declined steeply within the past 25 years, occurring in both woodland and farmland, but that on farmland is substantially greater. The recent breeding bird survey and common bird census trends suggest that the decline has levelled off since the mid-1990s.
Evidence suggests that the decline may have been driven by lower survival rates of birds in their first year and/or by a decline in the number of breeding attempts that pairs are (on average) able to make in each season. This may be related to food availability both in the winter and in the breeding season. Decreasing song thrush abundance has been linked to agricultural intensification, but woodland-specific factors such as drainage and the depletion of the shrub layer may also be implicated.
However, research shows that increasing pesticide use may reduce food availability and indirectly contribute to the decline in 20 species of song birds, including the song thrush. In areas of mixed farmland landscapes, woodland and grassland provide important foraging habitats. In arable landscapes where these habitats are scarce the birds used gardens and arable fields in the breeding season. Thus in landscapes dominated by arable farmland, reductions in invertebrate availability due to pesticide application (as well as other factors of intensification) may affect song thrushes.
Coal-fired Generation Plant
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they intend to take to encourage a reversal of the decline in load factors at coal-fired generation plant fitted with flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) equipment and the increase in coal burnt at plant without FGD; and
What plans they have to impose stricter sulphur dioxide emission limits on coal-fired generators that do not have abatement plant fitted.
Lord Whitty: No reliable estimate can yet be made and other factors will also influence this market. The implementation option under the revised Large Combustion Plants Directive (2001/80/EC) for plants licensed before 1987 has not yet been decided. From 2008, those plants must either comply with emission limit values or operate within a national emission plan as established by the directive. Under both, operators can opt to adopt less stringent emission limits subject to committing to closure once they have operated for a maximum of 20,000 hours between 2009 and 2015. Once the implementation decision is taken, all operators, including those with coal-fired generating capacity, must choose whether to close or comply with the measures required by the directive. Those choices have yet to be taken.
Coal-fired Generation Plant
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much coal-fired generation capacity they expect to be taken out of the market as a result of the implementation of the Larger Combustion Plant Directive.
Lord Whitty: No reliable estimate can yet be made and other factors will also influence this market. The implementation option under the revised Large Combustion Plants Directive (2001/80/EC) for plants licensed before 1987 has not yet been decided. From 2008, these plants must either comply with emission limit values or operate within a national emission plan as established by the directive. Under both, operators can opt to adopt less stringent emission limits subject to committing to closure once they have operated for a maximum of 20,000 hours between 2008 and 2015. Once the implementation decision is taken, all operators, including those with coal-fired generating capacity, must choose whether to close or comply with the measures required by the directive. Those choices have yet to be taken.
Coal-fired Generation Plant
Lord Campbell of Croy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action is being taken to reduce the amount of sulphur dioxide and other polluting substances being released into the atmosphere from the generation of electricity in coal-fired power stations.
Lord Whitty: Coal-fired power stations are currently regulated by the integrated pollution control (IPC) regime. IPC was established by the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and regulates industrial pollution through a system of authorisation. IPC is being superseded by the integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) regime, established by an EC directive of the same name. Installations that came into operation before 31 October 1999 will be regulated by IPPC from 2006. New installations or those undergoing substantial change will be required to apply for an IPPC permit with immediate effect.
IPC requires operators to demonstrate that they will use the best available techniques not entailing excessive cost (BATNEEC) for their activities. BATNEEC has to be applied to prevent or minimise the release of prescribed substances and to render harmless any such substances which are released to air, water and land. If releases are made to more than one environmental medium, the best practicable environmental option is applied. The regulator assesses BATNEEC on a site-by-site basis and keeps authorisations under review. Depending on the characteristics of the plant, BATNEEC may include the use of flue gas desulphurisation.
In an IPPC permit application, operators are required to demonstrate that they will use the best available techniques (BAT) to control pollution from their activities. BAT aims to prevent, and where that is not practicable, to reduce to acceptable levels, emissions from the activities. BAT also aims to balance the cost to the operator against the benefits to the environment, and is assessed by the regulator on a site-by-site basis, taking into account European guidance on what constitutes BAT for that sector.
The Government's policies for reducing air pollution were published in January 2000 in Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The strategy contains standards for eight main pollutants of concern, including sulphur dioxide, below which significant risks to public health are likely to occur. The air quality strategy sets target dates for the standards to be achieved. The latest data suggests the 2004 and 2005 targets will be met across most of the UK. The 2005 target for sulphur dioxide is the most stringent.
The UK is a party to the Second Sulphur Protocol under the UN/ECE's Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, whereby SO2 emissions must be reduced by 50 per cent by 2000, 70 per cent by 2005 and 80 per cent by 2010 (all from a 1980 baseline). The UK is well on track to meet these targets, and by the end of 2000 had achieved a 76 per cent reduction from 1980 baseline levels.
Within the EU, the National Emission Ceilings Directive sets emission ceilings for certain pollutants to be achieved by 2010, and the UK reduced its SO2 ceiling to 585ktonnes. The directive is part of the EU's Acidification Strategy, where one of the overall aims is to reduce by 50 per cent the areas of European ecosystems receiving excessive levels of acid pollution (exceeding their critical loads).
Emission limit values for pollutants likely to be emitted in significant quantities must be set in an IPC authorisation or IPPC permit and would reflect the requirements of these instruments.
Capita: DfES Contracts
Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What contracts have been awarded to the Capita Group by the Department for Education and Skills.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My department has awarded a number of contracts with Capita for a range of different services. These are as follows:
Teachers' pensions: Administration of the teachers' pensions scheme.
Connexions card: Development of the Connexions card.
Consultancy framework contracts: Framework contract to provide general management consultancy support and consultancy support for LEA interventions.
Executive recruitment and search: Framework contract to provide executive recruitment services. (The above are all existing contracts within my department).
Children with Disabilities and SEN
Lord Rix: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will initiate a joint inspection by Ofsted and the new Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection to establish whether health and education authorities are adequately addressing children's health needs in a way which meets their educational needs.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: There are no plans at present to require joint inspections by Ofsted and the proposed new Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection. Plans for the new commission will be contained in a Bill to be placed before Parliament in due course. More broadly, the Government are encouraging all those in education, health and social services to work together to support improvements in the way children's special educational needs are identified and met.
A national service framework for children is being developed to promote an integrated approach to supporting children with disabilities and SEN, ensuring that services are designed around the needs of individual children and their families. Children's trusts will pilot new models of local joined-up working in planning, commissioning and delivering services for children with SEN and disabilities, and the forthcoming Green Paper on Children and Young People at Risk will look across government to address a number of key issues concerning preventive strategies and early intervention.
In relation to early intervention, we are promoting more coherent practice in co-ordinating services for disabled children aged 0–3 and their families through the Together from the Start guidance for education, health and social services professionals and our Early Support pilot programme, which will test the principles of the guidance and related guidance on early intervention/support services for deaf children and their families in practice. The programme is currently supporting 27 individual projects involving a variety of agencies at both local and national level. We recently announced additional funding of £12 million to extend the programme to March 2006.
We intend to publish later this year an SEN action programme setting out the Government's objectives and priorities for special educational needs. It will build on current activity and focus on improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and their families. Improving multi-agency working will be the key theme.lynne
Sir William Stubbs: Payment
Baroness Seccombe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 27 February (WA 54), under which departmental heading the sum of £95,000 was paid to Sir William Stubbs.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The money was paid from funds voted to the department for 2002–03 within the Department for Education and Skills Vote 1, Request for Resources 1, line A. Details of this provision are on page 20 of Central Government Supply Estimates 2002–03 published in May 2002 (HC795).
Stagetext
Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What help has been given in the past, or will be given in the next 12 months, through the Arts Council or other body, to Stagetext which makes theatre accessible to people with hearing loss.
Baroness Blackstone: Stagetext has received support from the Arts Council over the past two years in recognition of its groundbreaking work in enabling access to theatre for people with a hearing loss. In 2001–02, Stagetext received £20,000 to develop its business plan. In 2002–03, it received £20,000 to test ways in which regional captioned performances can best be supported and £8,000 to develop a good practice guide for venues interested in captioning. The Arts Council is currently in discussion with Stagetext about future funding for the organisation.
Stagetext has also been very successful in attracting support from other funders, such as the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and the Linbury Trust.
English Heritage
Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much grant was given to English Heritage for the years 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Baroness Blackstone: The government grant-in-aid allocation to English Heritage was £114.9 million in 1999–2000, £116.8 million in 2000–01, £110.4 million in 2001–02, and £116.4 million in 2002–03.
Pharmacy Services
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How, in the event of any decision to give effect to the Office of Fair Trading report on the deregulation of pharmacy services, the Department of Health would be able to deliver managed healthcare services using pharmacy, as outlined in Pharmacy in the Future.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are considering the report from the Director General of Fair Trading and its findings and recommendations carefully, including the impact on our policy objectives set out in Pharmacy in the Future.
We have sought views from a wide range of interests, including community pharmacy and general practitioners, the National Health Service, patients and consumers. Their views and those of other interested parties will help inform the government response, which my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry is co-ordinating.
NHS Workforce
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What equality and diversity data are available on the make-up of general practitioners, nurses and consultants in the National Health Service.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Data on the National Health Service workforce are collected in a set of annual censuses (as at 30 September), one for NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) medical and dental staff, one for NHS HCHS non-medical staff and one for general medical practitioners, their patients and their staff. Each census includes information about a range of equality and diversity factors, as set out below, alongside information about the type of work carried out (such as medical grade or speciality). NHS HCHS Medical and Dental: includes data on ethnicity, gender and age. NHS HCHS Non-Medical staff: includes data on gender, age and ethnicity. General Medical Practitioners: includes data on gender and age (not available for practice staff).
Some of these data are available in the following publications: Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services Medical and Dental staff in England: 1991–2001; NHS Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services Medical and Dental Workforce Census, England at 30 September 2001; NHS Hospital and Community Health Services Non-Medical Staff in England: 1991–2001; Department of Health NHS Hospital and Community Health Services Non-Medical Workforce Census England: 30 September 2001—Detailed Results; Statistics for General Medical Practitioners in England: 1991–2001; General & Personal Medical Services Statistics in England & Wales as at 30 September 2001.
These data are also available on the Internet at www.doh.gov.uk/public/nhsworkforce.htm.
NHS: Leaving Rates
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the current estimates of the anticipated loss (due to resignations and retirements) of general practitioners and nurses over the next two years; and how many replacements will be recruited from abroad.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Health does not currently collect information on leaving rates for either general practitioners or nurses.
Current training places are more than sufficient to replace leavers in the nursing and GP workforce. We anticipate however that international recruitment will make a significant contribution to the planned increases in the GP and nursing workforce.
NHS: Minority Ethnic Nurses
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many minority ethnic nurses apply for jobs in the National Health Service but fail to make shortlists; and what are the reasons therefor.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This information is not held centrally. National Health Service organisations are individual employers and as such will need to comply with all legislation regarding recruitment practice.
NHS organisations will keep records of individual interviews and the reasons why applicants were unsuccessful but this information would not be routinely supplied to the Department of Health.
NHS: Vital Connection
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What benefits have arisen from the Vital Connection launched by the National Health Service in 2000; whether any of the initiatives have been monitored for effectiveness; and whether there is any intention to publish the results.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Vital Connection laid the foundations for mainstreaming equality, diversity and inclusiveness in every part of the National Health Service. This objective was reinforced by the NHS Plan, published in July 2000, which introduced the Improving Working Lives Standard. The standard makes it clear that every member of staff is entitled to work in an organisation which can prove it is improving diversity and tackling discrimination and harassment.
All NHS employing organisations are required to demonstrate progress against the equality targets set in Vital Connection as part of the Improving Working Lives assessment and accreditation process. Most NHS employing organisations are required to be accredited as putting the Improving Working Lives Standard into practice by April 2003.
The Positively Diverse Programme, introduced in 2001, further supports NHS organisations to implement equality and diversity and the targets in Vital Connection. Some 147 NHS organisations are now using the Positively Diverse Programme.
The Human Resources Directorate is currently examining its equalities and diversity programmes, including the Improving Working Lives Standard and the Positively Diverse Programme as part of the department's continued efforts to strengthen the delivery of equality and diversity within the NHS.
NHS Management Costs
Lord Lipsey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the statistical basis for the Secretary of State for Health's statement in his speech on 5 February that National Health Service management costs are falling.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Information on National Health Service management costs is published and available in the NHS annual financial management accounts.
Management costs as a percentage of NHS expenditure during the period 1998–99 to 2001–02 are set out as follows:
NHS management costs 1998–99 were £1,833 billion (5 per cent of NHS expenditure)
NHS management costs 1999–2000 were £1,783 billion (4.4 per cent of NHS expenditure)
NHS management costs 2000–01 were £1,867 billion (4.2 per cent of NHS expenditure)
NHS management costs 2001–02 were £1,992 billion (4 per cent of NHS expenditure)
Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999
Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the aggregate value of payments made to National Health Service Trusts by the Compensation Recovery Unit of the Benefits Agency under the terms of the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 for each quarter between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2002; and
What was the total number and aggregate value of charges billed to insurance companies by the Compensation Recovery Unit of the Benefits Agency under the terms of the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 for each quarter between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2002.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Under the terms of the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 insurers have 14 days following the settlement of an insurance claim in which to make payment of NHS charges, provided they have received a certificate of NHS charges notifying them of amounts due. Where they have not been notified they must apply to the Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) for a certificate of charges within 14 days of claim settlement and once this is received the insurer has 14 days in which to make a payment.
The following figures show the number of settled claims and total amounts of CRU recovered from insurance companies in respect of these claims which were paid to NHS trusts in England, Scotland and Wales for each quarter between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2002.
Amounts recovered and paid to NHS trusts Numer of settled claims
Jan–Dec 2000
Qtr 1 £13,552,150 29,672
Qtr 2 £16,856,451 33,910
Qtr 3 £17,589,931 35,648
Qtr 4 £14,794,702 29,623
Jan–Dec 2001
Qtr 1 £22,132,052 44,993
Qtr 2 £22,006,196 40,913
Qtr 3 £25,236,364 46,775
Qtr 4 £19,461,872 37,575
Jan–Dec 2002
Qtr 1 £26,137,601 49,903
Qtr 2 £26,948,088 52,773
Qtr 3 £26,818,407 51,688
Qtr 4 £34,043,257 65,351
NHS Charges
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to increase National Health Service charges and the value of optical vouchers.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have today laid before the House regulations to increase National Health Service charges in England from 1 April 2003. There will be a cash increase in the prescription charge of 10p from £6.20 to £6.30 for each quantity of a drug or appliance dispensed.
The cost of prescription prepayment certificates will rise to £32.90 for a four-month certificate and £90.40 for an annual certificate. These offer savings for those needing more than five items in four months or 14 in one year.
Prescription charges are expected to raise some £446 million for the NHS in 2003–04.
Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and fabric supports supplied through the Hospital Service will be increased similarly.
The maximum patient charge for a single course of dental treatment begun on or after 1 April 2003 will increase from £366 to £372.
The prescription charge increase is the same as in the previous four years and is well below the current level of inflation.The other increases are in line with this percentage increase.
Optical voucher values will increase overall by 2.5 per cent to help children, people on low income and certain people with complex sight problems with the cost of spectacles or contact lenses.
A summary of these changes is given in the table.
Details of the revised charges and optical voucher values have been placed in the Library.
NHS charges and optical voucher values in Scotland and Wales are a matter for the devolved administrations. While the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.
Summary table—new NHS charges from 1 April 2003
Item Charges from 1 April 2002 (£) Charges from 1 April 2003 (£)
Prescription Charge 6.20 6.30
4 months PPC 32.40 32.90
12 months PPC 89.00 90.40
Surgical bra 20.90 21.20
Spinal/abdominal support 31.50 32.00
Wig acrylic 51.50 52.30
Wig partial human hair 135.90 138.00
Wig full human hair 198.60 201.70
Maximum dental charge 366.00 372.00
Northern Ireland Multi-Party Talks,19 December 2002
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 6 February (WA 41), whether they have a copy of the Irish Government briefing paper quoted in the media.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: No. As explained in my previous Answer on 6 February, Her Majesty's Government do not have a copy of the paper.
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 10 February (WA 96) concerning the press release of 3 July on the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, how much was at that time intended to be spent on the service in 2003–04 and 2004–05; and how these figures have since changed.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Of the £16.2 million announced on 3 July 2002, £4 million only was committed for spending in 2002–03 and 2003–04, with the balance to be addressed in future budgetary allocation decisions.
On 19 February 2003, the Minister with responsibility for finance and personnel announced planned allocations from the Strategic Investment Programme over the five-year period to 2007–08. These included £3.0 million for the reconfiguration of ambulance control and communications sytems, half of which is profiled for 2004–05; and £ 26.1 million for other actions to modernise and improve the ambulance service. Annual expenditure on these will be profiled once decisions have been reached on the best approach to financing them.
North/South Implementation Bodies
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the current business plans for all the North/South Implementation Bodies will be passed by the North/South Ministerial Council; and whether all the business plans and all the decisions relating to the implementation bodies will be placed in the Library of the House.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The operating plan for the Trade and Business Development Body (InterTradeIreland) has been approved by the two governments under the agreement between the British and Irish Governments on 19 November. The business plans for the remainder of the implementation bodies will be prepared by each body for subsequent approval by the two governments.
Decisions made by the two governments under the agreement of 19 November will shortly be placed in the Library. It is not the intention to place business plans in the Library. The annual report and accounts for each implementation body will be laid before Parliament as required by the North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999.
North/South Implementation Bodies
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the projected budgets of the implementation bodies for the year 2003; and what percentage increase or decrease these represent over 2002.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The details requested are given in the table below.
Body Agreed recommended allocation 2002 £ million Agreed recommended allocation 2003 £ million Percentage increase/ decrease over the 2002 allocation
Waterways Ireland 21.26 22.61 6.3%
Language Body 11.97 11.33 -5.3%
Food Safety Promotion Board 4.96 5.42 9.3%
Trade and Business Development Body 9.52 9.00 -5.5%
Special EU Programmes Body 1.75 2.02 15.4%
FCILC 2.86 3.20 11.9%
Total 52.32 53.58 2.4%
Lisburn-Antrim Railway Line
The Earl of Mar and Kellie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there is a future for the Lisburn-Antrim railway line after the current funding runs out in March 2003.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The future of rail services on the Lisburn to Antrim line has been uncertain since the Railways Task Force produced its report in September 2000. On the basis of the data available, the case for the continuance of regular services on this line is not compelling. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with responsibillity for Transport, Angela Smith MP, intends to make a written statement on this matter in the near future.
Northern Ireland: Traffic Accidents
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people were killed as a result of traffic accidents in Northern Ireland during the month of January in each year since 1998; and what plans they have to reduce the figure.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The number of people killed as a result of a road traffic collision in the month of January in each year since 1998 is provided in the table below. Also provided are end-of-year figures for the total number of deaths in each of the previous five years.
Year Number killed Total number of deaths
1998 13 160
1999 9 141
2000 17 171
2001 10 148
2002 11 150
2003 19
Forensic detail for all of the collisions in 2003 is not yet available and it is difficult at this stage to say why the figures are higher than in the previous five years.
On 6 November 2002, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Angela Smith MP launched the Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy 2002–12. This document sets out the strategic objectives to improve road safety over the next decade. It seeks to promote an integrated partnership approach across the statutory road safety agencies and departments and throughout the wider community.
From a general road safety perspective, the strategy makes clear the Government's commitment to improving road safety for everyone throughout Northern Ireland. It contains 161 actions focused on the main causes of deaths and serious injuries and aims at a one-third reduction (from the average for the period 1996–2000) in the number of people killed or seriously injured on Northern Ireland's roads by 2012 and within that overall target, a 50 per cent reduction in the numbers of children killed or seriously injured.
Some of the action measures to achieve the strategic objectives are already in place, others are scheduled to be in place within the next three years and further action measures will be introduced over the following four to 10 years.
Copies of the Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy 2002–12 have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which Minister in the Cabinet Office is responsible for supervising the answering of Questions for Written Answer, bearing in mind that of the 52 Questions which remained unanswered after the standard period of two weeks at 4 March, 11 are the responsibility of the Cabinet Office; and whether the Minister concerned will bring in outside advisers to ensure that all questions are answered within two weeks.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: I have overall responsibility for monitoring progress in answering Questions for Written Answer in the House of Lords.
I regret the number of questions that currently remain unanswered. However, in order to provide a full and accurate reply, it is sometimes necessary to await the outcome of consultation and discussions.
It is my practice to review outstanding questions weekly with ministerial colleagues and raise any delays with the relevant Minister. I also remind them of the need, wherever possible, to respond to Written Questions within the 14-day timescale.
I continue to look at further ways of improving this performance.
Rail Industry
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why they are offering Rail Research UK £7 million to offer strategic advice to the rail industry (as reported in the Observer on 2 March); and whether this is likely to duplicate strategies which the Strategic Rail Authority is required to produce under the Transport Act 2000.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: Rail Research UK is being set up by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPRSC) as a centre for railway systems research and as part of the council's objective to support high quality research in the engineering and the physical sciences that is in tune with industry's needs.
The centre involves 12 research groups from seven UK universities and will be jointly led by the Universities of Birmingham and Southampton. It will concentrate on providing a strong engineering base for railway systems research and achieving a safer and more reliable railway whilst reducing the impact on the environment.
Rail Research UK's role will complement the statutory requirements placed upon the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) by providing evidence-based research for the development of a safer and more reliable rail system. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2003-03-10a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2003",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Department for Transport
A13
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the state of the cleanliness of the A13 between the junction with the M25 and the junction with the A130; and what steps they intend to take to remove litter from that stretch of road.
Baroness Kramer: The Highway’s Agency is responsible for litter picking the A13 between M25 Junction 30 and the A1089 interchange. East of the A1089, the A13 is the responsibility of Thurrock Council. The Agency regularly assesses their section of the A13 and takes action to pick litter in accordance with the 1990 Environmental Protection Act’s Code of Practice. The Agency is aware that the A13 suffers from heavy littering. They are currently utilising existing traffic management which is in place for a major improvement scheme at junction 30 of the M25, to undertake intensive litter clearance. This operation will continue for several weeks. In addition the Agency is engaging with local stakeholders, educating and encouraging HGV drivers to cover their vehicles to prevent litter and debris falling onto the verges. They are also liaising with Thurrock Council to identify ways to improve the levels of cleanliness in this area.
Department for Communities and Local Government
Devolution: England
Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recommendations of the Non-Metropolitan Commission’s recent report, "Devolution to Non-Metropolitan England"; and what is their assessment of the possible gains for counties from devolution compared to those for city regions.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have not undertaken any formal assessment of that third-party report. However, I would draw attention to the recent Command Paper, Implications of devolution for England (Cm 8969) which sets out the Government’s approach to further decentralisation in England, including the views of both Coalition parties, both of which make reference to the role of England’s counties.
Homelessness
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they provide as part of their homelessness prevention strategy to help prevent relationship breakdown.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I refer the Right Reverend Prelate to my previous response of 9 March 2015 to question HL5087.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Maldives
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the arrest and imprisonment of former President Mohamed Nasheed in the Maldives, and allegations of police brutality and denial of legal representation in his trial.
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the courts in the Maldives to deny former President Nasheed rights of appeal; and what discussions with the Commonwealth have taken place about the rule of law in the Maldives.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are concerned about last month’s arrest of former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed on charges of terrorism and increasing political tensions. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), issued a press statement on 26 February expressing concern at the continued detention of Mr Nasheed and urging all political parties to act with moderation and restraint. It is important for international confidence in Maldives that Mr Nasheed, like all other citizens, is seen to be enjoying due legal process and respect for his fundamental rights. Mr Swire discussed these concerns again with the Maldives Foreign Minister on 6 March. He has also discussed this case with the Secretary General of the Commonwealth and with High Commissioners in London. The Commonwealth made clear in a press statement on 23 February the importance of ensuring that the rule of law is respected, with adherence to due process, and in accordance with the Commonwealth Charter. We continue to monitor the situation closely.
Eastern Europe
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have with regard to the aims and agenda of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership summit meeting at Riga in May 2015.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We expect the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga to send a strong message of support to Eastern Partnership countries. It is vital that they make their own strategic choices without third party interference and for the Summit to confirm the EU’s support for the implementation of real reforms on the ground for the benefit of citizens, including through the implementation of the EU Association Agreements with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Syria
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the fate of the Assyrian Christian prisoners abducted by Daesh on 24 February from Syrian villages along the River Khabour in Hassaka Governorate.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We understand that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has abducted more than 200 Assyrian Christians from the Hassaka region in North-East Syria. We believe that, in another act of appalling barbarity, ISIL has executed at least 15 of the hostages and that 23 Assyrian Christians have since been released following the payment of ransom money by the families. We remain concerned for the remaining hostages, most of whom are women, children and elderly people. We support the UN Security Council Statement condemning the abductions and demanding the Christians immediate release.The UK is committed to defeating ISIL, an organisation that has no place in today’s world. We will continue to work with the Global Coalition of more than sixty countries to ensure that ISIL no longer poses a threat to the people of the region, to international stability or to our own national security.
Saudi Arabia
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Saudi blogger, Raif Badawi, may now face execution by beheading for his decision to renounce his religion.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised Badawi’s case with the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Naif when they met on 24 February 2015. The Deputy Crown Prince confirmed that Badawi’s case had been referred to the Saudi courts for further consideration. We will continue to monitor Mr Badawi’s case closely and await its outcome. The UK has repeatedly made clear that it opposes the death penalty around the world because we believe it undermines human dignity and there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent. Ministers, our Ambassador, and the Embassy team in Riyadh frequently raise the issue of the death penalty with the Saudi authorities, bilaterally and through the European Union.
Iran
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning Mossad’s recent analysis of Iran’s nuclear programme.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: In accordance with longstanding convention followed by successive governments, we are not in a position to comment on the detail of intelligence matters. However, officials from the Government of Israel have regular discussions with our Embassy in Tel Aviv about Iran and the E3+3 negotiations with Iran on its nuclear programme.
Occupied Territories
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning its plan to expropriate 500 dunams of land in East Jerusalem for a landfill site.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We regularly raise the illegality of settlement activity in East Jerusalem and the forcible transfer of Bedouin populations throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories with Israeli interlocutors.
Middle East
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following the reported shooting of a man on the roof of his family home in Deheishe refugee camp.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv discussed this incident with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). They relayed our concern to the IDF over its decision not to open an investigation on the grounds that it had substantive information to confirm that soldiers responded after a direct hit on a fellow soldier.
Middle East
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the shooting of a Palestinian student drinking from a water fountain in a Jerusalem school, what representations they will make to the government of Israel concerning schools in the West Bank becoming secure areas for children.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, our officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raise the issues of excessive use of force and human rights violations against children with Israeli authorities. Most recently, our Ambassador in Tel Aviv discussed Israel Defence Forces excessive use of force with the Israeli Attorney General.
Middle East
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report in Haaretz that Israel already has a plan to evacuate the communities along the Gaza Strip border, what assessment they have made of the likelihood of military action in that area; and what steps they are taking with the international community to prepare to evacuate Gazan citizens in the event of such action.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government is deeply concerned that the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. We assess that the situation is bleak and our levers for change are few, but given the high human costs involved, we have been clear that all parties must do everything they can to reduce the possibility of a return to conflict. We are not taking any steps to prepare to evacuate Gazan citizens.
Iran
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of whether Iran's construction of a heavy-water research reactor at its Arak facility places that country in breach of its international obligations.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Under UN Security Council Resolution 1737 Iran is prohibited from undertaking heavy water-related activities. Under the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA) agreed between the E3+3 and Iran in November 2013 and subsequently extended to 30 June 2015, Iran committed to not make any further advances on the Arak reactor for the duration of the JPoA. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General’s 19 February report on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme confirms that Iran continues to abide by its nuclear commitments under the JPoA. The report also confirmed that the reactor remains under IAEA safeguards.
Libya
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of lives saved as a result of the United Kingdom's military action in Libya; and what is their estimate of the number of lives lost in Libya since January 2013.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: It is very difficult to verify how many lives have been lost since January 2013 or saved as a result of the UK’s military action in Libya. However Britain played a key role in preventing the bloodbath that would have taken place in Benghazi had we not intervened. The decision to intervene in Libya in 2011 was an international one, taken by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and other international partners following a call from the Arab League and authorisation at the UN Security Council.The UK is deeply concerned by the increasing violence and political polarisation in Libya, and its impact on the Libyan people and the stability of the wider region. It is of paramount importance that all Libyans recognise the terrible strain that the conflict is putting on their country. We strongly support the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Bernardino Leon, and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), to resolve the political and security crisis and pave the way for peaceful political dialogue. The UK welcomed the dialogue talks hosted by UNSMIL in Rabat from 5 to 7 March, and the following week in Algeria and Brussels. We urge all participants to attend further talks with goodwill and adopt inclusive policies, to lay the foundations for a Government of National Unity.
Overseas Trade: Israel
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the latest developments in respect of the United Kingdom trading with Israeli settlements.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK Trade and Investment-Foreign and Commonwealth Office Overseas Business Risk website is the forum through which the British Government raises awareness of the key security and political risks which British businesses may face when operating abroad. Whenever asked by British businesses about settlements, we set out the UK’s clear position on the illegality of Israeli settlements under international law, and share with them our advice as set out in the online guidance, published 1 June 2014.The link to the Overseas Business Risk website is below and our current guidance on Israeli Settlements is attached:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-israel/overseas-business-risk-israel
Guidance on Israeli Settlements
(Word Document, 19.57 KB)
Department for International Development
Overseas Aid
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what sums were reimbursed from the Department for International Development to the Ministry of Defence in each of the last 10 financial years in respect of services or supplies provided by the Ministry of Defence for overseas aid purposes.
Baroness Northover: Since 2005 the Department for International Development has reimbursed the Ministry of Defence by the following amounts for services and supplies provided by the British Armed Forces in support of humanitarian and disaster-relief operations: Year of activityEmergency Amount reimbursed by DFID to MOD2005Pakistan Earthquake£1,900,0002007Bangladesh Cyclone£140,0002008Cyclone Nargis£8,6602009Padang Earthquake£185,0002010Haiti Earthquake£620,0002010Pakistan Floods£615,0002013Philippines£8,950,0002014Iraq£1,967,0002014-ongoingEbola response in Sierra Leone£28,000,000
Overseas Aid
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the total cost to the United Kingdom of expenditure on Overseas Development Assistance in each of the years since 1985; and what percentage of gross national income it represented in each year.
Baroness Northover: The total cost to the United Kingdom of expenditure on Official Development Assistance in each of the years since 1985, and the percentage of gross national income (GNI) it represented in each year is set out in the tables below. YearUK Net ODA, £mODA/GNI YearUK Net ODA, £mODA/GNI19851,1800.33% 20002,9740.32%19861,1850.31% 20013,1790.32%19871,1420.28% 20023,2810.31%19881,4850.32% 20033,8470.34%19891,5780.31% 20044,3020.36%19901,4850.27% 20055,9260.47%19911,8150.32% 20066,7700.51%19921,8480.31% 20074,9210.36%19931,9450.31% 20086,3560.43%19942,0890.31% 20097,3010.51%19952,0290.29% 20108,4520.57%19962,0500.27% 20118,6290.56%19972,0960.26% 20128,8020.56%19982,3320.27% 201311,4620.71%19992,1180.24%
Malawi
Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken, including provision of any financial support, to help with the humanitarian problems caused by recent floods in Malawi.
Baroness Northover: DFID Malawi has committed to provide up to £4.1 million to support both emergency response and early recovery efforts. These are funds from DFID Malawi’s 14/15 budget, including contingency humanitarian funds and the use of value for money savings. This is additional to the £3.4m already provided in response to meet the humanitarian needs of the food insecure during the lean season. DFID is working closely with partners to ensure that flooding support reaches those that need it most, in line with the Government of Malawi’s Preliminary Response Plan and coordinated through Government-led structures. No UK funding is channelled through Government of Malawi systems. UK commitments so far include: · £1m to the World Food Programme which is supplying 370,000 people with food for the first weeks, including by air to areas cut off by rising waters; · £665,000 to UNICEF to provide emergency water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to prevent the spread of disease in displacement camps; · Over £1m through NGO and private sector partners to provide seeds and tools to smallholder farmers whose crops have been damaged by the floods. · £800,000 through the UN Humanitarian Fund, in support of particular coordination and camp management, nutrition, protection and health activities, plus funds for specialist UN personnel to coordinate the response. In addition, a number of NGOs have also accessed the Start Fund, a funding mechanism for delivering rapid humanitarian assistance which is jointly funded by the UK and Irish Governments. ActionAid, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide and Save the Children have used £350,000 from the fund to provide vital resources to those displaced by the floods.
Malawi
Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what organisation or body they have established to assist with the rebuilding of homes, infrastructure and agricultural development following the recent floods in Malawi.
Baroness Northover: The UK has not established any new organisation or body to support floods recovery. DFID Malawi has committed to provide up to £4.1 million in response to the floods, which includes supporting communities to rebuild their homes and their livelihoods through existing programmes and through multilateral partners.
Malawi
Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place with the government of Malawi and international institutions with regard to the recent floods in Malawi.
Baroness Northover: The UK continues to work closely within the coordination structures established by the Government of Malawi and the UN to ensure our support is part of a well-coordinated relief and recovery response. The UK fully supports the efforts of the Malawian Department of Disaster Management Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development. However, no UK funding is channelled directly through Government of Malawi systems.
Home Office
Police: Ethnic Groups
Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of reductions in the workforce of police forces, what steps they are taking to recruit more police officers and support staff from ethnic minority communities.
Lord Bates: It is vital that the police reflect the communities they serve and I am determined to improve Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) representation in all 43 forces in England and Wales.A number of police forces are currently recruiting officers. Decisions on when and how to recruit individuals are for the chief officer of a police force. It is important that they use equalities legislation, including positive action provisions, to make better progress in terms of recruitment of under-represented groups.This Government's reforms have already made improvements, for example we set up the College of Policing which has embarked on a major programme of work, BME Progression 2018, looking at recruitment, retention and progression of black and minority ethnic officers, including the development of an evidence base of successful approaches used by forces.As part of this programme the College recently published Positive Action Practical Advice, which advises forces on the use of lawful positive action to support the recruitment, retention and progression of officers from under-represented groups.Also, under this Government innovative schemes such as Direct Entry and Police Now are increasing the number of BME recruits to the police, showing that you can achieve better representation while attracting the best and the brightest into policing.Of the nine direct entry superintendents who began their superintendent training four (44%) are women and two (22%) are from an ethnic minority background. This is significantly more representative than the current make up of the superintendent rank which is comprised of 17% women and 4% from an ethnic minority background.Police Now, an innovative graduate scheme implemented in the Metropolitan Police, received such a high calibre of applicants that it made provisional offers to 79 individuals, up from an anticipated 50. Of these, 16% per cent are from a BME background as compared to the Metropolitan Police’s current BME officer make up of 11%, and the national police BME proportion of 5.2%.The Metropolitan Police also introduced its London residency criteria for recruits in August 2014 since when the proportion of BME applicants has risen to approximately 40%, a percentage which now matches the BME population of London.
Cabinet Office
Succession to the Crown Act 2013
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 will be brought into force.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Further to the answers of 26 February (HL Deb, col 922), 23 June (HL224) and 8 December (HL 3512), all Realms have concluded the necessary processes before implementation with the exception of Australia. All six of the Australian States have now enacted the necessary legislation and the Australian Government has recently introduced the Commonwealth’s Succession to the Crown Bill into the Australian Parliament. Once that legislation has received Royal Assent, the UK Government will then be in a position to make the commencement order for the Act.
Charities
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of charity law in the United Kingdom and the case for reform.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government published its response to Lord Hodgson’s statutory review of the Charities Act 2006, and the Public Administration Select Committee’s review of the regulation of charities on the legal and regulatory framework for charities in England and Wales in September 2013. Most of the reports’ recommendations were accepted and these are currently being taken forward.The Joint Committee on the Draft Protection of Charities Bill published its report into its scrutiny of the Draft Protection of Charities Bill on 25 February 2015. The Draft bill would give the Charity Commission more powers to tackle mismanagement and abuse in charities. The Government will respond shortly. Charity law is devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Almshouses
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of almshouses.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Almshouses continue to play an important role today in providing accommodation for those in need throughout the United Kingdom and have a role in responding to the huge national challenge of creating more housing specially designed for older people. Almshouses have been part of this country's life for many generations and also make a valuable contribution to our national heritage by maintaining many fine, historic buildings. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2015-03-13 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2015",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Arts: Funding
Baroness Howells of St Davids: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why, in the light of the McMaster Review into excellence in the arts, a number of arts venues, such as the Bush Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, are facing cuts to funding on quantitative grounds.
Lord Davies of Oldham: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, announced in October last year that grant in aid for Arts Council England would rise to £467 million by 2010-11—an increase of £50 million over current levels.
The Arts Council operates at arm's length from the Government and decisions about which arts organisations to fund are entirely for it.
Arts Council England takes decisions on the basis of the objectives in its royal charter "to develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and practice of the arts" and "to increase accessibility of the arts to the public in England".
The McMaster Review of excellence considered strategic issues of how we can best support artistic excellence. It makes a number of recommendations for the overall system of support for the arts, to be implemented over a number of years. It did not consider funding of individual organisations.
Energy: Coal Imports
Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the total tonnage of coal imported into the United Kingdom during each of the years 2001 to 2007; from which countries the coal was imported; what was the estimated cost; and what was the estimated tonnage imported to South Yorkshire during those years.
Lord Jones of Birmingham: The total tonnage of coal imported into the United Kingdom during each of the years 2001 to 2006 on a country of origin basis is summarised below. The total value of imports is also included. Data for 2007 will not be available until later this year.
Thousand tonnes
Country 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
European Union
Belgium/Luxembourg 6 2 12 11 14 2
Denmark - - - - - 10
Estonia (1) .. .. .. 22 15 37
France - 17 19 50 4 5
Germany - 10 2 13 16 50
Irish Republic 72 46 57 40 38 19
Italy - - 14 - - -
Latvia (1) .. .. .. 11 92 357
Netherlands (2) 157 257 246 193 197 188
Poland (1) .. .. .. 1,208 647 883
Spain - 9 21 24 41 46
Sweden 5 25 - - - -
Total European Union 240 366 369 1,580 1,066 1,597
Australia 7,076 5,093 5,664 6,175 4,464 4,018
Canada 1,182 750 839 740 1,084 1,282
Colombia 6,722 3,547 3,398 3,630 3,289 3,798
Indonesia 50 45 402 1,458 1,616 1,895
Norway 24 164 145 138 - -
People's Republic of China 705 288 210 233 135 55
Poland (1) 1,235 1,596 1,902 .. .. ..
Republic of South Africa 10,259 9,876 12,194 10,144 13,029 12,953
Russia 3,895 4,368 5,089 9,932 17,521 22,739
United States of America 2,610 1,567 1,154 2,061 1,509 1,993
Venezuela 56 - - 39 - -
Vietnam 92 86 45 23 - -
Other countries 1,396 940 480 - 255 126
Total all countries 35,542 28,686 31,891 36,153 43,968 50,456
Value of imports (cif) (£m) (3) 1,158 852 924 1,329 1,873 2,132
Source: HM Revenue and Customs as published in Table G.5 of the internet version of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2007 (www.berr.gov.uk/energy/statistics/publications/dukes/page39771.html)
.. Not applicable.
- Nil or negligible.
(1) Joined the EU on 1 May 2004.
(2) Includes extra-EU coal routed through the Netherlands.
(3) Value of imports are "cif" (cost, insurance and freight).
HM Revenue and Customs' Regional Trade Statistics show that imports of coal, coke and briquettes into the Yorkshire and the Humber region over the same period were as follows:
Year Thousand tonnes
2001 70
2002 188
2003 90
2004 1,042
2005 4,065
2006 4,706
EU: Structural and Cohesion Funds
Baroness Cohen of Pimlico: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What administration costs were incurred by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in relation to the European structural and cohesion funds for the last financial year for which figures are available.
Lord Bach: The European regulations set out the arrangements for the administration of the structural funds in each member state. The Cohesion Fund does not operate in the UK.
The designated managing authorities in England are as follows:
Communities and Local Government, for the European Regional Development Fund
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), for the European Social Fund.
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for the 2000-06 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund.
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the responsibility for managing the Structural Funds rests with the Devolved Administrations.
The Marine and Fisheries Agency of Defra are responsible for the 2000-06 Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance throughout the United Kingdom.
BERR has responsibility for co-ordinating the monitoring and reporting of the implementation of the structural funds programmes across the UK, and takes the policy lead for the United Kingdom on the structural and cohesion funds.
Foreign Office: Personnel
Lord Blaker: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the total number of personnel serving in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) resource accounts for 2006-07 give the total number of full-time equivalent staff employed by the FCO in the UK and overseas as 17,107. This total includes locally-recruited staff employed by our posts overseas.
Government: Accountability to Parliament
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In light of the Prime Minister's stated intention to make the Government more accountable to Parliament, whether he will now revert to the practice of responding to all correspondence from Members of both Houses addressed to him with a letter signed by him.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Given the volume of correspondence received, it is not possible for the Prime Minister to reply to all correspondence from Members of both Houses. As has been the practice under successive Administrations, the responsible Minister may be asked to reply on his behalf.
Great Yarmouth
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Jones of Birmingham on 12 December 2007 (WA 64), in respect of the proposed new port at Great Yarmouth (a) what is the total estimated capital cost of the project; (b) what were the reasons that caused the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), having first required revenue commitments from a ferry operator, subsequently to withdraw this condition; and (c) what are the expected sources and amounts of revenue for the project that caused EEDA to decide that revenue from a ferry operator was not required to service £17.9 million of public investment, in addition to the private investment.
Lord Bach: The total estimated capital cost of the project for the construction of the outer harbour at Great Yarmouth as envisaged in the project appraisal carried out by EEDA in 2004, which includes the part-publicly funded maritime access works, is £54 million, as set out in my reply of 12 December. This does not take account of any further private development of the port by the private developer.
The requirement for revenue commitments from a ferry operator at the outset of the project was imposed as a means of helping ensure viability of the project. This requirement was withdrawn by the RDA following responses to the procurement exercise for the outer harbour project. The requirement was waived on the basis that it was not judged commercially realistic in today's market to expect that a ferry company would commit to revenue guarantees at such an early stage, before construction of the outer harbour had begun. At the same time, the RDA judged that the proposal submitted in response to the procurement exercise by the developer who was eventually selected presented a sound and viable development without revenue commitments at the outset from a ferry operator.
The successful developer's proposal was based on enabling larger vessels for existing trades to call at Great Yarmouth and attracting a range of new trades, with port facilities and the commercial focus evolving over time in response to market trends. In addition to attracting ferry services, the proposal identified the following potential sources of revenue; expanding support for the oil and gas sector; expanding the scope and scale for importing aggregates; extending the support for existing trades such as forest products, fertilisers and agri-bulk; providing port and support facilities for the wind farm; catering for oil and gas de/recommissioning demand ; attracting containerised short sea and feeder trades; attracting car imports; attracting new technology projects. Release of information on the amounts of revenue expected would prejudice the commercial interests of the port developer.
Homelessness
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the number of rough sleepers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland during each of the past five years.
Baroness Andrews: A national estimate of the number of rough sleepers in England is published every September. The estimate is based on the results of local authority street counts in those areas where a known, or suspected, rough sleeping problem has been identified. The table below sets out the national rough sleeping estimate over each of the past five years.
The department does not hold statistics for the devolved administrations.
Date National rough sleeping estimate
2007 498
2006 502
2005 459
2004 508
2003 504
Housing: Thames Gateway
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much funding English Partnerships will provide to the London Thames Gateway development.
Baroness Andrews: Expenditure by English Partnerships for the London Thames Gateway is, on present forecast, expected to be £65.328 million in the years 2008-09 to 2010-11.
Kenya: Elections
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they will make to the Government of Kenya with a view to achieving an independently audited recount of the disputed results of the presidential election held in Kenya on 27 December, or a re-election in the near future.
Lord Malloch-Brown: We do not exclude any option, which will return Kenya to the path of peace, stability and prosperity. With our international partners, we fully support the African Union's efforts, led by Kofi Annan, to agree a way forward between the parties. We also call for all allegations of election irregularities to be followed up through the appropriate democratic and legal channels. We call on all Kenya's political leaders to engage constructively to find a way forward.
Licensing: Alcohol Consumption
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by Lord Davies of Oldham on 4 December 2007 (WA 178) and by Lord West of Spithead on 26 November 2007 (WA 95) indicating that the majority of under-age drinking in Northern Ireland did not arise from purchases in licensed premises, whether they will reconsider the case for introducing in Northern Ireland the use of under-18-year-olds within test purchasing operations authorised by the police.
Lord Rooker: This is one of the measures contained within the proposed Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 which is currently out for consultation.
Malawi
Lord Williamson of Horton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in view of the World Food Programme's press release of 19 December 2007 indicating that it would be unable to help many vulnerable people in Malawi between January and June 2008 owing to lack of funds, they will make an emergency contribution to the programme in Malawi, particularly in January to March.
Baroness Vadera: The World Food Programme (WFP) has appealed for support for its current three-year protracted relief and recovery operation (PRRO) which includes development programmes and life-saving support for victims of any floods during the forthcoming rainy season (January to March). We have told the Government of Malawi that we stand ready to respond to any immediate humanitarian need and will provide these funds through WFP's PRRO if required.
Northern Ireland: Speech by Peter Hain
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by Lord Rooker on 9 July 2007 (WA 202), 23 July 2007 (WA 74) and 1 October 2007 (WA 254), whether the publication and distribution of the Peter Hain speech Peacemaking in Northern Ireland: A Model for Conflict Resolution at the expense of the Northern Ireland Office was associated with the Labour Party's deputy leadership contest.
Lord Rooker: The speech, which was delivered on 12 June 2007, was given to mark the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland on 8 May 2007. It was explained in the text that, following the Belfast agreement, Northern Ireland had been an inspiration to other parts of the world and that it was timely to set out some of the factors guiding British Government policy in Northern Ireland and some of the lessons that had been learnt.
Pollution: Kitchen Cleaning Products
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will discuss with the manufacturers of kitchen cleansing products the need to replace chemical with vegetable-based ingredients to reduce health dangers and pollution.
Lord Bach: We have no plans currently to do so.
The safety of household products containing chemicals is governed by the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002, which is administered by the Health and Safety Executive. These regulations require that manufacturers identify the dangers to human health and the environment of products containing chemicals, classify them under an EC-wide classification system and package them safely. If the product contains hazardous chemicals it must be labelled with the appropriate warning symbols indicating the hazards and with phrases explaining the dangers and how to use the product safely. Control of pollution caused by such chemicals is controlled by the detergents directive, the marketing and use directive and a range of other measures including the water framework directive.
Regulators: Criminal Prosecutions
Lord Lyell of Markyate: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In respect of the Housing Corporation, how many criminal prosecutions were brought by that regulator for each of the last three years for which figures are available; and, of those cases, how many gave rise to a conviction.
Baroness Andrews: The Housing Corporation has limited powers under the Housing Act 1996 to prosecute. No criminal prosecutions have been brought by the corporation over the past three years. Criminal prosecutions are generally a matter for the police.
Religious Organisations
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Andrews on 18 December 2007 (WA 130), whether, in developing their understanding of Muslim communities in the United Kingdom, they will obtain information on whether and to what extent mosques in the United Kingdom promote Wahhabism.
Baroness Andrews: The Government have no plans to seek to obtain this specific information. The Government do not collect information on particular religious interpretations espoused in faith institutions.
Single Regeneration Budget
Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which voluntary and "third sector" projects have benefited from single regeneration budget funding in each district and unitary authority in Lancashire in each of the past three years and the current year; what was the nature of each of them; and how much funding each received.
Baroness Andrews: I regret that the information requested is not housed centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate costs. However, figures supplied by the North West Development Agency, the organisation charged with administering the single regeneration budget at a regional level, indicate that in the last three years there were 12 financially live schemes totalling £149,839,310 still in operation.
Sport: Flags and Anthems
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Northern Ireland Office was consulted by the Ulster Board of the Irish Rugby Football Union on the issue of the singing of the national anthem and the flying of the Union flag at Ravenhill at a recent Irish international match; and, if so, what advice was offered.
Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 29 October 2007 (Official Report, col. WA166).
The Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000, which legislate for flag-flying in Northern Ireland, apply only in relation to government buildings, not to sporting venues. Since the restoration of devolved government to Northern Ireland in May 2007, responsibility for matters relating to sport falls to the devolved Administration in Northern Ireland. No advice on this matter was requested from, or given by, the Northern Ireland Office.
St Andrews Agreement
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which changes they have made to their policies as a result of the St Andrews agreement of 2006.
Lord Rooker: The St Andrews agreement set out a number of changes, both to the operation of the institutions of the Belfast agreement and in the wider fields of equality and human rights. It also set out a timeline for the completion of devolution.
Terrorism: Detention Period
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why they propose to extend the detention period for terrorist suspects beyond 28 days.
Lord West of Spithead: The reasons for our proposals regarding pre-charge detention were set out in the document published on 6 December 2007 entitled Pre-charge Detention of Terrorist Suspects. This can be found at www.security.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-publications/publication-search/general/pre-charge-detention.
UN: Conventional Weapons Convention
Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the financial and legal liabilities that would arise from ratification of Protocol V to the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Lord Malloch-Brown: There is no retrospective liability. Potential future liability is unquantifiable. Discussions among the government departments involved are ongoing in order to work out arrangements for managing this potential future liability. In the meantime, we follow the principles enshrined in Protocol V.
Vehicles: Electric Power
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make it a planning requirement for commercial and public buildings to have facilities to recharge electrical powered vehicles.
Baroness Andrews: The planning policy statement (PPS) on climate change published at the end of 2007 makes cutting carbon emissions a key government priority for the planning system in England. The PPS sets out how planning can help secure enduring progress against the UK's emissions targets, by direct influence on energy use and emissions, and in bringing together and encouraging action by others. As part of this contribution, planning authorities are expected to prepare and manage the delivery of spatial strategies that help secure the fullest possible use of sustainable transport.
The PPS underlines that local planners should expect new development to create and secure opportunities for sustainable transport in line with existing planning policies for transport (set out in PPG13). These highlight that a key factor in encouraging the wider take-up of clean road transport fuels and technologies is the development of the associated recharging or refuelling infrastructure. There is therefore no reason why, where appropriate, planning authorities should not already expect commercial and public buildings to have facilities to recharge electrical powered vehicles.
Waste Management: North Yorkshire
Baroness Harris of Richmond: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have received representations from residents of Melmerby, North Yorkshire about the decision of Harrogate Borough Council to allow the storage of hazardous, toxic and flammable materials within 400 metres of their homes; and
What assessment has been made of the suitability of the storage of hazardous, toxic and flammable materials between a timber yard and a fireworks plant following a decision taken by Harrogate Borough Council.
Baroness Andrews: Decisions on whether consent should be granted for the storage of certain types of hazardous substances above specified levels are matters for local authorities following consultation with the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency. The Health and Safety Executive provides advice on the risk that would be presented to people in the surrounding area; the Environment Agency on the risk to the environment.
In respect of a proposal for the storage of hazardous substances by the Potter Group at Green Lane, Melmerby, the Health and Safety Executive was consulted in February 2007. It advised that, subject to compliance with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and with specific conditions relating to the storage of hazardous substances on site, the risks to the surrounding population from the proposed operation(s) were so small that there was no significant reason on safety grounds for refusing hazardous substances consent.
The local authority resolved at a meeting on 28 August to grant the Potter Group consent for the storage of specified hazardous substances subject to conditions as to storage specified by the Health and Safety Executive, and to voluntary revocation by the Potter Group of an existing hazardous substances consent relating to the storage of ammonium nitrate fertiliser.
Representations have been made by a local residents group to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and to the Health and Safety Executive. However, as I have explained, this is a matter for the relevant local authority. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2008-01-23b | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2008",
"language": "en",
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Armed Forces: Helicopters
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Eurocopter X3 rotorcraft.
Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence routinely monitors the latest developments in rotorcraft technology, including the X3 and its capabilities. In the Strategic Defence and Security Review we set out our plans to deliver the helicopter capability to support Future Force 2020 through a mix of Apache, Chinook, Merlin, Wildcat and Puma helicopters. Any future helicopter procurement would consider the X3 during the assessment phase as a matter of course, but at present we have no outstanding requirement for a new type of helicopter, and no specific assessment is judged necessary for the Eurocopter X3.
Artists' Resale Right
Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are currently in discussion with the European Commission about artists resale rights; and whether they intend to press for an extension of the derogation which restricts artists resale rights to the sale of works by living artists.
Baroness Wilcox: The UK Government are in frequent contact with the European Commission, both at ministerial and official level, on a wide range of issues. The subject of artists' resale right has been discussed many times, and the UK Government recently submitted written evidence to the Commission for consideration during their current review of the directive.
Any further extensions of the derogation would require amendments to the relevant EU directive. The right of initiative on any such proposal lies with the Commission, and a sufficient number of member states, as well as the European Parliament, would need to agree to it before the law could be changed. To date, the Commission has given no indication of an intention to table any such proposal.
Artists' Resale Right
Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contacts they have had with the European Commission about reopening discussions on the artists' resale rights directive.
Baroness Wilcox: The UK Government are in frequent contact with the European Commission, both at ministerial and official level, on a wide range of issues. The subject of artist's resale right and the derogation has been discussed on a number of occasions.
Assisted Dying
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in their policy on assisted dying, they will take into account Motion 305, passed by the British Medical Association in June, concerning the association's opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Lord McNally: The Government are aware of the British Medical Association's position on assisted suicide and euthanasia. We believe that any change to the law in this emotive and contentious area is an issue of individual conscience. It is, rightly, a matter for Parliament to decide rather than government policy.
Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what Home Office finding the Association of Chief Police Officers vehicle crime intelligence service has received in each of the past three financial years.
Baroness Browning: Home Office grants to the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service were as follows:
Financial year £
2008-09 200,000
2009-10 300,000
2010-11 300,000
Bank of England: Financial Policy Committee
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Financial Services Authority will be asked to publish its response to comments directed to it by the report of the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee.
Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has not been asked by the Financial Policy Committee (FPC)- which includes both the chairman and chief executive of the FSA among its members-to publish a response and currently has no plans to do so. We expect the next cycle of FPC meetings to consider how recommendations have been taken forward and information may be released at the next press conference. Where recommendations require the FSA to disclose information, this will be published as required. However, confidential, firm-specific information cannot be published.
Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how HM Treasury will initiate follow up action on lending commitments by banks under Project Merlin if these commitments are only expressed in aggregate terms rather than per each individual bank.
Lord Sassoon: On 9 February 2011, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a new commitment by the UK's biggest high street banks on lending expectations and capacity. As part of this commitment, the banks will make available appropriate capital and resources to support £190 billion of new credit to businesses in 2011, up from £179 billion in 2010. If demand exceeds this, the banks will lend more, including creating the balance sheet capacity necessary to do so. £76 billion of this lending capacity will be available to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is a 15 per cent increase on 2010 lending of £66 billion.
The commitment to make available new lending to SMEs is part of the performance metrics of each bank's chief executive and those senior managers responsible for lending to SMEs. The Chancellor has made clear that the Government will use every tool available to hold the banks to the published lending commitments which they made.
Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the quarterly data tracked by the Bank of England on bank lending will be aggregated for the five banks agreeing to Project Merlin, or whether the Bank of England will have detailed information on each bank's individual compliance in reaching lending targets; and whether the banks will submit information directly to the Bank of England, or via or simultaneously to HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England will report the banks' aggregate performance under the Project Merlin lending commitments on a quarterly basis. The Merlin banks submit their respective lending data directly to the Bank of England.
Banking: Bonuses
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the current level of bonuses paid, or projected to be paid, to senior staff in banks in which they have a major interest.
Lord Sassoon: The Government's shareholdings in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) are managed on a commercial and arm's-length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI)
UKFI engages with these banks as a shareholder to ensure that remuneration incentives are designed to promote long-term sustainable performance. UKFI also seeks to ensure that RBS and LBG are at the leading edge of implementing the updated Financial Services Authority remuneration code.
Banking: Iceland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 20 June (WA 225), whether they will investigate further the reasons for 32 customers not reclaiming £167 million from Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Bank despite the Government's guarantee of such Icelandic bank deposits over £50,000; why they are maintaining this open-ended guarantee; and when they estimate those banks' legal liability to customers will end.
Lord Sassoon: The outstanding balance of £167 million in my previous Answer was in respect of Lansdbanki and Heritable Wholesale. The unclaimed balance provided for Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Bank totalled around £250 million across 117 customers.
Contacting retail depositors is the role of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). At the time of the failures, FSCS wrote to all depositors with a claim form and instructions on how to apply for compensation. The FSCS website contained information about how to make a claim. Since sending the initial letters, FSCS has carried out numerous follow-up exercises.
The previous Chancellor of the Exchequer made public statements, guaranteeing that depositors would be compensated for their deposits, including amounts over £50,000. The Treasury issued press notices on 9 October 2008 in respect of all three banks, stating that all UK depositors would be refunded in full for their deposits.
The length of a bank's legal liability to customers is driven by the law relating to limitation. It is not appropriate to estimate when this may end.
Banking: Iceland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 26 April (WA 12) concerning £418 million unclaimed by the United Kingdom customers of failed Icelandic banks, in how many cases, and concerning what value of deposits, (a) has it not been possible to locate the depositor, (b) has no response been received, (c) has the depositor gone away without leaving a forwarding address, and (d) has the depositor wrongly understood that they are not eligible to claim under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Lord Sassoon: The Government do not hold this information. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme is responsible for managing individual compensation claims from retail depositors.
Banking: Iceland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 26 April (WA 12) concerning £418 million unclaimed by the United Kingdom customers of failed Icelandic banks, under what circumstances claims for compensation from United Kingdom depositors in failed Icelandic banks are deemed ineligible under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Lord Sassoon: Information on the eligibility rules can be found on the Financial Services Compensation Scheme website and in the Financial Services Authority Handbook under Redress, Compensation. This information is available at the following websites: www.fscs.org.uk/what-we-cover/eligibility-rules/http://fsahandbook.info/FSA/html/handbook/COMP.
Banks: Credit Cards
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the ruling from the Office of Fair Trading regarding charges for consumers using credit and debit cards, they have any powers to introduce an immediate ban on charges levied by banks or other institutions for the use of credit cards to purchase goods and services, given that those cards are promoted as being an alternative to cash.
Lord Sassoon: Under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the Courts can reduce the charges on credit cards if they consider that the relationship between the creditor (for example, a bank) and debtor (for example, a customer) is unfair.
As regards charges levied by retailers on customers who pay by credit card, the Payment Services Directive (2007/64/EC) provides that member states may forbid or limit the right of the payee (for example, a retailer) to impose charges for the use of any payment instrument (including credit cards), taking into account the need to encourage competition and promote efficient payment instruments.
Benefits
Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will break down the current total expenditure on all tax credits by tax credit type for the latest year for which figures are available.
Lord Sassoon: The latest information on expenditure on personal tax credits (child tax credit and working tax credit) is available in the National Statistics section of the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax receipts/tax_receipts-and-taxpayers.xls.
The latest information on expenditure on company tax credits is available in table 2.8 of the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 Economic and Fiscal Outlook Supplementary Fiscal Tables at http://86.54. 44.148/wordpress/docs/obr_fiscal_supplementary_ tablesl.xls.
Provisional data for 2010-11 show the total expenditure on personal tax credits and company tax credits at around £28.9 billion and £0.9 billion, respectively.
Benefits
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the median amount of child benefit received by working families with children with median earnings; and what would be the impact on the number of households affected by the proposed benefit cap if the median income at which benefit is capped included this amount of child benefit.
Lord Freud: On its introduction we estimate that household benefit payments will be capped at around £500 per week for couple and lone parent households and around £350 per week for single adult households. We estimate that 50,000 households will be affected by the benefit cap.
The median level of child benefit received by couples with children and lone parents with median earnings is estimated to be £33.70 per week. This is equivalent to the amount of child benefit received by a household with two children.
If household benefit payments were capped £33.70 per week higher than outlined in the spending review 2010, at £533.70 per week for couple and lone parent households, the number of households affected by the benefit cap would fall by 30 to 40 per cent.
Analysis of those affected by the benefit cap has been modelled using survey data -as such there is a degree of uncertainty around the results.
Bribery Act 2010
Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to United Kingdom corporations of complying with the Bribery Act 2010.
Lord McNally: We have been determined to ensure that the Act is implemented in a way which tackles bribery without imposing unnecessary cost and uncertainty on legitimate trade or business. An impact assessment was published by the then Secretary of State for Justice in 2009 for the introduction of the Bribery Bill. We obtained further representations on the subject in the course of the consultation process on the guidance about commercial organisations preventing bribery. The guidance and a response to the consultation were published on 30 March this year and can be found at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/making-and-reviewing-the-law/bribery.htm and http://www.justice.gov. uk/consultations/543.htm.
Care Homes: Southern Cross
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 20 June (WA 230), what are the responsibilities of landlords and banks to residents of Southern Cross care homes; how this has been communicated to landlords and banks; and whether they accepted their responsibilities.
Earl Howe: In various meetings, the department has made clear to the landlords and banks that their primary responsibility must be to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents of care homes that might be affected. The department is being very clear with all parties that we expect them to maintain service continuity and quality of care for residents whilst the restructuring process is ongoing.
Discussions continue between Southern Cross and its landlords and lenders. All parties have given a clear commitment to focus on continuity and quality of care of residents, as set out in their announcement of 15 June. We welcome the fact that Southern Cross, landlords and lenders are working hard to come up with an agreed plan to stabilise the ownership and operation of the company's care homes.
The Government will continue to make it clear that all parties should work to reach a consensual solution.
Care Services: Winterbourne View
Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence of maltreatment of residents was uncovered during the Care Quality Commission's emergency review of all Castlebeck services following the Panorama programme about abuse and maltreatment at Winterbourne View; and whether the findings will be made public.
Earl Howe: The Care Quality Commission has provided the following information:
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has undertaken reviews of all Castlebeck services in England and all services have now been inspected.
Under Section 61 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, where the CQC carries out an inspection it is required to publish a report on the matters inspected. The CQC will therefore be publishing a report for each service reviewed in due course with its findings. These will be available on the CQC's website.
Consumer Markets Authority
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether super-complaints submitted by designated consumer bodies under the Enterprise Act 2002 will be investigated by the proposed Consumer Markets Authority from April 2013.
Baroness Wilcox: The Government launched a consultation on Institutional Changes for the Provision of Consumer Information, Advice, Education, Advocacy and Enforcement on 21 June 2011 which included proposals for the ways that supercomplaints would be handled if the proposed Competition and Markets Authority is established.
The majority of supercomplaints are used to highlight structural market failings where further analysis is necessary and, as a result, the consultation proposes that they should be handled by the CMA. It may be appropriate also to have a process by which designated consumer bodies could simply request enforcement action.
The consultation asks for views on the suggestion that the proposed Trading Standards Policy Board would receive such supercomplaints.
Credit Default Swaps
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they or the Bank of England or the Financial Services Authority have reliable current data on the gross exposure of British banks to sovereign debt default swaps written on Greek credits; and whether they will publish the aggregate value.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the process for the determination of an event of default is sufficiently objective and clear for reliance to be placed on credit default swaps.
Lord Sassoon: Data on exposures of British banks to the Greek sovereign for the first quarter of 2011, including derivatives and credit commitments, are available on the Bank of England website at: http://www. bankofengland. co.uk/statistics/Bankstats/2011/Jun/TabC4.2.x Is.
These data form the basis of exposures reported in Bank for International Settlements statistics. The definitions of derivatives and credit commitments, which include credit default swaps (CDS), are set out in the following guidance: http://www.bankofengland. co.uk/mfsd/iadb/notesiadb/consolidated_foreign_ claims.htm.
Additionally, the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation website publishes some data on CDS holdings: http://www.dtcc.com/.
A decision on whether or not an event should trigger credit default swap payments is made by a Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee and is governed by the Determinations Committees Rules. The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) acts as a non-voting secretary to each Determinations Committee and co-ordinates the decision-making process.
Information on how the Determinations Committees and ISDA operate can be found at the ISDA website: http://www2.isda.org/. This website also provides a listing of the issues submitted to the Determinations Committees.
HM Treasury does not comment on the way in which the Determinations Committees and ISDA operate.
Economy: Northern Ireland
Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which Northern Ireland newspapers did HM Treasury advertise its consultation Rebalancing the Northern Ireland Economy.
Lord Sassoon: The consultation paper Rebalancing the Northern Ireland Economy was launched on 24 March in Northern Ireland.
Press invited to the launch event included the Belfast Telegraph, Irish News, News Letter, Irish Times, Financial Times and Daily Mirror (Belfast). Television broadcasters invited included the BBC, UTV and RTE. Radio broadcasters included the BBC, DTR and Citybeat.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many IVF pregnancies ended in abortion for each year since 1992 categorised by reason for termination; and what was the total and average individual cost of IVF treatment and termination to the National Health Service for each year since the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990.
To ask Her Majesty's Government which provisions of the Abortion Act 1967 govern the termination of a pregnancy which has been begun by IVF; and what steps they take to ensure that the same criteria are applied to both natural and IVF pregnancies when deciding whether the termination may proceed.
Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) publishes data about the outcome of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment cycles on its website.
Information about the total and average cost of the termination of IVF pregnancies to the National Health Service for each year since the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 is not collected by either the department or the HFEA.
The grounds for abortion are the same for all women and therefore these are applied to all pregnancies.
Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme
Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many small businesses have been helped under the national loan guarantee scheme; and whether they intend to publish figures relating to the operation of the scheme.
Baroness Wilcox: The enterprise finance guarantee is a loan guarantee scheme to facilitate additional bank lending to viable SMEs with insufficient or no security with which to secure a normal commercial loan. The Enterprise Finance Guarantee commenced in January 2009 and as at the end of May 2011, 14,823 small businesses had been offered a loan and 12,902 had drawn down the funds.
Details of the scheme are published quarterly and available on the BIS website at http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/enterprise-and-business-support/access-to-finance/enterprise-finance-guarantee/efg-statistics.
EU: Budget
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the extent of unused funds held by the European Union; and why they are not being returned to member states in proportion to their contribution to the European Union budget.
Lord Sassoon: Any surplus from one year's European Union (EU) budget is returned to member states in the following year. This serves to reduce the amount required from a member state to fund the following year's budget, in line with its share of gross national income-based contributions.
The surplus from the 2010 EU budget amounts to €4.539 billion (£3.907 billion) and will reduce the UK contribution to the 2011 EU budget by €639 million (£550 million).
EU: Budget
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 16 June (WA 207), whether they took into account the added costs to the United Kingdom of Croatia's membership before agreeing to support that country's accession to the European Union.
Lord Sassoon: The Government support further enlargement of the European Union (EU) and look forward to welcoming Croatia into the EU once the required criteria have been met.
The latest estimate of the UK's contribution to Croatia's accession over the forecast period (until 2015-16) was provided in the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 Economic and Fiscal Outlook at paragraph 4.119, page 130.
EU: Financial Assistance to Member States
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support the proposals made by the Government of France on 24 June to provide new finance to Greece via an extension of the Vienna Protocol, and simultaneously to recapitalise the French banking system; and whether they have entered into discussions with United Kingdom banks to seek their agreement to amend the terms of existing loan agreements to the Hellenic Republic.
Lord Sassoon: The Government are aware that private sector financial institutions are considering a range of proposals that are designed to facilitate private sector involvement in a future package of financial assistance to Greece. It would not be appropriate for the Government to provide a running commentary on these. As members of the International Monetary Fund, we will consider any future package of assistance in the round, in the usual way.
EU: Taxation
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of proposals by the European Union to impose European Union wide taxes; and whether such proposals would require unanimity to be adopted.
Lord Sassoon: The Government have made it clear that the UK is opposed to any new European Union (EU) tax to finance the EU budget.
Under Article 311 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, a change to the way in which the EU is funded would have to be unanimously agreed by all member states and ratified by national parliaments. Upholding the member state veto on tax remains a key priority for the Government.
EU: Trade Agreements
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are seeking a Lisbon Treaty Title V citation in the European Union-India free trade agreement in relation to the mode 4 movement of workers to enable the United Kingdom to opt-out of future immigration obligations.
Baroness Wilcox: Negotiations on the terms of the EU-India agreement are still on-going and have yet to be finalised. The Government have taken the view that the mode 4 commitments in trade agreements attract the UK opt-in under Title V. However, the Title V opt-in, insofar as it might apply, would attach to the council decision on signature and/or conclusion of the FTA. This decision would only be brought forward once the negotiations have been finalised.
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the objectives of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights that are not delivered elsewhere; and what is its annual budget.
Lord McNally: The European Agency for Fundamental Rights provides the EU organs, and the EU member states when implementing EU law, with assistance and expertise relating to fundamental rights. Examples of its functions include the production of data comparing the human rights situations in the EU member states, and the preparation of thematic conclusions and opinions at the request of the European Parliament, the Council or the Commission. EU-specific functions such as these are unique to the agency.
The agency received a total contribution from the EU budget of €20 million in 2011. The 2012 EU budget is still being negotiated.
Family Breakdown
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the needs of parents, grandparents and extended families predominantly or wholly separated from their children as a result of family breakdown.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The vast majority of families make their own arrangements for their children following parental separation, without the need for any kind of intervention by the state. Grandparents and extended family members are often an important part of those arrangements.
Whilst the Government have commissioned research to assess the needs of children following family breakdown (Mooney, 2010 Impacts of Family Breakdown on Children's Well Being), the needs of parents, grandparents and extended family members separated from their children has been less well researched. This is why the Family Justice Review invited evidence on this issue. The panel received evidence from a wide range of organisations, groups and individuals which is helping to shape its recommendations. In addition, the Government published a consultation Child Maintenance Reform: Strengthening Families, Promoting Parental Responsibility in January this year. This consultation included questions on how support services can better support families experiencing relationship breakdown. Once the Family Justice Review Panel has issued its final report in the autumn, we shall give full consideration as to whether further assessment of the needs of parents, grandparents and extended family members who are separated from children is required.
First World War: Debts
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 28 June (WA 396-7) concerning the First World War debt to the United States of $4,368 million, whether it is still a recoverable debt for today.
Lord Sassoon: There is nothing further to add to the Answer I gave on 28 June (WA 396-7) concerning the First World War debt to the United States.
Health: Reciprocal Agreements
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 16 June (WA 209-10), how many Pension Service healthcare costs survey questionnaires were sent to United Kingdom pensioners in the Republic of Ireland; how many were not returned; how many non-returns resulted in further checks; and how many pensions were stopped or suspended as a result.
Lord Freud: A total of 1500 questionnaires were sent to United Kingdom pensioners in the Republic of Ireland. DWP no longer has records of the numbers returned, checked or the number of pensions stopped or suspended as a result.
House of Lords: Hansard
Lord Jopling: To ask the Chairman of Committees whether, in view of the termination of daily deliveries of the Official Report and House of Lords Business to Members' homes, he has had discussions about delivering those documents on a daily basis either to Members' desks or to their pigeon hole along with their mail.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: No, I have not had any discussions regarding this. However, I understand that the Attendants have, in exceptional cases, arranged for Members who do not have papers sent to their homes to have their papers delivered to their desks. The proposal to stop daily deliveries to Members was originally agreed in principle by the House Committee, subsequently approved by the Administration and Works Committee in January 2011, and then implemented at the beginning of May. It is expected to yield an annual saving to the House of Lords of approximately £100,000.
Printed copies of the previous day's Official Report and House of Lords Business are available in the Printed Paper Office from 8 am during sitting periods, and electronic versions are published online by 6 am. Members are also entitled to have business papers sent to them via Royal Mail first class, although these are not posted until the morning of publication, so they will not be received by Members the same day.
India and Pakistan
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the relations between India and Pakistan.
Lord Howell of Guildford: When Prime Ministers Singh and Gilani met on 30 March, they committed to increase contacts between their respective governments in order to build confidence and progress their bilateral relationship. This has since resulted in a number of meetings that have covered trade relations as well as regional and security issues. India and Pakistan have regarded the recent talks as constructive, and they have agreed some confidence building measures following the dialogue.
We welcome and encourage this continuing development and renewed engagement between India and Pakistan.
International Labour Organisation: Domestic Work
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 10 January (WA 399-400), why, in the light of their general support for the new International Labour Organization convention on domestic workers, they decided not to sign it.
Baroness Wilcox: The Government take the protection of all vulnerable workers as a matter of the utmost importance. The UK provides comprehensive employment and social protections to domestic workers, and as a rule does not differentiate between domestic workers' rights and those of other workers.
While we fully support the principles in the new convention, the final text would not provide sufficient flexibility to meet the UK's needs in a few areas, including health and safety law where the UK differentiates for good reason between domestic workers and other workers. For example, the Government do not consider it proportionate or practical to extend criminal health and safety law, including inspections, to private households employing domestic workers. This would place a huge regulatory and administrative burden on individuals, and could have detrimental social consequences: for example, if increased burdens were to prevent elderly or disabled individuals from employing nurses or carers in their own homes. Given these difficulties, the UK would be unable to ratify the convention and consequently the decision was taken to abstain in the vote.
Internet: Broadband
Lord Whitty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the economic and social benefits of using wireless broadband as an alternative for those businesses and residents situated in rural areas to whom it would be uneconomic to deploy superfast broadband by 2015.
Baroness Rawlings: We expect wireless broadband to deliver the same benefits as any other method of deployment and that a mixture of technologies including fixed, wireless and satellite will be required to achieve the Government's aim of 90 per cent of the population having access to superfast broadband and the rest having access to a connection capable of delivering at least 2 Mbps. Broadband Delivery UK's work conducted with the industry in summer 2010 to assess the costs of providing 2 Mbps service in remote and rural areas demonstrated that the precise mix will depend on local circumstances.
National Crime Agency
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to absorb the Association of Chief Police Officers vehicle crime intelligence service into the National Crime Agency; and, if so, what financial support will be given to the National Crime Agency in the event of any such transfer.
Baroness Browning: The focus of the National Crime Agency (NCA) will be on fighting organised criminality, on strengthening border security, and on tackling other serious and complex crimes, including economic crime, cybercrime and child exploitation.
The NCA may lead the national response to other criminality and house other functions provided that funding is available; the criminality has the potential for significant harm, crosses a number of geographical areas and/or requires specialist capability that would be too costly or inefficient if held in every force; the functions or activity required fit the operational, crime-fighting focus of the agency; and it is more efficient and effective in operational and financial terms for the function to be undertaken nationally.
The publication of the NCA Plan on 8 June this year represented the start of a new phase in the NCA programme. The planning and implementation phase for the agency has now begun and will include consideration of the functions of the new agency.
National Insurance
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 14 June (WA 181), how many Polish nationals in total were issued with national insurance numbers from 2002; and how many of that overall total were economically active last year by way of national insurance contributions paid.
Lord Freud: The information requested on national insurance numbers registered since 2002 is in detail in the table below. In total, approximately 945,000 national insurance numbers have been registered to Polish nationals since January 2002.
NINo Registrations to Polish Adult Nationals entering the UK (Thousands)
Time Series-Financial Year Of Registration Date.
Poland NINo Registrations (Thousands)
Jan-02 to Mar-02 1.07
2002-3 5.89
2003-4 11.26
2004-5 61.12
2005-6 171.08
2006-7 220.43
2007-8 210.66
2008-9 134.36
2009-10 69.94
2010-11 (Not Complete) 59.38
Source: 100 per cent extract from National Insurance Recording and Pay As You Earn System
Notes:
1. Definitions and conventions: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and displayed in thousands.
Some additional disclosure control has been applied.
2. Totals may not sum due to rounding method used.
3. Registration date is derived from the date at which a NINo is maintained on the National Insurance Recording & Pay As You Earn System.
4. Time Series - Financial Year Of Registration Date Years are Financial based (1 Apr - 31 Mar).
5. Data is published at http://83.244.183.180/mgw/live/tabtool.html
6. Most recent data is at December 2010.
Information on Polish nationals issued with a national insurance number since 2002 and who subsequently paid national insurance contributions in the last year is not available as it could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.
National Minimum Wage
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London have been paid the minimum wage in each year since its introduction up until the last year for which figures are available.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Kennedy of Southwark, dated July 2011.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London have been paid the minimum wage in each year since its introduction up until the last year for which figures are available. (HL10673)
I am afraid that estimates for the number of jobs paid at the national minimum wage are not available below regional level. Accordingly, I attach a table showing the number of employee jobs earning less than the national minimum wage for London and the UK from April 1999 to April 2010, the latest period for which figures are available.
A guide to measuring low pay and associated articles can be found on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp? vink=5837.
Background Note
1. Estimates for the number of employee jobs paid below the national minimum wage are provided from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). Estimates of numbers of employees jobs paid at the national minimum wage are not released since the hourly rate used in the national minimum wage calculation is derived by dividing weekly earnings for employees by the number of hours worked. Since the rate is a ratio between hours and earnings the estimate of those working at a specific rate would be underestimated due to rounding issues in the calculation of the ratio.
2. Figures are provided for the number of employee jobs for London and the UK as a whole paid below the national minimum wage in April 1999 to 2010.
3. The estimates for 1999-2003 are produced using the average of estimates produced using the Labour Force Survey and the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings to which the methodology developed in 2004 has been applied. Because these estimates are partly based on LFS data, the standard LFS policy for suppression of earnings estimates has been used. LFS earnings estimates of less than 30,000 people are not published because they have a 95% confidence interval of roughly +1- 12,000, i.e. 40% of the size of the estimate. This threshold should be borne in mind when using and interpreting the data in the table. For 2004 and later years estimates are based on ASHE data only. The ASHE methodology allows publication of smaller estimates than the old low pay methodology. Estimates are published as long as the coefficient of variation (the ratio of the standard error of an estimate to the estimate) is 20% or less. The quality of estimates is also indicated by their coefficient of variation, as summarised in the key. Exact coefficients of variation for the estimates for 2004 and subsequent years are shown in Table 1b.
Estimates of jobs paid below the National Minimum Wage for London and the UK from April 1999 to April 2010
London UK
Thousands Per cent Thousands Per cent
1999 30 1.2 490 2.1
2000 x x 230 1.0
2001 x x 240 1.0
2002 x x 340 1.4
2003 x x 250 1.0
2004 20* 0.6* 276 1.1
2005 20* 0.6* 308 1.2
2006 21* 0.6* 296 1.2
2007 25* 07* 296 1.1
2008 21* 0.6* 274 1.0
2009 18* 0.5* 237 0.9
2010 22* 0.6 * 271 1.1
Guide to Quality The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the quality: smaller the CV value the higher the quality.
The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.
Key x sample size too small for reliable estimate
CV <= 5%
* CV > 5% and <= 10%
** CV > 10% and <=20%
Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics
NHS: Peterborough Primary Care Trust
Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many chairmen the Peterborough Primary Care Trust has had in the past three years.
Earl Howe: There have been two chairmen at Peterborough Primary Care Trust in the past three years.
NHS: Reform
Baroness Thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the net change in the number of NHS management posts between May 2010 and May 2011 in (a) strategic health authorities, (b) primary care trusts, and (c) NHS trusts.
Earl Howe: It is not possible to give the number of management posts in strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and National Health Service trusts, as the number of vacancies is not held centrally. The following table gives the net change in the number of managers employed in the organisations requested between May 2010 and May 2011.
NHS Hospital and Community Health Services: Senior Managers and Managers in England by specified groups in England as at 31 May 2010 and 31 March 2011.
Provisional, Experimental Statistics
headcount
May 2010 March 2011 Change
England 44,265 39,967 -4,298
Strategic Health Authorities 1,731 1,513 -218
Primary Care Trusts 15,418 12,820 -2,598
1 NHS Trusts 24,078 22,927 -1,151
Special Health Authorities 3,049 2,723 -326
Notes:
1. NHS Trusts = Acute, Mental Health & Learning Disability, Care, Community Provider, Shared Services, Ambulance
Headcount totals are unlikely to equal the sum of components.
Northern Ireland Office: Staff
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 6 June (WA 51) concerning staff numbers in the Northern Ireland Office, when they expect the reduction in staff numbers will take place.
Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Northern Ireland Office is committed to reducing its baseline budget by 25 per cent during the current spending review period to March 2015. This will include reductions in staff costs and related costs.
Northern Ireland Office: Staff
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual leave entitlement of staff of the Northern Ireland Office; and what, if any, is the maximum number of days' sick leave for which full pay can be claimed.
Lord Shutt of Greetland: The annual leave entitlement for staff at the Northern Ireland Office is 23 days rising to 25 days after a year's service, and rising to 30 days after five years' service.
The maximum number of sick days for which full pay can be claimed is up to six months in a rolling four-year period.
Olympic Games 2012
Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that young people from all parts of the United Kingdom are able to enter the ballot for free London 2012 tickets on the same basis as that offered to children in England through the Places People Play's Sportivate scheme.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: Through its Ticketshare scheme, the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is charging a levy on high-end prestige ticket packages to fund donated tickets. LOCOG will provide 5,000 of these tickets to Sport England and the sports councils in the devolved administrations. Sport England has announced their plans to use some of their share of these tickets to support their Sportivate initiative; numbers remain to be determined. Sports councils in the devolved Administrations are now aware of this offer and we expect to hear back from them once they have been able to give it full consideration.
In addition, LOCOG will provide 50,000 Ticketshare tickets for schools outside London-across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These will be distributed to schools that have applied to join the London 2012 Get Set Network, so the distribution of tickets between the nations will be on the basis of the take-up of the scheme by schools.
Olympic Games 2012
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Olympic tickets are being allocated to (a) Government Olympic Executive Officials and (b) Department for Culture, Media and Sport officials, in addition to the tickets allocated via the system used to allocate tickets to the public.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: Government have been allocated a total of 8,815 tickets. Around 3,000 of these will be bought by staff under the staff ticket ballot and we expect the process to be completed later this year. Of these, around 300 have been allocated to Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Government Olympic Executive officials. Government intend to publish the number of staff who bought tickets after the Games.
A further 2,065 tickets have been purchased on behalf of a number of host venue towns and cities outside of London. The remaining 3,750 tickets will be used by Government for guests and business leaders and to use as prizes for young people competing in the new School Games.
Pakistan
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent reports they have received regarding the freedom of each religious community in Pakistan to (a) exercise their faith, (b) observe their holidays and weekly day of rest, and (c) administer their internal affairs; what recent representations they have made to the Government of Pakistan on these issues; and with what results.
Lord Howell of Guildford: There are many civil society groups who report on the rights of religious minority groups. We engage regularly with them on these issues, and their reports are assessed along with other information to influence how we address our efforts in this area. Reports continue to suggest that minority groups in some areas in Pakistan suffer discrimination in the practice of their religion.
We are concerned about the human rights situation in Pakistan, including treatment of minority religious groups. We call on the Government of Pakistan to uphold the fundamental rights of all Pakistanis, regardless of their faith or ethnicity. We engage regularly with both the Ministry for Interfaith Harmony and Minority Affairs, and with the Ministry of Human rights.
During his recent visit to Pakistan, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mr Burt, met members of the Government sponsored Interfaith Council in Pakistan. He also recently met with Paul Bhatti-Pakistan's Special Advisor for Religious Minorities-at a seminar at Wilton Park on religious freedom. Engagement at both the bilateral and the multilateral (EU) level helps to ensure that the Government of Pakistan are aware of the importance with which we hold these issues.
Pensions
Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the administrative cost of paying people normally resident abroad in a country where the basic state pension is frozen, a fully up-rated basic state pension whilst temporarily in the United Kingdom, and their relevant non up-rated basic state pension rate whilst in their normal country of residence.
Lord Freud: We are not able to answer the question posed as we do not have a breakdown between countries where basic state pensions are frozen or are up-rated because our management information does not provide this level of detail.
We are able to tell you that for 2010-11 the cost of administering an international pension centre (ipc) state pension claim is £165.76. This data is at Pensions Disability Carers Service (PDCS) product level which shows full costs to PDCS excluding Investment costs and PDCS share of DWP Corporate and Shared Services Recharge for 2010-11.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions Activity Based Management System 2010/11. The data are correct as at 05.07.2011.
Pensions
Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many basic state pension claimants are normally resident in (a) Australia, (b) Canada, (c) South Africa, and (d) New Zealand.
Lord Freud: The information available is in the table.
Country Total
Australia 252, 270
Canada 158, 430
South Africa 38,610
New Zealand 51,990
Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
Notes:
1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. From April 2010, the age at which women reach state pension age started to gradually increase from 60. This will introduce a small increase to the number of working age benefit recipients and a small reduction to the number of pension age recipients. Figures from May 2010 onwards reflect this change. For more information see http://statistics.dwp.cov.uk/asd/espa.pdf.
3. State pension figures provided are the total state pension caseload. Around 1 per cent of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional pension only or graduated retirement benefit only.
4. Information is published on our tabulation tool at: http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html.
Pensions
Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average rate of basic state pension paid to claimants normally resident in (a) Australia, (b) Canada, (c) South Africa, and (d) New Zealand.
Lord Freud: The information available is in the table.
Average weekly amount of State Pension paid to claimants resident in Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand as at November 2010
Country Average amount
Australia 34.50
Canada 30.45
South Africa 41.20
New Zealand 34.90
Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study
Notes:
1. Average amounts are shown as pounds per week and rounded to the nearest penny.
2. From April 2010, the age at which women reach state pension age started to gradually increase from 60. This will introduce a small increase to the number of working age benefit recipients and a small reduction to the number of pension age recipients. Figures from May 2010 onwards reflect this change. For more information see http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/espa.pdf.
3. Around 1 per cent. of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional pension only or graduated retirement benefit only.
4. Average weekly amount of benefit-The amount of state pension is affected by the introduction in April 2003 of child tax credit. From that date there were no new child dependency increases (CDIs) awarded to SP claimants, although existing CDls were transitionally protected.
5. Information is published on our tabulation tool at http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html.
6. The rate of state pension which a person is entitled to is not increased by the annual uprating of benefit rates if that person is not ordinarily resident in GB, or another EEA member state or Switzerland, or a country with which the UK has a reciprocal agreement. This is referred to as frozen rate.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many days since 12 May 2010 the Home Office have had more Questions for Written Answer unanswered after 10 working days than any other department; and what percentage of days that represents.
Lord Strathclyde: Reliable data from which a consistent statistic can be drawn, indicates that the Home Office had more unanswered Questions for Written Answer than any other department on 32 days out of 134 (4 October 2010-30 June 2011). This equates to 25 per cent of the time.
Rome: British Embassies
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they estimate would be saved if their two embassies in Rome were operated as one.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Holy See does not accept cross-accreditation of ambassadors or other diplomatic staff to the Holy See and Italy. Amalgamating the two embassies is therefore not an option and we have made no estimation of the financial implications of doing so.
Schools: Athletics
Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the criteria to be used to select high performance athletes from the Inter-Schools Level Three competitions to qualify for the Level Four Finals in 2012; and in which sports Level Four Competitions will take place for both primary and secondary school children.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: Many of the young people participating in this year's School Games Level Three pilot events will be available for selection to compete in next year's School Games Level Four finals event. The National Governing Bodies of the sports participating in the finals will be responsible for selecting which young people compete. The Youth Sport Trust and Sport England are also exploring whether it is possible to showcase at next year's finals some of the best teams taking part in this year's pilots. Sports formats for next year's finals are still being agreed but are likely to mirror those of the 2011 Sheffield UK School Games.
Schools: e-learning
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children unable to access the internet at home.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The Department for Education estimates that around 15 per cent of households with children currently lack access to the internet. This figure is based on data from the Ipsos Mori technology tracker which indicates that internet access amongst UK households with children (aged 0-15) increased from about 77 per cent in January 2010 to 85 per cent in January 2011. Take up of internet access remains strongly correlated with household income with only 68 per cent of households with children eligible for free school meals having access to the internet at home.
Shipping: Coastguard Services
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following responses from stakeholders, they will withdraw their modernisation proposals for the Coastguard Services and consult on revised plans that address safety concerns.
Earl Attlee: The Government expect to make an announcement about the modernisation of the Coastguard before the Summer Recess.
Social Care
Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what equality impact assessment they have undertaken of the effect of the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement on social care; and whether they have identified any risks to physical health and wellbeing outcomes for older people arising from the settlement.
Earl Howe: The spending review recognised the importance of social care in protecting the most vulnerable in society. In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging local government settlement, the coalition Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. This means, with an ambitious programme of efficiency, that there is enough funding available both to protect people's access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.
Local authorities are responsible for decisions on how to allocate their resources. They are therefore responsible for assessing the impact of their spending decisions, which may include an equality analysis if appropriate. The department will continue to monitor outcomes for social care users, as set out in our publication Transparency in Outcomes: A Framework for Adult Social Care.
Sport: Cricket
Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Garden of Frognal on 20 June (WA 260) that "neither the Department for Culture, Media and Sport nor their sporting bodies, UK Sport and Sport England, provided any funding towards the staging of the first test match between England and Sri Lanka", whether any other non-departmental public body provided any funding towards the staging of the first test match between England and Sri Lanka.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: None of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) arm's-length bodies (ALBs) provided any funding towards the staging of the first test match between England and Sri Lanka. DCMS does not hold this information for the ALBs of other government departments.
Sri Lanka
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 28 June (WA 416-7) concerning the Tamil Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka, what is meant by "the UK has recently reiterated our call for an independent, thorough and credible investigation".
Lord Howell of Guildford: My honourable friend Alistair Burt, Minister for South Asia, spoke with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 14 June. He repeated the call the UK has continued to make since the end of the military conflict: to urge the Sri Lankan Government to have an independent, thorough and credible investigation into allegations of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by both sides. Mr Burt also issued a statement on 15 June following the airing of a documentary shown on Channel 4 entitled "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields" reaffirming this message.
Sudan
Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will propose to the Government of South Sudan that they make an early application for membership of the Commonwealth.
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware that a number of countries are interested in joining the Commonwealth including, on independence, South Sudan.
Once the Government of South Sudan have formally expressed an interest in membership to the Commonwealth Secretariat, the secretariat will assess eligibility against criteria which include compliance with the Commonwealth core values of democracy, good governance and human rights.
The final decision on membership, if the criteria are met, is made by the heads of Government of all 54 member states of the Commonwealth.
Taxation
Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what forecast they have made of the change in the proportion of household income paid out in direct and indirect taxation for each quintile in the income distribution between financial years 2010-11 and 2014-2015.
Lord Sassoon: At Budget 2011, the Government published their distributional analysis of the expected impact of announced government measures on household incomes, split by direct taxes, indirect taxes and tax credits and benefits. This can be found in annex A of the main Budget publication.
Chart A.2 shows projected changes in income, in absolute terms, by income decile for 2012-13 while chart A.3 shows the same information as a proportion of income.
Analysis further into the future than this is more uncertain. However, by making an additional number of assumptions, chart A.6 shows quintile analysis for 2014-15 of the percentage change in household income from changes in taxes, tax credits and benefits, as well as in benefits in kind from public services.
Taxation
Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to remove or restrict tax relief available to high net worth individuals and commercial enterprises since May 2010.
Lord Sassoon: The Government are committed to ensuring that individuals pay their fair share of tax.
The Government have recently begun a consultation on reliefs for income tax losses. The consultation will explore ways of ensuring that genuine business losses and employment losses are relieved, while effectively deterring individuals from entering into tax avoidance arrangements that are intended to exploit these loss reliefs.
The Government have also taken steps to reduce the amount of tax relief available to those on high incomes, through the changes to pensions tax relief.
Taxation
Lord Skidelsky: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the United Kingdom total tax revenue is contributed by each of the five largest sectors of the United Kingdom economy; and what proportion of the United Kingdom total tax revenue is contributed by the financial sector.
Lord Sassoon: HM Revenue Customs produce a breakdown by broad industrial sector for corporation tax, pay as you earn (PAYE) income tax and class 1 national insurance contributions (NICs) and value added tax (VAT).
Figures for corporation tax receipts paid by several broadly-defined business sectors are regularly updated and published in Table 11.1 on the HMRC National Statistics website. The sectors are defined by HMRC's Summary Trade Classifications. The latest update is available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/ tablel1_1.pdf
Total PAYE income tax and class 1 NICs received by HMRC between 1999-00 and 2010-11 in respect of employee and employer liabilities combined are shown split by sector in the table below.
Sector (£ billion) 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05
Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry 664 630 598 617 676 730
Mining and Quarrying 701 762 675 673 654 669
Manufacturing 24,185 24,752 23,925 23,731 25,133 25,696
Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 1,225 1,229 1,118 1,089 1,098 1,135
Construction 6,981 7,597 8,200 8,974 10,164 10,751
Wholesale and Retail Trade 14,944 15,824 15,978 17,025 18,733 19,729
Hotels and Restaurants 2,314 2,457 2,558 2,806 3,200 3,450
Transport, Storage and Communication 8,779 9,801 10,139 10,104 10,912 11,939
Financial Intermediation 11,866 15,525 15,115 15,536 17,001 18,739
Real Estate, Renting and Business Activities 22,830 26,582 28,050 27,948 29,567 32,221
Public Administration and Defence 6,086 5,899 5,994 6,293 7,525 10,544
Education 11,441 12,442 13,206 14,105 16,274 17,498
Health and Social Work 8,648 9,035 9,659 10,845 12,959 14,598
Other Community, Social and Personal Service Activities 4,060 4,527 4,747 5,026 5,691 6,169
Occupational Pensions 5,989 6,300 6,561 6,671 6,752 7,166
Other 645 1,384 2,385 1,920 1,547 1,676
Total 131,358 144,748 148,905 153,363 167,887 182,709
Sector (£ billion) 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11
Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry 765 782 839 865 858 882
Mining and Quarrying 757 829 864 961 982 1,039
Manufacturing 25,898 26,570 27,355 26,056 23,464 23,990
Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 1,135 1,253 1,429 1,519 1,514 1,565
Construction 11,575 12,428 14,236 13,779 11,896 11,665
Wholesale and Retail Trade 20,554 21,512 22,895 22,574 21,339 22,097
Hotels and Restaurants 3,640 3,891 4,046 3,857 3,732 3,864
Transport, Storage and Communication 12,676 12,826 13,125 13,062 12,289 12,255
Financial Intermediation 20,673 24,085 26,160 23,691 23,184 25,468
Real Estate, Renting and Business Activities 35,182 38,996 44,009 45,581 43,286 45,649
Public Administration and Defence 11,324 11,658 11,965 11,821 12,476 12,577
Education 18,456 19,422 20,133 20,487 20,747 20,837
Health and Social Work 16,167 17,454 17,735 18,385 19,530 20,340
Other Community, Social and Personal Service Activities 6,585 7,025 7,344 7,531 7,257 7,439
Occupational Pensions 7,609 8,402 9,195 9,449 10,058 10,644
Other 1,627 352 -43 70 -263 -282
Total 194,623 207,484 221,286 219,690 212,350 220,029
The sectors are defined by the Office for National Statistics' Standard Industrial Classification 2003. The occupational pensions figures include all income tax on occupational pensions, regardless of the sector in which the person was previously employed.
Declared VAT is published by trade group in the VAT factsheet, table 2.3 available at: https://www. uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=factvat
Given that sectors for corporation tax, VAT, PAYE Income Tax and class 1 NICs are defined differently, these sets of figures are not directly comparable. For this reason, and also because sectoral breakdowns are not available for all taxes, it is not possible to say what proportion of total tax revenue is raised from different sectors, such as the financial sector, nor to say which of the sectors are the five largest contributing sectors.
Taxation: Corporation Tax
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the amount of corporation tax that will not be paid in 2011-12 by banks taxable in the United Kingdom as a result of prior year losses brought forward.
Lord Sassoon: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) does not publish a sectoral breakdown for trading losses brought forward, due to concerns about the robustness of projections at such a level.
The latest OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook is available at: http://budgetresponsibility.independent. gov.uk/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2011/.
Table 2.5 in the spreadsheet available at this link, "March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook supplementary fiscal tables" gives a forecast for trading losses brought forward and used by all companies. Tax receipts are reduced by the amount of losses brought forward and used, multiplied by the prevailing tax rate.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the outcome of discussions with representatives of the Turks and Caicos Islands held on 15 and 16 June.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The talks concluded with the announcement of a final constitution package. Decisions were made on key areas including the electoral system; constituencies; term limits; the governor's powers; the term "belonger"; the position of deputy governor; trial by jury; a new pre-amble to the constitution.
United Nations Population Fund
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was their annual contribution to the funding of the United Nations Population Fund in each of the past five years; how they monitor the use to which those funds are put; and what steps they have taken to ensure that activities that are funded by them through the United Nations Population Fund do not, directly or indirectly, support coercive population policies or gender-based abortion.
Baroness Verma: The UK's annual core contribution to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) over the past five years was £20 million for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 and £22 million and 60,000 pounds in 2009. The UK monitors the use of its annual contribution through its membership of the United Nations Population Fund's Executive Board.
The UK's policy and the United Nations Population Funds' work is stipulated by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and its Programme of Work. This programme specifically prohibits coercive population policies and gender-based abortion. Through the UK's membership of UNFPA's Executive Board we ensure that UNFPA implements the ICPD agenda and reduces the number of women and girls that needlessly die during childbirth.
United Nations Population Fund
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what have been the annual United Kingdom contributions to funding the activities of the United Nations Population Fund in China since they began; and what evidence they have received of the impact of those activities on the population policies of the Government of China.
Baroness Verma: Between 2003 and 2005 the Department for International Development provided £99,000 to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for a Reproductive Health and Family Planning project in China. This contribution paid for technical assistance to carry out surveys in support of UNFPA's work to improve policy on enabling informed choice of contraception. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2011-07-07a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2011",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The available information is contained in the table and gives the number of persons proceeded against and found guilty at all courts in the London area, 1996 to 2003 for offences related to drink driving.
Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
Number of persons proceeded against and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to drink driving 1 , London 1996 to 2003. 2
Aged 10–17Aged 18 and overAll ages
Offence description Year Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty
Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 3 1996 121 110 15,633 13,958 15,754 14,068
1997 114 103 16,587 15,102 16,701 15,205
1998 99 83 14,244 12,854 14,343 12,937
1999 99 92 12,659 11,433 12,758 11,525
2000 123 110 12,085 10,849 12,208 10,959
2001 118 108 11,748 10,413 11,866 10,521
2002 150 135 13,268 11,931 13,418 12,066
2003 111 100 12,834 11,513 12,945 11,613
1 These data are on the principal offence basis.
2 Combines Metropolitan and City of London Police force areas.
3 Offences under Road Traffic Act 1988, Sections 4(1), 4(2), 5(1)(a), 5(1)(b), 6(4) and 7(6). | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2005-03-08a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2005",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Rolls Royce: Finance
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total funding they have given to Rolls-Royce this year for their operations in the UK; what is the purpose of any such funding; and what additional funding they have offered.
Lord Callanan: The Government’s financial support for Rolls-Royce is provided via various routes, including support for their exports and research and development (R&D) in areas such as civil aerospace, civil nuclear, and defence. This year, the Government’s support has included funding through the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility and a partial guarantee by UK Export Finance of a 5-year, £2 billion commercial term-loan facility. One of the Government’s key funding streams is through Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation. For the 2019/2020 competition year of the Aerospace Technology Institute programme, Rolls-Royce have had grant offers totalling £63,374,303 to support total project costs of £143,203,408. This money will be paid out across the life of the projects.
Bounce Back Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 17 September (HL7806), whether they have reconsidered their decision to not publish the identity of recipients of loans taken out under (1) the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and (2) the Bounce Back Loan Scheme; and on what grounds, if any, they have reconsidered.
Lord Callanan: Details of individual aid awards under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and Bounce Back Loan Scheme will be published where required on the European Commission’s Transparency Aid Module in due course.
Bounce Back Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 17 September (HL7806), when they expect to publish the identity of recipients of loans taken out under (1) theCoronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and (2) the Bounce Back Loan Scheme; and under what conditions they would publish such information.
Lord Callanan: Details of individual aid awards under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and Bounce Back Loan Scheme will be published where required on the European Commission’s Transparency Aid Module in due course.
Climate Change Convention
Baroness Boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that sponsors and other organisations involved with COP26 are demonstrably committed to tackling climate change; and what criteria they intend to use to assess that commitment.
Lord Callanan: The Government has set strict sponsorship criteria for COP26 and will only partner with companies who have committed to or set net-zero commitments by 2050 or earlier, and have a credible and aligned short-term action plan to achieve this. We conduct due diligence on all potential sponsors, and ensure compliance with our standards. The Government is encouraging companies with strong climate credentials to apply for sponsorship through the COP26 website.
Climate Change Convention
Baroness Boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the vetting process will be for organisations applying to host COP26 fringe meetings and events; and what plans they have to publish that process.
Lord Callanan: We are looking to work and partner with organisations committed to taking positive action to tackle climate change. We will be launching a registration process for organisations wanting to be involved in UK Government managed events around COP26 in the new year. The process is currently under development and further detail will be released in due course.
Accountancy: Standards
Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 24 September (HL8051), what progress they have made on formingan agreement with the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation; and when preparations for any such agreement began.
Lord Callanan: The Government has reached an agreement with the IFRS Foundation to publish a consolidated text of UK-adopted international accounting standards and the agreement will be signed shortly. The Government began preparations for an agreement in January 2019.
UK Endorsement Board
Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the role of the UK Endorsement Board in insurance accounting;what authority the Board has to exercise its functions; what is the composition of the Board; and how the Board is funded.
Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK Endorsement Board will be provided with publicly available legal advice to deliver the required endorsement criteria for the adoption of International Accounting Standards; and what processes they have in place to ensure that this advice will be free from conflicts of interest.
Lord Callanan: We intend to lay an SI in early 2021 that will delegate certain functions in the International Accounting Standards and European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (‘the 2019 Regulations’), including powers to endorse and adopt International Accounting Standards, to the UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board (UK EB). This includes International Accounting Standards (such as IFRS 17 – Insurance Contracts) that relate to insurance. Following the appointment of the Chair, we are now preparing to recruit Board Members. We intend that membership of the Board will include preparers of accounts, investors and other users of accounts, academics and members of accounting firms. This will ensure that the UK EB brings a broad range of experience, backgrounds and expertise to the consideration of International Accounting Standards. The UK EB will undertake its activities in a transparent manner, and it will be required both to consult before adopting an international standard and to publish the reasons for its decision to adopt an International Accounting Standard in whole or in part. The statutory criteria for adoption are set out in the 2019 Regulations. The UK EB will obtain independent advice when necessary and all Board Members will be required to abide by a conflicts of interests policy.
Accountancy: Standards
Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 24 September (HL8051), what is the proposed fee payable to the International Accounting Standards Board; and how that fee will be funded.
Lord Callanan: The fee payable to the IFRS foundation is commercially sensitive and falls below the public disclosure threshold. The Government believes that the agreement with the IFRS Foundation reflects good value for money due to the wide use and acceptance of IFRS amongst the major financial capitals across the world, and the fact that the Standards promote transparency and investment. The agreement also ensures that the UK will be able to continue to influence the independent, not-for-profit, global standard setting body, to ensure that Standards meet the needs of UK companies and investors. The inaugural fee will be funded by Government and our intention is that future payments will come from the FRC’s general levy on preparers of accounts.
Ministry of Justice
Protection: Court Orders
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to adopt the European Union Protection Measures Regulation (606/2013) into domestic law.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by the Government ensures the EU ‘Protection Measures Regulation’ (606/2013) will continue to apply to protection measures in both the UK and EU Member States where a certificate is issued before the end of the transition period. In relation to protection measures where certificates are issued after the end of the transition period, the Mutual Recognition of Protection Measures in Civil Matters (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 493 of 2019) provides that an incoming protection measure from an EU Member State shall continue to be recognised and will be enforceable in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. However, the instrument also removes the ability for the courts of England and Wales and Northern Ireland to issue an outgoing certificate, which is required for recognition and enforcement in an EU Member State under the Protection Measures Regulation. This is because we cannot legislate unilaterally to restore the reciprocity of approach, without which the court of an EU Member State could simply ignore protection measures issued by courts in the UK. These issues are devolved to Scotland. I understand the Scottish Government is considering its position.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Independent Commission for Aid Impact: Reviews
Lord Bruce of Bennachie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage (1) stakeholders of, and (2) users of reports by, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact to contribute to the review of that Commission’s role; whether that review will consider any views submitted after 11 November; what plans they have to invite a member of the House of Commons International Development Committee to be a member of the team conducting the review; whether they plan to seek external challenge to the outcome of the review; and if so, by whom.
Baroness Sugg: The Review Team has published Terms of Reference for the Review of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact and sought feedback from the public. They have also asked for written information from a range of stakeholders; and are conducting a series of interviews and roundtables. The Review Team will consider written views from members of the public until 11 November.This is an internal departmental review. The International Development Committee is being consulted and there will be a small panel of independent experts to provide challenge to the review.
Poverty
Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will continue to target UK aid to the poorest countries and people.
Baroness Sugg: Reducing poverty will be at the beating heart of the FCDO. The Foreign Secretary has appointed Nick Dyer as the first ever envoy on famine prevention and humanitarian affairs, and we have allocated a new £119 million package to look at the threat of the coronavirus and of famine more generally across the bottom billion.
Poverty
Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is retaining the Department for International Development's commitment to maintaining poverty reduction as the primary objective of UK spending.
Baroness Sugg: The Government will prioritise the bottom billion, the very poorest around the world, as part of our core mission. This is in our national interest and it will project the UK as a force for good in the world. For example, during the coronavirus pandemic, the UK has provided £15 million to UNICEF to protect vulnerable children, and a further £5 million to the Education Cannot Wait fund, supporting emergency education in conflict countries. Furthermore, the UK has allocated £119 million of aid to provide relief to over 6 million people and help prevent famine in countries hit by conflict and COVID-19.
Gender: Disability
Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is retaining the Department for International Development's (1) commitment to 'leave no one behind', and (2) strategies on gender and disability.
Baroness Sugg: Leaving no-one behind is an essential element of the mission of the FCDO, alongside building shared global prosperity, eradicating extreme poverty, tackling climate change, strengthening the international rule of law and global security, and promoting universal human rights and free, open societies.As part of the creation of FCDO as a new Department we are refreshing and building on existing strategies, as well as developing new approaches where appropriate. We do not see the core ambitions of the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality nor the Disability Inclusion Strategy changing. Advancing gender equality and women's and girls' rights are a core part of this Government's mission, including fulfilling every girl's right to 12 years of quality education. The advancement of the inclusion of persons with disabilities is as important now as when the strategy was published in 2018 - the new department will strive to ensure the aims of the strategy are realised. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to these agendas.
Palestinians: Food
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the statement by the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East that "people are going through the garbage" for food in Gaza, and(2) the case for increasing the funding of that agency for the provision of food aid.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains concerned about the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. We are a longstanding supporter to UNRWA and in 2020/2021 we are providing £51 million to support UNRWA to provide essential services to the 5.6 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. £1 million of this is specifically for food aid in Gaza.In addition to our support to UNRWA for the refugee population, the UK is providing £2.5 million to the World Food Programme to provide food and cash assistance for some of the most vulnerable Palestinians, mainly in Gaza.
Department for Work and Pensions
Kickstart Scheme
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to extend the eligibility criteria for applications to the Kickstart Scheme.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new job placements for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment. Guidance on eligibility has been published on the gov.uk/kickstart website. As of the 11th November 2020 we have received 4,359 applications and 19,672 Kickstart placements have been approved; we will keep the eligibility for the scheme under review, but have no current plans to extend it.
Remote Working: Coronavirus
Lord McKenzie of Luton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what safety advice and guidance they have made available for individuals who (1) choose, and (2) are required, to work from home.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, all employers are under a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees. This duty extends to those working from home, either temporarily or permanently. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published guidance on its website for employers and home workers (https://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/workers/home.htm). The guidance covers all workers who work from home and includes information on working alone, working without supervision, ways to keep in touch and guidance on mental health, stress and wellbeing. It also covers practical guidance on setting up workstations, display screen equipment (DSE) and how to prevent musculoskeletal disorders. The DSE guidance is intended to provide a flexible, proportionate and pragmatic approach for employers and employees on managing low-risk activities during a time when the Government advice is for people to work from home where it is possible to do so. The HSE guidance emphasises the need for employers to keep health and safety arrangements for home working under review.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Convention On International Trade in Endangered Species
The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Liverpool will be included within the list of ports designated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Liverpool Seaforth port will be designated as a Point of Entry and Exit (PoE) for CITES- listed specimens at the end of the Transition Period.We will continue to work with port operators, industry and other Government departments such as Border Force, HM Revenue & Customs and Cabinet Office to analyse trade flows and will designate further PoE where this is feasible so as to provide additional routes for traders.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species: Musical Instruments
The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the musical instrument certificate application form FED0172 to remove the obligation to provide the owner’s details; and, if so, what procedure will be required to do so.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We do not have immediate plans to amend the musical instrument certificate (MIC) application form to remove the obligation to provide details of the owner of the instrument. However, we will keep this under review and will be discussing the need for additional guidance on how to apply for a MIC with stakeholders from the sector.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species: Musical Instruments
The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce procedures for the inspection of materials protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora when transporting musical instruments between Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1 January 2021.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: After the Transition Period, controls implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) will apply to the movement of CITES specimens between Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI). This is as a result of our international obligations under CITES, and the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Such movement between NI and GB will require CITES documentation, for example import and export permits or a Musical Instrument Certificate. All CITES specimens must be moved through a designated point of entry and exit where documentation must be presented for endorsement by Border Force officials. As a result of the NI Protocol, NI will be treated as part of the EU’s customs territory and the permits and checks usually required under CITES will not be required for movements between NI and EU Member States.
Oak Processionary Moth
Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the incidence of oak processionary moth in the UKin 2020to date.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Forestry Commission has an annual programme of surveillance in place. This year, the Commission has enhanced its surveillance programme within the UK Protected Zone as a precaution in response to an increased number of intercepts of Oak Processionary Moth in 2019.Oak Processionary Moth is established in most of Greater London and in some surrounding counties. In June and July 2020, it was found on a very small number of trees at five sites within the Protected Zone, in the English counties of Sussex, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cheshire. Swift action was undertaken to eradicate recent findings, including surveillance, tracing work and the removal of caterpillars and infested trees.
Plants: Imports
Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tighten the rules governing importation of trees and shrubs after 31 December.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: From January 2021, trees, shrubs and other plants entering Great Britain from the EU will be subject to third country import requirements. Controls on the highest risk products from the EU will apply immediately following the end of the transition period. This includes requirements to pre-notify, the need for a phytosanitary certificate to accompany regulated consignments and physical inspections on imports once they have arrived in Great Britain. It is already the case that imports of regulated plants and plant products from non-EU countries are subject to import controls.The UK intends to ensure that its Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) regime remains appropriate to address the risks it faces. The UK plant health services already conduct risk-based checks at the border in relation to imports from non-EU countries. The checks undertaken are determined according to an assessment of the risk presented by the import of different plants and goods from different origins. This risk assessment and risk management approach will apply to SPS goods from the EU from 1 January 2021.For plants (including trees and shrubs) and plant products, a common import regime will ultimately apply to all third countries, so any changes will apply equally to EU and non-EU countries. Notwithstanding the phasing in of controls, any changes to GB's import requirements from the end of the transition period will apply to all third countries (including the EU).Defra, with the devolved administrations, actively monitors and reviews plant health risks and the government will respond as needed to ensure UK biosecurity continues to be protected.
Cabinet Office
Asia: Intelligence Services
Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the comment on 14 October by the Director General of MI5 that MI5 is "looking to do more against Chinese activity",what representations they intend to make to theother members of the Five Eyes alliance on the possibility of including additional countries geographically close to China, and in particular (1) India, (2) Japan, (3) Taiwan, and (4) South Korea, in that alliance.
Lord True: The UK works closely with partners across the world and through a range of formal and informal multilateral fora, including the UN, the G7 and G20, NATO, Five Eyes and the E3. We strongly value our long-standing relationship with our Five Eyes partners and will continue to work closely with them in pursuit of shared policy interests.
Operation Mincemeat
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the files 'CAB93/7' relating to Operation Mincemeat are (1) still held in 10 Downing Street, (2) available for viewing, and (3) if so, under what conditions.
Lord True: The Cabinet Office holds the original CAB 93/7, it contains no material related to Operation Mincemeat. A version is held by The National Archives (TNA). Consultation of the volume held by TNA would need to be made by appointment, a service currently suspended owing to national restrictions. Details of how to arrange a visit are available here: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/
Coronavirus: Mortality Rates
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the fatality rate from COVID-19 is among (1) individuals with a residence permit with the condition of no recourse to public funds, and(2) individuals who are not subject to the residency condition of no recourse to public funds.
Lord True: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond. Dear Lady Bennett, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what the fatality rate from COVID-19 is among (1) individuals with a residence permit with the condition of no recourse to public funds, and (2) individuals who are not subject to the residency condition of no recourse to public funds (HL9704).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes statistics on deaths in England and Wales. Mortality statistics are based on the information provided by doctors and coroners through death registration, which focuses on the causes of death and does not include all the circumstances of the deceased. We are unable to provide figures related to residency status. Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Treasury
Musical Instruments: Customs
The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the threshold number of (1) musical instruments, and (2) other related equipment, at which the holder will be required to purchase an ATA carnet for temporary export and import.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The current process for ATA Carnets with convention countries outside the EU will apply to relevant imports and exports with the EU at the end of the transition period. This means that from January 2021, ATA Carnets will become one of the options available to both businesses and individuals when temporarily moving goods between the UK and EU countries. Use of an ATA Carnet is optional and is a commercial decision on whether it is the most cost-effective method in each specific circumstance. There is no specific threshold for the use of an ATA Carnet. In the UK, ATA Carnets are administered by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). Further information on obtaining and using an ATA Carnet can be found by contacting the LCCI.
Bank Services: Interest Rates
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto investigate the socioeconomic consequences for consumers of banks charging negative real interest rates.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government believes that individuals, regardless of their background or income, should have access to useful and affordable financial products and services. The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England sets the Bank Rate to meet the objectives set out in its remit of maintaining price stability and subject to this, supporting the economic policy of the Government, including its objectives for growth and employment. The MPC is sensitive to the effect of low interest rates on savers and does consider the effect monetary policy decisions have on all households. Commercial banks make commercial judgements that influence the degree of pass-through from changes in Bank Rate into retail interest rates, with conditions in financial markets and in the banking sector also influencing interest rates paid on deposits or charged for lending. The Government does not seek to intervene in these commercial decisions.
Infrastructure: Rural Areas
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their decision to launch aone-year Spending Review,whether theirmulti-year capital allocation for priority infrastructure projects includes projects in rural areas, in particular (1) the Community Housing Fund, especially for rural affordable housing schemes, and (2) the Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: While it would not be appropriate to respond in detail on plans for the Comprehensive Spending Review at this time, the Government recognises that village halls provide vital hubs for communities to connect, collaborate and celebrate, and that the community-led housing sector offers significant potential for helping to meet housing need across England in rural and urban areas.
Digital Technology: VAT
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have collected data on the number of businesses prepared for the ending of access to the VAT MOSS system on 31 December; and what plans they have to seek an extension of access to VAT MOSS for UK businesses.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: VAT MOSS is an EU simplification. The UK will lose access to this at the end of the transition period and will not be seeking an extension. There are approximately 2,000 UK businesses registered on the VAT MOSS system in the UK. Businesses can continue to use the VAT MOSS system if they register in an EU Member State after the transition period. HMRC have published guidance on this and will also be contacting all businesses registered on the VAT MOSS system in the UK to explain the options available to them.[1] [1] The guidance can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pay-vat-when-you-sell-digital-services-to-eu-consumers-from-1-january-2021
Labour Market: Coronavirus
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Resolution Foundation Jobs, jobs, jobs; evaluating the effects of the current economic crisis in the UK labour market, published on 27 October.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government considers the findings and views from a wide range of organisations, including the Resolution Foundation. The UK, along with many other countries around the world, has experienced a severe recession caused by coronavirus. In response, the Government has increased the support available to protect jobs and support businesses. To support those in employment, the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will remain open until December, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500. To support young people, the Government launched a £2 billion Kickstart Scheme, creating hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people at risk of long-term unemployment, as well as a guaranteed foundation of support for young people on Universal Credit.
Orchestras: Tax Allowances
Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the scope of the Orchestra Tax Relief to include digital-only performances.
Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to temporarily increase the percentage claimable under Orchestra Tax Relief for the 2021/22 tax year.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: In 2019-2020 the Government provided £18 million of support to 565 orchestral productions through the Orchestra Tax Relief. While all tax reliefs are kept under review, the Government is not planning changes to the Orchestra Tax Relief at this time. The Government has provided support to the cultural sector during the pandemic through the £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund. To date, £409 million in grant funding has been awarded to over 2,000 cultural organisations in England, including orchestras, music venues, galleries, theatres, museums and festivals. The Government has also extended the temporary reduced VAT rate for hospitality and tourism to 31 March 2021. This will continue to apply to admission to attractions across the UK, including concerts, theatres, exhibitions and similar events.
Save as You Earn
Lord Flight: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of bad leavers from Save As You Earn schemes in each of the last five years.
Lord Flight: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total value of savings held by bad leavers participating in Save As You Earn schemes, before they exited, in each of the last five years.
Lord Flight: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total value forfeited in share growth as a result of participants in Save As You Earnschemes exiting as bad leavers in each of the last five years.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Save As You Earn (SAYE) scheme is a tax-advantaged employee share scheme offered by the Government. A “bad leaver” from a SAYE scheme is a participant that does not meet the good leaver provisions as defined in the legislation at paragraph 34 of Schedule 3 to the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003. HMRC collects data at the points at which employees enter or leave SAYE schemes but this does not directly include data on “bad leavers”.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Veterans: Charities
Lord Walney: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of reduced fundraising for armed forces charities during the COVID-19 pandemic, what additional measuresthey are taking to enable such charities to deliver support for veterans.
Baroness Barran: Government is committed to making the UK the best country in the world to be a veteran.Every year it provides £10 million to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, which distributes this as grants to charitable organisations through a range of programmes. This year we have provided an additional £6 million for 100 service charities through the Covid Relief fund, to ensure they can continue to provide their vital services throughout the pandemic. Furthermore, through the Loneliness Covid-19 Fund, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen And Families Association has been provided with a grant of £500,000 to support veterans and their families experiencing loneliness throughout the UK.Charities are also able to apply to access the additional financial support provided through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Charities can also apply to receive up to £3,000 a month through the Local Restrictions Support Grant if an organisation’s premises is forced to close. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2020-11-12 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2020",
"language": "en",
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Department for Transport
Large Goods Vehicles: Accidents
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what steps they are taking to ensure that HGV drivers are not being asked to exceed their daily legal driving limits during the current driver shortage, (2) what record they are keeping of accident statistics involving HGVs, and (3) whether they have recorded an increase in the number of accidents involving HGVs in the past six months.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is responsible for enforcement of the HGV drivers’ hours rules, which includes checking that drivers are not exceeding their daily driving limits. For the period 12 July to 3 October, the DVSA undertook a total of 11,457 targeted checks across both UK and overseas based hauliers. 6,962 offences were identified for non-compliance with the drivers’ hours rules of which 2,286 were serious enough to warrant a fixed penalty. The vast majority (2,099) were committed by foreign hauliers, with only 187 fixed penalties for drivers’ hours offences issued to UK hauliers. Some DVSA enforcement has been targeted specifically towards operators using the drivers’ hours relaxation. Data on reported road casualties reported to the police, including accidents involving HGVs, are collected through the STATS19 system and published in the Department’s reported road casualties statistics according to a regular annual timetable that reflects the time required for reporting, collation and validation of the data from police forces. High-level provisional statistics for the first 6 months of 2021 are scheduled for publication in November; figures for the whole of 2021 are scheduled for publication in June 2022 (provisional) and September 2022 (final).
Railways: Fares
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the effect on train operating companies' revenues of increasing the cost of regulated rail fares, and (2) whether, since the ending of travel restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, (a) rail companies have introduced more unregulated fairs, and (b) customers have purchased more unregulated fairs.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Fares revenue fell drastically during the pandemic compared with pre-pandemic levels and is yet to recover. Fare rises help fund crucial investment in maintaining railway services and support our economic recovery. No assessment has been made on the regulated fares for 2022 and a range of options around the timing and level of the increase are being considered. We will confirm these arrangements in due course. In a major enhancement to their product range train operating companies have introduced flexi season tickets and continue to keep their range of unregulated fares under review. No assessment has been made of how sales of unregulated fares have changed since the ending of travel restrictions.
Electric Vehicles: Speed Limits
Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 September (HL2628), what plans they have, if any, to introduce speed limits for electric bikes and electric scooters.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government does not at this point have any plans to introduce speed limits for electric bikes. Decisions on electric scooters will be taken in the light of evidence from national trials. E-scooters being used legally in a trial must have a maximum design speed not exceeding 15.5mph. Some trial areas have set lower maximum design speeds for electric scooters being used in the trials in their area. An electrically assisted pedal cycle electric motor must have a maximum power output of 250 watts, and should not be able to propel the bike when it is travelling more than 15.5mph.
Roads: Repairs and Maintenance
Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much overall funding has been provided to councils in England for local road maintenance in each of the last five years, up to and including the current financial year.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: During the last five years the Department for Transport has provided over £5.9 billion by formula to local authorities in England, outside London, to support the maintenance of the local road network. This funding is not ring-fenced, allowing local highway authorities to spend their allocations according to their own priorities. A breakdown by financial year is in the table below: Year £ bn2017/181.0472018/191.3462019/200.9262020/211.5262021/221.125Total 5.970
Large Goods Vehicles: Parking
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations concerning the provision of lorry parks.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: No specific discussions have taken place with the devolved administrations specifically concerning provision of lorry parks. Lorry parking is a matter for the devolved administrations.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Summertime
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last assessed the merits of daylight saving time.
Lord Callanan: The Government believes that the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK.
Toys and Games: Safety
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) steps they have taken, and (2) further plans they have, to ensure that children are protected from harm caused by toys sold in online marketplaces which are not compliant with UK safety regulations.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take following the closure of theUK product safety review: call for evidenceon 17 June; and what are the timelines for those steps.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the ability of Trading Standards to pursue sellers of toys not in compliance with UK safety regulations.
Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold in the UK and existing laws require that all consumer products, including toys sold online, must be safe before they can be placed on the UK market. The national product safety regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), and Local Authority Trading Standards have powers to take action against manufacturers, importers or distributors who sell unsafe and non-compliant toys, including through online marketplaces. These regulators have access to a national Product Safety Database to share information and to help prioritise and target activity. The Government recognises the scale of the challenge in regulating online sales and OPSS is taking forward a programme of work to help ensure the safety of products sold online. This includes actively identifying products available online that pose a serious risk and ensuring that non-compliant products being sold by third-party sellers are removed from sale. Since April 2021, OPSS interventions have led to the withdrawal of more than 10,000 unsafe products, including toys, previously listed and available in the UK, via online marketplaces. The Government’s review of the UK’s product safety framework aims to ensure it remains robust and is future-proofed so that it continues to protect consumers while enabling businesses to safely innovate and grow. This includes reviewing the impact of eCommerce on the product safety framework to ensure appropriate accountability and clear responsibilities throughout the supply chain. The Government has analysed submissions to the Call for Evidence and is currently finalising its response which will be published in due course. OPSS officials continue to engage with stakeholders as the review progresses and any proposals for legislative change would be subject to public consultation.
Mathematical Sciences: Higher Education
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how much they have spent on mathematical sciences at higher education institutions in the UK, and (2) how this compares to the international average.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the breakdown of (1) actual, and (2) planned, expenditure of their £300 million investment in the mathematical sciences.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have invested in mathematical sciences in each higher education institution in the UK for (1) teaching, and (2) research.
Lord Callanan: The UK is a world leader in Mathematics, accounting for the 5th largest share of publications but the third largest share of the top 1% and 10% most cited publications. Between Financial Year 2015-2016 and September 2021, EPSRC committed £259.9m to research grants Mathematical Sciences. This includes commitment from the Additional Funding Programme. At this current time, EPSRC are unable to make a direct comparison to international averages. Following the Government’s announcement in January 2020 to invest additional funding into Mathematical Sciences, UKRI has awarded around £104 million of additional funding to the discipline, over and above EPSRC’s core Mathematical Sciences Theme budget. The additional funding has covered institutes, small and large research grants, fellowships, doctoral studentships and postdoctoral awards. On the 27 October 2021, the Government will announce the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review. Once that has concluded, BEIS and UKRI will set out how we meet the commitment to invest additional funding into Mathematical sciences in forthcoming years, as part of the allocations process.
Energy Companies Obligation
Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many grants have been awarded through the Local Authority Flex scheme to (1) owner occupiers, and (2) tenants in rented accommodation.
Lord Callanan: The Local Authority Flex scheme enables participating local authorities to refer low-income and vulnerable and fuel poor households, for support under the Energy Company Obligation.Since Local Authority Flex began in 2017, almost 168,000 measures have been delivered in over 100,000 homes under the scheme across Great Britain, up to July 2021. Local Authority Flex scheme data is not available by tenure.
Energy Companies Obligation
Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many grants have been awarded through the Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation to (1) owner occupiers, and (2) tenants in rented accommodation.
Lord Callanan: The Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation falls under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). The current scheme is an obligation on larger energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency and heating measures in the homes of low-income and vulnerable and fuel poor householders. Since ECO began in 2013, around 935,0000 homes have been upgraded under the Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation. Of those, over 664,000 were owner occupiers; 193,000 were private rented tenants and almost 78,000 were social rented tenants.
Iron and Steel: Carbon Emissions
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in developing green, low climate emission steel, substituting hydrogen for coking coal; and when is the first steel from this expected to be delivered.
Lord Callanan: Decarbonising UK industry is a core part of the Government’s ambitious plan for the green industrial revolution. The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, published on 17 March, commits Government to work with the Steel Council to consider the implications of the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee to ‘set targets for ore-based steelmaking to reach near-zero emissions by 2035’. The Steel Council offers the forum for Government, industry and trade unions to work in partnership on the shared objective of creating an achievable, long-term plan to support the sector’s transition to a competitive, sustainable and low carbon future. Hydrogen-based steelmaking, Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), and electrification are some of the technological approaches being examined as part of this process. The UK steel sector will be given the opportunity to bid into industrial fuel switching innovation programmes under the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), which is intended to promote switching away from more carbon-intensive fuel sources. The Government has also announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through investment in new technologies and processes.
Iron and Steel: Recycling
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the recycling of used steel within the UK, including but not limited to using renewable energy for that purpose.
Lord Callanan: The UK has a strong domestic recycling market and currently retrieves 11.3 million tonnes of steel scrap per year through regulations such as end-of-life vehicles (ELV) and construction site waste management plans. Of this, around 2.6 million tonnes are currently recycled (melted in a steel plant or cast metals facility) domestically. The Government published a report, undertaken by the University of Warwick in February 2021, entitled ‘Domestic Scrap Steel Recycling – Economic, Environmental and Social Opportunities’ which assesses long-term options for action to improve recycling rates of steel in the UK. The Government is currently considering the recommendations made in the report.
Freight
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to resolve the short-term issues to UK goods supply chains.
Lord Callanan: Businesses have faced a range of challenges over recent months as they recover from the global pandemic which has impacted supply chains across Europe and around the world.The Government has acted quickly to introduce a series of measures to relieve pressure on vital supply chains, including by: streamlining the testing process for and creating skills bootcamps to train up HGV drivers, sending nearly one million letters to encourage HGV drivers who have left the industry to return, providing up to £7,000 per person funding for the Large Goods Vehicle Driver apprenticeship scheme, and deploying nearly 200 military tanker personnel to provide temporary support delivering fuel supplies across the country. The Government has also introduced short-term visas for food haulage drivers and poultry workers to ease pressures facing these supply chains.On 8 October, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister appointed Sir David Lewis, former CEO of Tesco, as the UK Government’s supply chain adviser, bringing with him a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise to the new role. He will advise the Prime Minister and my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on both immediate improvements and any necessary long-term changes to UK supply chains for goods, and will work with government officials to quickly resolve acute, short term issues. Successful resolution of supply chain pressures will be a joint effort between industry and Government and so Sir Dave Lewis will also co-chair the new Supply Chain Advisory Group, consisting of external experts in the field, and the new Industry Taskforce, to ensure those on the ground have the opportunity to voice their concerns and advise on the most efficient resolutions.
Companies Act 2006
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relevance of section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 due to changes in business practice since that date.
Lord Callanan: Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 requires directors, in promoting the success of their company in the interests of its members, to have regard to a number of matters, including the interests of employees and the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment. The legislation is flexible and permissive, allowing companies to identify a purpose for the company other than to benefit its members. Many companies have made successful use of this flexibility.
Attorney General
UK Withdrawal From the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021
Lord Bruce of Bennachie: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the law officers did not refer the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 to Supreme Court within four weeks of the bill being passed by the Scottish Parliament.
Lord Bruce of Bennachie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the circumstances in which they would refer a bill passed by one of the devolved legislatures to the Supreme Court.
Lord Stewart of Dirleton: The Law Officers may refer the question of whether a Bill or any provision of a Bill would be within the legislative competence of a devolved legislature to the Supreme Court for a decision. This power is set out in relation to the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly in section 33 of the Scotland Act 1998, section 112 of the Government of Wales Act 2006, and section 11 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, respectively. The power must be exercised within four weeks of the Bill passing its final stage in the relevant devolved legislature. The Law Officers exercise this power where we believe that a Bill, or a provision of a Bill, is outside the legislative competence of the relevant devolved legislature. The parameters of the devolved legislatures’ competence are set out in the relevant Acts of Parliament which have devolved various policy areas. The power in each case is discretionary and exercised in accordance with the wider public interest.Turning to the particular Act of the Scottish Parliament to which the question refers, the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill passed its final stage in the Scottish Parliament on 22 December 2020. Having taken all relevant matters into consideration, the Law Officers decided that in all the circumstances to use their discretion not to refer the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill to the Supreme Court.
Department for Education
Schools: Ventilation
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide funding to schools to improve ventilation systems.
Baroness Barran: Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Good ventilation has also been associated with a range of benefits, including improved health, better concentration and lower rates of absence from schools and work. Measuring CO2 levels in indoor spaces is an effective way of identifying poor ventilation in multi-occupant spaces, such as classrooms.The department has started to provide CO2 monitors to state-funded education settings, including early years, schools and further education providers, backed by £25 million in government funding. We expect that, in most cases, the monitors will confirm that existing ventilation is sufficient.Where any issues are identified, in most cases we expect this to be resolved by opening windows and doors, or in some cases minor estate repairs may be needed. Day to day maintenance and minor repairs, including those to improve ventilation, should typically be funded from school revenue budgets. Schools also receive an annual Devolved Formula Capital Allocation to spend on small capital projects or capital purchases. For more substantial capital works, schools and those responsible for school buildings have access to funding to improve the condition of buildings through different routes depending on their size and type.The case for additional support for settings to maintain good ventilation will be kept under review as the programme continues and schools and other settings use the monitors to further assess their ventilation needs.
Clothing and Textiles: Training
Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with the devolved administrations to agree a four-nation approach to broadening skills in the fashion and textiles sectors.
Baroness Barran: Skills provision is a devolved matter. It is for each nation to develop its own skills policies to meet local and national need. In England, we have introduced a range of skills polices and also published the ‘Skills for Jobs’ White Paper in January 2021, which sets out our blueprint to reform post-16 education and training. It is focused on giving people the skills they need, in a way that suits them, so they can get great jobs in sectors the economy needs and boost this country’s productivity. By 2030, almost all technical courses will be on employer-led standards, ensuring that the education and training people receive are directly linked to the skills needed for jobs.Our polices and reforms are aimed at delivering high-quality provision across a range of sectors, including fashion and textiles.The introduction of T Levels will boost access to high quality technical education for thousands of 16-19 year olds. T Levels in Craft and Design, developed by relevant employers including the British Fashion Council and UK Fashion & Textile Association, will be available for first teaching from September 2023. While T Levels are currently an England only offer, we are exploring the possibility of extending T Levels outside of the English market, giving opportunity to other administrations to benefit from the quality and ingenuity of T Levels where this fits with their overall post-16 provisionWe are also committed to supporting more people to benefit from the high quality training that apprenticeships offer, including those at the start of their career or those looking to retrain. The department is responsible for apprenticeships policy in England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a share of levy funding and it is the responsibility of the devolved administrations to decide how they spend this share to fund and operate their apprenticeship programmes.In England there are currently 54 high quality employer-designed apprenticeship standards available for the creative and design sector, including 6 for fashion related opportunities. As of 3 August, we have introduced a £7 million fund to help employers in England set up flexi-job apprenticeships agencies, to support sectors such as agriculture, construction and the creative industries.The government is investing £3 billion in the National Skills Fund, which includes £500 million in Barnett funding for the devolved administrations. We have not had any discussions with the devolved nations about a joint approach to broadening skills in the fashion and textiles sectors through the National Skills Fund, but in England, the government is supporting any adult who does not have A level equivalent or higher qualifications, to access over 400 fully funded level 3 courses, with Free Courses for Jobs. The offer includes qualifications that can support adults to progress in the fashion and textiles industry.
Scholarships: Ethnic Groups
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide funding for scholarships for those wanting to study subjects in which black students are under-represented.
Baroness Barran: Ensuring equality of opportunity for talented young people across the country is one of this government’s highest priorities.The previous government brought forward sweeping reforms of higher education (HE) through the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (HERA) to tackle equality of opportunity. This includes the Transparency Duty, which will for the first time require all universities to publish applications, offers and acceptance rates broken down by gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background.On 11 March 2021 the Office for Students (OfS) published the access and participation data dashboard, which is used to identify gaps in access, continuation, attainment, and progression at English providers delivering undergraduate provision by different student characteristics, available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/access-and-participation-data-dashboard/.All HE providers wanting to charge higher level fees must have an Access and Participation Plan agreed by the OfS, in which they set out the measures they intend to take to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds and under-represented groups to access and succeed in higher education.In the 2021-22 academic year, providers have committed over £202 million to access activity. Through access and participation plans, providers are delivering a range of interventions aimed at improving access, progression and continuation rates for under-represented groups, including additional financial support through bursaries and scholarships. For example, Durham University this year launched their ‘Durham Inspired’ scholarship programme for Black students: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/scholarships/undergraduate-scholarships-2022-entry/durham-inspired-scholarships-for-black-uk-students/.In 2019 the government announced £13.5 million of funding for up to 2,500 new places for AI and data science conversion courses, including up to 1,000 government-funded scholarships. These scholarships are prioritised for Black, Female and Disabled students and are based across 28 Universities across England. In the first year alone over 1,300 students have enrolled, with a total of 210 scholarships awarded to date. Of the scholarships awarded, 40% have been awarded to Black students.We recognise there is still more to be done, including ensuring that students are accessing high quality courses which have real labour market demand and lead them into skilled employment. In our latest strategic guidance to the OfS we asked them to urge providers to do more to ensure that all students, particularly those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, are recruited on to courses that will deliver good outcomes.
Apprentices: Taxation
Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the percentage of apprenticeship levy that has not been spent in the current financial year to date; and what assessment they have made, if any, of the likely overall apprenticeship levy underspend in financial year 2021–22.
Baroness Barran: The details of apprenticeship budget spend for the 2021-22 financial year will be included in the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s Annual Report and Accounts, which is due to be published in the second half of 2022. Employers have until 31 March 2022 to start new apprenticeships in the current financial year.In the 2021-22 financial year, the apprenticeships programme budget is £2.5 billion for investment in apprenticeships in England, double that spent in the 2010-11 financial year in cash terms. The annual apprenticeship budget is set by HM Treasury and, although closely linked, is distinct from the total levy income collected by HM Revenue and Customs.The levy is an important part of our reforms to create a high quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training.
Pupils: Absenteeism
Baroness Wilcox of Newport: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children on school rolls have not returned to school since the beginning of the current school year; and how many of these are (1) asylum seekers, (2) refugees, or (3) in the care system.
Baroness Barran: The department does not hold data on the number of children who have not returned to school since the beginning of the current school year.Education is a protective factor for children in care and can be an important lifeline. That is why the department worked closely with local authorities across the country to make sure schools remained open for these pupils throughout national restrictions.
Universities
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the tables published by different UK organisations ranking universities, and (2) the availability of independent oversight or verification of the accuracy of such tables.
Baroness Barran: There is a variety of ranking systems and information sources which are published independently of government which are not verified. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (the designated data body for England), collects and makes openly available standardised data about UK higher education providers, so that it can be re-used by third parties.The government’s focus is on ensuring all higher education providers deliver a high-quality academic experience. ‘Discover Uni’ is owned and operated by the UK higher education funding and regulatory bodies and is an official, reliable source of information to guide student choices. The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework is the Office for Student’s scheme for rating the quality of higher education in England, as part of its wider quality regime to help ensure all students benefit from high-quality provision.
Teachers: Qualifications
Baroness Wilcox of Newport: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools do not have a qualified teacher in a subject they offer.
Baroness Barran: Legislation does not specify that teachers must have a degree in a particular subject or discipline. It is the Teachers’ Standards that specify the subject knowledge required for the award of qualified teacher status. All trainee teachers must meet these by the time they complete their training. Of the 2,948 state-funded secondary schools in England that supplied data on curriculum subjects taught and the subject of qualifications held by their teachers, there were 1,386 schools, equivalent to 47%, where at least one subject was taught for which none of its teachers held a relevant post A level qualification in that subject. The most common subjects where no teachers in a school held a relevant post A level qualification in the subject were: computing (408 schools); media studies (214); religious education (171); citizenship (115); engineering (114) and drama (109). To reduce burden during the COVID-19 outbreak, schools were not required to provide information on teacher qualifications in 2020. Therefore, the information provided relates to the November 2019 School Workforce Census. Information on subjects taught and teacher post A level qualifications is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
Teachers: Equality
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage schools to boost diversity among teachers.
Baroness Barran: It is important that teaching is an inclusive profession. Schools, and their leadership teams, should reflect their communities and their pupils. Whilst the department knows that, in certain areas, the teaching profession is becoming more diverse, there is further to go to both attract and retain diverse, talented teachers and to support them as they enter the profession and develop their career and leadership journeys. The ‘Teaching – Every Lesson Shapes A Life’ recruitment campaign is targeted at audiences of students and recent graduates and potential career changers, regardless of background, and we take every effort to ensure that our advertising is fully reflective of this across the full range of marketing materials we use. In October, Apply for Teacher Training, the department’s new application service for initial teacher training (ITT) in England, was rolled out nationally. Apply has been designed to be as user-friendly as possible and has been extensively tested with a diverse range of potential applicants, to ensure it helps remove barriers to teachers applying for ITT courses. Apply will also allow us to collect more data and insight into candidate behaviour and the behaviour of providers of teacher training. This will mean we have a greater idea of where barriers may occur and allow us to develop and deliver policy interventions where they are most needed. Alongside a focus on recruitment, it is important we retain people from diverse backgrounds. This will be supported by our work to ensure that all new entrants to teacher training have the best possible start to the early stage of their career. The department has also developed programmes to support the school workforce, including the Early Career Framework reforms for those at the beginning of their careers and National Professional Qualifications, which are now freely available to all teachers in state-funded schools and 16-19 organisations. The department understands that creating a culture of flexible working can promote equality of opportunity and diversity in the teaching workforce. We have taken action to expand and promote flexible working practices in schools, including through publishing a suite of supportive resources including guidance and case studies: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/flexible-working-resources-for-teachers-and-schools. We have also appointed eight flexible working ambassador schools to champion flexible working culture and share best practice at a local level: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/flexible-working-ambassador-schools. Alongside this, we are offering free training for head teachers in how to implement effective flexible working arrangements, and how to develop strategic approaches to flexible working.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Myanmar: Arms Trade
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to encourage other governments to adopt the UN resolution of 19 June calling for nations to halt arms sales to Myanmar and the ruling military junta.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is a longstanding supporter of an arms embargo on Myanmar. We are clear that no one should sell arms to Myanmar. The UK worked to secure a strong G7 statement on the 3 and 23 February urging all countries to immediately suspend arms sales to Myanmar. On 5 May, the UK secured a G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' Meeting Communiqué that committed G7 members to continue to prevent the supply of arms and technical assistance to the military. The G7 Leaders' Communiqué of 13 June reaffirmed G7 unity on pursuing additional measures should they prove necessary. As you note, on 18 June, the UK worked with partners to deliver a UN General Assembly Resolution 75/287 which called on states to prevent the flow of arms to Myanmar. 119 States voted in favour of the resolution. We will continue to work closely with partners and through multilateral institutions, such as the UN Security Council, to apply pressure directly on those who sell arms to the military. We continue also to press states to respond to the General Assembly resolution's call by committing not to sell arms to Myanmar.
Travel: Coronavirus
Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government which EU countries allow entry to UK nationals based on double vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Entry requirements for EU member states are laid out on the relevant FCDO Travel Advice country page. Border restrictions are a Member State competence and are the decision of the receiving country. As of 12 October, 23 EU member states formally recognise UK vaccine status for purposes of entry. This includes those vaccinated with Pfizer. Entry restrictions will vary from country to country and are liable to change quickly and with little notice: travellers should always ensure they are familiar with the latest restrictions prior to undertaking travel.
Developing Countries: Poverty
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative importance of (1) improving health and education, and (2) increasing GDP per capita, in reducing poverty in countries in receipt of UK development aid.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO remains steadfast in our focus on tackling poverty. The importance of interventions in improving health and education versus those aimed at increasing GDP per capita in reducing poverty varies with context. The FCDO conducts country-level analyses which identify the main barriers to development and poverty reduction and the main opportunities for acting on them.
Developing Countries: Females
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government, as part of their overseas development assistance (ODA) disbursement, (1) what assessment they have made of the economic contributions of older women in lower- and middle-income countries, and (2) what steps they have taken to ensure that ODA supports these women to access decent work and live fulfilling lives.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Older women remain economically active, often in difficult, informal roles and driven by necessity. The unpaid contributions women make over their lifetime to the economy as carers are unrecognised, and their informal work is often invisible. As a result, many older women lack access to savings, pensions or other social protection. FCDO is investing in improving collection and use of disaggregated data (by sex, age and disability) to enable us to empower and include those who are too often invisible or face additional barriers to escaping poverty. We have led the way on the Inclusive Data Charter Action Plan and encouraging multilaterals such as the World bank and UN to collect disaggregated and inclusive data.FCDO aims to improve outcomes for women and girls, including older women, through the new £19 million Gender-Responsive Social Protection programme, which is building the evidence base on what works and offering technical assistance to strengthen government and partners social protection investments. We are also supporting governments to provide social protection for older women, including in Uganda, where over 210,000 women are currently benefitting from a senior citizen grant through a programme delivered and funded in partnership with the Governments of Ireland and Uganda.
Nigeria: Christianity
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the intensification of jihadist attacks against Christians in Nigeria, as reported by the Gatestone Institute on 10 October; whether they will discuss these attacks with the government of Nigeria; and what further steps, if any, they will take.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We condemn all violence across Nigeria, the devastating effects of which are felt by communities of different faiths. We are aware of the Gatestone Institute report. Jihadist ideology is a driver of the conflict involving terrorist groups in the North East. We assess that the drivers of intercommunal violence elsewhere in Nigeria are complex and frequently relate to competition over resources and criminality. We regularly visit states affected by intercommunal violence to engage with state governments, civil society, faith and community leaders and affected communities. The Prime Minister discussed a range of issues with President Buhari, including security, in the margins of the Global Education Summit in July. We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect all those at risk of violence and implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence.
Mali: Armed Conflict
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the estimated number of people killed in Mali over the past year, and (2) the role (a) Jihadists, and (b) Jihadism, have played in these killings.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK is concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Mali. 2021 is set to be the deadliest year in the past decade with violence continuing to spread towards the southern regions. Intercommunal conflict and activity by violent extremist organisations are responsible for civilian casualties, as well as driving displacement, increasing food insecurity, and leading to the widespread closure of schools. Through our deployment to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA), our deployment of helicopters to the French counter-terrorism operation Barkhane, and our programmatic support for stabilisation and conflict resolution, the UK is committed to building long-term peace and stability in the Sahel. We also provide humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable in the region, including to those affected by conflict.
Mali: Peacekeeping Operations
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of the role of the Wagner mercenaries in Mali, (2) how many troops are part of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and (3) what assessment they have made of the future ofMINUSMA and the role of French and British forces in Mali.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK is deeply concerned by the Malian Government's discussions with Wagner Group. In her statement of 29 September 2021, the Minister for Africa made clear that Wagner Group is a driver of conflict and has committed human rights abuses elsewhere. The UK supports the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in urging the Malian Government to reconsider their engagement with Wagner Group given the potential for further instability in the wider region. Together with other partners active in the region, the UK is keeping the situation under close review. As of August 2021, there were over 12,000 troops as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA). MINUSMA will remain critical in helping protect civilians and advancing long-term peace and stability. The UK is in contact with our French partners on their planned changes to operations in the Sahel. We have had assurances that France will retain the critical support functions such as force protection, medical and logistical support, which allow the UK to effectively contribute to operations in the Sahel. The UK remains committed to UN peacekeeping.
Nigeria: Armed Conflict
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent reports of (1) fighting in Birnin Gwari in Kaduna state between members of the al Qaeda affiliateAnsaruand other armed factions, and (2) the prevalencein central Nigeria of diverse armed non-state actors espousing religious extremism.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government is concerned by increasing insecurity in Nigeria. We continue to follow developments closely. We are aware of reports of fighting in Kaduna State between Ansaru and other armed factions. In central Nigeria, we remain concerned about rising levels of violence, and the involvement of armed groups in a high number of incidents. While Islamic extremism is a driver of the conflict involving terrorist groups in the North East of Nigeria, it remains our assessment that the causes of conflict in central Nigeria are more complex, and frequently relate to competition over resources and criminality.
Rwanda: International Law
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe extent to which the proposed new Rwandan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Busingye Johnston, upholds international law; whether they intend to accept his diplomatic credentials; and what discussions they will have with the government of Rwanda about upholding international law.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We do not comment on the appointment process for individual Ambassadors or High Commissioners. All applications for agrément for the appointment of Ambassadors and High Commissioners to the UK are considered on a case-by-case basis and a range of factors are taken into account before a decision is made.The UK has a strong relationship with Rwanda. Our close cooperation and engagement means we can discuss priority issues and shared concerns, including for example human rights, the Commonwealth, climate and building back from COVID-19. We continue to urge Rwanda, as a member of the Commonwealth, and future Chair-in-Office, to uphold international law and to respect and champion Commonwealth values of democracy, rule of law, and human rights.
Nigeria: Boko Haram
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat posed by jihadists in northern Nigeria following reports that Boko Haram fighters have moved from Borno state to Rijana Forest in Kaduna state.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government is concerned by increasing insecurity in Nigeria. We continue to follow developments closely, including reports of terrorist activity in Kaduna State. Our Travel Advice advises against all travel to Kaduna State, and notes that significant attacks have occurred in Kaduna State in the past.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Public Expenditure
Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to engage with small UK development charities to assist (1) with departmental submissions to the Comprehensive Spending Review, and (2) in the production of their new International Development Strategy.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The International Development Strategy will outline the UK government's strategic priorities and approach to development. As part of a wider engagement process, my ministerial colleagues have held meetings with many stakeholders, including civil society organisations and small development charities; and we have recently closed a public Call for Evidence, which invited views from all interested parties, including small development charities.
Azerbaijan: Foreign Relations
Lord Hussain: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the independence of Azerbaijan on 18 October, and (2) to mark the anniversary by strengthening bilateral cooperation with the government of Azerbaijan.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Her Majesty the Queen sends her congratulations on the occasion of the anniversary of countries' national or independence days, including Azerbaijan. In Azerbaijan, the UK Ambassador will congratulate the people of Azerbaijan on 18 October - the Day of Restoration of Independence. The UK Government continues to work with Azerbaijan to strengthen our bilateral cooperation. In her recent call with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov, the Minister for Europe and Americas welcomed the continued strengthening of UK-Azerbaijani relations including in key areas such as trade and English language learning.
Developing Countries: Females
Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on the 'What Works to Prevent Violence: Impact at Scale' programme.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK launched the What Works to Prevent Violence: Impact at Scale Programme during the Generation Equality Forum in June 2021 and the programme has now started. A separate research component is currently in procurement. This £67.5 million investment will build on the ground-breaking success of What Works Phase 1 and is the largest investment by any single donor government to prevent genderbased violence globally.
Afghanistan: Education
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote and support an effort to (1) co-ordinate, (2) fund, and (3) deliver education to children in Afghanistan.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Supporting education for children, and particularly girls, in Afghanistan, is a priority for the government and we are working with other donors to coordinate a consistent international response. Taliban policy on girls' education remains unclear, particularly in respect of girls' secondary education. We will continue to work with the international community to use our influence to secure girls' rights, including the right to education. Before making any funding decisions we will look carefully at how we might support girls' equal access to schooling.
Afghanistan: Taliban
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the feasibility of delivering emergency aid to Afghanistan without working directly with the Taliban.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: No funding will be provided directly to the Taliban. Our support will be delivered through partners such as the UN and international NGOs who have capability on the ground, and capacity to deliver at scale, as well as experience of delivering in Taliban controlled areas. Before funding is committed we conduct due diligence assessments on partners and implementation chains to assess risks and actions needed; and we remain in regular contact with partners to review these risks during implementation.
Afghanistan: Taliban
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal by the government of France to recognise the Taliban as a legitimate government, if certain conditions regarding human rights and women's rights are met.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: French policy towards the Taliban is a matter for the French Government. The UK's long-standing policy is that we recognise states not governments. The UK and France, along with other members of the G7, are working closely together to maintain pressure on the Taliban to ensure respect for human rights, including the full access of girls to education and women to employment, to allow humanitarian access, and to sever all contact with terrorist groups.
Afghanistan: Health Services
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the UK plans to assist the (1) United States, and (2) United Nations, in delivering medicine and medical products to Afghanistan.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are committed to ensuring the delivery of critical drugs, medical supplies and immunisations to the most vulnerable in Afghanistan. We are working with the United States, the EU, Canada; and multilateral organisations including the WHO, World Bank and Global Fund to explore how we can further support primary health care provision in the country.
Armed Conflict: Civilians
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they are putting into (1) international, and (2) national, unarmed civilian protection; and which projects that have been funded are directed at, or include elements of, such work.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Protecting civilians is at the core of the FCDO's work to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts around the world. This involves working bilaterally and multilaterally not only on resolution of conflict itself, but also to ensure that parties involved respect their obligations under international law, and to condemn violations of those obligations.The highest civilian protection needs are in contexts of armed conflict, therefore the UK is proud to have committed approximately £600 million this financial year for bilateral humanitarian protection and assistance in fragile and conflict affected states. In addition, the UK funds the work of multilateral organisations and agencies with a protection focus. For example, in the last financial year, we have provided £63 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to protect and assist the victims of conflict and promote compliance with International Humanitarian Law and £35 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In addition to our mandatory peacekeeping and UN regular budget contributions, we provided £250,000 this financial year to improve protection of civilians in peacekeeping, including a project on unarmed approaches. We will continue to use our role in the UN Security Council and other international fora to champion civilian protection, including humanitarian principles, International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law and refugee law.
Hazem Joulani
Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the killing of Dr. Hazem Joulani by Israeli forces in East Jerusalem, and the reports that he was denied medical attention before his death.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of the Israel security force's adherence to the principles of necessity and proportionality when defending its legitimate security interest. The wounded or critically ill should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.
Hebron: Mosques
Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding (1) the denial of access to Palestinians for worship in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, and (2) the prevention of the call to prayer, since 1 September.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly raise issues of religious freedom with the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority. We continue to call on all sides to uphold the historic status quo at the Holy Sites.
Jerusalem: Palestinians
Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel concerning the violence used by Israeli forces against protestors at Sheikh Jarrah.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK regularly raises the issue of forced evictions from their homes, including in Sheikh Jarrah, with the Government of Israel. On 8 May Minister Cleverly publicly expressed concern over tensions in Jerusalem linked to the threatened eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah. The former Foreign Secretary visited the region on 25 May where he urged the Israeli Government to take steps to ensure calm in Jerusalem. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.
Syria: Repatriation
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of the experience of (a) the United States, and (b) other countries, in repatriating their nationals from detention camps in Syria, (2) whether they are considering individual cases, in particular of (a) widows, and (b) fatherless children, and (3) if so, how many individual cases are currently being considered.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to work with and learn from our international partners on a range of issues to help address the difficult situation in North East Syria, including in relation to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. It is ultimately a matter for individual countries how they address any situations involving their nationals, including, where applicable, repatriation to the country of origin. We are aware that British nationals, including children, are located in IDP camps in north east Syria. Due to the shifting circumstances on the ground we are not in a position to make an accurate estimate of their number. Where we become aware of British unaccompanied or orphaned children we work with partners to facilitate their return where feasible. Establishing their whereabouts and identity is not straightforward, but we have facilitated a number of such returns to the UK. Each case is considered on a case by case basis, subject to national security concerns.
Land Mines
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of the number of people who live in danger of landmines and unexploded ordinance, and (2) how much funding they have provided for landmine clearance in each of the last five years.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Sixty countries and four territories are contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance. As one of the founding signatories to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, and with our UK Aid investment, the UK is one of the leading supporters of mine action. From 2014-17, our original Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP) invested over £40 million. From 2018, the UK has invested a further £124 million to help clear deadly explosive devices worldwide through the Global Mine Action Programme 2. By December 2020, GMAP2 had cleared and confirmed safe 395 million square metres of land, the equivalent of over 55,200 football pitches. GMAP2 has also delivered risk education messages to over 3.1 million people in communities affected by mines. In addition, the UK's Conflict, Stability and Security Fund supports a number of mine action programmes around the world.
Tigray: Armed Conflict
Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) when the UK's deployed expert from thePreventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative in Tigray is due to report on the results of their mission, and (2) when the report will be made available to Parliament.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I am appalled by reports of sexual violence in Tigray, and directly expressed my concerns in the strongest terms to the Ethiopian Ambassador during my first week as Minister for Africa. As you are aware in June we deployed an expert from the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative UK Team of Experts to conduct an initial scoping mission to identify tangible ways to enhance the response to gender-based violence in Tigray. An Adviser has now been recruited to implement recommendations from this internal report - including a wider deployment supporting key stakeholders, including the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), to safely document conflict-related sexual violence and support efforts to bring the perpetrators of sexual violence to justice. The UK fully supports the joint investigation involving the UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights and EHRC. We continue to explore options for addressing the immediate needs of survivors, preventing further sexual violence and delivering justice and accountability.The UK continues to call for a ceasefire to be agreed urgently and for the urgent opening of a humanitarian corridor to provide aid, including food, fuel and medical aid.
Iran: Baha'i Faith
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights implications of the exclusion ofBaháʼí students from universities in Iran as a consequence of policies set by the Iranian Education Monitoring and Evaluation Organization; and what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Iran in relation to such exclusions.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.The Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted. We have repeatedly raised these persistent human rights violations with Iran. On 9 March, at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK called on Iran to end the discrimination and persecution of religious minorities, particularly towards the Baha'i and Christian converts. The education ministry's reported policies are another example of this discrimination. All religious or ethnic minorities should be allowed to participate fully in society and, together with the international community, we have pressed Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues. We call on President Raisi to set Iran on a different course and commit to improving human rights in Iran, including for all religious minorities.
Land Mines
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) which countries, if any, will no longer receive funding for the clearance of land mines and unexploded ordinance, and (2) whether these cuts are compatible with the UK’s commitment to the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are working towards finalising the country allocation for the Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP3) and have welcomed feedback from our partners in the mine action sector. UK mine action work will continue to promote peace and conflict recovery while saving the lives of those most in need and we remain committed to our international treaty obligations.
Ethiopia: Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs
Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the results of the visit to Ethiopia by theSpecial Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairsin September.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK's Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, Nick Dyer, visited Amhara and Mekelle in Ethiopia last month (September). The Minister for Africa Vicky Ford spoke to him immediately on his return. He concluded that the humanitarian situation has significantly deteriorated and the risk of famine is high. There are 6 million people, with 3 million of those being children, who are in dire need of food, health, water and sanitation assistance.In Amhara the Special Envoy saw the World Food Programme (WFP) in action. He and Minister Ford have reiterated the need for WFP and other partners to have access to all areas so they can provide vital humanitarian aid. The UK Government is committed to continue to address the humanitarian crises in the north including Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions. On 16 October - World Food Day - Minister Ford announced an additional £29m of humanitarian aid to people affected by the catastrophic conflict in northern Ethiopia. This increases the UK's commitment to the crisis to more than £75m - making the UK the second largest donor.The Special Envoy has called for all sides to stop fighting and find a political solution to avoid civilian suffering. He raised this with the Ethiopian authorities when he met them during his visit, including the Ethiopian Minister of Finance.The humanitarian situation in Tigray is a man-made crisis and it is completely unacceptable. Minister Ford urges all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire and to allow humanitarian aid to reach starving people.
Ministry of Defence
Type 23 Frigates: Greece
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the transfer of two Type 23 Frigates to the Hellenic Navy for (1) overall frigate numbers, and (2) the minimum level of frigates committed to be held by the Royal Navy.
Baroness Goldie: As part of the Integrated Review the decision was taken to decommission two Type 23 frigates, HMS MONMOUTH and HMS MONTROSE. They had been due to enter planned maintenance cycles from 2023. Frigate availability will be maintained through the life extension of three other General-Purpose Type 23s, and the new Type 26 and Type 31 frigates entering service. No decision has been made regarding the disposal of HMS MONMOUTH and HMS MONTROSE.
Military Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the 'Crowsnest' Airborne Early Warning helicopter programme is on schedule to meet its intended operational date; and what assessment they have made of challenges associated with the F-35B fighter jet programme, in particular regarding personnel.
Baroness Goldie: The CROWSNEST programme has successfully delivered a baseline capability to support the Carrier Strike Group deployment in 2021. The F-35B is a developing capability across Defence and, as such, challenges surrounding Suitable Qualified and Experienced Personnel are constantly monitored to ensure delivery of Strategic effect.
Ajax Vehicles: Procurement
Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government when David Marsh will produce recommendations on the Ajax programme; and when these recommendations will be published.
Baroness Goldie: David Marsh has been appointed as SRO on the Armoured Cavalry Programme (including Ajax). The MOD is committed to working with General Dynamics to achieve a resolution of outstanding issues. We will not take into service a capability which is not fit for purpose. Mr Marsh has not been commissioned to produce a “report” on Ajax but will in the ordinary course be advising Ministers as the programme evolves.
Ajax Vehicles: Procurement
Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government following the appointment of David Marsh as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) of the Ajax programme, which Minister is responsible for considering his recommendations on the programme.
Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to working with General Dynamics to achieve resolution of outstanding issues on the Armoured Cavalry Programme. We will not accept into service a capability which is not fit for purpose. David Marsh has not been asked to provide a specific report on a set of recommendations but will be providing advice to Ministers in the ordinary course in his role as SRO. The Minister for Defence Procurement supports the Secretary of State on the delivery of the MOD’s Equipment Plan.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Assistance Animals: Export Health Certificates
Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that qualified guide dogs, assistance dogs, and their disabled owners are not discriminated against when travelling to the EU by the (1) cost, and (2) bureaucracy, of obtaining an animal health certificate.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK has been formally ‘listed’ as a ‘Part 2’ third country for the purposes of the EU pet travel regulations, which means that new rules apply to pet movements from Great Britain (GB) to the EU and Northern Ireland (NI). The pet health and documentary requirements for such pet travel are set out under the EU Pet Travel Regulations.Defra recognises the undue impact that these changes are having on pet owners and assistance dog users. Defra has been clear that there are no animal health or biosecurity justifications for these additional rules to travel to the EU or NI. We will continue to press the EU Commission in relation to securing ‘Part 1’ listed status and recognition of the UK’s tapeworm-free status, recognising that achieving this would alleviate some of the new requirements for pet owners and assistance dog users travelling, including the requirement for an Animal Health Certificate (AHC). We see no valid animal health reason for these to not be granted and we have one of the most rigorous pet-checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity. We have submitted a detailed technical case setting this out and are continuing to engage with the EU on a workable solution.We are proactively engaging with the assistance dog community and relevant stakeholders on the impacts on dog movements from Great Britain to the EU. We will continue to work closely with assistance dog organisations to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members on pet travel requirements.Our advice for pet owners and users of assistance dogs travelling is that they should continue to contact their vet at least one month in advance to ensure their pet has the correct vaccinations and paperwork to travel abroad. The costs of completing and issuing an AHC are commercial decisions, set by individual veterinary practices.
Home Office
Police: Crimes of Violence
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to research by Femicide Census which found that 16 former or serving police officers had committed femicide since 2009, what assessment they have made as to whether male former or serving police officers commit violence against women, including femicide, at a higher rate compared to the general adult male population.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office collects and publishes information annually on both misconduct and criminal investigations involving police officers. However, information on the circumstances that led to a case being brought is not collected centrally by the Home Office
Educational Visits: EU Nationals
Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of the impact on incoming school group visits to the UK from the EU of the requirement from 1 October that such groups will need to ensure that each individual child holds a full international passport, and (2) what plans they have to allow children on school trips to the UK from the EU to enter with an ID card only.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: We have always expected people who visit the UK, including children visiting as part of a school group, from outside the EU (including close allies such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) to hold a passport and we now expect those visiting from EU countries to do the same.We have therefore phased out the use of EU, other EEA and Swiss national identity cards as a valid travel document for entry to the UK as a visitor, and as of 1 October 2021 all visitors are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary).We provided almost a year’s notice for this change to allow people to plan ahead and obtain a passport, if they need to, before they travel. There are no plans to allow child visitors on school trips to enter the UK from the EU without holding either an individual or being part of a collective passport.
Visas: Classroom Assistants
Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to speed up the process of visa applications for classroom language assistants.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: With the introduction of the Skilled Worker route on 01 December 2020 we suspended the limit on overseas visas to work in the UK, and removed the Resident Labour Market Test. These changes have reduced the length of the process to recruit a worker from overseas by up to eight weeks in comparison to the former Tier 2 (General) route.These reforms are part of a wider transformation to make the points-based system streamlined and digital. Enhancements for sponsors, combined with those for applicants, mean a faster end-to-end process from a sponsor getting a licence to an applicant coming to the UK. We have introduced Chip Checker functionality for a fully digital application system for EEA nationals applying through the new points-based system, allowing a fully online application process, reducing the time it takes an applicant to get a decision by up to one week.The Home Office published its Sponsorship roadmap in August 2021 outlining its plans to deliver further reforms to the points-based system. These planned changes will make it easier for users to navigate the system and further reduce the processing times for employers to bring someone to the UK to work. Further details on the planned reforms can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-points-based-immigration-system-sponsorship-roadmap
Migrants: Finance
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to lift the No Recourse to Public Funds rule for one year to support migrants who were put in accommodation under the Everyone In scheme and are no longer eligible.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office has no plans to lift the No Recourse to Public Funds condition for one year to support migrants who were put in accommodation under the Everyone in Scheme.
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Private Rented Housing: Tenants
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security of tenants in the private rented sector, in particular those affected by (1) the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and (2) the reduction in Universal Credit payments.
Lord Greenhalgh: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Universal Credit uplift were important elements of the wider package of support measures introduced by the Government during the pandemic. These measures have effectively prevented a widespread build-up of rent arrears and prevented evictions, by supporting private renters to continue paying their rent.This is evidenced by the latest published data from the English Housing Survey Household Resilience Study from April – May 2021, which suggested that the vast majority (93%) of private renters are up to date with their rent. Of the 7% (257,000 households) in arrears, 60% are in arrears of less than 1 month.In 2020/21, there was over a 40% reduction in households owed a homelessness duty following the end of an assured shorthold tenancy, compared with 2019/20.As emergency measures are lifted, support remains in place for renters through the welfare system. This includes maintained Local Housing Allowance rates at their increased level in cash terms for 2021/22, and for those who need additional support £140m in Discretionary Housing Payments funding, and the new £500 million Household Support Fund.As our recovery gathers pace, the government is continuing to help people into work and increase their earning potential – the most sustainable route to financial security. We are investing billions through our Plan for Jobs and the Lifetime Skills Guarantee.We will continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 upon renters and are committed to delivering a fairer and more effective rental market that works for both tenants and landlords. This includes repealing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to improve security for tenants. We will set out our proposals for reform in due course.
Regional Planning and Development
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how they define the term “levelling up” when used in policy statements, (2) when they will publish their objectives for levelling up, and (3) whether they plan to set measurable targets for each objective.
Lord Greenhalgh: Levelling up is at the heart of the Government’s agenda to build back better after the pandemic and deliver for the people of the UK It is about empowering local leaders and communities to seize their own destiny; boosting living standards, particularly where they are lower; spreading opportunity and improving public services, particularly where they are weak; and restoring local pride across the UK. The Government will publish a White Paper that will set out our plans in more detail.
Cabinet Office
Civil Service: Pay
Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of removing London weighting from civil service salaries in the event that employees do not work in their London offices for at least three days a week.
Lord True: Since the pandemic began, Civil Servants have been delivering the Government’s priorities from home and in the workplace. The Civil Service continues to follow the latest Government guidance and departments have plans to move gradually to hybrid working.Pay below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to departments. London pay levels reflect the need to recruit in the London market, not simply the costs incurred by staff for working in the capital. There are no plans to change terms and conditions around London based pay. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2021-10-25 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2021",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Arts
the earl of clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Digital on 12 September (HC9406), what roundtable discussions the Secretary of State has had with creators and performers in the arts in the last six months; with whom;whether Brexit was discussed at those roundtables; and what other issues were discussed.
lord ashton of hyde: Ministers meet regularly with a range of stakeholders to discuss a wide range of issues relating to DCMS policy including leaving the EU. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website of which the most up to date is attached.
Ministerial Meetings April-June 2017
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.16 KB)
Department of Health
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis National Outcomes Database ceased to exist; and why the data included in that database is no longer collected.
lord o'shaughnessy: The chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) National Outcome Database was developed by three NHS Clinical Network Co-ordinating Centres in 2006 and managed by Bristol University. Its development was part of a wider initiative to establish services for CFS/ME in the National Health Service at the time. Neither the Department nor NHS England has oversight of it, or responsibility for it.
NHS: ICT
baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice, if any, they have provided to NHS Trusts regarding the need to upgrade software and improve cyber-security.
lord o'shaughnessy: The Department published Your Data: Better Security, Better Choice, Better Care in July 2017 in which the Government accepted the 10 Data Security Standards recommended by the National Data Guardian, Dame Fiona Caldicott. The document sets out the steps National Health Service trusts are expected to take to improve their cyber security resilience. Data Security Standard 8 specifically states that no unsupported operating systems, software or internet browsers are used within the IT estate. NHS Digital published in May 2017 Unsupported Platforms – Good Practice Guide giving trusts technical guidance on how to upgrade software and improve cyber security. In October 2017, the Department followed up by publishing the 2017/18 Data Security and Protection Requirements. This document sets out the steps all health and care organisations will be expected to take in 2017/18 to demonstrate that they are implementing the 10 Data Security Standards, prior to a new assurance framework coming into place from April 2018. In 2015, NHS Digital established CareCERT to provide national cyber support to health and care organisations. This support includes cyber alerts with advice on software updates, direct support when cyber incidents occur, and also on-site support to assess local vulnerabilities to improve local resilience and mitigate the impact of future cyber incidents. The above mentioned reports are attached.
Managing the Risk of Unsupported Platforms
(PDF Document, 182.31 KB)
2017-18 Data Security and Protection Requirements
(PDF Document, 435.78 KB)
Your Data Better Security Better Choice
(PDF Document, 998.29 KB)
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Game
lord mancroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to promote British game meat.
lord gardiner of kimble: We recognise game is an important part of our food heritage. It is a big draw on menus across the UK and is prepared by many of our top chefs and served in many establishments countrywide. Exports of game meat were worth £9 million in 2016. We are raising the profile and reputation of British food and drink overseas through the Food is GREAT campaign, being delivered in partnership with Department for International Trade and VisitBritain. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2017-12-01 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2017",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Avian Flu
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Answer by the Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 23 June (HL Deb, cols. 1725–27) on the threat of an avian flu pandemic, what assessment they have made of developments since that date in regard to the readiness of the National Health Service to cope should the threat materialise later this year or in the first six months of 2006.
Lord Warner: We are aware that an influenza pandemic will place considerable pressure on health and social care services due to the significant increase in the number of patients requiring treatment both in the community and in hospital. There will also be a reduced workforce due to illness, which will place further pressure on services. In March 2005, the Department of Health published the UK Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan, which provides a framework that seeks to reduce the health impact of a pandemic and the possible disruption it may cause to essential services and people's daily lives.
The National Health Service is used to planning for emergencies and we have provided information and guidance to help it ensure that existing plans are appropriate for an influenza pandemic. Operational guidance was published in May 2005 to help with general planning and a framework for antiviral distribution and use was published last month. We are also developing clinical management guidelines, with the Health Protection Agency and the British Thoracic Society, to help inform management of patients suffering from pandemic flu. In addition, we are finalising infection control guidelines. We hope to publish both sets of guidelines very shortly.
We are also taking action centrally to help reduce the burden on the health service. For example, antiviral treatment of patients suffering from pandemic flu may halve the number of hospitalisations. We are purchasing enough antiviral drugs to treat the quarter of the population who may become ill. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2005-10-14b | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2005",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for Transport
East Coast Railway Line
lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what infrastructure improvements by Network Rail had been (1) contracted, and (2) announced, in respect of the East Coast Main Line at the time the contract with Virgin Rail Group and Stagecoach Group for the East Coast franchise was signed; and what precise contractual obligations lay with (a) HM Government, and (b) Network Rail, to ensure the timely completion of those works as part of that franchise.
baroness sugg: At the time the Virgin Trains East Coast franchise was awarded NR were developing a package of enhancements to the route that sought to enable the Intercity Express Programme fleet to operate, increase the frequency of trains and reduce journey times for passengers. The infrastructure enhancements on East Coast Main Line were announced by Network Rail in their published Enhancement Delivery Plan, which is regulated by the Office and Rail and Road (ORR). There are no contractual arrangements between Network Rail and HM Government in respect of these works.
East Coast Rail Franchise
lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Comptroller and Auditor General was informed, prior to the announcement on 29 November, of the decision to terminate the Stagecoach Group and Virgin Rail Group East Coast franchise three years early; and if so, whether he raised any issues or concerns.
baroness sugg: The Comptroller and Auditor General was not informed prior to the announcement on 29th November.
Railways: Franchises
lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the statement byBaroness Sugg on 29 November (HL Deb, cols 679-682), whether any rail franchise operator, other than Stagecoach Group and Virgin Rail Group on the East Coast franchise, will be eligible to terminate their existing franchise early and forge a public private partnership instead.
baroness sugg: We expect all operators and their guarantors to continue to fulfil their financial and contractual commitments.
Railways: Standards
lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the traffic performance of each of the train companies operating rail franchises in the first six months of 2017; and how that performance compares to the projections of traffic for that period in those companies' final bids for the franchises.
baroness sugg: The Office of Rail and Road produces data on the number of passenger journeys made (millions) on franchised train operators in Great Britain. The data for the period between January and March; and April and June 2017 are given in the table below: Rail passenger journeys by franchised train operator, Great Britain Jan - Mar 2017Apr - Jun 2017Arriva Trains Wales7.88.0c2c12.311.6Caledonian Sleeper0.10.1Chiltern Railways7.06.8CrossCountry9.79.7East Midlands Trains6.76.6Govia Thameslink Railway80.377.9Great Western Railway25.725.9Greater Anglia20.519.9London Midland19.317.6London Overground47.547.0Merseyrail9.610.1Northern27.425.7ScotRail23.923.5South West Trains58.052.1Southeastern46.941.6TfL Rail11.310.2TransPennine Express6.96.5Virgin Trains East Coast5.55.3Virgin Trains West Coast9.79.2
Railways: Franchises
lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Baroness Sugg on 29 November (HL Deb, cols 679–82), whether any other rail company, besides Stagecoach Group and Virgin Rail Group on the East Coast franchise, has indicated to HM Government a desire to end its existing franchise early and forge a public–private partnership; and if so, which.
baroness sugg: Due to commercial confidentiality, we don’t comment on the financial position of individual franchises. We work closely with all our franchisees throughout their contracts and monitor their progress against their contractual commitments. We expect all operators and their guarantors to continue to fulfil their financial and contractual commitments.
Roads: Construction
lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many major highway enhancement schemes, costing more than £5 billion, were completed in the period 2010–15; what were the value for money criteria on which those projects were authorised; how much of any assessed benefit was attributed to time savings by road users; and whether the anticipated savings have been realised.
baroness sugg: There have been no major highway enhancement schemes costing more than £5 billion completed between 2010-2015.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
lord naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the estimate by the Civil Aviation Authority that 1.5 million drones will be sold this Christmas; and what actions they propose to take to publicise safeguards forthe use of drones.
lord naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to contact relevant retailers and online operators to seek co-operation in publicising safeguards for the use of drones.
lord naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to mount a short-term campaign across all media around Christmas publicising safeguards for the use of drones.
baroness sugg: The government takes the safety risks drones can pose very seriously, and has recently announced a package of legislative measures to address this for Spring 2018. The measures include registration, leisure pilot test and new police powers.The Department for Transport supports the CAA in carrying out its Dronecode safety awareness campaign. The CAA is leading a special Christmas effort with retailers and other drone industry stakeholders to remind any new drone owners of the rules. Buyers of drones this Christmas should buy from a Dronesafe approved retailer, who will provide info on safety rules at point of sale, and log onto www.dronesafe.uk to learn more.
Leamside Railway Line
lord shipley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are planning to re-open the Leamside railway line between Sunderland, Washington and Durham; if so, what steps they are taking to achieve this; how much progress has been made; and when they expect that line to re-open.
baroness sugg: The Government is working with local authorities and other partners to identify the best new rail projects that can unlock new housing and economic growth, ease overcrowding, meet future demand and offer good value for money. No immediate decisions have been made to reopen the Leamside line.
Railways: Franchises
lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the impact on the budget of the Department for Transport of the changes to the franchising regime announced on 29 November; and whether the Department agreed those changes in advance with Her Majesty’s Treasury.
baroness sugg: We work with Her Majesty’s Treasury on all issues that affect significant public spending and budget allowance. At Her Majesty’s Government, investment decisions are made based on a rigorous and fair appraisal process that ensures spending goes to the projects and programmes where it is most needed and delivers greatest value-for-money for both taxpayers and passengers. We are always looking for the best ways to achieve value for money for the tax payer and the best results for passengers. Announced reforms will build on the best of the public and private sectors, with private sector involvement bringing innovation, investment and competition.
Railways: Franchises
lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government which external consultants were engaged to assist or advise on the new policy on rail franchising announced on 29 November.
baroness sugg: The Department for Transport sought advice from Arup, KMPG, Oxera, PwC, Roland Berger and SDG in relation to the rail franchising policies announced on 29 November.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Social Enterprises
lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer byLord Prior of Brampton on 1 August (HL1112), in what ways their Industrial Strategy will better support social enterprises.
lord henley: The Government’s ambitious, modern Industrial Strategy sets out a long term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. It sets out how we are building a Britain fit for the future – how we will help businesses create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the United Kingdom with investment in the skills, industries and infrastructure of the future. We will drive productivity in businesses and social enterprises of all sizes by increasing collaboration, building skills and ensuring everyone has the opportunity of ‘good work’ and better, higher-paying jobs. We will create a business environment equipped for the challenges and opportunities of new technologies and new ways of doing business, including innovative social enterprises that make an enormous contribution to our economy and our communities across the country. The Government is clear that the industrial strategy is part of our work to deliver an economy that works for everyone. It is a long term strategy to boost productivity and earning power of all people throughout the UK.
Energy
lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they estimate will be the components of the UK’s energy mix in (1) 2030, and (2) 2050.
lord henley: The Climate Change Act requires the UK to reduce it emissions by at least 80% by 2050 and the recently set fifth carbon budget requires us to reduce our emissions in 2032 by 57%. Meeting these targets will require changes to the UK’s energy mix and other sectors. The Clean Growth Strategy sets out one possible pathway to meeting our fifth carbon budget, and three illustrative pathways to 2050.
Housing: Construction
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of additional construction workers required to build 300,000 homes a year; and where any additional workers required will be sourced from.
lord henley: Annual housing supply in England amounted to 217,350 net additional dwellings in 2016-17, the highest number since 2007-08. The Government’s ambition is to increase this to 300,000 net additional dwellings by the mid-2020s. Currently, around 2.2m workers are engaged in the construction sector. The construction workforce is flexible, with a high degree of movement between different subsectors, including into and out of house building. The recently announced Construction Sector Deal aims to deliver a step change in productivity by increasing the use of digital and offsite manufacturing technologies, including in house building. These variables – flows of workers and productivity – mean it is not possible to accurately assess the additional workforce that may be necessary to meet Government house building ambitions several years hence. We are working closely with industry and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to keep construction skills needs under review and ensure these are met. In addition, a £34m fund for construction skills was announced in the Budget, as part of the National Retraining Scheme. The fund will help to build construction training facilities attached to housing developments, and will support adult students to retrain as construction workers.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Sayed Alwadaei
lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Embassy of Bahrain in the UK's involvement in actions against the family members of Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei since October2016.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government has raised these cases with the Government of Bahrain. We have received assurances from the Bahraini authorities that neither they nor the Embassy of Bahrain in the UK have been involved in any reprisals against the family members of Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei.
Ministry of Defence
Warships
lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byEarl Howe on 5 December, how many Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships are in commission on 5 December; and how many will be in commission on (1) 1 December 2020, (2) 1 December 2025, and (3) 1 December 2030.
earl howe: As of 5 December 2017, there were 72 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships in commission. On current plans, there will be 77 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships in Commission in December 2020 and beyond.
Department for Work and Pensions
Poverty
lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Buscombe on 28 November (HL3456), how they assess and evaluate (1) progress in tackling poverty, and (2) the impact of their fiscal and welfare policies on those vulnerable groups of people they have pledged to assist.
baroness buscombe: This Government is committed to action that tackles the root causes of poverty and disadvantage with policies that incentivise employment as the best route out of poverty. In Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, we set out a framework for a continued focus on improving children’s long-term outcomes. This includes nine national indicators to track progress in tackling the disadvantages that affect families and children. Four of these measures are set out in Primary legislation which places a duty on the Government report annually to Parliament on the parental worklessness and educational attainment indicators. Data on the non-statutory indicators will also be published each year. The Government carefully considers the equality impacts of individual policies on those with protected characteristics, including gender, race and disability - in line with both its legal obligations and with its strong commitment to equality issues. Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) undertake distributional analysis, at each fiscal event, to assess the impact of tax, welfare and public spending changes on household incomes. The latest was published to accompany Autumn Budget 2017.
HMT Budget 2017
(PDF Document, 383.16 KB)
Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families
(PDF Document, 808.37 KB)
Welfare State: Reform
lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Buscombe on 28 November (HL3456), how they monitor the accumulated impact of welfare benefit changes on different groups; and what assessment they have made of that impact.
baroness buscombe: Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) undertake a distributional analysis, at each fiscal event, to assess the accumulated impact of tax, welfare and public spending changes on household incomes. The latest analysis was published to accompany Autumn Budget 2017. In terms of monitoring the impacts on different groups, the Department publishes annual estimates of households living in low income in the Households Below Average Incomes (HBAI) publication. These statistics set out long run trends in the risks of different groups living in low income households. The latest estimates are to 2015/16 and 2016/17 results have been pre-announced to be published in March 2018.
HMT Budget 2017
(PDF Document, 383.16 KB)
HBAI Incomes
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Department for Culture, Media and Sport
National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service
Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking in response to the draft recommendation of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee ReportConvention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, published on 4 July, whichrecommends reconsideration of their proposal to build a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: We take our responsibilities under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention seriously and look forward to discussing the report at the World Heritage Committee meeting in September.My Department will continue to work with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities and The Royal Parks to ensure that the open space and heritage of Victoria Tower Gardens are preserved for future generations, and that the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre maintains the Outstanding Universal Value of the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church World Heritage Site.
Ministry of Justice
Political Exposed Persons: Bribery and Money Laundering
Lord Mancroft: To ask His Majesty's Government how many members of (1) the House of Lords, and (2) the House of Commons, designated as politically exposed persons within the terms of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and its successor legislation have been (a) investigated, (b) prosecuted and, (c) convicted in relation to offences of money laundering or bribery in each of the past five years.
Lord Mancroft: To ask His Majesty's Government how many family members of those members of (1) the House of Lords, and (2) the House of Commons, who are designated as politically exposed persons within the terms of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and its successor legislation have been (a) investigated, (b) prosecuted and, (c) convicted in relation to offences of money laundering or bribery in each of the past five years.
Lord Mancroft: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are designated as politically exposed persons in the UK; and how many relevant convictions for money laundering and/or bribery offences there have been since the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 were enacted.
Lord Bellamy: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on prosecutions and convictions for money laundering and/or bribery offences in the Outcomes by Offence data tool including offences as set out in the Offence Group Classification. This can be found via the following link: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).However, it is not possible to establish whether the defendant is a member of the House of Lords or House of Commons, as this information is not held centrally in the Courts Proceeding Database. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs. The Government does not maintain a register of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and does not hold information on how many PEPs have been investigated, prosecuted, or convicted in relation to money laundering or bribery.The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require businesses within the regulated sector (such as banks) to treat individuals who are entrusted with prominent public functions as PEPs, including members of a country’s legislative body. The Financial Conduct Authority provides guidance to businesses within the regulated sector on which customers should be regarded as PEPs under the Money Laundering Regulations, and how a proportionate risk-based based approach to these customers should be applied.
Victims' Commissioner: Public Appointments
Baroness Hamwee: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to appoint a Victims Commissioner.
Lord Bellamy: A recruitment campaign to appoint the next Commissioner is underway and it is right that the new Lord Chancellor looks at this carefully. We hope to announce the outcome of the campaign as soon as possible.At both Ministerial and official level, we engage with the victims’ sector on a regular basis to ensure the voices of victims and witnesses are heard while the appointment of the next Victims’ Commissioner is being made.
Ministry of Justice: Artificial Intelligence
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyautomated decision-making systems currently in use by the Ministry of Justice are used (even partially) to make decisions that affect people’s legal rights or entitlements; and how many of those have publicly available equality impact assessments and/or data protection impact assessments.
Lord Bellamy: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given to PQ 194023: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-07-13/194023.However, none of the systems used in that response are used to make decisions that affect people’s legal rights or entitlements.The Ministry of Justice has well established processes for completing Equality Impact Assessments and Data Protection Impact Assessments to ensure data processing is lawful, necessary, and proportionate.
Suicide
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what were the most common reasons for suicide cited in coroners' Prevention of Future Death reports for each year since 2015.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyPrevention of Future Deaths reports were issued in each of the past five years.
Lord Bellamy: With regard to the number of Prevention of Future Death (PFD) reports published in each of the last five years, I refer to my answer to the noble Lord Watson of Wyre Forest on 4 July (UIN HL9054).The Government does not collate analysis of references to reasons for suicide in PFD reports.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Darfur
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whatrepresentations they have made to the UN in relation to the violence and atrocities in Sudan, in particular in Darfur; and what steps they are taking in response, in accordance with the 'responsibility to protect' principle.
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to international partners, including the US, Canada, Germany, and France, in relation to the situation in Sudan, in particular in Darfur; and what steps they are taking together in response, in accordance with the 'responsibility to protect' principle.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK condemns reports of targeted violence against specific groups in Darfur. We have raised these reports in international fora, including the UN Security Council (UNSC) and Human Rights Council. Most recently, at the 13 July UNSC meeting on the International Criminal Court's Sudan investigation, we welcomed the ICC Prosecutor's decision to commence investigations into the offences currently being committed in Darfur. The UK has released funding to organisations who are working with local partners to collect, verify and preserve digital content from the conflict, including incidents of significant abuses. This will play a vital role in amplifying the voices of those who are being targeted and would be permissible in future accountability mechanisms, should they be established. We continue to work with counterparts from African, Quad (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UK, US) and European countries to support efforts to end the violence, protect civilians and secure safe humanitarian access.
Qin Gang
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government when they were last in direct contact with China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Permanent-Under-Secretary Sir Philip Barton met with former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on 10 April 2023 during his visit to Beijing. The Foreign Secretary met Qin Gang on 2 March 2023 at the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi.
Zimbabwe: Elections
Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations have been made to the Commonwealth Secretariat to ensure that the Commonwealth will have election monitors in place in Zimbabwe before the elections on 23 August.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As the Minister for Development and Africa said to President Mnangagwa during their meeting on 5 May, it is important that the people of Zimbabwe can choose their government through peaceful and credible elections. Independent observation by international and domestic missions will play an important role in assessing electoral conduct against regional and international standards. The UK welcomes Zimbabwe's announcement that invitations have been sent to observer missions. The UK is supportive of the Commonwealth sending an electoral observation mission to Zimbabwe and FCDO is engaging closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth partners to that end, including on possible UK support.
Uzbekistan
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the visit to the UK by Bakhtiyor Saidov, the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, on 24 July, what priority areas were put forward in discussion by (1) Uzbekistan,(2) the UK; and when they anticipatethat a return visit will take place to Uzbekistan by the Foreign Secretary or another Secretary of State.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary met Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov on 24 July to discuss how to advance our interests together, and how we can build stronger cooperation. The UK is committed to working with Uzbekistan across our many shared priorities: security, trade, human rights, climate and the war in Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary's travel plans over the next year are yet to be decided, however he is committed to increasing ties with Uzbekistan. The Minister for Europe and Central Asia, Leo Docherty, visited Uzbekistan on 6 June and has since visited the four other Central Asian Republics.
Ukraine: Wheat
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking with international partners to protect global wheat supplies, following Russia’s withdrawal from the 2022 Black Sea grain deal.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom condemns in the strongest terms Russia's decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Foreign Secretary has called on Russia to rejoin immediately. The UK will continue to explore options, with Ukraine and other partners, to enable Ukraine to continue exporting its grain. A NATO-Ukraine Council is being convened on 26 July to discuss Black Sea Security.
Peru: Politics and Government
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the human rights implications of the current political and security situation in Peru, following the mass demonstrations against the government of President Dina Boluarte on Wednesday 19 July.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to monitor the political and security situation in Peru, including any implications arising from the public demonstrations that took place across Peru on 19 July. The UK welcomes President Boluarte's calls for peace and dialogue in the context of the recent protests. Our Embassy in Lima regularly discusses human rights and values issues with the Peruvian Government. We will continue to work with the Peruvian Government and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Peru to help Peru make progress towards sustainable and inclusive development with respect for human rights.
Mali: Politics and Government
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the human rights implications of the current political situation in Mali, following the adoption of a new constitution by the military government, which gives new presidential powers to determine government policy and dissolve parliament; and what is their assessment of the impact that this will have on the intended return to civilian rule in the presidential elections scheduled for February 2024.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The situation in Mali is continuing to deteriorate, with the increase in Wagner Group's presence, the associated rise in human rights abuses and violations, and the potential impacts of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali's (MINUSMA) withdrawal. The authorities must deliver on their commitment to the political transition, with free, fair, transparent and inclusive presidential elections in February 2024, as endorsed by The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Summit of 3 July 2022. The UK remains ready to assist the Malian people towards a path of healing, reconciliation, and rebuilding for communities affected by human rights violations and abuses.
Myanmar: Internally Displaced People
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar following recent fighting which led to more than 1,000 Christians fleeing Nam San Yang in Kachin State.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the continued vulnerability of religious minorities in Myanmar, including in Kachin state. Although the UK has no political engagement with the military regime, we continue to publicly call for an end to the violence, including in multilateral fora. The UK has co-sponsored a number of UN Human Rights Council resolutions, including one in April, which condemned the regime's human rights violations and urged an end to discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities. On 21 December 2022 the UK coordinated a landmark UN Security Council Resolution which stressed the need for the protection of minority groups.
Kenya: Politics and Government
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the human rights implications of the current political and security situation in Kenya, following the crackdown on the ongoing protests to the Kenyan government’s Finance Bill; and what action are they taking with international partners to urge an end to the current wave of violence and a resumption of talks between the government and the opposition.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK regrets the loss of life and destruction of property during recent demonstrations in Kenya. The UK is following events closely and continues to urge all parties to engage in dialogue and resolve their differences peacefully. On 18 July, with partners, the British High Commission issued a statement calling for the cessation of violence and commencement of dialogue.
Ukraine: Prisoners of War
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the situation of access to Ukrainian prisoners of war by independent monitors and the International Red Cross.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Humanitarian organisations need security assurances from Russia to operate in frontline areas. The UK routinely calls for full compliance with International Humanitarian Law, including granting humanitarian access to prisoners of war and civilian detainees. As set out in the Third Geneva Convention, the International Committee of the Red Cross has the mandate to go wherever prisoners of war and civilian detainees are held and monitor their conditions of detention, their treatment, and share news with their families.
Darfur
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they have taken to prepare for summer recess period in August, when many officials are likely to be away from their posts, to continue monitoring the situation in Sudan, and in particular in Darfur, and to authorise any actions that many be necessary, in accordance with the 'responsibility to protect' principle.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In response to the outbreak of conflict on 15 April, the FCDO created an Enhanced Sudan Unit, bringing together a range of officials with different areas of relevant expertise, to work on the most pressing issues currently facing Sudan. Over the summer recess, the Enhanced Sudan Unit will continue to monitor the situation in Sudan and work with its UK, international and Sudanese partners to bring an end to hostilities, protect civilians and secure unfettered humanitarian access.
BBC Media Action: Finance
Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided to BBC Media Action in each of the past ten years, and for what purpose; and how they assess BBC Media Action’s value, effectiveness, and operational range.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Between 2013 and 2022 FCDO and its predecessor departments provided BBC Media Action with £137 million (see table). This funding has supported work in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. As media freedom is under threat globally, FCDO funding has enabled BBC Media Action to support independent media and public platforms for discussion, and to tackle misinformation and disinformation. Their work has improved people's access to health information, and helped them cope with effects of climate change, conflict and disasters. In Ukraine, FCDO funding to BBC Media Action has provided independent media with training, equipment and other types of support to enable them to keep reporting throughout the conflict.YearTotal funding (FCO, DFID, FCDO)2013£27.7m2014£25.7m2015£14.8m2016£20.5m2017£10.1m2018£7.6m2019£7.8m2020£8.6m2021£8.3m2022£6.1mTOTAL£137.2m
Libya: Sudan
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reports that Libya is arming the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan; and what representations they have made to the government of Libya about the flow of arms into Sudan.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of and monitoring reports of Libya providing arms to the Rapid Support Forces. There is a longstanding UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan, as well as a UN arms embargo on Darfur. These sanctions help prevent weapon flow into the country and encourage the resolution of armed conflict in, and stabilisation of, Sudan. In response to the ongoing conflict and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, on 12 July the Minister for Africa and Development also announced a package of six sanctions measures under the UK's Sudan (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. These sanctions will freeze the assets of three commercial entities linked to each party involved in the conflict. These sanctions are designed to press the parties to engage in sustained and meaningful peace process, allow humanitarian access and commit to a permanent cessation of hostilities. We will continue to work with counterparts from African, Quad (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UK, US) and European countries, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the United Nations, to end the violence in Sudan.
Treasury
UK Trade with EU: Small Businesses
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to small and medium-sized factories in England and Wales to support them with extra costs from customs checks as a result of the UK's departure from the EU.
Baroness Penn: The 2025 UK Border Strategy sets out the Government’s vision for the UK border to be the most effective in the world. A border which embraces innovation and simplifies processes for traders, including small and medium sized manufacturers. To support businesses with the post-Brexit environment, HMRC has provided practical support to all sizes and types of businesses as they adapt to the new trading environment. This support includes comprehensive guidance on GOV.UK, as well as a range of other supportive information, including recorded webinars and short explainer videos. HMRC has invested in building capacity and capability in the Customs & International Trade Helpline and webchat service to ensure all sizes of businesses who need additional support are able to access it promptly. Small and medium sized businesses can also use HMRC’s ‘Import and exports general enquiries’ service for help with UK customs enquiries via online, webchat, phone and post.
Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland
Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government what Barnett consequentials were made available to the Northern Ireland Executive in the last three years for which figures are available.
Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government howmuch unspent money were returned to HM Treasury by the Northern Ireland Executive in the last three years for which figures are available.
Baroness Penn: Spending Review 2021 set the largest annual block grants, in real terms, of any spending review settlement since the devolution Acts. This provided £15 billion per year for the Northern Ireland Executive. The Block Grant Transparency document details the Barnett consequentials that have been provided to the Northern Ireland Executive in the last three years, as well as other changes to the block grant including surrenders1. The Northern Ireland Executive received the following Barnett consequentials: £2.3 billion in 2021-22, £1.8 billion in 2022-23 and £2 billion in 2023-24. The Northern Ireland Executive can utilise Budget Exchange at Supplementary Estimates each financial year to move planned or unexpected underspends between years. The Northern Ireland Executive accessed £40m of Budget Exchange in 2020-21, £134m in 2021-22, and £130m in 2022-23. This mechanism means that typically no, or very little, general resource or capital funding is returned to the Treasury at the end of the year. There was an increase in capital underspends during the COVID years and underspends in ringfenced resource spending are more common given the terms of those funding streams. The Northern Ireland Executive are well funded to deliver all their devolved responsibilities, receiving at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK. Block Grant Transparency: July 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/publications/estimates-publications
Department for Business and Trade
Trade Promotion
Lord Grocott: To ask His Majesty's Government who are the Trade Envoys; to which country each TradeEnvoy has been assigned; and what is the party affiliation of each Trade Envoy and the length of time in post.
Lord Johnson of Lainston: There are currently 36 Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys and information as below. CountryTrade EnvoyDate of PM Appointment LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEANColombia, Chile, Peru, ArgentinaMark Menzies MP (Con)September 2016 & September 2017 for ArgentinaPanama, Dominican Republic, Costa RicaBaroness Hooper of Liverpool (Con)October 2020BrazilMarco Longhi MP (Con)August 2021AFRICAAlgeriaLord Risby of Haverhill (Con)November 2012Uganda & Rwanda (watching brief for DRC)Lord Popat (Con)January 2016Egypt and CameroonSir Jeffrey Donaldson MP (DUP)January 2016 & August 2021 for CameroonNigeriaHelen Grant MP (Con)October 2020KenyaTheo Clarke MP (Con)Reappointed May 2023South Africa & MauritiusAndrew Selous MP(Con)September 2017 & January 2023 for MauritiusTanzaniaLord Walney (Non-Affiliated)August 2021GhanaBaroness Hoey (Non-Affiliated)August 2021Tunisia & LibyaYvonne Fovargue MP (Lab)March 2022Angola, Zambia & EthiopiaLaurence Robertson MP (Con)Reappointed March 2023MIDDLE EASTIsraelLord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated)October 2020IranLord Lamont of Lerwick (Con)January 2016LebanonLord Risby of Haverhill (Con)August 2019IraqBaroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Con)January 2014Jordan, Kuwait & Palestine TerritoriesBaroness Morris of Bolton (Con)November 2012UAEGareth Thompson MP (Con)March 2023 EECANAzerbaijan, Turkmenistan, KazakhstanBaroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Con)April 2016 & Kazakhstan July 2017MongoliaDaniel Kawczynski MP (Con)October 2020UkraineBaroness Meyer (Con)October 2020TurkeyLord Hutton (Lab)May 2022EUROPESwitzerland & LiechtensteinSir Stephen Timms MP (Lab)August 2021Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia)Martin Vickers MP (Con)October 2020APACAustraliaLord Botham (Crossbench)August 2021TaiwanLord Faulkner (Lab)January 2016JapanGreg Clark MP (Con)May 2022Thailand, Myanmar, Brunei & VietnamMark Garnier MP (Con)October 2020 & for Vietnam January 2023SingaporeLord Sarfraz (Con)January 2022Republic of KoreaSir John Whittingdale (Con)May 2022Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines & ASEANRichard Graham MP (Con)Reappointed March 2023Cambodia & LaosHeather Wheeler MP (Con)Reappointed March 2023New ZealandDavid Mundell MP (Con)Reappointed March 2023SOUTH ASIABangladeshRushanara Ali MP (Lab)March 2016Sri LankaLord Mervyn Davies of Abersoch (Crossbench)October 2020 North America CanadaDame Maria Miller MP (Con)May 2022USA (specific focus on driving trade promotion with existing MOU states)Sir Conor Burns MP (Con)May 2023
Department for Work and Pensions
Unemployment
Lord Hayward: To ask His Majesty's Government what were the unemployment percentage rates in each parliamentary constituency in April 2010; and what are the equivalent percentages per constituency for July 2023.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The estimated unemployment rates for the year to March 2010 and the year to December 2022 (the latest available data at a constituency level) are published and are given in the attached spreadsheet. As survey based estimates they are subject to sampling variation, which can be quite large for these small areas. The information requested is also available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.aspGuidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.aspAttachment (xlsx, 48.6KB)
Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office: Artificial Intelligence
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government how many automateddecision-making systems are currently in use by the Cabinet Office to assist with making decisions that affect people’s legal rights or entitlements; and how many of those systems have publicly available equality impact assessments or data protection impact assessments or both.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer provided by the other House on 21st July to question UIN 194005. Automated decision making in Government is compliant with provisions in GDPR and the Data Protection Act, which includes the right for a data subject to request “a new decision that is not based solely on automated processing”.The Government has an Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework for Automated Decision-Making.
Legislation: Parliamentary Scrutiny
Lord Norton of Louth: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 13 July (HL8938), which Acts of Parliament are presently undergoing post-legislative review; and which Acts are scheduled to enter the review process between now and the end of 2023.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: There are currently no Acts of Parliament undergoing post-legislative scrutiny. Acts of Parliament that received Royal Assent before 2019 are eligible for post-legislative scrutiny by the end of 2023. The Government has not announced whether any post-legislative scrutiny communications will be published between now and the end of 2023.
Covid-19 Inquiry: Immunosuppression
The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty's Government how the needs of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable,as distinct from the disabled, will be addressed in the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The UK COVID-19 Inquiry is independent of the Government. The process, procedure and timing of the Inquiry are matters for the Chair, Baroness Hallett. On 16th January 2023 the Chair designated the group Clinically Vulnerable Families as a Core Participant for Module 3 of the Inquiry which covers healthcare systems in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is for the Inquiry itself to provide any further detail on the important issue of how the needs of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable will be addressed. The Government is committed to learning from the Covid-19 Inquiry’s findings which will play a key role in informing planning and preparations for the future; it continues to work closely with the Inquiry.
Ministry of Defence
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Armed Forces
Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with international partners in respect of the possibility of deploying UK military personnel to support (1) EUFOR’s Operation Althea, or (2) NATO headquartersin Sarajevo.
Baroness Goldie: The UK Government regularly discusses maintaining stability in the Western Balkans with our NATO Allies and European partners. The UK provides support for EUFOR ALTHEA through NATO (the operation is carried out with recourse to NATO assets and capabilities) and coordinated bilateral exercising. The UK will support the renewal of EUFOR's UN Security Council mandate, due by November.The UK already has military personnel deployed to NATO's headquarters in Sarajevo.
Department for Education
Special Educational Needs
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to address the gaps inlearning for disabled children who need to be absent from school more often than their peers.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provision of education for disabled children who have long periods of absence from schools.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Children’s Commissioner report Beyond the labels: A SEND system which works for every child, every time, published in November 2022, which found that “children with SEND are overrepresented in terms of low attendance at school”, what plans they have to reform approaches to school attendance to incorporate the needs of disabled children.
Baroness Barran: Disabled children often face greater barriers to attending school than their peers, but the government is clear that the attendance ambition for these pupils should be the same as for any other pupil.The department’s new ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance (attached) sets expectations on schools to be mindful of the barriers that disabled children face and put in place additional support where necessary to access full-time education, including making reasonable adjustments (for example, to uniforms or school routines). The department’s attendance hubs, mentors and advisor programmes will help schools to meet these expectations.Local authorities are responsible for arranging suitable education for children of compulsory school age who, because of health reasons including long-term illness, would otherwise not receive suitable education. The department’s statutory guidance, ‘Ensuring a good education for children who cannot attend school because of health needs’ (attached), sets out clear expectations of local authorities to meet this duty including that the education provided is of good quality.The attached Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan and the Children’s Social Care Implementation Strategy, detail commitments to providing stronger support for disabled children. This includes a Law Commission review of children’s social care legislation for disabled children and a £30 million investment in innovative approaches to short breaks for disabled children. Improved attendance will be a key outcome in the new SEND and AP inclusion dashboards and in the new performance framework for AP. Information on the implementation strategy is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/childrens-social-care-stable-homes-built-on-love.health needs guidance (pdf, 244.2KB)SEND AP plan (pdf, 1767.4KB)School attendance guidance (pdf, 595.0KB)
Childcare
Baroness Twycross: To ask His Majesty's Government whatestimate they have made of the number of families who will take up 30 hours of funded childcare from September 2025; and what is that number as a percentage of all children from nine months to the start of school.
Baroness Barran: The department provides annual estimates of the take-up rate of the existing three and four-year-old 30 hours entitlement, after subtracting reception children from the population estimates. This information is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.The department recently released a costings information note, with information on estimated take-up rates amongst younger children eligible for the new entitlements announced at Spring Budget. This can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-methodology. The take-up is estimated to be between around 30% and 90%, with variation substantially driven by parents’ likelihood of using formal childcare depending on the age of their child. This file also contains data on population projections by age of child for the 2024/25 financial year and beyond.The attached document shows information on eligibility for entitlements including the department’s eligibility estimate for the existing three- and four-year-old extended hours for working parents entitlement.The census data and Spring Budget forecasting use numbers of children. The department does not hold data to easily convert these estimates to the numbers of families.Costing information note (pdf, 172.5KB)
Students: Loans
Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of graduateshave not reached the salary level to start repaying their student loan.
Baroness Barran: The exact information is not readily available or held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The department can provide the following information, which was published on 15 June 2023, in the Student Loans in England (for financial year 2022/23) publication available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2022-to-2023/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2022-23.The figures below classify borrowers with income contingent loans by their known status as of 30 April 2023. Until their loan balance is fully repaid or cancelled, borrowers can move into and out of any of the statuses.As of 30 April 2023, of those who reached their repayment date between financial years 2000/01 to and including 2021/22, with at least one tax year processed, 18.8% are UK residents in live employment and not required to pay and 1.2% are residents outside of the UK and have not reached the repayment threshold for that country.From those remaining, 25.3% have fully paid off their loans and 41.9% are repaying. A further 0.8% and 2.1% are currently in the UK tax system and marked as currently having no live employment at HMRC for fewer than 90 days or 90 days or longer, respectively, and 0.4% are awaiting first year tax return to determine if they earn above the threshold. A further 7% are known to be in the UK but not in the UK tax system and their status does not require repayment at this point. A further 1.5% reside outside of the UK and either have no details of income or are not currently repaying and their repayment status is being sought. Finally, 1% are not resident in the UK and have defaulted in arrears. This information is available via the attachment.The figures included can be found in Table 3A(i)(ii) of the release is available via the attachment.HL9717_Student_Loans_Data (pdf, 942.1KB)HL9717_Data_Table (xlsx, 302.7KB)
Childcare
Baroness Twycross: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate theyhave made of the additional number of two-year-olds who will access funded childcare hours from April 2024; and what is this number as a percentage of all two-year-old children.
Baroness Twycross: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made ofthe additional number of children aged (1) nine months to one year, and (2) one to two years, who will access funded childcare hours from September 2024; and what is this number as a percentage of all children aged nine months to two years.
Baroness Barran: The department recently released a costings information note, with information on estimated take-up rates for funded childcare hours. The costings information note can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-entitlements-and-funding. The department estimates that take-up would be between around 30% and 90%, with variation substantially driven by parents’ likelihood of using formal childcare depending on the age of their child. This file also contains data on population projections by age of child.For the purposes of calculating costs, the department has estimated a take-up rate for each age group of eligible children:Take-up by two-year-olds would be at the higher end of the range, based on take up of existing entitlements offers for three- and four-year-olds (around 75%)Take-up by one-year-olds would be in the middle of this range (around 60%)Take-up by children aged 9-12 months would be at lower end of the range, based on low use of formal childcare (around 35%) The department separately publishes information on eligibility for entitlements through the ‘Education provision: children under 5 years of age’ (section five on Data Quality) document, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-methodology. This document includes the department’s eligibility estimate for the existing three- and four-year-old extended hours for working parents’ entitlement. Take-up rates and numbers for existing entitlements are also detailed at this link annually from the department’s spring censuses. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2023-08-07 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Department for Transport
Tolls: Greater London
Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Mayor of London about ending (1) the temporary rise in cost, and (2) the extension of the hours of operation, of the Congestion Charge; and what has been the outcome of any such representations.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government has agreed a further extraordinary funding and financing package for TfL of up to £1.7bn to ensure the continuation of public transport services in London. Transport in London is devolved and decisions around the congestion charge are a matter for the Mayor. As part of this deal the mayor agreed that the current temporary changes to the daily charge, operating hours and days of the Congestion Charge will be maintained as a continuing response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Climate Change Convention
Baroness Boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for a public engagement strategy for COP26, following the report by Bright Blue, Going Greener? Public Attitudes to Net Zero, published 12 October, which stated that 58 per cent of people asked did not think that the UK would reach net zero by 2050.
Lord Callanan: In preparation for COP26, the Cabinet Office has set up a dedicated engagement team that will facilitate engagement with businesses, wider civil society and youth, and cities and regions on COP26. This will ensure that the UK brings along all of society in the global transition to a net-zero economy and in the delivery of an ambitious and inclusive COP26 summit. We will continue to engage the public as we develop our plans for reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
Climate Change Convention
Baroness Boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what scrutiny mechanisms they plan to propose to Parliament for the scrutiny of COP26 sponsorship agreements.
Baroness Boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to limit sponsorship for COP26 (1) to companies which have a plan to half their emissions by 2030, and (2) to companies that have disclosed plans that are aligned with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to1.5 degrees.
Baroness Boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government how muchfundingthey expect to raise from sponsorship for COP26; and whether they will provide a breakdown of that funding.
Baroness Boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan (1) to publish the historic and current emissions of any COP26 sponsors, or (2) to place a requirement on potential sponsors to publish their historic and current emissions.
Lord Callanan: Sponsorship is an important part of our funding arrangements for COP26, supporting the successful delivery of an event with the level of ambition required to tackle the urgent challenge of climate change; and enhancing value for money for taxpayers. The names of any confirmed sponsor will be published on the COP26 website. The Government will conduct due diligence on all potential sponsors and ensure compliance with rigorous standards. Environmental transparency and disclosure is vital to track progress towards a net zero economy, and this is one of the criteria that the Government is using to assess potential sponsors. The Government has set strict sponsorship criteria for COP26 and will only partner with companies who have set net-zero commitments by 2050 or earlier, and who have published a credible and aligned short-term action plan to achieve this. The Government is encouraging companies with strong climate credentials to apply for sponsorship through the COP26 website.
Insolvency
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pre-pack administrations were referred to the Pre Pack Pool in each week since May.
Lord Callanan: There were 20 referrals to the Pre-Pack Pool between 1 May 2020 and 27 October 2020.The table below shows the number of referrals for each week where referrals were received. For all other weeks there were zero referrals.Referrals made to the Pre-Pack Pool between 1 May 2020 and 27 October 2020Week commencingNumber of pre-pack referrals1 June 202018 June 2020115 June 2020129 June 202016 July 2020413 July 2020510 Aug 2020124 Aug 2020228 Sept 2020219 Oct 20202
Insolvency
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list all the meetings or communications that have taken place between the Insolvency Service and the Pre Pack Pool.
Lord Callanan: The Pre-Pack Pool was established in 2015. Since then, the Insolvency Service has had numerous meetings and communications (in the form of e-mails, letters and telephone conversations) with the directors of Pre-Pack Pool Ltd and the Pre-Pack Pool Oversight Group. The Oversight Group comprises the Pool directors and representatives from the insolvency regulatory bodies, R3 the trade body for insolvency professionals and other interested stakeholders. My reply to the noble Lord on 3rd August 2020 to Question HL7302 advised that officials from the Insolvency Service had attended three meetings with the Pre-Pack Pool Oversight Group in 2019 and one in 2020. Since that reply, they have had one further meeting with the directors of Pre-Pack Pool Limited.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Coronavirus: International Cooperation
Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 30 October (HL9430), what assessment they have made of whether their financial contribution to the work of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator is Official Development Assistance compliant.
Baroness Sugg: The breakdown of the UK's financial contribution to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) is outlined in the Written Answer HL9851. This includes up to £548 million for the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, up to £250 million of UK aid to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), up to £40 million to the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, and up to £23 million to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND).We have assessed this spend, and the vital work it supports, to be eligible as Official Development Assistance (ODA) under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ODA Directives. In line with these Directives, the primary purpose of the UK's ODA spend in this area is to promote the welfare and economic development of developing countries, and address the problems they face due to COVID-19. This includes ensuring that organisations supported to drive the research and development of effective vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments negotiate access agreements with private sector partners, and prioritise products that are suitable to the contexts, systems, and population needs of people in developing countries. This will be crucial in mitigating the humanitarian and economic crisis they face from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus: International Cooperation
Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 30 October (HL9430), what mechanisms they have put in place to assess the effectiveness of their financial contribution to the work of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.
Baroness Sugg: The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a coalition of partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Unitaid, the Global Fund, the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), and others. The UK is a founding member of the ACT-Accelerator, and provides strategic guidance through representation on the ACT-Accelerator Facilitation Council.The UK funds leading organisations that are committed to delivering the ACT-Accelerator's objectives. The breakdown of these financial contributions is outlined in the Written Answer HL9851. FCDO funding agreements with these partners set out objectives for UK funding, and are subject to rigorous programme management procedures, including routine financial and results reporting, audits, and annual reviews. The UK is an active participant in governance boards and committees for multi-donor funded organisations, including Gavi and CEPI, and works with other donors to set objectives, monitor performance, and ensure strong financial management and reporting.
Department for Work and Pensions
Coronavirus: Disease Control
The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, or plan to make, of the use of (1) tunnel, and (2) pod, disinfection systemsto protect against COVID-19.
The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the substances used in (1) tunnel, and (2) pod, disinfection systems; and what were the results of any such assessment.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: Her Majesty's Government’s assessment is that disinfectants (that may be used in tunnel and pod disinfection systems) which are used to control/kill harmful organisms such as bacteria and viruses etc. can pose risks to humans, animals and the environment due to their intrinsic properties and associated use patterns, and as such are strictly regulated under the Biocidal Products Regulation 528/2012 (EU BPR). In respect of Covid-19, Her Majesty’s Government’s position on the use of tunnel and pod disinfection systems, formed and based upon a report produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on cleaning and disinfecting of environmental surfaces (Covid-19 Situation Report 115), is that it is not recommended for individuals to be sprayed with disinfectant under any circumstances. WHO Situation Report 115 concludes that spraying individuals with disinfectant could be physically and psychologically harmful and would not reduce an infected person’s ability to spread SARS-CoV-2 through droplets or contact.
Home Office
Asylum: Glasgow
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the management of temporary accommodation for asylum applicants in Glasgow; whether they intend to consult (1) the Scottish Refugee Council, and (2) Glasgow MPs, on this matter; and whether any such consultation will incorporate (a) mental health provision, and (b) the use of contractors.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Glasgow provides a safe haven and welcome to Asylum Seekers and we are very grateful for the support the city provides.We are committed to ensuring that the services provided to the people we support are of the required quality. The Home Office has commissioned an evaluation of the accommodation and support services offered to asylum seekers in Glasgow during COVID-19 – seeking feedback from MPs and the voluntary sector.Meanwhile the Home Office continues to work with Glasgow City Council (GCC) LA and the Scottish Government via the Glasgow Partnership Board and the Regional Delivery and Procurement Group regular (currently bi weekly meetings) to explore all accommodation procurement options available and ensure appropriate support is provided.However, the Home Office does not directly commission health services. These are provided through the Asylum Health Bridging Team, part of the Glasgow City Council Health and Social Care Partnership.It should also be noted that the reduction of contingency accommodation in Glasgow is dependent upon both LA sign off for accommodation procurement requests and the progressing those cases that are in the LAs remit including working with Home Office to process cases that have had their asylum application concluded.
Fireworks: Safety
Baroness Clark of Kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the cancellation of organised fireworks displays this year, what steps they are taking (1) to ensure bonfire night safety, and (2) to prevent firework related injuries.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government is taking action to promote the safe and considerate use of fireworks through a public awareness campaign which was launched on 20th October. The campaign includes messaging for consumers on how to buy, store, use and dispose of fireworks safely.Fire and rescue authorities were provided with materials, through the Home Office Fire Kills campaign, to support this Government campaign and deliver firework safety messages locally.More information on the Government’s Firework Safety campaign is available on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/opss-launches-firework-safety-campaign
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Digital Technology
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to close the digital divide.
Baroness Barran: We continue to take steps to roll out gigabit capable broadband to every home and business in the UK, including a £5bn investment ensuring the whole of the UK benefits from a world class broadband infrastructure. Current gigabit coverage is over 27% of the UK and growing quickly, this is compared to under 5% just two years ago. Mobile coverage is also improving, thanks to our landmark Shared Rural Network agreement with the mobile network operators - the first of its kind in the world - 95% of the UK will have 4G coverage by the end of 2025.The introduction of the Digital Entitlement means that adults with no or low digital skills can undertake new digital qualifications up to Level 1 free of charge. The Government also supports the Future Digital Inclusion Programme. Since 2014, the programme has helped over 1.4 million people to gain the digital skills they need for life and work.In response to Covid-19 the Government invested over £195 million to support remote education. Part of this included delivering over 220,000 laptops and tablets over the summer term for vulnerable and disadvantaged children who would not otherwise have access. We are also making available 250,000 additional laptops and tablets (100,000 of these have been delivered since September) for disadvantaged children to supplement this in the event face-to-face schooling is disrupted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2020-11-06 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Lord Singh of Wimbledon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Beliefin July resulted in any consensus of action to address the root causes of discrimination against and persecution of those holding different faiths and beliefs.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Conference explored the many facets of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) through seventeen themed panel sessions and gave a platform to those persecuted for their religion or belief. Forty-seven governments, international organisations and other entities made pledges to take action in support of FoRB. Thirty-four countries joined the UK in signing up to one or more of a set of non-legally binding statements protecting and promoting FoRB for all. The statements and co-signatories are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/international-ministerial-Conference-on-freedom-of-religion-or-belief-2022-Conference-statements
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Elections
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had within the Peace Implementation Council of the Dayton Peace Agreement regarding (1) election law reform, and (2) forthcoming elections, inBosnia and Herzegovina; and to what extent any such discussions have noted the importance of maintaining the ability for full electoral participation by ethnic minorities within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK strongly supports the High Representative and the use of his executive powers should the situation require it. Officials have made this clear in meetings of the Steering Board of Ambassadors of the Peace Implementation Council. The measures he imposed on 27 July are a valuable step towards increasing the integrity and transparency of the 2 October elections. He has also called on Bosnia and Herzegovina's political party leaders to develop domestic solutions to the significant functionality problems. We encourage leaders to engage constructively to find solutions. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2022-09-30 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Department for Transport
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities about drone corridors.
Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) the Country Land and Business Association, (2) the National Farmers' Union of England and Wales, and (3) other relevant countryside bodies, about drone corridors.
Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide an update on Project Skyway.
Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what rights of appeal (1) house owners, and (2) landowners, will have on the designation of drone corridors.
Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they havehad with aviation bodies about drone corridors.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Drone corridors do not currently exist as a defined term or policy. Current work to further the potential of drone operations is focused on enabling Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations and the integration of new airspace users - including drones - into the UK’s airspace. Current airspace change policy (the CAP 1616 process) requires that any permanent change is done following consultation with affected stakeholders, including those on the ground. This CAP 1616 process is required for any change to airspace design, including in the event of the proposed establishment of corridors to support drone operations. Any permanent proposed change would also need to be consistent with the overall developing Airspace Modernisation Strategy - widely consulted upon and due to be published in the coming weeks. Project Skyway is a project that is part of a UKRI Challenge Fund, the Future Flight Challenge (FFC). Project Skyway has received public funding and has been developed and progressed by private companies. Any drone demonstration project under the FFC must comply with current regulation, and the outputs of all FFC projects will then be used to inform detailed policy and further regulation. The guiding input principles have been to develop the industry by bringing together diverse groups of stakeholders such as local authorities, technology innovators and end users such as the NHS. The projects have been designed to push regulatory boundaries to enable the industry to provide the resultant connectivity, economic and environmental benefits to the UK. Government is engaging with local authorities to discuss these new flight technologies. Many FFC projects include local authorities, and Project Skyway includes Oxfordshire County Council, Coventry Country Council and Reading Borough Council.
Electric Vehicles: Charging Points
Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to integrate payments for electric vehicle charging into parking payments as part of their policy to simplify the structure of electric vehicle parking in the UK.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government has no current plans to require electric vehicle charging to be integrated into parking payments. However, the Government will be laying regulations early this year designed to make the consumer experience of chargepoints simple and seamless. The regulations will mandate a pricing metric, to ensure pricing transparency, in addition to simplified payment methods, including contactless and payment roaming. To ensure that lack of off-street parking is not a barrier to owning a plug-in vehicle, the Government is supporting chargepoint provision through its Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund and On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, which both provide funding to local authorities to extend charging infrastructure for their residents.
Railways: Passengers
Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what growth in rail passenger numbers along the main line between Penzance and Plymouth was achieved by the introduction of a 30-minute frequency service prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: We do not have a complete set of data to present at this time. We have asked Great Western Railway to write to the Noble Lord when the information is available and this information will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Climate Change
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 16 December 2022 (HL3971), what estimate they have made of the difference in cost to the UK between following the advice of the World Climate Declaration, and following the advice of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Lord Callanan: The UK Government has not assessed the cost to the UK of following the advice of the World Climate Declaration. The IPCC does not make specific policy recommendations or directly advise governments so it is not possible to make an assessment of the costs of their advice. The IPCC's assessments are used on an ongoing basis to inform government decision making, including the HMT Net Zero Review, published alongside the Net Zero Strategy in autumn 2021. This analysed the costs and benefits of the transition and showed that the costs of global inaction significantly outweigh the costs of climate action.
Housing: Energy
Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 17 November (HL3182), what arrangements they have put in place to ensure that those who (1) do not have the digital literacy skills, and(2) are without internet access, can access the same impartial and tailored advice that users of the digitally led service can receive.
Lord Callanan: The Government has provided a digital assist service for the energy advice tool on GOV.UK for those without digital literacy skills or internet access. Later this year, we will provide further support through a free retrofit phoneline for consumers in England to access tailored and impartial information about how to improve the energy performance of their homes. In addition, the Government will launch a series of local demonstrator projects, which will test various approaches to delivering in-person advice, with a particular focus on harder-to-treat properties and digitally excluded consumer groups. Lessons learnt from these projects will inform further action post-2025.
Nuclear Power Stations: Wales
Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to build nuclear power stations atWylfa Newydd.
Lord Callanan: Great British Nuclear is being set up to develop a resilient pipeline of nuclear new builds in the UK. Wylfa is recognised as a strong site, among others, and will be considered as part of this process. Once decisions have been made on which sites to develop, timelines for build and operations will be established.
Industrial Relations
Lord Balfe: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to take into account the outcome of the Midland Cold Storage Ltd v Bernard Steer and others case of 1972 in their (1) ongoing review of the industrial relations legal framework, and (2) consideration of sanctions under any forthcoming legislation on industrial relations.
Lord Balfe: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review the role and powers of the Official Solicitor to prevent the holder of that office from seeking to free persons imprisoned under industrial relations legislation as part of (1) their ongoing review of industrial relations legal framework, or (2) any forthcoming industrial relations legislation.
Lord Callanan: The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill will ensure crucial public services such as rail, ambulances, and fire services maintain a minimum service during industrial action, reducing risk to life and ensuring the public can still get to work. The Government is not planning to imminently introduce any further primary legislation in this area. The Government continually keeps the UK’s trade union legislation under review.
Business: Regulation
Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 17 November 2022 (HL3179), what was the rationale for the decision to abolish the one-in-three-out policy.
Lord Callanan: The Government does not think a one-in-three-out rule is consistent with delivering world-class regulation to support the economy in adapting to a new wave of technological revolution or to achieving net zero. We absolutely want to reduce costs to business wherever we sensibly can, though we intend to do that by looking at the merits of each case rather than using a one-in, three-out system.
Department of Health and Social Care
Vaccination
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the health benefits of (1) COVID-19 vaccines, and (2) vaccines in general.
Lord Markham: The Department continues to use the best available evidence to demonstrate the health benefits of vaccinations at both a personal and population level and highlights these messages through regular media, stakeholder and social media engagement. The Department also works closely with both NHS England and UK Health Security Agency to develop vaccination guides and patient facing consent resources to demonstrate the benefits of vaccinations for all, as well as ensuring that reputable sources such as NHS.UK or GOV.UK are prominent and readily signposted.
Evusheld
The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the cost effectiveness of Evusheld in the treatment of immuno-compromised persons with complex health needs against the cost of an admission to hospital,given theincreasein COVID-19 hospital admissions and the pressure on the NHS.
Lord Markham: The decision not to procure Evusheld for prevention through emergency routes is not based on cost considerations, but rather on independent clinical advice by RAPID C-19 (a multi-agency group) and a UK National Expert Policy Working Group. These groups considered a full range of evidence, including clinical trial data, in vitro analysis and emerging observational studies, as well as the epidemiological context of Omicron and wider policies in the Government’s pandemic response and recovery. Their conclusion is that there is insufficient evidence of benefit to recommend deployment at this time. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is now conducting a Health Technology Evaluation of Evusheld, which is the routine process for new medicines to be evaluated for clinical and cost effectiveness and will provide recommendations through NICE’s guidance on the use of Evusheld in the National Health Service.
NHS and Social Services: Sick Leave
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are takingto reduce health and social care workforce sickness absence.
Lord Markham: Local National Health Service leaders have been asked to consider the health and wellbeing of all staff as a priority and establish a preventive approach to health and wellbeing. A national growing occupational health and wellbeing programme has been launched to ensure a preventive, organisation-wide approach to health and wellbeing. In addition, all NHS staff have access to a free confidential text service and to the online Headspace and Unmind platforms until 31 December 2023.The NHS sickness absence toolkit provides advice to managers to support staff to return to work, including considering reasonable adjustments and discussing the direct causes of absence. For winter 2022/23, NHS organisations will support staff to prevent the transmission of respiratory illnesses and all frontline healthcare workers will be offered free COVID-19 and flu vaccines.The majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers which set pay and terms and conditions, independently of central Government. We are encouraging adult social care providers to invest in mental health and wellbeing services for staff. We will continue to work with the sector to ensure that wellbeing resources and best practice advice are available.
NHS: Staff
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff were employed in the NHS in (1) 2015, (2) 2018, (3) 2020, and (4) 2021.
Lord Markham: The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) and headcount (HC) of staff employed in the National Health Service (NHS) in Hospital and Community Health Service settings as of December in each year requested: 2015201820202021Total staff (FTE)1,019,6771,082,9781,170,7711,212,478Total staff (HC)1,156,6621,226,3621,319,0101,362,335Source: NHS Digital Monthly Workforce StatisticsHospital and Community Health Services include staff working in hospital trusts and commissioning bodies, but excludes staff working in primary care, general practitioner surgeries, local authorities, and other bodies providing NHS funded care.
NHS: Staff
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff retired from the NHS in (1) 2015, (2) 2018, (3) 2020, and (4) 2021.
Lord Markham: The table below shows the headcount of staff who worked in Hospital and Community Health Service settings, and who have a ‘retired’ reason for leaving in the Electronic Staff Record for 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2021.2015201820202021All retirement related reasons for leaving27,15326,20128,70731,405Of which flexible retirement3,4914,0104,7955,079Source: NHS DigitalStaff who retire may later return to National Health Service (NHS) employment. More specifically, staff recorded as flexi-retirement would be expected to return to NHS employment working hours on a different contract.
Hospital Beds
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government how the urgent action promised by the Prime Minister on 3 January to increase NHS hospital bed stock by 7,000 will be achieved; and by when.
Lord Markham: The winter plan set out a commitment to increase general and acute bed capacity by the equivalent of at least 7,000 beds, through a mix of new physical beds and innovative virtual wards. NHS England report that additional capacity has continued to be put in place across the winter period and that the Nation Health Service is on track to deliver the total additional beds by the end of March this year.
Department for Education
Mathematics: Education
Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the additional resource costs ofensuring that all school pupils in England study mathematics until the age of 18.
Baroness Barran: The government is currently considering options for the delivery of my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s ambition for all young people to study mathematics up to age 18. Further detail will be set out in due course.
Free School Meals
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of an increase in the number of pupils who are ineligible for free school meals being unable to afford lunch.
Baroness Barran: The Department is aware of these reports and continues to monitor current issues affecting families, such as the rising cost of living and the effect this is having on school food. In particular, the Department continues to keep free school meals (FSM) eligibility under review to ensure these meals are supporting those who most need them. FSM are currently provided to over one third of school children.
Special Educational Needs
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government when the process ofdigitising Education, Health and Care Plans will commence; and whether they have undertaken an impact assessment of this approach.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what their policy is regardingstandardising Education, Health and Care Plans to improve standards.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether thedigitising of Education, Health and Care Plans will be undertaken by one centralised supplier; and how the procurement process will work.
Baroness Barran: In March 2022, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, which sets out our proposals to ensure that every child and young person has their needs identified quickly and met consistently.In the green paper, the department proposed to introduce a standardised and digitised Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan process and template to minimise bureaucracy, deliver consistency and improve the experiences for families and professionals.The green paper consultation closed on 22 July 2022. We are currently reviewing the feedback received and using this, along with continued engagement with families, professionals, and other SEND system stakeholders, to inform the next stage of delivering improvements for children, young people and their families. This includes those steps set out on EHC Plans.The department is committed to publishing a full response to the green paper in an improvement plan early this year. We will continue to support the system in the immediate term to deliver change and continue to improve the experience and outcomes for children and young people with SEND and those who need AP.
Apprentices: Living Wage
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that apprentices are paid the real Living Wage in 2023.
Baroness Barran: The department is committed to ensuring that apprentice pay supports the attraction and retention of talented individuals into apprenticeships. It is right that apprentices receive a wage which is fair and commensurate with the value and skills that they bring to their workplaces.We have taken steps to improve apprentice pay including aligning the apprentice national minimum wage rate with the national minimum wage rate for under 18s and accepting in full the recommendations of the independent Low Pay Commission to increase the apprentice national minimum wage by 9.7% from April 2023. This means an apprentice will be entitled to a minimum wage of at least £5.28 per hour in the first year of their apprenticeship. We are also continuing to work across government to tackle employer pay non-compliance and ensure apprentices receive the wages they are entitled to.Many employers choose to pay their apprentices more than national minimum wage rates recognising the value that apprentices bring to their workplace. Our data shows that average hourly pay for apprentices ranges between £8.23 for Level 2 and £14.02 for Level 6.
Education: Expenditure
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total spend in England on education for young people between the ages of three and 18 in 2020 (1) in cash terms, and (2) as a percentage of total government expenditure.
Baroness Barran: In the 2020/21 financial year, the department’s revenue funding for the 3 to 4-year-old universal and additional hours for the childcare entitlement was £3.1 billion. £51.5 billion was spent on school age pupils (5-16), and £6.2 billion on mainstream and high needs funding for 16-19 education in colleges, school sixth forms, and other institutions. In the 2020/21 financial year, the department’s revenue funding for apprenticeships for 16 to 18-year-olds was £500 million.In relation to capital funding, it is not possible to separate out funding for young people aged 3 to 18 from other capital funding. The majority of the department’s capital funding supports young people in this age group. In the 2020/21 financial year, the department’s total capital expenditure was £4.8 billion.In total, capital and revenue spend in England for these areas in the 2020/21 financial year was £66.2 billion.Total managed expenditure for the government in the 2020/21 financial year, as published in HM Treasury’s Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, was £1,104 billion. The department’s expenditure to support young people in England, as outlined above, is 6% of total managed expenditure.
Ministry of Justice
Prisons: Islam
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Bellamy on 10 January (HL Deb, col 1296), what research they have conducted on the impact of Muslim chaplains on (1) Islamism, and (2) non-Muslims, in prisons.
Lord Bellamy: Muslim Chaplains in prison play a central role in challenging Islamism through the delivery of HM Prison and Probation Service’s Tarbiyah programme. This has been independently peer-reviewed and provides prisoners with a nuanced and holistic understanding of the faith and is therefore a crucial protective factor against Islamist extremism. In addition, the Home Office commissioned an independent evaluation of the Desistence and Disengagement Programme (which includes a Theological and Ideological Intervention), which is expected to conclude this year. No research has been undertaken on the impact of Muslim Chaplains on non-Muslims in prison.Our Muslim Chaplains work closely with chaplains of all other faiths and beliefs in delivering HMPPS’ multi-faith model of chaplaincy support which includes the provision of non-religious pastoral care to prisoners and staff of all faiths and none. As set out in Prison Service Instruction 5/2016 (Faith and Pastoral Care of Prisoners) a prisoner or staff member may request support from a chaplain of a specific faith or belief if not the same as the duty chaplain which will be arranged as soon as possible if a chaplain of that denomination is not on duty at the time of request.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Transcaucasus: Roads
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian impact of the blockade on Lachin Corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan regarding the blockade of Lachin Corridorbetween Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government has made clear that the closure of the Lachin corridor during winter risks severe humanitarian consequences. Officials are in contact with humanitarian agencies, including the ICRC, about their assessment of the impact of the closure and the Government is a significant donor to agencies providing assistance on the ground. The Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty issued a statement highlighting the importance of re-opening the Lachin corridor on 13 December and our Ambassadors in the region and other senior UK officials have reinforced this message with key interlocutors. We also called for early resolution of this issue in our interventions in Vienna at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on 15 December and in New York at the UN Security Council on 20 December, where I also discussed this with the Foreign Minister of Armenia.
Armenia: Nagorno Karabakh
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of an Armenian genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh; and what steps they will take to reduce that risk.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government continues to monitor the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The UK Government has repeatedly urged the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments to thoroughly investigate all allegations of war crimes and other atrocities in recent years. It is essential all allegations of mistreatment, abuse and summary killings are urgently and fully investigated by the appropriate authorities.
Ukraine: Drugs
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what medicines and medical products they have given to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As part of the UK's £220 million programme of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region we have delivered over 11 million medical items. This includes 6.8 million doses of medicine - including antibiotics, pain relief and specialist medicines - as well as wound care supplies, personal protective equipment, ventilators, sterile needles, cannulas, bandages, specialist brain and spinal injury equipment, and over 70 ambulances. The UK has provided £300,000 to UK-Med to help train Ukrainian health workers deal with mass casualties and set up mobile health clinics for the most vulnerable civilians.
Israeli Settlements
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Israel’s policy on the expansion of existing settlements and the construction of new settlements and outposts in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are clear that settlements are illegal under international law and threaten the viability of a two-state solution. The UK urges the Government of Israel to permanently end its settlement expansion and settlement activity in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli outposts in the West Bank are also illegal under international and Israeli law, and should be removed entirely. I reinforced this message during a visit to a UK donor funded school facing demolition on 12 January, in Masafer Yatta.
Jimmy Lai
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with authorities in Hong Kong regarding the legal representation of pro-democracy leader and British citizen Jimmy Lai; and whether the Prime Minister will meet Mr Lai’s lawyers.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We remain concerned about the targeting of pro-democracy figures, journalists and publishers in Hong Kong, and are following these cases carefully, including Jimmy Lai's. We will watch closely how the Chief Executive and Hong Kong authorities act to implement the 30 December interpretation of the National Security Law.The Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, met with Mr Lai's international legal team on 10 January.
Ministry of Defence
Typhoon Aircraft
Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current estimate of the support costs for Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft per flying hour; and how this compares with the original estimate when the aircraft were procured.
Baroness Goldie: I refer the Noble Lord to the Answer I gave to the Noble Lord, Lord Moonie on 8 October 2020, to Question HL 8679. Support costs are based on engineering and support requirements and are not correlated with flying hours.TyTAN Typhoon aircraft programme (docx, 21.6KB)
F-35 Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Goldie on 23 December 2022 (HL4271), which squadrons will provide the 36 F35B Lightning aircraft to meet the Full Operating Capability of the Carrier Strike operating within a Maritime Task Group configuration.
Baroness Goldie: No Squadrons, either fixed wing or rotary wing, are permanently assigned. It remains the case that each Queen Elizabeth-class carrier has been designed for the flexible usage necessary in a modern defence capability, including transporting a mix of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. However, the composition and size of an embarked air group in a deploying carrier will be tailored to meet the operational requirement.
Typhoon Aircraft
Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Typhoon aircraft were in service with the Royal Air Force at the end of 2022; how many were at readiness for use; and how many were in deep maintenance or mothballed.
Baroness Goldie: The number of aircraft in the Typhoon fleet as at 31 December 2022 broken down between the Forward and Sustainment Fleets is given below: Forward FleetSustainment FleetTotal9740137 The Forward Fleet comprises serviceable and short-term unserviceable aircraft. Typically, the short-term unserviceable fleet aircraft are undergoing minor works, forward maintenance or other unforeseen rectification or technical inspection that can arise on a day-to-day basis. The sustainment fleet includes aircraft airframes undergoing upgrade or maintenance or being held in storage. The number of aircraft varies day-to-day, according to normal flight management activities.
Typhoon Aircraft
Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government how many hours were flown by Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft during 2022.
Baroness Goldie: The number of hours flown by the RAF Typhoon fleet is given below: Financial YearFlying Hours12021-2221,3602022-23215,710 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.1 April to 31 December 2022.
Home Office
Asylum: Rwanda
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings have taken place of the Monitoring Committee set up under the (Rwandan) Migration and Economic Development Partnership; and whether its minutes will be published.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: A full meeting of the Monitoring Committee is being planned and details on this will be set out in due course. As set out in the terms of reference, the Monitoring Committee will produce a summary report for publication once a year.
Deportation
Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the deportation of (1) convicted offenders, or (2) overstayers, to countries with no, or limited, health and welfare systems, is likely to result in destitution for those individuals.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: All individuals subject to removal from the UK are provided with the opportunity to raise claims, including medical claims, which are fully considered and determined before they are returned to their country of nationality or another country.Claims are carefully assessed on their individual merits and against a background of published country information notes and policy, which are available on Gov.UK.The Home Office provides financial assistance through the Facilitated Return and Assisted Voluntary Return schemes to support individuals to return to their home country.
Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee: Disclosure of Information
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Murray of Blidworth on 30 December 2022 (HL4257), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what factors they will consider in deciding whether to publish the report of the Independent Age Estimation Advisory Committee.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: The report from the Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee was published on 10 January 2023. The Home Office will now consider the recommendations and will set out further details in due course.
Immigration: Windrush Generation
Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals have received payments from the Emergency Hardship Fund since it was set up following the Windrush scandal.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: In December 2018, the Home Office established an Urgent and Exceptional Payments (UEP) process under the Windrush Compensation Scheme. The policy has a very clear purpose to provide support to members of the Windrush cohort who have an urgent and exceptional need, where this cannot wait for the full compensation scheme decision.The Home Office are committed to providing support as quickly as possible where it is needed. The number of individuals issued with an Urgent and Exceptional Payment is not currently published, the Home Office are working to publish that information shortly. The total value of Urgent and Exceptional Payments approved is published and as at the end of November 2022, the total amount paid out was £239,836.46.
Windrush Lessons Learned Review
Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 30 recommendations made by the Windrush Lessons Learned Commission have so far been implemented.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: In her report last year, Wendy Williams concluded that 21 of her recommendations have been met or partially met. She acknowledged that the scale of the challenge she set the department was significant and that change on this scale takes time.Since then, we have made further progress in delivering against Wendy Williams’ recommendations, including:In October 2022, the Home Office established the Office for the Independent Examiner of Complaints, and Moiram Ali was appointed as the Independent Examiner, subsequent to a public appointment recruitment process.The Home Office has held over 200 engagement and outreach events across the country and the Windrush Help Teams have attended over 120 one-to-one surgeries to help people apply for documentation.As of the end of October 2022, the Home Office had paid out or offered £59.58m in compensation to Windrush victims. In June 2022, the ‘Serving Diverse Communities – Acting on Our Values’ learning package was launched across the Home Office, this started with Recommendations 24 has been designed and is in the process of final review prior to implementation.
Migrants: Children
Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government whatestimate they have made of the number of children born and living in the UK who have no official residence status; and what plans they have to address those cases.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: We do not hold data on the number of children born in the UK who do not have regularised status. There are provisions within the Immigration Rules which allow children who have been born in the UK and are subject to immigration control to make an application and regularise their status. On 22 June 2022 the Private Life Rules were changed to make it easier for children and young adults in this position to gain settled status. When the parent or guardian is making an application to regularise their child’s status, they can apply for a fee waiver where they are unable to afford the application fee, are destitute or at risk of imminent destitution, or their income is not sufficient to meet the needs of their child.
Migrant Workers: Skilled Workers
Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 21 December (HL4133), what are the “other migration issues” to whichhe referred.
Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 21 December 2022 (HL4133), what changes they are considering to the workplan of the Migration Advisory Committee; and when they expect to publish changes to the workplan.
Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 21 December 2022 (HL4133), when they expect the Migration Advisory Committee to restart their review of the Shortage Occupation List; and when they expect the Committee to report.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Government is considering its position on the topic of legal migration following the Office for National Statistics’ November publication of net migration estimates and in line with its manifesto commitments to bring overall numbers down. We will be setting out information on the Shortage Occupation List review shortly.
Veterans: Hong Kong
Lord Craig of Radley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Murray of Blidworth on 7 December 2022 (HL3693), when they will reach the decision on whether to grant Hong Kong military service veterans entitlement to British citizens passports and right of abode in the UK.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: Parliament will be updated at the earliest opportunity.
Car Washes: Conditions of Employment
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take in response to the research by Nottingham Trent University which found that more than 90 per cent of hand car washes are likely to be employing workers illegally.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: Illegal working undercuts honest employers, puts vulnerable migrants at risk of exploitation, prevents legitimate job seekers from accessing employment and defrauds the public purse. Tackling this damaging crime remains a key priority and as the Prime Minister set out in his statement to Parliament on the 13th December we are increasing the number of illegal working raids by 50%.
Asylum: Rwanda
Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the comments by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 20 December 2022 (HL Deb cols 1072 and 1076), and by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 July 2022 (HL Deb col 2122),whether there are any circumstances in which unaccompanied asylum-seeking children could be removed to Rwanda; and if so, what they are.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children will not be considered for relocation to Rwanda under the MEDP, in line with our inadmissibility guidance.No one undergoing an age assessment, or legally challenging the outcome of an assessment, will be relocated until that process is fully concluded.Everyone considered for relocation will be screened and have access to legal advice. Decisions will be taken on a case-by-case basis, and nobody will be relocated if it is unsafe or inappropriate for them.
Migrants: Compensation
Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the backlog of applications for full compensation following mistakes by the Home Office regarding migration or residence status.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Windrush Compensation Scheme was launched in April 2019 to compensate members of the Windrush generation and their families for the losses and impacts they have suffered as a result of being unable to demonstrate their lawful immigration status in the United Kingdom. The current number of claims that are awaiting a decision at all stages of the initial consideration process, referred to as ‘Work in Progress’ (WIP), for the Windrush Compensation Scheme is published in the Transparency Data release. The latest data was published on 13th January 2023 and can be found at: Windrush Compensation Scheme data: November 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The relevant page is WCS 05 - Total WIP and Age.
Migrants: Detainees
Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government how many persons are currently held in immigration detention.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office publishes numbers of detainees in the Immigration Statistics quarterly release on gov.uk. The most recent published total of people in detention was for the end of September 2022, when there were 2,077 detainees held.For more information about how this data should be interpreted, please see the ‘About the statistics’ section of the release.
Cabinet Office
Metropolitan Police: Conduct
Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to postpone nominating any individual connected to the investigations into the conduct of 800 officers in the Metropolitan Police for (1) an honour, or (2) a life peerage.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: All honours are awarded on the basis of merit and checks are carried out at every stage of the process for an (1) honour and for a (2) life peerage. There are clear procedures in place to ensure the integrity of the independent assessment process. There are specific professional standards measures in place concerning police nominees. Robust probity checks for peerage nominations are conducted and assessed by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to update theirGlobal Britain in a CompetitiveAge: The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy command paper,published in March 2021.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: As the Chancellor set out in the Autumn Statement, the Government is updating the Integrated Review. The date of publication for this will be confirmed in due course.
Treasury
Royal Mint: Non-fungible Tokens
Lord Sharkey: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement on 4 April 2022 that the Royal Mint has been asked to create a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) in the summer of 2022, when this token is likely to be issued; and for what use this token is intended.
Lord Sharkey: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement on 4 April 2022 that the Royal Mint has been asked to create a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) in the summer of 2022, how many public or civil servants, expressed as full-time equivalents (1) are, and (2) have, been working on this project; what costs have so far been incurred; what the projected total cost of this project is; and what value for money assessment has been carried out on this project.
Baroness Penn: The Government announced in April 2022 that the Royal Mint intended to create and issue a non-fungible token. The Royal Mint operates as a commercial business and the cost of designing and offering an NFT would be met entirely out of its own revenues. An update on this work will be provided in due course.
Small Businesses: Business Rates
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of removing rates relief on small businesses after the first quarter of 2023.
Baroness Penn: Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value. Properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief. There is also tapered support available to properties valued up to £15,000. Over a third of properties (700,000) already pay no business rates as a result of 100 per cent relief through SBRR, with an additional 121,000 in the taper. At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government announced a package of changes and tax cuts worth almost £13.6 billion over the next five years, many of which may be available for small businesses, including:a freeze to the business rates multiplier for 2023-24, a tax cut worth £9.3 billion over the next 5 years, meaning all bills are 6 per cent lower than without the freeze;an increased 75 per cent relief for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business for 2023-24. This is a tax cut worth over £2 billion for around 230,000 RHL businesses, to support the high street and protect small shops.an Exchequer funded Transitional Relief scheme worth £1.6 billion to protect an estimated 700,000 ratepayers facing bill increases due to increases in rateable value.a new Supporting Small Business scheme, providing over £500 million of support over the next three years. This will cap bill increases to £50 per month (£600 per year) for businesses losing some or all of their Small Business or Rural Rate Relief due to the revaluation.
Public Expenditure: EU Countries
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Penn on 4 January (HL4389), whether they will now answer the question put; namely, whether they will list in a single table in the answer to the question the constituent parts of the UK's financial commitments to the EU that the payment of c.£11bn sought to settle; and how much of that c.£11bn relates to each of those parts.
Baroness Penn: The European Union Finances Statement provides a breakdown of the purpose, timing and forecasts of material payments in relation to the financial settlement under the Withdrawal Agreement (WA), as well as other obligations, during the transition period. Editions from prior years and the most recent document for 2021 are available on gov.uk. Details of payments made up to the end of 2022 and an updated estimate of the financial settlement will be outlined in the next edition of the European Union Finances Statement 2022 which is planned to be published in 2023.
Betting: Politicians
Lord Lipsey: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Parkinson of Whitley Bay on 21 June 2022 (HL586) in which he stated that a review of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 would be published in the summer, why the review has not yet been published; whether they still intend to publish the review; and if so, when.
Baroness Penn: HM Treasury published the review of the UK’s AML/CFT (anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism) regulatory and supervisory regime on 24 June 2022, which included a review assessing the effectiveness of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017.[1] [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-uks-amlcft-regulatory-and-supervisory-regime
Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle the increased cost to people in deprived areas caused by the prevalence of pay-to-use cash machines in these areas.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce a statutory right to pay for goods and services in cash; and if so, whether this would be subject to financial limits.
Baroness Penn: Regarding cash machines specifically, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. More broadly, the government recognises that while the transition towards digital payments brings many opportunities, cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups. The government is currently taking legislation through Parliament as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill to protect access to cash across the UK. The Bill will establish the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provide it with appropriate powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. The Bill requires the Treasury to publish a policy statement that sets out the government’s policy on cash access services. The Economic Secretary has stated that the policy statement would be the right place to consider matters such as location and cost. The FCA will be required to have regard to the Treasury’s policy statement when exercising its regulatory powers. In addition, the FCA will be able to exercise its powers in order to address local deficiencies in the provision of access to cash that it has identified and considers to be significant, and any wider issues it considers to be significant (which may include cost). With regards to cash acceptance, this remains a commercial decision for individual businesses and the government has no plans to mandate the acceptance of cash. However, the government’s view is that the Bill will support local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they have reasonable access to deposit facilities. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2023-01-23 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Local Authorities: Broadband Data Transmission
Lord Tanlaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of local authorities use broadband data transmission services in Scotland, England and Wales.
Lord Whitty: The department does not collect details about the percentage of local authorities that use broadband data transmission services. The issue of the percentage of local authorities which use broadband data transmission services in Scotland and Wales is a matter for the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly.
Prime Minister's Adviser on Crime
Lord Northbrook: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the statement by the Prime Minister on 24 July 2000 that Lord Birt would be working closely with a number of Ministers, on how many occasions since then Lord Birt has met (a) the Home Secretary, (b) the Lord Chancellor and (c) the Attorney-General to discuss crime.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: As part of his work, Lord Birt has met the Attorney-General once, the Home Secretary twice and other Home Office Ministers of State.
Prime Minister's Adviser on Crime
Lord Northbrook: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Lord Birt has received any pay or expenses for his service as the Prime Minister's adviser on crime.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Lord Birt is an unpaid adviser. He has received just over £300 in out-of-pocket expenses.
Prime Minister's Adviser on Crime
Lord Northbrook: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the cost of any office accommodation or office support provided to the Prime Minister's adviser on crime, Lord Birt.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Lord Birt has made periodic use of meeting rooms in the Cabinet Office and 10 Downing Street to see criminal justice organisations. One member of Cabinet Office staff has been employed part-time providing administrative support to Lord Birt's work. It is not possible to calculate the marginal attributable costs of this support.
Prime Minister's Adviser on Crime
Lord Northbrook: asked Her Majesty's Government:
From which departments the Prime Minister's adviser on crime, Lord Birt, has had access to government papers; and whether they included papers submitted to the Prime Minister or calculated by, or within, the Prime Minister's office, on any subjects other than crime.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Lord Birt has had access to papers from the Home Office, the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Crown Prosecution Service and Customs and Excise. He has not seen papers on subjects outside his brief.
Police Stations: Broadband Data Transmission Services
Lord Tanlaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of police stations have access to broadband data transmission services and have computer literate officers to operate them in Scotland, England and Wales.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Our understanding of a broadband service is one which provides the capacity for multiple users to transmit and receive simultaneously. The broader the band, the greater the number of users and data capacity which individuals can use. Using that definition, it is possible to say that 40 per cent of police force or divisional headquarters in England and Wales currently have access to broadband data transmission services through the Criminal Justice Extranet (CJX). The plans are to extend the service to 100 per cent of forces in England and Wales by March 2002. None of the Scottish forces has CJX access yet but they plan to take the service when their funding is in place. The staff who access CJX services are or will be trained and computer literate.
The CJX broadband service provides the potential to access the Internet. Forces will decide themselves whether to take this facility and whether to extend the facility to police stations or to individual police officers. The degree of access will also depend on the capability of their own force systems and networks.
The Airwave project is currently piloting a digital radio network service which will be capable of handling data transmissions within the next three months. Airwave will make data accessible by individual police officers through their radio handsets or vehicle terminals, as well as through control rooms. Officers will be fully trained in the use of Airwave.
Asylum Decisions
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people who applied for asylum before 1 July 1996 and between 1 July 1996 and 31 December 1998 have not yet had a decision.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only by examination of individual case records and is, therefore, available only at disproportionate cost.
Information on the total number of applications awaiting an initial decision is published monthly on the webpage: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. The provisional number of applications awaiting an initial decision at the end of March 2001 was 36,390.
Crime Strategy: Lord Birt's Role
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 28th March (WA 42) to a Question tabled by Lord Tebbit did not answer that Question; and
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 28 March (WA 42), whether it is no longer their intention to fulfil the undertaking given by Lord Bassam on 31 January (H.L. Deb., col. 686) that the advice given and conclusions reached by Lord Birt in his role as adviser on crime would be reported to Parliament.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: As my previous Answer of 28 March made clear, Lord Birt's advice and conclusions were one of the inputs reflected in the Government's strategy document Criminal Justice: The Way Ahead (Cm 5074). That document was published and placed before Parliament on 26 February 2001.
Immigration Controls
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 1 May (WA 258-59), how they and the Immigration Service will define and identify a member of the Roma ethnic group for the purpose of the authorisation permitting the Immigration Service to discriminate against members of this ethnic group; and
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 1 May (WA 258-59), how they and the Immigration Service intend to define and identify whether a person is a ''Tamil'' for the purpose of the authorisation permitting the Immigration Service to discriminate against members of this ethnic group; and whether they include in this definition Tamils from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Canada, the United Kingdom and elsewhere; and
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 1 May (WA 258-59), what are the particular adverse consequences for members of each ethnic group identified in the authorisation permitting the Immigration Service to discriminate on the grounds of ethnic or national origin in the examination of passengers made on 1 May; and
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 1 May (WA 258-59), what is the precise nature of the discrimination on the basis of ethnic or national origin by the Immigration Service in the examination of passengers which is permitted by authorisation made on 1 May; and
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 1 May (WA 258-59), whether they will identify the particular risks posed to the effective operation of immigration controls by each of the following: Tamils, Kurds, Pontic Greeks, Roma, Somalis, Albanians, Afgans and ethnic Chinese presenting a Malaysian or Japanese passport or any other travel document issued by Malaysia or Japan.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Immigration Service staff will take into account a combination of different indicators in identifying relevant ethnic or national groups for the purpose of operating the immigration control in accordance with the authorisation announced on 1 May. These will include language or dialect spoken, geographical origin, pattern of travel and, where relevant, the passenger's apparent lineage. In some cases, the passenger's ethnic or national origin will be known from intelligence received or from statements made by the passenger. In other cases it may become apparent from answers to routine questions posed at the control or on the landing card. The authorisation will be used by officials responsibly and with due care. The authorisation applies to passengers of Tamil ethnic or national origin, irrespective of their nationality, because of the wide range of national travel documents used in attempted illegal entry by some members of this group and because of the attempted abuse of asylum provisions by those persons purporting to be fleeing persecution in Sri Lanka who are in fact nationals of other countries.
The particular adverse consequences for passengers in the groups covered by the authorisation are that they may be delayed at the immigration control longer than other persons in the same circumstances and may have conditions attached to their leave to enter or temporary admission. Where a passenger in one of the groups concerned meets the requirements of the Immigration Rules, this delay might only be a matter of minutes or there may be no delay at all if the immigration officer does not consider that a closer examination is necessary.
The authorisation provides that an immigration officer may, in respect of the groups covered by the authorisation, by reason of a passenger's ethnic or national origin subject them to a more rigorous examination than other person in the same circumstances. The officer may exercise powers under Schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971, namely: requiring someone to submit to further examination; requiring them to furnish information and documents; examining and detaining their documents; searching them; detaining them pending further examination; and granting temporary admission.
The officer may impose a condition or restriction on someone's leave to enter or their temporary admission. They may also decline to give someone notice of grant or refusal of leave to enter in a form permitted by Part III of the Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) Order 2000.
In assessing the risk to the control posed by the groups listed in the authorisation, my honourable friend the Home Office Minister of State (Mrs Roche) has taken into account statistical evidence and other intelligence material. Statistical data are not held on Tamils as an ethnic group, but Sri Lankans of non-Tamil ethnic origin do not constitute a significant threat to the immigration control. In 2000, there were 3,592 inadequately documented arrivals by Sri Lankans in the United Kingdom: 91 of these cases involved false passports, 44 cases involved false or no visa and 39 cases involved impersonation. In 2000, there were 1,733 and 3,086 inadequately documented arrivals from Iraq and Turkey respectively. Asylum statistics confirm that Kurds comprise the vast majority of irregular migrants arriving in the United Kingdom from those countries. In 2000, the Immigration Service encountered 204 cases of Greek passport abuse, many involving nationals of the Former Soviet Union. In 2000, the Immigration Service detected 223 attempts to enter the United Kingdom using forged or counterfeit passports by nationals of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Asylum statistics confirm that Roma comprise the vast majority of irregular migrants arriving in the United Kingdom from those countries. In 2000, there were 1,099 inadequately documented arrivals from Somalia and 2,654 the previous year. In 1999, there were 1,993 inadequately documented Albanian arrivals, although the figure declined in 2000. In 2000, the Immigration Service detected 92 cases involving abuse of Japanese travel documents and 84 cases involving abuse of Malaysian travel documents in total. Chinese nationals seeking to circumvent the immigration control have been most commonly identified using these and, to a lesser degree, other documents.
Asylum Applicants: Language of Explanatory Notes
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, and if so why, they consider that the Race Relations (Immigration and Asylum) Authorisation 2001, in providing that information need not be made available to asylum applicants in a language which they understand, is compatible with the United Kingdom's obligations to provide a hearing for such applicants under the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government believe that the authorisation is entirely compatible with the United Kingdom's obligations under the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights. The authorisation relates to the translation of the explanatory notes accompanying the asylum Statement of Evidence Form (SEF) into over 30 languages currently used by the majority of asylum applicants. We are confident that most applicants will have knowledge of one of the languages in which the document is being made available. If the linguistic profile of languages used by asylum applicants changes, the need for additional translations will be of course considered. It would be impractical and prohibitively expensive to provide translations in every dialect and language which might be encountered.
Immigration Controls: Discrimination on Grounds of Ethnicity
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 1 May (WA 258-259), whether they consider that discrimination on grounds of ethnic origin in the examination of passengers and in the granting of leave to enter into the United Kingdom as permitted in the Race Relations (Immigration and Asylum) (No. 2) Authorisation 2001 is contrary to Article 26 of the United Nations International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights; and, if so, what are their reasons for this opinion; and
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 1 May (WA 258-259), why they consider that any particular risks posed to the effective operation of immigration controls by members of the ethnic groups against whom discrimination is permitted by the Race Relations (Immigration and Asylum) (No. 2) Authorisation 2001 cannot be countered by heightened scrutiny of passengers from the relevant countries on the grounds of their nationality and country of origin, as distinct from their ethnicity.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government do not believe that this authorisation is contrary to Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Decisions on a passenger's entitlement to enter or remain in the United Kingdom will continue to be taken on the merits of each individual case in accordance with the Immigration Rules. Therefore, any discrimination will be in the procedure by which the decision is taken. Like Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 26 must be read as prohibiting discrimination in circumstances where this is not justified. Procedural discrimination in the operation of the immigration control is fully justifiable in the circumstances covered by the authorisation, and does not breach Article 26.
Sole reliance on the nationality authorisation in respect of the examination of passengers would result in additional unnecessary delay for passengers in other groups not covered by the authorisation, reducing the speed and efficiency of the on-entry control.
Standford Hill Prison: Board of Visitors
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the report by the Prisons Ombudsman into the circumstances of the Triennial Review at Standford Hill Prison at the end of 1999; whether they are now going to confirm the reappointment of the two members of the Board of Visitors who have been waiting to hear about their status for 16 months; and how many members there are on the Board of Visitors at this prison.[HL2080].
Lord Bassam of Brighton: There are no plans to publish the report by the Prisons Ombudsman into events surrounding the Board of Visitors at Standford Hill prisons. The Minister for Prisons and Probation, Mr Boateng, will be writing very shortly to the two former members of that Board who were not reappointed at the end of 1999. There are currently nine members of the Board of Visitors at this prison.
Police Complaints Authority
Baroness Billingham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What appointments to the Police Complaints Authority have been made since 1 March.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: We have recently appointed Mr Ian Bynoe to the second position of Deputy Chairman of the authority. His appointment is for two years with effect from 1 May 2001.
Ian Bynoe has served as a member of the authority since 1998, both reviewing investigations and disciplinary proceedings and supervising investigations. He comes from a legal background and, prior to joining the authority, he was a self-employed policy researcher and legal trainer.
Also, we have appointed five new full-time members to the Police Complaints Authority. Their appointments will be for three years. The five new members are:
Name Start Date Previous Position
David Petch 5 March 2001 Ministry of Defence, with attachments to Northern Ireland Office and Cabinet Office
Diane Hughes 2 April 2001 Senior Lecturer in law at Manchester University
Deborah Glass 2 April 2001 Chief Executive of the Investment Management Regulatory Organisation
Susan Swindell 2 April 2001 Senior Crown Prosecutor
Lionel Pilkington 2 April 2001 Senior Crown Prosecutor
Police Complaints System: Review
Baroness Billingham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they will take to ensure that the developments of a new police complaints system takes account of the lessons to be learned from Operation Lancet.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: We published the Government's proposed framework for a new police complaints system in December 2000. In developing the new arrangements, we want to ensure that they are able to deal effectively and robustly with all cases, including those where the investigation may be complex and wide-ranging. My right honourable Friend the Home Secretary has therefore asked Sir John Hoddinott, former Chief Constable of Hampshire, to carry out a review with the following terms of reference:
On behalf of the Home Secretary to conduct a review:
To consider the functioning of the statutory constitutional arrangements for the investigation of corruption and other serious complaints against the police, including the roles of the Police Complaints Authority and the Crown Prosecution Service;
To consider Operation Lancet as a case study of the way such an investigation is managed strategically and operationally, including as part of the study the process by which decisions were taken during that investigation, and the extent of resources and time used; and
To make recommendations for the future investigation of police complaints.
The review will consider the issues arising from the conduct and management of the investigation and will not reconsider any of the matters of substance which were the subject of the investigation. The review will not consider issues relating to the substance of allegations of misconduct about individuals or any such new allegations.
Sir John Hoddinott will begin work this month.
Child Protection on the Internet
Baroness Billingham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the aims and objectives of the new task force on child protection on the Internet.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary met representatives from the industry involved in providing Internet services in the United Kingdom, children's charities, law enforcement agencies and others on 28 March 2001, where it was agreed to form a Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet.
The Task Force is a partnership of representatives from: Internet Service Providers (ISP); retailers and manufacturers; children's charities; representatives from the main opposition parties; law enforcement agencies; and academics. It has the following aims and objectives: Aims:
To make the United Kingdom the best and safest place in the world for children to use the Internet; and to help protect children the world over from abuse fuelled by criminal misuse of new technologies.
Objectives:
Building on current good practice, for industry involved in providing Internet services in the United Kingdom to promote ethical business standards across the industry;
Building on existing co-operation, for law enforcement agencies and industry involved in providing Internet services in the United Kingdom to work together to develop effective procedures to prevent, detect and investigate crime on the Internet;
For the Government to ensure that the law properly covers criminal activity on the Internet; and to consider, in co-operation with the industry involved in providing Internet services in the United Kingdom, the structure of co-regulation for the industry and whether it needs to be strengthened;
Building on the recommendations of the Internet Crime Forum in its report Chatwise Streetwise for the industry involved in providing Internet services in the United Kingdom to offer services with effective safeguards for children.
The work will be underpinned by a new public awareness campaign later this year and by government and industry leadership in international initiatives in the European Union and more widely.
A copy of the full aims and objectives and list of organisations represented on the task force has been placed in the Library.
Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit
Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked the Chairman of Committees:
Who is responsible for the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit (PARBUL); under what terms they provide video recordings of debates and speeches in the House of Lords; who determines the price of debates or individual speeches; and what was the range of prices charged during each of the past five years.
Lord Tordoff: The Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit Ltd (PARBUL) is a limited company set up jointly by Parliament and the major broadcasters to organise and fund the televising of Parliament. The board of directors comprises representatives of the broadcaster shareholders matched in number by members and staff of both Houses, and chaired by the House of Commons Chairman of Ways and Means.
Recordings of proceedings of the House of Lords are archived by Parliament's own Parliamentary Recording Unit, which is managed by the Supervisor of Parliamentary broadcasting, an Officer of both Houses. Videotape copies of these recordings are made available to broadcasters, commercial and educational organisations and for the personal use of Peers, MPs and private individuals at rates which reflect the length of recording required, the complexity of compilation tapes and the use to which the footage will be put. The "rate card" was recently revised for the first time in seven years. Increases were kept below the rate of inflation over that period.
The rates charged in the five years to December 2000 ranged from a £10 minimum per videotape for Members to £120 an hour plus stock, management and licence fees for broadcasters. The current minimum cost for Members remains £10, with broadcaster rates set at a maximum of £100 plus VAT per 30 minutes. The broadcaster rate now includes stock and management fees but licence fees remain extra.
Export of Cultural Goods: Apulian Vases
Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of allegations in The Times of 23 April of looting and illegal export, they will automatically grant export licences for the Apulian vases recently sold at public auction in London at Christie's on 25 April; and whether they will enquire what mechanism they have for enforcing the European Council Regulation (3911/92) on the Export of Cultural Goods from this country in relation to antiquities orignating in Italy.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: It is a feature of our export licensing controls on cultural objects that Her Majesty's Government do not indicate in advance whether or not an export licence will be granted for a particular object. Nor can I comment about individual applications for export licences as the information given on applications is commerically sensitive and given in confidence. The Government cannot therefore reveal details about which objects are the subject of applications. To do so would be an unwarranted invasion of privacy contrary to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Council Regulation (3911/92) on the export of cultural goods does not permit us to grant an export licence under the regulation for objects which have been despatched from another member state on or after 1 January 1993 unless the dispatch was lawful and definitive.
Foot and Mouth Disease: Reopening of Royal Deer Parks
Baroness Miller of Hendon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any ministerial or departmental direction was given to the Royal Parks Agency to reopen the Royal deer parks in London which had been closed as a foot and mouth disease precaution.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Ministerial direction was to adhere to MAFF advice. The decision to reopen these Royal Parks was taken jointly by officials of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Royal Parks Agency and Historic Royal Palaces in the light of information provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Foot and Mouth Disease: Reopening of Royal Deer Parks
Baroness Miller of Hendon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any meeting, e-mail or telephone contact took place between Mr. William Weston, the Chief Executive of the Royal Parks Agency, the Ministers or officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport or the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in the two weeks before the reopening on 11th April of the Royal deer parks in London that had been closed as a foot and mouth disease precaution; and what representations, if any, were made by Mr. Weston or the Royal Parks Agency for or against the reopening.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: In the two weeks before the reopening of the Royal Parks, the Chief Executive of the Royal Parks Agency and his deputy had one regular meeting with officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at which, amongst other things, the subject was discussed. During this period there were a number of telephone calls between Royal Parks officials and officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and on one occasion a call involving officials of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. During these discussions, the agency and officials agreed that they were keen to see the parks re-open but only when it was judged safe to do so.
Landfill Tax
Lord Northbrook: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the statement by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 28 November 2000 to the House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs that landfill tax will increase by £25 per tonne by 2004:
(a) whether the increase will benefit local community projects exclusively or whether it will also be geared to general research, development and education on recycling;
(b) what measures and financial support for local councils will be put in place to deal with any increase in fly-tipping and to meet the costs of councils in removing the waste; and
(c) whether the Litter Act 1975 will be amended to remove the obligation on landowners to remove fly-tipped waste to official waste tips at their own expense.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: In speaking to the House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, on 28 November 2000, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury confirmed the rises in landfill tax announced in Budget 1998. That is, the standard rate of Landfill Tax increased from £7 per tonne to £10 per tonne from 1 April 1999. It then rose by a further £1 per tonne in April 2000 and April 2001, and these annual £1 increases will continue until at least 2004. These rises are designed to make waste producers take account of the environmental costs they impose on society, encouraging efforts to minimise the amount of waste generated and to develop more sustainable forms of waste management such as recycling, composting and recovery.
The Government are committed to meeting the challenging targets for waste recycling set out in Waste Strategy 2000. In the Pre-Budget Report 2000, we announced that we would explore how resources going through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme could be better used to increase recycling rates. We have issued a challenge to the waste industry to meet demanding targets to allocate a greater proportion of tax credits towards sustainable waste management, and particularly recycling.
Spending Review 2000, which set the framework for government support to local government, provided an increase of £1.1 billion by 2003-04 in the revenue support to local authorities for environmental, protective and cultural services, including their waste management function. Local authorities will set their own priorities for the use of these resources.
Section 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides the Environmental Agency, and local authorities in their role as waste collection authorities, with powers to secure the removal of fly-tipped waste, and to recover their costs from those responsible. Owners or occupiers of land cannot be required to remove fly-tipped waste unless they deposited it themselves or knowingly caused or permitted its deposit.
Gross Domestic Product Estimates
Lord Lea of Crondall: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why they published on 26 April sub-regional and local area estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) calculated solely on a workplace basis (as opposed to a residence basis), thereby giving the impression that GDP per head is two-and-a-half times the national average in Inner London; whether in future they will simultaneously issue residence-based figures; and what representations they have made to the European Commission to ensure that these figures are not misunderstood.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter to Lord Lea of Crondall from the National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, Office for National Statistics, Mr Len Cook, dated 9 May 2001.
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on sub-regional and local area estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (HL2050).
GDP is a workplace-based concept, measuring the economic activity occurring within an area, regardless of whether the persons engaged in the activity actually live within the area. This is as required by the European System of Accounts 1995 (ESA95) regulation and conforms to the methods set out by Eurostat (the Statistical Office of the European Commission).
GDP per head figures are then calculated by dividing the total GDP for an area by the resident population of that area. This is the indicator that has been used historically as a measure of the well-being of an area, in the absence of an alternative that is available for all member states.
Ideally, the economic activity of an area should be described by relating GDP to a measure of the volume of work (hours worked or full-time equivalent employment) in that area, which would provide a productivity measure. Alongside this, the well-being of those living in an area should be measured by household disposable income per head. However, such measures of sub-regional productivity or incomes per head are not yet available for all the member states of the EU. In the absence of such harmonised estimates, the Commission uses the available consistent data.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) currently has no plans to publish sub-regional and local area estimates of GDP on a residence basis. ONS is, however, planning to publish sub-regional and local area residence based estimates of total and disposable household income towards the end of 2001. ONS is also developing sub-national productivity estimates.
The European Commission and Eurostat are aware of the implications of using GDP estimates divided by resident population as a measure of regional incomes. These issues are being addressed through Eurostat's Regional Accounts Working Party, with ONS playing an active part.
Seven-figure Salary Earners: National Insurance
Lord Dixon-Smith: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the annual salary for an employee paying national insurance contributions required to produce a total for employer's and employee's national insurance contributions for that person shown on the End of Year Summary P14 consisting of seven digits before the decimal point; and
What is their estimate of the number of employees paying national insurance contributions in relation to whom seven digits before the decimal point are necessary to show the total of employer's and employee's national insurance contributions on their End of Year Summary P14.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: In the tax year 2000-01 where an employee earned over £8.2 million the combined employee and employer national insurance contributions would exceed £1 million. The actual amount is recorded on the P14 end of year summary. I can confirm that this situation does arise but I regret that it is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the number of employees involved.
Financial Services Authority
Lord Tomlinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to commence powers making the Financial Services Authority the single financial services regulator under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government will be commencing, with effect from 18 June 2001, provisions of the Act which make the Financial Services Authority the single financial services regulator, and give it rule-making powers. These provisions will enable the FSA to make the key provisions of its rule-book no later than the end of July 2001 so that the financial services industry can train and prepare for the commencement of the main provisions of the Act no later than the end of November 2001.
Royal Parks Agency
Lord Gregson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish the report on the five-year review of the Royal Parks Agency.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The report was published today and I have placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses. The report is also available on the DCMS website (www.culture.gov.uk).
The report's main conclusion and recommendation is that responsibility for the Royal Parks should remain with central government and that the Royal Parks Agency (RPA) should continue to manage them although the department should work towards establishing the Royal Parks as a non-departmental public body. The Government welcome the report and will respond in due course.
I am pleased to note the report's recognition of the essential role of the Royal Parks Advisory Board in helping the effective management of the Royal Parks by its advice to Ministers and to the chief executive. I am grateful for their contribution, which my right honourable friend the Secretary of State and I very much value. We welcome the initiative the board has taken over the past year in extending its role by providing independent advice on a wider range of the agency's plans, performance and longer-term strategy.
Access Scheme: English Tourism Council Consultation
Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether accessibility standards have been finalised for tourist accommodation businesses, as proposed by the timetable set out in the English Tourism Council's consultation document entitled the National Accessibility Scheme, published in 2000.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I understand from the English Tourism Council (ETC) that the results of its consultation are currently being analysed and that it is on schedule to meet its published date of mid 2001. However, the National Accessible Scheme is a uniform standard across the United Kingdom and the ETC are also awaiting the results from the Scottish, Wales and Northern Ireland Tourist Boards consultations.
IR35 Judgment
Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Inland Revenue will redraft IR35 to make it more relevant to knowledge-based industries, especially in the small business sector, as recommended by the High Court in its recent judgment on the action brought by the professional contractors' group.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: We have no plans to change the legislation on the provision of services through intermediaries (commonly called "IR35"). The legislation applies generally where people work through a service company or other intermediary. The judge in the recent judicial review made no recommendations affecting the existing law.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Barnett: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the average length of time they are taking to answer Questions for Written Answer, with particular reference to the Question for Written Answer (HL410) dated 18 January by Lord Barnett.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The length of time taken to reply to Questions for Written Answer varies from department to department and is not collated centrally. The length of time taken to answer HL 410 in the name of Lord Barnett was seven weeks.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Pilkington of Oxenford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the length of time they are taking to answer Questions for Written Answer, with especial reference to Question for Written Answer, HL381, dated 17 January, by Lord Shore of Stepney.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The length of time taken to reply to Questions for Written Answer varies from department to department, and is not collated centrally. The length of time taken to answer HL 381 in the name of Lord Shore of Stepney was just under 10 weeks.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Shore of Stepney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When, in answering a Question for Written Answer, they are unable to reply within two weeks, what actions are triggered automatically within the relevant department to accelerate the necessary response; what contact is made with the Member who asked the Question; and what additional procedures are triggered after one month and two months' delay respectively.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: When Questions for Written Answer are not answered within two weeks, a response is usually solicited from the relevant department by the Government Whips' Office in the House of Lords. The Government Whips' Office continue to solicit a response until one is received. This procedure is not dependent on specific deadlines such as one or two months, but is continuous. The contact which is made with the Member concerned varies from case to case, depending on the specific circumstances, but there is no automatic procedure to ensure that Members are contacted.
Millennium Dome: Caretaking
Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the total current weekly expenditure for caretaking at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Weekly expenditure on maintenance of the Dome (covering rates, utilities, site servicing, insurance and a proportion of the IT and staffing support relevant to the care and maintenance function) is currently about £150,000.
Millennium Dome: Caretaking
Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many staff employed to caretake the Millennium Dome at Greenwich have been laid off since 1 January; and
How many staff are currently employed as caretakers at the Millennium Dome at Greenwich.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The new Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) has advised that it has always contracted out the provision of major caretaking services such as security, cleaning, site services, and maintenance. In so far as individuals have been directly employed by NMEC in connection with the care and maintenance functions, 11 have left the company since 1 January on expiry of their employment contracts and in line with the planned programme of wind-down. Sixteen individuals currently remain as direct employees of NMEC in the site services department.
Shipbuilding: Unfair Competition by South Korea
Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether shipbuilders in South Korea are still beneficiaries from unfair subsidies, allowed by their government, to the detriment of the British and European Union shipbuilding industries; and, if so, what further steps they propose to take in conjunction with other European Union member states to remedy the situation.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: We have long recognised the adverse impact that Korean unfair competition has had upon the world shipbuilding market. The European Union (EU) is pursuing, with our firm support, a bilateral/trade remedy to this issue. The EU has been trying to secure a bilateral solution over the last year but, to our great disappointment, this has stalled. In view of this, the industry launched last November a Trade Barriers Regulation (TBR) case against Korea. In the absence of a bilateral solution, the EU will need to take a decision, on the basis of the recommendations of the European Commission's TBR investigation report, on taking action in the World Trade Organisation. If the Commission's examination does confirm the case against Korea and does recommend action in the WTO, we would be minded to support such action, subject to completing our review of the Commission's report.
IT Skills: Mail on Sunday Research Poll
Lord Trefgarne: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the opinion research poll reported in the Mail on Sunday in February 1999 and quoted on page 20 of the final report from the Information Technology, Communications and Electronics Skills Strategy Group.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The poll was conducted for the Mail on Sunday and is not the property of the Government. Further information should be obtained from the newspaper.
Foot and Mouth Disease
Lord Rees-Mogg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there have been delays in The Wrekin and, in particular, Albrighton between the decision to cull healthy sheep and their being culled; and, if so, what is the cause of such delays.
Baroness Hayman: Animals were slaughtered on an infected farm in Wellington on 24 March, and on adjacent premises by 30 March, as part of the Government's contiguous slaughter policy to remove susceptible animals exposed to the risk of infection. The delay was due to pressure on staff resources in that area at that time.
Foot and Mouth Disease
The Earl of Caithness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the risk of foot and mouth contamination from a dead carcass; and how long it lasts.
Baroness Hayman: The Government's view that carcasses do not pose a major risk of spreading foot and mouth disease is based on advice from the World Reference Laboratory for Foot and Mouth Disease at Pirbright and the Environment Agency. The Government are also advised on disease control strategies by their Chief Veterinary Officer and their expert scientific group. Experimental studies have shown that the release of the foot and mouth disease virus from infected animals is greatly reduced after death. This is why it is so important to identify and slaughter infected animals as quickly as possible.
The risk from carcasses is greatly reduced as a result of the procedures followed after slaughter. Carcasses are sprayed with an approved disinfectant which has been shown to be highly effective in destroying any virus on the outside of the animal. Approximately 24 hours after slaughter, rigor mortis sets in, whereby lactic acid accumulates and inactivates virus in the muscles. Virus in other internal organs will be inactivated by the processes of decomposition and is, in any case, situated internally. Before burning, the operations team is instructed to spray the pyre with additional disinfectant to reduce any risk of infection spreading at this stage. The virus is then inactivated at temperatures above 50 degrees centigrade. There may be a small thermo-resistant element of the virus which is also destroyed at 70 degrees, but expert opinion is that this is likely to be insignificant in the possible spread of infection from pyres.
Foot and Mouth Disease
The Earl of Caithness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Who authorises the decision to excavate burial pits for stock affected by foot and mouth disease; and who authorises their emptying.
Baroness Hayman: On the rare occasions when it is necessary to exhume buried carcasses, the decision will normally be taken by the relevant regional operations director in the light of advice from the Environment Agency and the local environmental health and public health authorities.
Foot and Mouth Disease
The Earl of Caithness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Given that vast areas of traditionally stock-carrying country of Scotland, England and Wales have been cleared of all stock, how they plan to target help to these areas in particular.
Baroness Hayman: We are in discussion with the devolved administrations and the farming unions about a longer-term recovery plan for the farming sector, especially the livestock sector. We shall focus in particular on farmers directly affected by foot and mouth disease who face choices about their futures, and on those regions of the UK hardest hit by the disease.
Foot and Mouth Disease
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In which counties in the United Kingdom there have been confirmed cases of foot and mouth disease this year, indicating in respect of each county the date of the first and most recent case.
Baroness Hayman: The information requested, as at 7 May 2001, is set out in the table given.
Number Date of case
of cases first most recent
Anglesey 13 27/2 25/3
Berkshire 2 7/3 14/3
Borders 8 28/3 25/4
Cheshire 11 14/3 10/4
Co Durham 83 27/2 3/5
Cornwall 4 2/3 6/4
Cumbria 681 28/2 7/5
Derbyshire 8 7/3 27/3
Devon 163 24/2 3/5
Dumfries & Galloway 173 1/3 4/5
Essex 11 20/2 12/4
Glamorgan 3 8/4 25/4
Gloucestershire 78 11/3 17/4
Herefordshire 42 26/2 25/4
Kent 5 10/3 2/4
Lancashire 16 27/2 10/4
Leicestershire 4 28/2 23/4
Monmouthshire 21 17/3 28/4
Northamptonshire 1 27/3 27/3
Northumberland 55 23/2 4/5
North Yorkshire 23 7/3 1/5
Oxfordshire 2 3/3 15/3
Powys 42 28/2 27/3
Shropshire 11 17/3 21/4
Somerset 4 9/3 4/5
Staffordshire 47 2/3 9/4
Teeside 5 18/3 7/5
Tyne & Wear 7 26/2 27/3
Warwickshire 4 28/2 25/3
West Yorkshire 3 7/3 23/3
Wiltshire 7 26/2 10/4
Worcestershire 24 2/3 12/4
Foot and Mouth Disease
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will set up a public inquiry into the current outbreak of foot and mouth disease; and if so, what form such an inquiry will take.
Baroness Hayman: The Government are determined to learn whatever lessons they can from the current outbreak of foot and mouth disease. This process has already begun. Following a consultation exercise, my right honourable friend the Minister announced on 3 May a ban on the swill feeding of catering waste to livestock. A consultation exercise on a proposed 20-day standstill period for sheep, goats and cattle following movement will end on 11 June. We will also be examining all of the longer-term issues surrounding reform of the common agricultural policy.
Foot and Mouth Disease
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their policy on transporting by road carcasses of animals slaughtered because they had been found to be suffering from foot and mouth disease; and what cases there have been of fluids or other parts from such animals leaking on to public highways during transit.
Baroness Hayman: Public and environmental safety are the Government's priorities in the battle against foot and mouth disease. To this end, there are strict instructions in place designed to maintain biosecurity at all times, and rigorous disinfectant procedures are carried out on all vehicles used for carrying carcasses.
Vehicles that enter non-infected areas are those of the highest structural integrity, but clear instructions on what to do in the unlikely event of accidents in transit are provided, including what to do about leaks and how to disinfect the area if one occurs.
There have, however, been a small number of cases where trucks have not been properly sealed. This is not satisfactory and we are taking steps to remind those involved in the transport of carcasses of the existing instructions. We are also seeking to ensure that those transporting carcasses have access to resources and equipment to permit emergency repairs in the event that any problem occurs, and know where to seek further help if necessary.
Foot and Mouth Disease
Baroness Nicol: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any information on the consignment of sheep that was exported to France in January and tested positive for foot and mouth.
Baroness Hayman: A consignment of 402 sheep was certified for export to France on 31 January from premises in Wales. In early March the French authorities blood-tested 31 of the animals for foot and mouth disease before slaughtering them and seven samples gave positive results. The French authorities have now confirmed that the samples that initially showed positive results have been subject to further testing with negative results. They have concluded that the earlier test results were false positives.
This explanation from the French authorities supports our view that, contrary to media reports, foot and mouth disease did not go undetected in sheep in Great Britain for up to two months prior to the disease being confirmed.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish an updated table showing the number of cases of BSE confirmed in Britain each week during the calendar year 2001 to date, together with the moving annual total of cases for each 52 week period.
Baroness Hayman: The following table shows the number of cases of BSE confirmed in Great Britain during each week of 2001, together with the moving annual total of cases for each 52 week period.
Week Number No. confirmed each week 52 week total reported
1 20 1,837
2 38 1,814
3 14 1,804
4 12 1,782
5 11 1,762
6 12 1,743
7 35 1,733
8 14 1,711
9 14 1,695
10 11 1,675
11 7 1,637
12 14 1,614
13 5 1,597
14 21 1,573
15 13 1,565
16 6 1,559
17 13 1,541
Note: Week 1 is the week ending Friday 5 January 2001.
These figures are affected by a variable delay between slaughter and confirmation as a result of the various times required for laboratory diagnosis and administrative procedures. The time between slaughter and confirmation is on average six to eight weeks, but may on occasion be considerably longer.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Baroness Nicol: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make available the latest progress report prepared by the Minister of Agriculture on bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Baroness Hayman: A further progress report on BSE in Great Britain was placed in the Library of the House today. The report outlines the measures which have been taken to protect public health since June 2000 and includes the latest EU requirements for testing and surveillance. There is also a section on the protection of animal health which covers controls on animal feed. The epidemiology section shows that the epidemic of BSE in Great Britain continues to decline in line with predictions. The report is also published on the MAFF website: www.maff.gov.uk.animalh/bse/index/html.
Extensively Reared Stock
The Earl of Caithness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was meant by the term "extensively-reared" used in the Statement by the Baroness Hayman on 26 April; and whether, taking into account this factor in deciding the optimum basis for restocking, this represents a change of policy by the Government.
Baroness Hayman: In this context "extensively reared" means deriving a significant proportion of nutritional requirements from grazing land on the holding. This is not a change in government policy. Both in negotiations in Brussels and in our domestic actions the Government have consistently supported extensive livestock production which meets consumer requirements and contributes to environmental sustainability.
IACS Claimants: Appeals Mechanism
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the outcome of the recent consultation exercise into an appeal mechanism for Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) claimants in England.
Baroness Hayman: The responses to the consultation exercise on an IACS appeals mechanism in England that began in December 2000 have now been evaluated and I am pleased to say that new appeal arrangements for IACS claimants in England will be introduced.
These arrangements will reflect the three-stage appeal mechanism on which we consulted that attracted positive support from the farming industry for handling IACS appeals in England. The decision to proceed with the introduction of the new arrangements is in line with both the recommendations of the IACS and Inspections Red Tape Working Group and, more recently, of the House of Commons Agriculture Committee in its report, The Implementation of IACS in the European Union.
A good deal of detailed work remains to be done but we aim to work with industry to introduce the new arrangements as soon as we can.
Inputs Task Force: Report
Baroness Mallalieu: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish the report of the Inputs Task Force.
Baroness Hayman: The report has been published today. The task force found that across the board, UK farmers do not pay more for their inputs than their competitors in Europe, but competitive trade can be frustrated by a lack of transparency in the market, commercial arrangements and differing regulatory requirements for some inputs across EU member states. It also found that there was a wide range of efficiency of input use and substantial scope for improvement.
The report contains a number of recommendations for action by both government and industry to reduce input costs and optimise input use. The Government will consider these carefully and publish a full response as soon as possible.
The report is available in the House Libraries and on the MAFF website.
Hills Task Force: Report
Lord Graham of Edmonton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish the report of the Hills Task Force.
Baroness Hayman: The report was published today. The task force has achieved a great deal in three months and we are grateful to its members, particularly the farmers, who have had enormous personal worries due to foot and mouth disease.
We asked the task force to undertake a scoping study, and it has made a thorough one. It has made a number of recommendations, which we will need to examine carefully: to test the evidence and the value for money, to consider compliance with EU rules, and to hear the views of interested organisations including the other government departments which are affected. Some recommendations are for the longer term. Others might be more immediately useful in helping the industry, and particularly the hills sector, to recover from foot and mouth disease, and we shall need to look at these ones much more quickly.
The report is available in the House Libraries and on the MAFF website.
UK Withdrawal from EU: Tariff-free Access to Single Market
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 30 April (WA 250), why the United Kingdom's position as a natural entry point into the European Union market would be any less attractive to overseas investors if the United Kingdom were to leave the European Union after negotiating a free trade agreement which was at least as favourable as our present terms of access to the Single Market.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: As Her Majesty's Government have no intention of withdrawing from the European Union, I have nothing to add to my previous reply.
UK Withdrawal from EU: Tariff-free Access to Single Market
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 30 April (WA 250), why the United Kingdom, prior to or contemporary with leaving the European Union, should not negotiate a free trade agreement with the European Union which was at least as favourable as present arrangements.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Her Majesty's Government has no intention of withdrawing from the European Union.
European Rapid Reaction Force
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the European Rapid Reaction Force could be made available to assist the civil power in the event or serious disorder within a member state of the European Union.
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: There will be no standing European Rapid Reaction Force. The European security and defence policy will enable the European Union to conduct EU-led military operations in response to international crises in support of the common foreign and security policy.
US Missile Defence Proposals
Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their analysis of the implications for United Kingdom and European defence policy and for global security of the proposals for the future of missile defence announced and underlined by President Bush; and what action they will take as a result of their analysis.
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: We have studied the ideas put forward by President Bush in his speech with great interest. We welcome the US commitment to further cuts in nuclear weapons and their commitment to consult with allies and Russia. We look forward to consultations with the US over the coming months as their ideas are developed. In these consultations we will take full account of any implications for UK security and defence policy, and we will work closely with the US as close allies with common strategic interests.
Danube Commission
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Danube Commission has yet let contracts for clearing the river for navigation (a European Union-funded project); and, if not, when it intends to do so.
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: A project director was appointed in April and tenders for the clearance work have been published. Riverbed surveys have been made and the Danube Commission remains on course to meet its objective of creating a navigable channel at Novi Sad by late summer or early autumn this year.
Gaza General Hospital
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the European Union-funded new general hospital in Gaza is now fully staffed and functioning; and, if not, what actions they are taking to bring it into operation.
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: The new EU-funded general hospital in Gaza is not yet fully staffed. The hospital now has between 550-600 of the 800 staff needed. All of the hospital departments are now open, and approximately 160 of the 238 available beds are occupied.
The hospital, in common with other medical establishments across the Occupied Territories, has an acute shortage of nurses and junior staff. A training college has been established at the hospital to try to remedy the situation. The continuing violence and sustained closures in the Occupied Territories have been serious obstacles to recruitment.
The hospital's international management team are working hard to remedy the situation, including considering the possibility of part-time working and allocating the more routine tasks to assistants/auxiliaries to free the qualified nursing staff for more critical duties.
Turkey: European Court of Human Rights Judgments
Lord McCluskey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what dates the Government of the Republic of Turkey complied with the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in the following cases, by paying to the parties entitled thereto (i) any sums awarded by way of compensation; and (ii) any awards of costs and expenses: (a) Kaya v. Turkey (Application No. 22729/93) judgment 19 February 1998; (b) Kurt v. Turkey (15/1997.799/1002) final judgment 25 May 1998; (c) The Socialist Party and Other v. Turkey (Application No. 21237/93) judgment 25 May 1998; (d) Incal v. Turkey (Application No. 22678/93) judgment 9 June 1998; and (e) Ceylan v. Turkey (Application No. 23556/94) judgment 8 July 1999.
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: Information relating to the execution of the judgments of the ECHR in all their stages remains confidential until the Committee of Ministers decides otherwise by issuing interim or final resolutions. No interim resolution has been issued on matters relating to the payments in respect of any of these cases. Nonetheless, I am able to provide the following information:
Turkey has paid all sums due in cases (c)--the Socialist Party, (d)--Incal and (e)--Ceylan and within the time limits of three months. On cases (a)-- Kaya and (b)-- Kurt, the sums ordered have been paid but some questions of detail on these payments still remain to be resolved.
European "Reunification"
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 30 April (WA 243), when the continent of Europe was last in the condition of "unification" implied by the Foreign Secretary when he referred to "the reunification of Europe" in his Explanatory Memorandum on the Treaty of Nice.
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: I refer the noble Lord to the answer my noble friend Baroness Scotland of Asthal gave him on 30 April (Official Report col. WA 243) that Europe has been divided for generations by wars and the Iron Curtain. Enlargement is an historic opportunity to end that division and entrench peace, stability, free markets and democracy across our continent.
Great Manchester Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 30 April (WA 252), what action has been taken by Ministers at the Department for Education and Employment concerning the impending closure of the Greater Manchester Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre; and how many of the representations made about the Centre's future were made to that Department.
Baroness Blackstone: The Department for Education and Employment and the Employment Service (ES) have met Rehab UK on a number of occasions to explore options for maximising funding from ES and other sources. Following their most recent meeting officials will be developing a national specification for delivering brain injury services through the Employment Service's work preparation programme to inform the next tendering round structure in September 2001.
In addition to the concerns expressed by the noble Lord himself, we have received four letters from Members of Parliament as well as from Mr George Wilson, Chairman of Rehab UK, about the future of the Greater Manchester Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre. Margaret Hodge, Minister for Disabled People, met a group of Manchester MPs on 6 March and also held meetings with representatives of Rehab UK.
Forced and Bonded Labour
Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to ensure that the International Labour Organisation implements appropriate action against forced and bonded labour and monitors the effectiveness of that action
Baroness Blackstone: We actively encourage member states of the International Labour Organisation to fulfil their obligations and work towards ratifying and implementing the provisions of the conventions covered by the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its follow-up, including those on forced and bonded labour. Forced labour is the subject of the annual global report that will be discussed at the International Labour Conference in June as part of the follow-up.
Benefit Sanctions
Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Blackstone on 1st May (WA 262-263), whether they will provide a breakdown of the 701,400 benefit sanctions referred to in that answer, by:
(a) grounds for the sanction;
(b) the extent of the sanction in terms of percentage of benefit lost; and
(c) the duration of the sanction.
Baroness Blackstone: Sanction decisions are made following careful consideration of the evidence in each individual case. No two cases will be exactly the same, so the grounds for sanction will differ from case to case. It would not be possible, therefore, to detail those grounds for every one of over 700,000 sanctions. However, it is possible to break down the total number into the types of sanction which can occur. These are listed in the following table. The table shows the number of labour market sanctions imposed for each sanction type.
I am informed by colleagues in the Benefits Agency that statistics are not kept on the amount of benefit lost following the imposition of a sanction.
Statistics are not available on the exact length of each labour market sanction. Sanctions can be of a fixed or variable length, depending on the type of sanction. Fixed sanctions can last two weeks, or four weeks, or 26 weeks. Variable sanctions can last for any number of weeks between one week and 26 weeks. The table shows the length of sanction appropriate to each sanction type.
Type of sanction Length of sanction Number of sanctions imposed from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2000
Leaving employment vountarily variable 412,180
Losing employment through misconduct variable 83,108
Refusal of employment variable 74,233
Discharge from HM forces variable 33
Neglect to avail oneself of employment variable 610
Giving up a place on a training scheme/ employment programme fixed 16,759
Losing a place on a training scheme/employment programme fixed 13,990
Refusing a place on a training scheme/employment programme fixed 4,021
Neglect to avail oneself of a place on a training/ employment programme fixed 4,898
Failure to attend a training scheme/employment programme fixed 76,175
Refusal/failure to carry out jobseeker's direction fixed 15,347
Total sanctions 701,354
Information on the numbers and types of decisions given by Employment Service decision makers on the full range of jobseeker's allowance labour market questions is published in the Analysis of Sector Decision Making, copies of which are held in the House of Lords Library.
National Health Service Numbers
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many National Health Service numbers are currently issued; whether these are recorded on a central computer; and, if so, which government departments have access to the records.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: There are currently 66 million National Health Service numbers used for the National Health Service in England and Wales. These are recorded on the National Health Service central register, managed and operated by the Office for National Statistics on behalf of the Department of Health. The National Health Service Strategic Tracing Service, managed by Sema Group on behalf of the National Health Service, also holds details of all National Health Service patients and their numbers. No other government department has access to the registers.
Prosthetic and Orthotics Services
Baroness Darcy de Knayth: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action the strategic commissioning group set up by the National Health Service Supplies Authority has taken in relation to the Audit Commission's report Fully Equipped on prosthetic and orthotics services.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Audit Commission's report Fully Equipped did not make any specific recommendations for the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency about the expected actions of either the Prosthetic Strategic Supply Group or the Orthotics Strategic Supply Group. The Audit Commission's report made a number of recommendations which were essentially for local action and implementation.
Nevertheless, the agency set up the Prosthetic Strategic Supply Group and Orthotic Strategic Supply Group, which concentrate on purchasing and supply issues, to improve the performance of the NHS prosthetic and orthotic supply network and to ensure a cost-effective and quality service for patients and taxpayers. The groups include patient representatives and key stakeholders involved in the delivery of the service.
Medicines Control Agency: High Level Targets
Baroness Thornton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the high level targets for the Medicines Control Agency for 2001-02.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The high level targets for the Medicines Control Agency are included in its annual business plan, copies of which have been placed in the Library today.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Lord Graham of Edmonton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have approved the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's fifth code of practice.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's revised code of practice has been approved and was laid before the House today. Copies of the code have been placed in the Library.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Lord Graham of Edmonton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have approved the publication of the report of the second quinquennial review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The report of the second quinquennial review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has been approved and copies have been placed in the Library today. This was a thorough review of the authority and its work which included wide consultation with the public, service users and providers. The report acknowledges the value of the authority's role in this highly sensitive area.
The report makes important recommendations. Work on introducing improved quality assurance systems is in hand and we are working with the authority to agree an implementation plan for the other recommendations. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2001-05-09a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2001",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Abortion
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Earl Howe on 16 December (HL Deb, col 103), that “noble Lords around the House will form their own conclusions on the information provided by the noble Lord, Lord Alton” concerning the relative numbers of males and females and the prevalence of gender selection abortions in China, what conclusion they draw.
Earl Howe: As stated in my response to the noble Lord on 16 December (HL Deb, Col 103), I shall undertake the commitment to contact the Department for International Development.
Academies: Special Educational Needs
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many tribunal appeals there have been in relation to (1) academy schools’ admission processes for Special Educational Needs (SEN), and (2) academy schools’ education of pupils with SEN; of these how many tribunal outcomes went against the academy; and, in those instances, on how many occasions there were issues with compliance.
Lord Faulks: HM Courts & Tribunals Service, First-tier Tribunal Special Educational Needs and Disability (FtT SEND) considers appeals from the parents of children with special educational needs or from young people with special educational needs, against the decisions of Local Authorities where the parent or the young person cannot reach agreement with the Local Authority about how those needs will be met. FtT SEND also considers parents’ or young persons’ claims of disability discrimination in schools. The Ministry of Justice has recently published FtT SEND statistics for the 2013-14 academic year and these can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/385777/sen-tables-2014.xls.
Although the tribunal deals with appeals against local authority placements it does not deal with appeals relating to the admission processes for children with SEN in any schools nor does it deal with appeals relating to the education within schools of children with SEN. HMCTS is therefore unable to provide the specific information that has been requested and has no role in compliance.
Appeals to the FtT SEND are against Local Authorities rather than the individual school or educational establishment. Appeals can be made for a number of reasons including, for example, where the Local Authority has refused to undertake an assessment of the child’s or young person’s needs or where a parent disagrees with the school named in the Education, Health and Social Care Plan provided by the Local Authority. The tribunal may, in this latter group of cases, require the local authority to amend the name of the school or other institution to that preferred by the parent or young person. That preferred school may be an academy.
Academies: Special Educational Needs
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many complaints they have received regarding (1) the admission decisions in relation to children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), and (2) the teaching of children with SEN, by academy schools.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there have been any cases where an academy has refused to admit a Special Educational Needs pupil owing to budgetary constraints; and, if so, how many.
Lord Nash: On behalf of the Secretary of State, the Education Funding Agency (EFA) deals with academy special educational needs (SEN) admission determination requests involving pupils in receipt of a statement of SEN or Education, Health and Care plan. Between January 2013 and November 2014 the EFA handled 56 admission determination requests.
The EFA does not categorise complaints about the teaching of children with SEN by academy schools, or whether a request for an SEN admission determination was received because an academy refused to admit a child owing to budgetary constraints.
Accident and Emergency Departments
Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many doctor and nursing vacancies there were in emergency medicine in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many general practitioner and nursing vacancies there were in general practice in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Earl Howe: The information is not collected by the Department. The last annual National Health Service vacancy surveys in England were undertaken by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in 2010. These surveys were suspended in 2011 and then discontinued in 2013 following the publication of the Fundamental Review of Data Returns, which aimed to reduce the burden of the collection of data from National Health Service organisations.
Aggregates
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the availability of aggregates for the construction industry.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills publish data on the aggregates industry, in their statistical bulletin ‘Monthly Statistics of Building Materials and Components’. This does not include any measure of availability (such as stock levels), but does include sales of; sand for building; sand for concreting; gravel for concreting, and other uses; sand and gravel for coating; sand, gravel, and hoggin for fill; and marine dredged sand and gravel.
Sales of Sand and Gravel in Great Britain
Great Britain
Sand for Building Sand for Concreting Gravel for Concreting& other uses Sand & Gravel for Coating Sand, Gravel& Hoggin for Fill Sand & Gravel Thousand tonnes of which Marine-Dredged
Total
2013 Q4 1,227 4,510 4,115 .. .. 12,074 2,634
2014 Q1 1,420 4,450 4,463 400 1,741 12,475 2,447
2014 Q2 1,355 4,419 4,788 320 1,207 12,090 2,900
2014 Q3 (P) 1,674 5,277 5,122 699 1,116 13,889 3,489
P – provisional
.. - not available
Source: BIS
Aggregates
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that the United Kingdom aggregates industry can compete fairly against overseas suppliers.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Returning the UK to balanced and sustainable growth is a key priority and Industrial Strategy is a key part of the plan. Improving the UK’s trade position is central to much of Industrial Strategy.
The trade position in UK aggregates is positive. In the most recent quarter (2014Q3), provisional figures from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills show that UK exports of aggregates outstripped exports by 5,958 thousand tonnes (6,904 thousand tonnes of exports, compared to 946 thousand tonnes of imports).
The level of imports and exports in non-specialist aggregates to the UK is relatively low. For instance, over the same quarter (2014Q3), provisional figures for UK sales of sand for building and concreting totalled 6,951 thousand tonnes, compared to UK imports of 370 thousand tonnes of sand for construction and exports of 165 thousand tonnes.
The Aggregates Levy – an environmental tax levied on commercially exploited aggregates – has been frozen for the last four years to support the construction industry. The tax is levied on imported aggregate, but not on that exported by UK producers, enabling them to compete fairly with overseas suppliers. The Government remains committed to reinstating the Aggregate Levy Credit Scheme in Northern Ireland following a positive decision by the European Commission earlier this year. The credit scheme helped mitigate the different market conditions the aggregates industry in Northern Ireland faces due to sharing a land boundary with another EU Member State.
Aircraft Carriers
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence-based analysis they have conducted to establish the vulnerability of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers to modern submarine threats.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence-based analysis they have conducted to establish the vulnerability of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers to modern anti-ship missile threats.
Lord Astor of Hever: Comprehensive threat and survivability analysis was conducted by Defence Science and Technology Laboratories during the design phase of the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers. The output of this analysis is periodically reviewed and updated with input from Defence Intelligence Services and the Maritime Warfare Centre, and used to inform continued development of the operating procedures and war-fighting doctrine for the QEC.
I am withholding further details of this analysis and its conclusions as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Alcoholic Drinks
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision of five states in the United States to ban the sale of Palcahol.
Lord Bates: The Government is aware of powdered alcohol from media reports and the banning of the product in five states of the United States of America. The Government is not aware of powdered alcohol being marketed or made available to buy in England and Wales.
Alcoholic Drinks
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with partners in the Responsibility Deal about the import, production and sale in the United Kingdom of Palcahol and its European equivalents; and what were the outcomes of such discussions.
Earl Howe: The Department has not discussed the import, production and sale in the United Kingdom of Palcahol and its European equivalents with partners in the Responsibility Deal.
Alcoholic Drinks
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will report the results of the Chief Medical Officer's review of the unit measuring system for alcoholic drinks.
Earl Howe: The review is currently underway and we expect to be able to consult on any new guidelines by summer 2015.
Alcoholic Drinks: Taxation
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how HM Revenue and Customs classify powdered alcohol for tax purposes.
Lord Deighton: HMRC classifies powdered alcohol as being liable to excise duty, chargeable at the equivalent rate to spirits drinks.
This reflects a ruling by the European Commission in 2005 which concluded that there are no grounds for exempting alcohol powder products from excise duty under Article 27 of Directive 92/83/EEC’ (the ‘alcohol structures directive’).
Ambulance Services: City of Westminster
Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 5 December (HL3203), why the percentage of ambulances arriving within the target response time of the London Ambulance Service in the City of Westminster is below 70 per cent.
Earl Howe: We understand that London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is facing the same challenges in responding to calls within the City of Westminster that it is facing across the capital. This year the service has been experiencing a significant increase in demand whilst at the same time having to contend with a high level of frontline staff vacancies.
To enable it to manage the increasing pressure on the service, the Trust has launched a major national and international recruitment campaign to ensure it fills the vacancies that it is currently carrying.
Anguilla
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to provide assistance to Anguilla to improve air access in order to enhance its ability to develop the local economy through tourism.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We are working with the Government of Anguilla to identify what UK funded technical assistance can best help to boost its economic development, including improvements in access to Anguilla. The British Government is committed to supporting the economic sustainability and development of the Overseas Territories.
Anguilla
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the scale of corruption in Anguilla; and what measures they intend to take to counter it.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The British Government has responsibility for the overall good governance of all the Overseas Territories (OTs) and believes that that the same basic standards of good governance should apply in the OTs as in the UK. It is important that public concerns about corruption are addressed. Operational responsibility for investigating allegations of corruption lies with the Royal Anguillan Police Force, which reports directly to the Governor. The Home Office is currently working with the Government of Anguilla to extend the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime to Anguilla. Combating bribery, money laundering and corruption of public officials is a key component.
Anguilla
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they have given to Anguilla in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: In the last five years, the Government has provided specific financial assistance to Anguilla in the following areas:
2014/15 (to date)—£65,000 from delegated and Jubilee funding (funds administered by the Governor’s office, to support local projects, technical exchanges and secondments). £114,000 for police training and equipment;
2013/14—£3m grant provided for capital development projects, including the renovation of local primary schools, a new fire station, road improvements and the purchase of new police vehicles. £100,000 from delegated and Jubilee funding;
2012/13—£120,000 for the establishment of a vocational training centre at the Anguilla Community College, £300,000 for a prison expansion project and £35,000 for support on public expenditure management.
2011/12—£129,000 to assist the Government of Anguilla to identify expenditure savings in the civil service and the health sector and to develop and implement tax reforms. £60,000 from delegated funding; and
2010/11—£55,000 for a review of Anguilla’s public financial management. £25,000 from delegated funding.
In addition, Anguilla benefits from ongoing UK technical support and assistance across the full range of policy areas, including regular Royal Navy deployments to the region, eligibility for Chevening scholarships, investment in capacity building for the police, prison and probation services and disaster management (approximately £98,000 over the last five years), environmental management support (including a share of the £713,690 Darwin Plus environmental management programme) and ad hoc support on financial management, renewable energy, education, early childhood development, health and domestic violence. Anguilla also receives development assistance from the EU and the Caribbean Development Bank, to which the UK is a major contributor.
Antibiotics
Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the annual progress report on the United Kingdom 5 Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, how they plan to handle newly launched or soon-to-be launched antibiotics in a way that is compatible with the broad goals of the strategy.
Earl Howe: The Department is in the process of convening a group involving industry to explore how to address interim issues pending the conclusion of the review on antimicrobial resistance. Among these will be how to treat new antimicrobial products which are close to launch.
Antibiotics
Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered excluding newly launched antibiotics or soon-to-be launched antibiotics from the payment-by-results tariff.
Earl Howe: All known new drugs, which include new antibiotics, coming onto the United Kingdom market are considered as part of the process for determining whether they can be added to the list of high cost drugs that are reimbursed outside of national prices. This process takes a forward look for drugs likely to come onto the market when the National Tariff comes into effect, to ensure that the high cost list remains clinically relevant.
We are commissioning an external review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for National Health Service patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices.
Antibiotics
Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what alternative pricing and reimbursement arrangements they are considering for newly launched or soon-to-be launched antibiotics in advance of the independent antimicrobial resistance review.
Earl Howe: The Department is in the process of convening a group involving industry to explore how to address interim issues pending the conclusion of the review on antimicrobial resistance. Among these will be the pricing and reimbursement of new antimicrobial products.
Antibiotics
Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, as part of the triennial review into the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and ongoing discussions relating to the institute's appraisal methods, they will consider creating modifiers or a special priority designation for qualified antibiotics.
Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Triennial Review was announced on 30 October 2014 to review the form and functions of NICE. NICE’s methods for the development of its technology appraisal guidance are outside the scope of the review.
As an independent body, NICE is responsible for the methods it uses to develop its technology appraisal guidance and we have no plans at present to ask NICE to create modifiers or a special priority designation for qualified antibiotics. We continue to keep NICE’s work programme under review.
We are commissioning an external review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for National Health Service patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices.
The development of new antimicrobial drugs is also the subject of the review on antimicrobial resistance announced on 2 July by the Prime Minister. The review will explore what actions may be taken by governments around the world to stimulate investment in new antimicrobial drugs. The review will present its initial findings during 2015 with a final report and recommendations to follow during 2016.
Antisubmarine Warfare
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the United Kingdom’s anti-submarine detection capability is adequate to meet current threat levels.
Lord Astor of Hever: We have acknowledged that we have a maritime surveillance capability gap following the decision not to bring the Nimrod MRA4 into service. However we have also made it clear that it is one that we have chosen to accept and to mitigate through employment of other assets, as well as through co-operation with allies, who have deployed Maritime Patrol Aircraft on several occasions.
A decision on whether to take further steps to mitigate the gap is planned as part of the next Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Armed Forces: Lagos
Lord Clark of Windermere: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they provide to Members of Parliament regarding the use of the United Kingdom Armed Forces logos in political literature.
Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not permit the use of United Kingdom Armed Forces logos in political literature. Information on MOD copyright licensing is attached and is available on the Department's website at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311992/20140515_MOD_Copyright_Licensing_Information.pdf
This Answer included the following attachment
MOD Copyright Licensing Information (20140515_MOD_Copyright_Licensing_Information.pdf)
Asylum
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what improvements to the procedures of the Detained Fast Track for the better protection of applicants they have introduced since the decision of the High Court on 9 July 2014.
Lord Bates: In July 2014 the High Court upheld the principle of a Detained Fast Track (DFT) process as lawful. However, the Court found that the DFT process as operated carried an “unacceptable risk of unfairness” with regard to vulnerable applicants within the system. This was primarily because they were not guaranteed access to lawyers sufficiently soon after induction to enable instructions to be taken and advice to be given before the substantive interview. The Home Office took immediate steps to address this and other criticisms of the process.
Screening:
The judgment observed that the current asylum screening process did not do enough to identify and exclude from DFT vulnerable people or those with particularly complex claims. We have since changed the questions asked in the screening interview to help address this issue and there is an ongoing review of the screening process that incorporates discussions and input from external stakeholders.
Detention Centre Rule 35:
Detention Centre Rule 35 requires doctors in immigration removal centres to issue reports to Home Office officials with responsibility for authorising, maintaining and reviewing detention, if they have concerns about issues of particular vulnerability. Those issues include particular ill-health, suicide risk and concerns that the detainee may have been a victim of torture. Whilst acknowledging that a Rule 35 report issued by a medical practitioner relating to possible torture concerns may sometimes reflect only the detainee’s own claim and so not require automatic release, the judgment nonetheless concluded that the evidence did not show the process to operate as well as it should.
Releases can and do result from Rule 35 reports and a recent sampling exercise has reconfirmed this position and identified some other issues for improvement. We have already taken steps to improve awareness of existing process requirements. We have consulted external partners on improvements to the operation of Rule 35 and further measures will introduced in the coming months to ensure that the process operates as effectively as possible.
Access to legal representation:
The judgment stated that in some cases, legal representatives were allocated to asylum applicants too late in the DFT process, which was considered significant enough to carry a high risk of unfairness for those who may be vulnerable. On the 14th and 15th of July the Home Office implemented new arrangements, that ensured that legal representatives were are allocated to asylum claimants that require them (around 50% of
asylum claimants arrive with a lawyer already) on the day of induction to DFT or, where that is not possible, no later than 2 working days after induction. In addition we are now ensuring that there are 4 clear working days between the allocation of a lawyer and the asylum interview except where the asylum claimant and lawyer advise that they want an earlier interview.
Asylum: Homosexuality
Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report in The Guardian on 8 February, what steps they are taking to ensure that homosexual asylum seekers are not asked “degrading” questions related to their sexuality.
Lord Bates: It has never been the policy of the Government to allow its asylum case owners to ask “degrading” questions. As was indicated to the Noble Lord in the Government’s response to his previous question on this issue (15 December 2014: WA2), existing guidance, which was drawn up in consultation with Stonewall, the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, is clear that questions of a sexually explicit nature should not usually be asked. The Government is currently revising its guidance further and will be making it clear that there are no circumstances in which such questions should be asked.
Since February 2014, all interviews and decisions in sexuality-based claims have been subject to a 'second pair of eyes' check by a senior caseworker who provides constructive feedback to the decision maker. Senior caseworkers also provide ad hoc support and guidance to decision makers during the course of the asylum process.
Asylum: Syria
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Syrian refugees are expected to resettle in the United Kingdom via the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme in the next three months, the next six months and the next 12 months.
Lord Bates: The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme is designed to complement our humanitarian aid efforts and is based on need rather than fulfilling a quota; however, we have said we expect the scheme to help several hundred people over three years, and we remain on track to deliver that commitment.
This is in addition to our consideration of asylum claims lodged in the UK under our normal rules. Since the crisis began, we have given sanctuary to more than 3,400 Syrian nationals and their dependants. In addition,
the UK has been at the forefront of the international response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, having pledged £700m, making us the second largest bilateral donor.
We strongly believe that we should continue to focus on aid rather than resettlement as the best way for the UK to maximise our impact, and we therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme.
Autism
Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have been held with NHS England about the formulation of the draft statutory guidance implementing the adult autism strategy in the light of the current consultation.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage health and wellbeing boards to follow the current statutory guidance implementing the adult autism strategy; and what plans there are to encourage them to do so when new statutory guidance is published.
Earl Howe: The Department and NHS England have discussed the draft statutory guidance implementing the adult autism strategy. NHS England is a partner in the Autism Strategy and a member of the Autism Programme Board and has been involved in producing the guidance.
Information about the requirements of the strategy has been disseminated through National Health Service bulletins to clinical commissioning groups and area teams to support Health and Wellbeing Boards to follow guidance. The Autism Self-Assessment Framework enables Health and Wellbeing Boards to benchmark their services against other areas.
Azerbaijan
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the Government of Azerbaijan with regard to the alleged forcible closure of mosques there, including the Fatima Zahra mosque in Baku, and mosques in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The UK is aware of concerns about mosque closures in Azerbaijan. We have not made representations on these specific cases. However, we continue to monitor the situation, and we raise human rights concerns with the Government of Azerbaijan at every appropriate opportunity.
Bahrain
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the total cost of establishing a new naval base in Bahrain.
Lord Astor of Hever: Negotiations to further enhance and improve the existing facilities with the Government of Bahrain are ongoing.
Bank Cards
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of retailers who are seeking to pass on the merchant charges to their customers when they pay for goods or services using debit or credit cards.
Lord Deighton: The Government is clear that merchants should not pass on a charge to a customer that is higher than the cost that merchants themselves incur for processing that payment.
This is why the Government brought in the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012 in April 2013, which state that if a business wishes to charge a customer for using their credit or debit card, then that surcharge must not be higher than the cost the business has to pay for processing that method of payment.
Banks: Pay
Baroness Williams of Crosby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to strip traders who disregard banking standards, such as by engaging in insider trading, of any bonuses they may have received.
Lord Deighton: Senior and highly paid bank employees in the UK are subject to the Remuneration Code, which has been strengthened under this Government. The Code requires that at least 40% of any bonuses they receive must be deferred over at least three years, and can be reduced or cancelled if poor performance or conduct issues subsequently come to light.
Furthermore, from 2015 the Prudential Regulation Authority is requiring that all variable pay for senior bankers can be clawed back for seven years following award by employers where there is evidence of employee misbehaviour or a material failure of risk management.
BBC World Service: North Korea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Chairman of the BBC and the Director General of BBC World Service about investigating ways in which BBC World Service radio transmissions might be commenced on the Korean Peninsula; and what assessment they have made of what the United Nations Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in North Korea has described as the importance of breaking the information blockade which surrounds North Korea.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The World Service is editorially, managerially and operationally independent of government, which means that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not seek to steer operational decisions. I am aware, though, that the World Service have examined the case for a Korean language service in detail. They have concluded that it is not currently possible to provide a meaningful, impactful and cost-effective service. The BBC Trust has responsibility for setting the World Service’s budget. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Philip Hammond), must, however, agree the objectives, priorities and targets for the World Service, as well as the languages in which the World Service is provided, on the basis of proposals made by the BBC.
The UK does not disagree with the interpretation of the UN Commission of Inquiry, paragraph 1224, which suggests more support for the work of civil society organisations to improve the human rights situation, document violations and broadcast accessible information. However, it is clear that different parties will take different roles on individual recommendations.
The UK has previously funded projects related to the documentation of violations. These projects have been implemented by civil society organisations based in South Korea. We remain open to funding similar projects in the future. We have also worked with international non-governmental organisations, as well as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled (KFPD), to improve the treatment of disabled people in the DPRK. This complements wider international efforts, like those of the US, which does support broadcasts into the DPRK.
Blue Badge Scheme
Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of concerns regarding the recently published guidance for local authorities in England on the Blue Badge Scheme.
Baroness Kramer: We recently revised the guidance to local authorities in England making it clear that any permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking may qualify for a badge regardless of the particular condition, and that each application should be considered against this criterion. We have not been made aware of any concerns with the new guidance.
Boko Haram
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the main source of Boko Haram's weapons; and what is their assessment of the strategy adopted by the government of Nigeria in respect of that organisation.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Reliable assessments of the source of Boko Haram’s weapons are not available. However, reports indicate that Boko Haram obtain weapons from a variety of sources, including illegal arms smuggling and theft from the Nigerian military.
On the military side, the Government of Nigeria has increased the number of forces in the North East. However, tackling the threat of Boko Haram requires a comprehensive response, including economic development, led by the Nigerian government, with the support of its neighbours and other international partners.
The UK’s package of support includes training and advice to Nigerian military units, deployed against Boko Haram; support to the Nigerian government in bringing increased development and prosperity to the North East; and a commitment to draw one million more children into education in Northern Nigeria by 2020.
British Council
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to raise awareness of the work of the British Council, and the Erasmus+ scheme.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The National Agency (a consortium of the British Council and Ecorys UK) deliver the Erasmus+ programme in the UK. The National Agency has a communications team that is dedicated to raising awareness of the Erasmus+ programme. The UK Government does not duplicate this work.
British Nationality: Assessments
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people took the Life in the United Kingdom citizenship test in each month from January 2013 until November 2014 inclusive.
Lord Bates: Information is not published in this format. However, statistics relating to the number of Life in the UK tests taken are already published quarterly on the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-november-2014
Table LUK1 refers, which provides data up to and including September 2014. Data relating to October and November 2014 will be published in due course.
British Nationality: Assessments
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have taken the Life in the United Kingdom citizenship test for a second time after passing the test previously because they lost the certificate confirming they had passed.
Lord Bates: No statistical information is available showing how many people have re-taken the test for this purpose. It would not be necessary to re-take the test in these circumstances as each test result is transferred to Home Office systems for reference purposes and would therefore be available to the caseworker considering any subsequent application for settlement or citizenship.
British Nationality: Assessments
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Life in the United Kingdom citizenship tests were taken and were passed in Welsh and in Scots Gaelic in each year since 2005.
Lord Bates: No Life in the UK tests have been taken in Welsh since 2005. One test was taken in Scots Gaelic in 2010.
British Nationality: Assessments
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why in England applicants have been unable to sit the Life in the United Kingdom citizenship test in Welsh or Scots Gaelic since 2013.
Lord Bates: We introduced a new version of the Life in the UK test in 2013, but there was no change to our policy on offering the test in Welsh or Scottish Gaelic. Demand for tests in these languages is very low and we have no record of any requests outside Wales or Scotland.
British Overseas Territories
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what rules govern the ability of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories to raise finance from the private sector and from international governments and organisations to fund infrastructure improvements.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Overseas territory constitutions and laws set clear responsibilities for public financial matters in each territory. Rules on public procurement in the Overseas Territories (OTs) are also set out in local legislation. In addition, the British Government and a number of OTs have agreed Fiscal Frameworks that establish prudent limits and robust definitions of public debt. They also establish key principles and procedures for public procurement. Fiscal Frameworks are in place with Anguilla, the Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
British Overseas Territories
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of unemployment and poverty levels in the Overseas Territories.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Overseas Territory governments have devolved powers for self government and are responsible for economic policy. However, the UK works to support them in partnership in line with the 2012 Government White Paper.
Most of the UK Overseas Territories are defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as High Income Territories. But the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita levels in St Helena (including Tristan da Cunha) and Montserrat mean they are defined as Upper Middle Income Territories, and therefore eligible for Official Development Assistance under OECD rules. St Helena (including Tristan da Cunha) with a population of around 4261, Montserrat with a population of around 4922, plus Pitcairn (whose population of around 50 means it is too small to feature in the OECD rankings) are in receipt of assistance from the Department for International Development.
Data on unemployment and per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), for the inhabited UK Overseas Territories are in the attached table. This information comes from a variety of public sources.
This Answer included the following attachment: Overseas Territories GDP per capita (3655 table.docx)
Burma
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of illicit jade and drug trading in Burma and the actions of the government of that country in respect of tackling the trade of such goods into China.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Burma remains the main source of drugs in the region and is the world’s second largest producer of opium poppy, which along with illicit trade of jade, provides significant sources of income that have helped fuel Burma’s internal conflicts. The production of methamphetamine is also a growing concern, with the majority of the production in Burma exported to neighbouring countries.
We are aware of plans for improved cooperation between the nations of the Mekong region, including Burma, to tackle the illicit drugs trade. This includes the recent establishment of a regional centre in Chiang Mai, Thailand, staffed by drugs enforcement officers from Burma, Thailand, China and Laos. The UK welcomes these efforts and encourages coordination with the UN Office of Drugs and Crime.
Cannabis
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy in regard to the use of cannabis for medical purposes.
Earl Howe: No assessment has been made by the Government of the potential medicinal benefits of cannabis. Cannabis in its raw form is not authorised as a medicinal product in the United Kingdom.
Sativex Oromucosal Spray, which contains extracts of cannabis (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol as the major active components), is the only medicine produced from the cannabis plant that is approved as a medicinal product in the UK. Sativex is licensed for use in treating spasticity in multiple sclerosis and was approved on 16 June 2010.
Sativex is being investigated in a small number of clinical trials in the UK for the treatment of a range of conditions including cancer related pain, spasticity due to multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, ulcerative colitis and impacted tooth extraction. Other clinical trials – using different compounds (cannabinoids) are also ongoing for different conditions.
The Government has not turned down any application for cannabis to be used as a medicine in the UK, but no application to obtain a licence for cannabis or a related product other than Sativex has been made to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Care Homes: Fees and Charges
Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what adjustment they intend to make to the £23,250 non-housing capital asset limit for the deferred payment scheme when the capital limit for means-tested care benefits rises from £23,250 to £118,000 in April 2016.
Earl Howe: We intend to raise the capital-related eligibility criterion, which currently requires a person to have less than £23,250 in non-housing assets, to £27,000 from April 2016. This mirrors the increased upper capital limit which will apply when a person’s property is disregarded from April 2016.
Local authorities will retain discretionary powers to offer deferred payments to people who do not meet the eligibility criteria but might otherwise benefit.
Central African Republic
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made by the new International Criminal Court investigation into the situation in the Central African Republic.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The UK notes the International Criminal Court Prosecutor’s decision to open a second investigation into the situation in the Central African Republic with respect to alleged crimes committed since 2012. Her Office’s investigation is ongoing and the Prosecutor will decide whether to bring any charges based on its findings. The Prosecutor released a statement on 24 September which sets out the Prosecutor’s belief that there is a reasonable basis to believe that both the Séléka and the anti-balaka groups have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes.
China
Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what help they are providing to Uighur refugees.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain concerned by all restrictions placed on ethnic minority rights in China, including in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. We are also troubled by reports which suggest that large numbers of Chinese Uyghurs are arriving in neighbouring South East Asian countries and claiming asylum. We regularly raise our concerns with Chinese officials, such as during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in May 2014, and with officials from neighbouring countries. We highlight our broader concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.
Clinical Priorities Advisory Group
Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with NHS England regarding delays in the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group's consideration
of specialised treatments and the impact on people who cannot currently access treatments recommended by their clinician.
Earl Howe: NHS England has advised that a meeting of its Clinical Priorities Advisory Group has been delayed whilst further work is undertaken to refine the overall decision making process. NHS England remains committed however, to ensuring that a timely decision is made about a range of investment proposals that have been put forward for the 2015-16 financial year.
At the November public meeting of the NHS England Board it was agreed to create a new Specialised Services Committee of the Board, and as a consequence to review the current governance arrangements covering this aspect of NHS England’s work.
It was decided to undertake a public consultation on the future approach to prioritising new treatments and interventions within specialised commissioning. This was considered at the December NHS England Board meeting and it was agreed that a 90 day consultation will be carried out in early 2015.
NHS England has advised that the short postponement of the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group meeting will have no impact on the decision making timetable for commissioning NHS services from April 2015 onwards.
Existing treatments will continue to be commissioned in the meantime, ensuring that support for patients is maintained.
Clinical Priorities Advisory Group
Baroness Howells of St Davids: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group operates in a transparent manner.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the work of the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group is communicated to the public.
Earl Howe: NHS England has advised that discussion at executive level has taken place. A consultation will be launched early in the new year on how NHS England carries out its considerations on the commissioning of new treatments and interventions as part of a prioritisation process. Once the proposals have been consulted on and a final decision has been published regarding the NHS England operations and decision making process to be used, the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) will operate under these terms.
NHS England has advised that the work of CPAG has been communicated through various public meetings and presentations. Current terms of reference are on the NHS England website. Any CPAG recommendations which are approved by the Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group are published on the NHS England website. A newsletter is also circulated to patient groups and relevant networks.
Coastal Areas: Access
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made on creating the coastal path in England.
Lord De Mauley: We are making good progress with coastal access. It has been implemented on four stretches of the coast in Cumbria, Dorset and Norfolk, and in Durham, Hartlepool and Sunderland. We have also announced that additional funding will be made available to complete the coastal path around England by 2020.
Congenital Abnormalities
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many births have been affected by neural tube defects in the past five years.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many pregnancies have been terminated in the past five years because of neural tube defects.
Earl Howe: Based on HSA4 notifications to the Chief Medical Officer, the numbers of abortions for neural tube defect reported as the primary medical condition of the fetus, residents of England and Wales, 2009 to 2013 are:
2013 420
2012 390
2011 364
2010 338
2009 299
ICD_10 Codes included are: Q00 Anencephaly, Q01 Encephalocele and Q05 Spina Bifida.
The data below has been captured from EUROCAT, a European network of population-based registries for the epidemiologic surveillance of congenital anomalies. The data covers approximately 30% of the population. The table below represents data from seven registries that are based in England.
Number of cases of neural tube defects, for the following registries:
East Midlands and South Yorkshire (UK),
Merseyside and Cheshire (UK),
North West Thames (UK),
Northern England (UK),
South West England (UK),
Thames Valley (UK),
Wessex (UK),
From 2008-2012
Number of cases
Registries Anomaly2 Year Live Births Fetal Deaths/Still Births from Fetal Anomaly Total
2008 47 4 51
2009 47 9 56
2010 52 8 60
2011 40 11 51
2012 46 14 60
Total1 Neural Tube Defects 2008 - 2012 232 46 278
Notes:
1
Data is not available for the following years/registries:
UK Merseyside and Cheshire (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
North West Thames (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
The years data is available for each registry and can be found here:
http://www.eurocat-network.eu/content/EUROCAT-Population-Table-I.pdf
2
The number of cases in each congenital anomaly subgroup is not the number of isolated cases. In particular the outcome, such as fetal deaths for seemingly less severe anomalies, may have occurred as the case had other more severe major anomalies.
Source:
EUROCAT Website Database:
http://www.eurocat-network.eu/ACCESSPREVALENCE DATA/PrevalenceTables
(data uploaded 24 November 2014)
Construction: Recruitment
Lord Storey: to ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the levels of employment in the construction industry, what plans they have to enhance opportunities for school leavers intending to enter the construction industry.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is committed to driving up apprenticeship opportunities for young people in the construction sector. New industry designed apprenticeships and employer led training will give construction firms, both large and small, the power to develop the workforce they need. Significant funding and support is available to employers through the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE), through support from the Construction Industry Training Board, and from April 2016 employers will no longer be required to pay employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices under the age of 25 on earnings up to the upper earnings limit.
On 10 December the Government announced the creation of a new careers and enterprise company for schools to transform the provision of careers education
and advice for young people and inspire them about the opportunities offered by the world of work. Separately, the Construction Leadership Council is examining the image of the sector and looking at the barriers to providing young people with work experience and developing an understanding of the opportunities in the construction industry.
Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Hallmarking Convention in protecting the British precious metals industry.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The International Hallmarking Convention provides the opportunity for the British precious metals industry to have precious metal articles hallmarked with the Convention hallmarks by the UK Assay Offices. This allows British business direct access to all other Convention country markets. No formal assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Convention in protecting British industry. However, 37% of all UK hallmarked articles in 2013 were Convention marked and these represent 60% of the total of all Convention hallmarked articles.
Co-operatives
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration have they given to moving the legislative function for co-operative and community benefit societies from HM Treasury to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the quality of and ease of access to official data on co-operatives.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the legal and regulatory frameworks in supporting innovation in co-operative capital.
Lord Deighton: The Government does not hold official statistics on co-operatives. Relevant data is held by the Financial Conduct Authority, some of which they publish online.
The legislative function for co-operative and community benefit societies resides with HM Treasury; there are currently no plans to change this.
The Financial Conduct Authority is the registrar for co-operatives and community benefit societies. It has no regulatory functions over societies which are not also authorised to carry out financial services activities.
The Government is content that the legislative framework in place supports innovation in co-operative capital. The government has implemented a package of measures this year to strengthen the co-operative sector. This includes increasing the amount of withdrawable share capital an individual can invest in a society from £20,000 to £100,000, making it easier and cheaper for co-operative societies to raise capital.
Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland
Lord Christopher: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to publish impact and risk assessments on the devolution of corporation tax to Northern Ireland.
Lord Deighton: At Autumn Statement, the Government set out that it recognises the strongly held arguments for devolving corporation tax rate-setting powers to Northern Ireland, including its land border with the very low corporation tax environment in the Republic of Ireland, and the shared goal of the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive of rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy and securing the peaceful economic progress made since the Good Friday Agreement. Work by HMRC and HM Treasury has concluded that this proposal could be implemented provided that the Northern Ireland Executive is able to manage the financial implications. If this legislation is introduced, a Tax Information and Impact Note will be published alongside the Bill as part of the usual legislative process.
Counterfeit Manufacturing
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the performance of Trading Standards in the United Kingdom in securing convictions for (1) the production, (2) the sale, (3) the distribution, and (4) the importation of counterfeit goods.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Trading Standards services, including tackling counterfeit goods, are provided by local authorities. Local authorities operate independently from central government and are accountable to their own electorate, allocating resources according to local priorities.
Local authorities do not report regulatory outputs to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Therefore, the Department does not hold this information.
Credit Rating
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had talks with the credit rating agencies with a view to restoring the United Kingdom’s AAA credit rating.
Lord Deighton: The current European credit rating regulation 1060/2009 stipulates that rating agencies monitor and review credit ratings on an ongoing basis and at least annually. Furthermore, the regulation states that:
“The credit rating agency shall inform the rated entity at least 12 hours before publication of the credit rating and of the principal grounds on which the rating is based in order to give the entity an opportunity to draw attention of the credit rating agency to any factual errors”.
The Government’s long term economic plan has secured the UK’s strong credit rating, which has contributed to lower borrowing costs and helped protect frontline services. In June 2014, Standard and Poor’s (S&P) revised the outlook on their UK AAA rating to stable, from negative. The key driver cited by S&P was ‘Amid further progress in consolidating public finances, the UK’s economic recovery is broadening.’
S&P have assigned the UK sovereign the top triple AAA rating since they first published a UK rating in 1978. Moody’s and Fitch have assigned the UK the second highest rating Aa1 and AA+ respectively, with a stable outlook.
Curriculum
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 27 November (HL3031), whether they consider that parents who learn that their children are being taught by a school that young earth creationism or intelligent design is scientifically valid are entitled to regard it as evidence that that school is not offering a broad and balanced curriculum under the terms of section 78 of the Education Act 2002.
Lord Nash: Maintained schools are obliged to comply with section 78 of the Education Act 2002. Maintained schools that teach young earth creationism or intelligent design as valid science undermine the teaching of established evolutionary theory and are therefore not complying with the national curriculum or providing a broad and balanced curriculum as required by section 78. If parents have concerns about this they should raise the matter through the school’s complaints procedure in the first instance.
Cycling England
Baroness Seccombe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the annual budget of Cycling England in 2010/11 or the last financial year for which figures are available.
Lord Deighton: The annual budget provided by the Department for Transport to Cycling England in 2010-11 was £63 million.
Cycling: Training
Baroness Seccombe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual Bikeability budget for the current and next financial year.
Lord Deighton: The annual budget set by the Department for Transport for its Bikeability programme is: £11.7 million in 2014-15; and £11.9m in 2015-16.
Defence: Procurement
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which platforms they expect will be able to fill any capability gaps at an acceptable level of technical risk following the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review; and how long they expect it will take to integrate United Kingdom complex weapons into the solutions.
Lord Astor of Hever: The information requested is not available.
Developing Countries: Trade
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that trade is understood to have a role in facilitating the post–2015 development objectives.
Baroness Northover: Poverty eradication is at the forefront of the post-2015 development agenda and we propose to tackle this by promoting inclusive economic growth, social development and tackling climate change, in a way that leaves no one behind. Trade plays a central role in achieving the ambitious agenda and the UK will work to ensure that there are strong trade-related targets in the final post-2015 framework.
Diabetes
Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps National Health Service clinical commissioning groups have taken to investigate the reported progress of recent research in the United States regarding the development of an artificial pancreas; whether there have been any interchanges between government-funded researchers in the United Kingdom and the United States; and what assessment they have made of the level of resources available to United Kingdom researchers in that area.
Earl Howe: Artificial pancreas research continues to progress in the United States, the United Kingdom and worldwide. Clinical studies have shown that artificial pancreas systems can improve blood sugar control, especially overnight, and reduce the number of episodes of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia). Systems have been successfully used at home for the overnight period in adolescents and young adults but significant challenges arise from 24 hour use that remain to be solved, particularly around exercise, food and physical activity.
Artificial pancreas device systems and technologies could be made available through National Health Service commissioning once they have gone through the appropriate regulatory process to demonstrate safety and efficacy.
UK research in this field is supported by funders including the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the Wellcome Trust, Diabetes UK and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), in collaboration with industry. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including artificial pancreas systems. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
The NIHR biomedical research centres at Cambridge and Imperial College London are making a significant contribution to international research in this field. Dr Roman Hovorka, University of Cambridge, and Dr Nick Oliver, Imperial College London are members of the Artificial Pancreas Consortium organised by the JDRF. This consortium meets annually with monthly conference calls providing a forum for discussions between researchers from the US, UK and Australia. There have been no formal interchanges between government-funded researchers in the UK and the US.
Directors: Equal Opportunities
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have in place to monitor the diversity of (1) Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and (2) LGBT, persons serving as directors of public companies.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Under the Companies Act listed companies are required to report on diversity, including gender, in their annual reports. Company reporting is overseen by the Financial Reporting Council and companies are required to follow the UK Corporate Governance Code on a comply-or-explain basis.
In September 2014 FRC published an updated Code, including changes to the preface reinforcing the importance of diversity in all its forms on the board. This includes, but is not limited to, gender and race.
At the launch on 15th December 2014, the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills welcomed a new private sector-led campaign which will look to address the lack of ethnic diversity in boardrooms, based in part on research that indicates the proportion of Black & Ethnic Minority people in leadership positions is lower than expected compared to the wider population (estimated at 5.1% and 14% respectively). Measuring progress is a key part of the campaign.
Diseases
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the process by which NHS England makes decisions on whether to support the funding of treatments for rare diseases.
Earl Howe: NHS England specialised commissioning is supported by devolved clinical leadership. Specialised services are grouped into five programmes of care:
- Internal Medicine;- Cancer and Blood;- Mental Health;- Trauma; and- Women and Children.
Within the programmes of care, 75 Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs) are responsible for preparing national specialised service-level strategy and developing specialised service contract products such as specifications and policies.
In addition, the Specialised Commissioning Medicines Optimisation CRG works across all 75 service-specific CRGs.
The Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) advises the Specialised Commissioning Committee on commissioning of new treatments for rare diseases in England. CPAG’s membership includes clinicians, patient representatives and commissioners of health services. Recommendations are made by following the principles and criteria of a decision-making framework.
The Specialised Commissioning Committee advises the NHS England Board on development and implementation of strategy for specialised commissioning, agreeing specialised commissioning priorities and work programmes, and receiving assurance that these are delivered.
The NHS England Board recommendations from the Specialised Commissioning Committee and deliberates accordingly.
This Written Answer contains the following attachment: CPAG Decision-Making Framework (CPAG Decision- Making Framework.pdf)
Diseases
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria have been established by NHS England to guide the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group in its evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of treatments for rare diseases.
Earl Howe: The Rare Diseases Advisory Group considers the evaluation of all treatments for rare diseases and advises the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG). The evidence base for treatments of rare diseases is often more limited than for more common conditions. Therefore, allowances are made for greater uncertainty. In some cases, formal evaluation of cost effectiveness may not be possible or helpful.
The decision making framework published on the NHS England website guides CPAG in assessing and making a commissioning position recommendation.
This Written Answer contained the following attachment: CPAG Decision-Making Framework (CPAG Decision-Making Framework.pdf)
Diseases
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what budget NHS England has established to fund treatments for rare diseases.
Earl Howe: NHS England holds a budget of £13 billion with which to commission 145 specialised services. NHS England does not separately identify the costs of the treatment of rare diseases because many of the specialised services – for example neurosciences – include treatments for patients who have both rare diseases and traumatic injuries.
Diseases
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimates they have made of the potential cost of treatments for rare diseases over the next five years.
Earl Howe: No forecast by NHS England of aggregate future expenditure on rare diseases is available.
NHS England uses a number of methodologies to estimate the potential costs of any new treatment for rare diseases. This includes working with the horizon scanning team from the National Institute for Health Research as well as with industry representatives and other stakeholders such as patient groups and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Diseases
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the process by which NHS England makes decisions on whether to support the funding of (1) National
Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) highly specialised technologies (HST) approved rare disease treatments, (2) non-NICE HST approved rare disease treatments, and (3) rare disease treatments that are not selected for HST evaluation.
Earl Howe: The Rare Diseases Advisory Group (RDAG) was established in March 2014 by NHS England. It was set up to provide NHS England and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with consistent advice on developing and implementing the strategy for rare diseases and highly specialised services. The RDAG will also provide advice to NHS England and the devolved administrations to enable it to respond to consultations issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Highly Specialised Technology Programme and to provide advice to NHS England and the devolved administrations on the most appropriate services to deliver those highly specialised technologies that receive a positive technology appraisal determination from NICE.
At the three meetings held by RDAG in 2014 the group has addressed proposals for some new treatments to be considered for provision in the National Health Service. It has also considered a number of services, currently provided within the NHS, that meet the criteria of Highly Specialised Services (HSS) and should be considered as highly specialised and re-configured to be provided in expert centres. The group has also considered a number of service specifications for HSS. Recommendations have been made to the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group based on these decisions. Any recommendations agreed by NHS England will go out for a full three month consultation.
Diseases
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what prioritisation criteria are used by NHS England to commission approved treatments for rare diseases.
Earl Howe: The Rare Diseases Advisory Group (RDAG) makes recommendations to NHS England and the devolved administrations of NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and NHS Northern Ireland on issues related to highly specialised services (HSS). These services are provided to a smaller number of patients compared to specialised services; usually no more than 500 patients per year. For this reason they are typically best delivered nationally through a very small number of centres of excellence.
Examples of highly specialised services include liver transplant services, enzyme replacement therapy, and secure forensic mental health services for young people. It is also the role of RDAG to have an overview, across the four countries of the United Kingdom, on the development and implementation of the strategy for rare diseases and HSS.
The Group makes recommendations to the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) about how highly specialised services should be commissioned. This includes recommending which expert centres should be nominated (or should no longer be nominated) to deliver highly specialised services.
The decision making framework published on the NHS England website guides CPAG in assessing and making a commissioning decision recommendation. A copy of the CPAG Decision-Making Framework is attached.
However, NHS England is now reviewing the appropriate approach to prioritising new treatments and interventions within specialised commissioning. At the NHS England Board meeting held on 17 December 2014 it was decided that a 90-day consultation will be carried out in early 2015 on the prioritisation framework and decision-making process that NHS England should use to make commissioning decisions on new treatments and interventions.
This Answer included the following attachment: CPAG Decision Making Framework (CPAG Decision Making Framework.pdf)
Domestic Violence
Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 25 November (HL Deb, col 772), when the national oversight group chaired by the Home Secretary will report its findings, to whom it will report, and whether its findings will be published.
Lord Bates: In response to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary's (HMIC’s)report (March 2014) which exposed significant failings in the police response to domestic violence and abuse, the Home Secretary has established a National Oversight Group, which she is chairing, to drive delivery against all of the recommendations of the HMIC review.
To date, the Group has met three times. The Government has committed to publishing updates on the work of the National Oversight Group. The first report will be published shortly. A copy of the report will be placed in the libraries of both Houses.
Educational Exchanges
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans formally to recognise international high school exchanges.
Lord Nash: The Government recognises that school links and exchanges can provide valuable opportunities to learn about other countries and to improve language skills. It is, however, for individual schools to decide whether or not they wish to participate in such exchanges.
For those who do, there are many opportunities available, for example through the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme, the Global Learning
Programme, which is jointly funded by the Department for International Development and the British Council, and the EU’s Erasmus + programme. The British Council also offers an International School Award which enables schools to have their international work recognised.
Elizabeth Cross
Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions the Queen Elizabeth Cross and Scroll has been posthumously awarded to former soldiers whose death was not the result of being killed in action.
Lord Astor of Hever: The number of instances where the Elizabeth Cross and Memorial Scroll has been awarded to the next of kin of Armed Forces personnel, whose death was not the result of being killed in action, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Embassies
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many foreign states and commonwealth countries have embassies, High Commissions or other diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: According to our records a total of 175 foreign States and Commonwealth countries have embassies, High Commissions or other diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom. Further information can be found on the “Foreign embassies in the UK” page on the Government website at: https:// www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk. Copies of the current lists of diplomatic missions and consular offices outside London are attached.
This Answer included the following attachment: London Diplomatic List as at 17 December 2014 (London_Diplomatic_List_-November_2014.pdf)
Energy
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of local authorities setting up energy companies to provide cheaper energy to their residents.
Baroness Verma: This Government is keen to understand the re-emergence
of local authorities as energy companies and the potential benefits to their residents. In order to tackle the barriers surrounding this we launched the UK’s first Community Energy Strategy in January 2014 and we take views from a Local Supply Working Group.
Our Strategy recognises that local authorities are crucial to community energy activities and sets out how Government intends to help communities build strong and productive partnerships with the public sector. One of the commitments is to carry out a sector survey in 2016, including a local authority section.
We welcome recent developments in local authority engagement in the energy sector, for example, Cheshire East Council is the first local authority to have entered into a partnership with Ovo Energy under their new ‘Communities’ tariff. It is too early to make an assessment of these developments as the details are still being finalised.
In addition we expect to know the outcome early next year of the application by the Greater London Authority for a “Licence Lite”– if successful, the GLA will be the first authority to take advantage of Ofgem’s streamlined arrangements for supplying electricity.
Entry Clearances: Nepal
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to Written Answer by Lord Bates on 8 December (HL3326), whether the staff who actually carry out the application reviews for entry clearance applications made in Nepal are aware of that policy, and whether checks are carried out to ensure that is so.
Lord Bates: All visa applications are considered under the Immigration Rules. As the Immigration Rules do not state that there needs to be a demand for specific graduates in the students’ home country, the degree subject is not a consideration for the Entry Clearance Officer.
Any student application refused under PBS Tier 4 of the Immigration Rules can be subject to an Administrative Review (AR). The AR is conducted by an official at a more senior grade than the original decision maker.
Eritrea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of refugees and displaced people who have left Eritrea over the past twelve months; what they consider to be the factors involved in their decision to leave; what they consider to be their primary destinations; and what is their assessment of future conditions in Eritrea.
Baroness Northover: We remain deeply concerned by the political situation in Eritrea; the UN estimates that around 200 migrants leave Eritrea daily, with Sudan and Ethiopia as their primary destinations. Those who choose to leave Eritrea do so for a variety of reasons, including a desire to avoid performing national service for an indeterminate length of time and to seek greater economic opportunity than currently available in Eritrea. Our Ambassador in Asmara regularly monitors events in Eritrea and works closely with the UNHCR, through whom we receive monthly updates on migration. The UK Government has made representations to the Government of Eritrea to improve its observance of human rights, and works with European partners on the implementation of the Eritrea Country Programme under the Eleventh European Development Fund to help provide greater economic growth and opportunities.
Eritrea
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether negotiations are taking place with the government of Eritrea about the number of refugees from that country coming to the European Union and, in particular, to the United Kingdom.
Lord Bates: There is an ongoing dialogue on migration related issues between representatives of the UK and Eritrean governments, including a recent meeting with my Hon. Friend, the Immigration and Security Minister (James Brokenshire)and the Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh on 27 November in Rome. This took place in the margins of a conference to launch the new European Union - African Union ‘Khartoum Process’.
The UK is playing an active role in this initiative which is bringing together EU countries and those in the Horn of Africa, including Eritrea, to support dialogue and cooperation to tackle people smuggling and human trafficking in the region. More recently, there has been a visit to Eritrea by a joint delegation of senior Home Office and Foreign Office officials on 9-11 December to discuss a range of migration topics, including the current drivers of irregular migration and ways to mitigate it, asylum and returns, and potential areas for joint co-operation.
Eritrea
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether human rights issues will remain a firm condition for the granting of development aid to the Government of Eritrea.
Baroness Northover: DfID does not have a bilateral development programme in Eritrea, but makes a humanitarian contribution through UNICEF, until June 2015, for health, nutrition, water and sanitation.
Across our humanitarian programmes we consider key human rights issues including issues of impartiality, protection, principles of do no harm, conflict sensitivity, access to vulnerable groups and the needs of women and girls. In countries where DfID does have, or is
planning to have, bilateral development programmes, the extent of partner Governments’ commitment to respecting human rights and other international obligations is one of four Partnership Principles assessed by country offices. The Government has made representations to the Government of Eritrea to improve its observance of human rights, and works with European partners on the implementation of the Eritrea Country Programme under the Eleventh European Development Fund to help provide for greater economic growth and opportunity.
Eritrea
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether consideration has been given to changing European Union policies on Eritrea as part of an attempt to reduce the number of refugees from that country.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK remains concerned by increasing numbers of irregular migrants from Eritrea to Western Europe. The UK and EU partners will continue to work with Eritrea through the new EU - Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative (‘Khartoum Process’) to advance cooperation on human trafficking and irregular migration.
EU Budget: Contributions
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their present projection of the United Kingdom's gross and net contributions to the European Union budget for the whole of the seven year budget agreement 2014–20.
Lord Deighton: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility is responsible for forecasting UK gross and net contributions to the EU Budget. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecasts can be found in Table 2.19 of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook supplementary and fiscal tables – December 2014.[1]
[1]
This table can be found at the following link:
http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook-december-2014/
European Arrest Warrants
Lord Wade of Chorlton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the European Arrest Warrant on the application of habeas corpus.
Lord Bates: Part 1 of the Extradition Act 2003 implemented the European Arrest Warrant. We are clear that the remedy of Habeas Corpus still exists in cases involving the European Arrest Warrant.
The issue of Habeas Corpus was discussed during the passage of the Act through Parliament in 2003 and has been ruled on by the courts, with both making it clear that the remedy remains available in EAW cases.
For example, Lord Justice Baker concluded in the matter of Nikonovs v Governor of Brixton Prison [2006] that “In my view the passages from Hansard that I have cited make the answer clear beyond a peradventure ... In my judgment the remedy is available”.
European Commission
Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the statement on 10 December by the President of the Court of Justice of the European Union that “The European Commission is more than ever a political body” is compatible with the Commission’s role as set out in the Maastricht Treaty.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government is clear that the European Commission’s role is as set out in the relevant Treaties. Article 17 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) specifies that the European Commission’s role includes, inter alia, ensuring the application of the Treaties and overseeing the application of Union law under the control of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Article 17 of the TEU also provides that, in carrying out its responsibilities, the Commission shall be completely independent.
European Protection Orders
Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to implement the European Protection Order (EU Directive 2011/99/EU) that requires member states to introduce procedures whereby the victims of domestic violence can get a non-molestation order from the courts in one member state which will then be automatically recognised in other member states.
Lord Faulks: EU Directive 2011/99/EU on the European Protection Order comes into force on 11 January 2015 and the Government plans to implement it by way of statutory instrument made under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972, on the same day. At the same time, the Government will also implement the related EU Regulation on the mutual recognition of protection measures in civil matters, (606/3013) which comes into force on the same day.
European Union
Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the electorate in a referendum on a new European Union treaty or an amendment to an existing treaty will include electors registered in Gibraltar.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Electors registered in Gibraltar vote in European Parliament elections and would vote in any referenda held on EU treaty change, whether the adoption of a new treaty or amendments to an existing treaty, where that would affect Gibraltar, as set out by the European Union Act 2011.
Exclusion Orders
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government , further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 15 December (HL3642), whether they consider the public advocacy of rape to be a ground for excluding a person from entering the United Kingdom.
Lord Bates: The Home Secretary has the power to personally exclude foreign nationals from the UK if the person’s presence in the UK is considered not to be conducive to the public good. The power to exclude is broad, but is normally used in circumstances involving national security, unacceptable behaviours, international relations/foreign policy, and serious organised crime.
The unacceptable behaviours policy covers a list of non-exhaustive indicators, including where individuals express views which foment serious criminal activity or seek to provoke others to commit serious criminal acts.
Exclusion decisions are very serious and no decision to exclude is taken lightly. These powers are only used when justified and based on all available evidence. These decisions are made according to the individual circumstances of each case.
Female Genital Mutilation
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are resourcing the provision of training and education in communities in the United Kingdom in which female genital mutilation is practised.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Long-term and systematic eradication of female genital mutilation in the UK will require practising communities to abandon the
practice themselves. To keep girls safe we need to work directly with local people who know what will work in their areas.
Faith has an important role to play. At the Girl Summit we launched declarations for faith leaders to sign against female genital mutilation and forced marriage. These have now been signed by over 350 leaders from all major faiths. These declarations make it clear that no religion condones the practice.
The Department for Communities and Local Government and the Government Equalities Office have also committed £270,000 to community projects to prevent female genital mutilation and other forms of so-called honour based violence. We recently announced the projects that successfully secured this funding. We will fund 17 community projects which include three organisations that will set up networks of community champions against female genital mutilation and forced marriage.
Many of these projects will work with young people. Brave young women and men have been at the forefront of campaigning against female genital mutilation and their courage and determination inspire us all to do more. Videos of the projects can be found at http://www.thinglink.com/scene/597214845217013762.
This funding is in addition to £100,000 committed by the Home Office to run a female genital mutilation community engagement initiative. The Home Office is funding 12 voluntary and community sector organisations to carry out community work to raise awareness of female genital mutilation amongst women already affected by this and young girls at-risk, as well as men in the community.
On 5 December 2014 the Government also launched a new female genital mutilation unit to drive a step change in nationwide outreach on female genital mutilation with criminal justice partners, children's services, healthcare professionals and affected communities.
The unit will deliver outreach support to local areas to assist them in developing their local response to tackling female genital mutilation and to raise awareness of the unit. The first phase of this work will be carried out in a series of training workshops which Forward UK are delivering to Local Safeguarding Children's Boards in high prevalence female genital mutilation areas.
The unit will also offer bespoke targeted peer support to local areas who want to strengthen their ability to tackle female genital mutilation. Organisations interested in receiving peer support or an outreach presentation can email the unit at [email protected].
Female Genital Mutilation
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to ensure better co-ordination of guidance given to medical practitioners, teachers, and faith leaders on reporting and protecting girls from female genital mutilation.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to increase prosecution rates against those who have committed offences relating to female genital mutilation.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to collate statistics centrally on cases of female genital mutilation, both in the United Kingdom and involving British citizens extra-territorially.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the recommendations of peer studies on female genital mutilation, such as the Bristol PEER Study.
Lord Bates: At the Girl Summit, hosted by the Prime Minister, in July 2014, the Government set out a clear commitment to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and announced a comprehensive package of domestic measures to achieve this. The Government published update multi-agency guidelines to support better co-ordination of guidance on protecting girls from FGM. On 5 December the Government published a public consultation which seeks views on how to put these guidelines on a statutory basis to increase awareness of FGM and improve compliance with good practice.
The Government also set out a range of measures to improve the law enforcement response and increase prosecution rates for FGM including the introduction of new legislation, the publication of new police guidance on FGM, and a review by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary into ‘so called’ honour based violence with a focus on FGM to commence in 2015. In addition, 42 forces have signed joint protocols with the Crown Prosecution Service on the investigation and prosecution of FGM, and the Government published a consultation on 5 December on how to introduce a mandatory reporting duty to increase referrals to the police in order to support more prosecutions.
A prevalence study on FGM was also published by Equality Now and City University on 22 July, part-funded by the Home Office, identifying that approximately 60, 000 girls aged 0-14 have been born in England and Wales to mothers who had undergone FGM. Further data disaggregated to a local level will be published in early 2015. In addition, the Health and Social Care Information Centre published the first ever NHS FGM data on 16 October. This is a critical first step in understanding the extent of FGM in England as reported to health professionals.
The Government works in close partnership with stakeholders in reviewing peer studies on FGM, and is committed to identifying and sharing good practice. On 22 July, the Government published a FGM resource pack on gov.uk including examples of good local practice in Bristol informed by the Bristol Peer study.
Flour
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total annual cost of the fortification of flour; and whether this cost is shared with the devolved administrations.
Lord De Mauley: The cost of fortifying flour is borne by the milling industry rather than by central government departments or devolved administrations. It is estimated that, in 2013, UK production of those types of flour which the law requires to be fortified with iron, calcium, thiamine and niacin was approximately 3.5 million tonnes, and the cost to the industry of purchasing the four mandatory fortificants for that tonnage of flour would have been £2.5 million.
Nutrient £ Cost (per tonne of flour)
Calcium 0.41p
Vitamin Premix (Thiamin + Niacin + Iron) 0.30p
Total Cost 0.71p
Forced Marriage Protection Orders
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for a Forced Marriage Protection Order have been made since the coming into force of the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007; and how many have been successful.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications have been made for a Forced Marriage Protection Order since the coming into force of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
Lord Faulks: Forced marriage is an appalling practice and should not be tolerated. That is why the Government has criminalised forced marriage to ensure that victims are protected by the law. The new offences of forced marriage in section 121 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 came into force on 16 June.
Since the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 came into force on 25 November 2008 and up to the end of September 2014, 762 applications for a forced marriage protection order have been made, and 785 forced marriage protection orders have been issued. The number of orders made generally exceeds the number of applications as forced marriage protection orders are sometimes made during the course of applications for other family orders, and there is no differentiation between interim orders and final orders.
Section 120 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which also came into force on 16 June 2014, made it a criminal offence to breach a forced marriage protection order. There were 63 applications for a forced marriage protection order in the period 1 July to 30 September 2014.
Foreign Investment in UK
Lord Kinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what success has thus far been achieved by the Regeneration Investment Organisation in securing investment from overseas investors for projects in (1) Greater London, and (2) parts of the United Kingdom outside Greater London that are not included in the National Investment Plan.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: UKTI has been focused on securing investment in UK regeneration projects for three years. The Regeneration Investment Organisation was established within UKTI a year ago to strengthen this support for regeneration projects nationwide.
RIO currently has more than ten active commercial dialogues between investors and regeneration projects following introductions.
Additionally, successes by RIO (or by UKTI preceding the establishment of RIO) include the following:
1) Greater London: RIO worked in partnership with London & Partners and the Greater London Authority to encourage investment from new participants in markets including China, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, USA, Canada. UKTI was involved in attracting international investment in to Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms alongside L&P and the GLA.2) Outside Greater London: UKTI, working with local partners, helped in the successful introduction of a Chinese investor to Manchester City Airport, an £800m scheme. It also secured investment for residential schemes in Manchester and Solihull. RIO is focused on ensuring that there is a very strong longer-term pipeline of investable projects outside London – currently 90% are outside the capital. RIO works with all parts of the UK, whether or not there are projects in that area that are included in the National Infrastructure Plan. Details remain confidential at this stage but RIO will shortly announce a major project outside of London.
Free Schools: Disability
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications to establish a free school with a focus on inclusion of disabled learners, with or without
Special Educational Needs, have been agreed to, and how many refused, by the Secretary of State.
Lord Nash: Since 2010 we have received over 1500 applications to open a free school, all of which will have had some focus on the inclusion of disabled learners. Within this number we have received 89 applications to establish special free schools, 22 of which have been approved to proceed to the pre-opening stage and 67 rejected. The 67 applications were rejected because they failed to meet our quality threshold.
Three of the 11 open special free schools have been inspected by Ofsted, (with two being rated as ‘Good’ and one as ‘Outstanding’). Once open, all free schools have a statutory duty to make sure disabled students are not discriminated against and to promote their interests.
Fuels: Prices
Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the effect of the cost of fuel on the well-being of older people.
Baroness Verma: We provide specific support for pensioner households through the Winter Fuel Payment and Cold Weather Payments. Furthermore, this winter some 1.4 million of the poorest pensioners across Great Britain will receive £140 off their electricity bill under the Warm Home Discount scheme. This is an increase of 200,000 compared to last year, and around twice as many households as were helped in 2010/11, the first year of the scheme. The value of the discount has also increased each year since 2010/11.
In addition, we have issued guidance for all households and consumers, including older people, on how they can prepare for winter and save energy and money in the document Keep Warm This Winter which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keep-warm-this-winter.
This Written Answer contained the following attachment: Keep Warm This Winter (DECC_Getting_ready_for_Winter__web.pdf)
Future of the Home Care Workforce Commission
Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to respond to the assessment of the standards of domiciliary care in the report from the Burstow Commission on the future of the home care workforce.
Earl Howe: The Government is taking a variety of actions to drive up the quality of home care services and improve the working conditions of staff.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has introduced a new system of inspection of social care providers. The new inspections are structured around five key questions that matter most to people – are services safe, caring, effective, well-led and responsive to people’s needs?
From 1 April 2015, providers will be under a legal duty to meet a new set of registration requirements that include new fundamental standards. The CQC has a range of enforcement powers it can employ to ensure providers comply with these standards, including the ability to prosecute both providers and directors that are responsible for unacceptable standards of care. We are also introducing a “fit and proper person” test for directors. Where a director is deemed by the CQC to be unfit for the role, it will be able to insist upon his/her removal.
The Department worked with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Local Government Association and the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham to develop a set of commissioning standards for local authorities. The standards were launched successfully at the National Children’s and Adults’ Services conference in October 2014 and will now be piloted by a number of local authorities.
Local authorities will be encouraged to use them to support improvement in their commissioning practices, including those which impact on the social care workforce, such as provider compliance with National Minimum Wage requirements and fair employee contracting terms.
The Government is also naming and shaming employers that break National Minimum Wage laws and helping staff to recover the pay owed to them.
General Practitioners
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to ensure that general practitioner risk data are correct.
Earl Howe: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC is responsible for developing and consulting on its methodology for assessing whether providers are meeting the registration requirements.
The CQC has advised the following:
Following feedback from national and local stakeholders, and working with NHS England, the CQC last week completed a comprehensive review of the general practitioner intelligent monitoring data and, as a result, made a number of changes to the intelligent monitoring tool.
The CQC uses nationally available published data and will continue to work with the data providers to ensure that robust data are used.
The CQC is also reviewing the quality assurance of all of its outward facing analyses to ensure any necessary actions are taken to deliver quality data analysis in the future.
General Practitioners
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the withdrawal of Personal Medical Services payments on practices with a large number of deprived patients.
Earl Howe: The Department has made no such analysis.
NHS England is in the process of reviewing Personal Medical Services (PMS) contracts to ensure fair funding for all general practices. Area teams will work with PMS practices to assess the impact of any reduction in payments on its registered patients.
General Practitioners
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the proposed changes to the funding formula for general practices take account of the pressures on practices with a high level of deprivation amongst their patients.
Earl Howe: Typically, at least half of the money that a General Medical Services practice receives is in the form of ‘Global Sum’ derived through the Carr-Hill formula. The Carr-Hill formula, as agreed with the British Medical Association, is used to allocate the Global Sum and related payments on the basis of the practice population, weighted for factors that influence relative needs and costs.
Currently, the Carr-Hill formula includes a weighting for deprivation factors. It includes adjustments for levels of chronic disease and premature mortality, both of which are highly correlated with social deprivation. This was based on academic research to establish which factors – in addition to age and sex – best predict variations in workload between GP practices. A national review of the Carr-Hill formula is ongoing.
General Practitioners
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the account NHS England takes in its approach to the deregistering of “ghost” patients of those general practitioner practices which experience a high degree of mobility amongst their patients.
Earl Howe: NHS England is responsible for commissioning primary medical services in England. NHS England issues guidance, Tackling list inflation for primary medical services, to help general practitioner practices manage their patient lists. This can be found at:
http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/tack-infla.pdf
It is good practice for NHS England to undertake regular ‘list cleansing’ exercises to ensure that their patient lists are up-to-date in order to promote fairness and efficiency.
This Answer included the following attachment: Tackling list inflation (Tackling list inflation for primary medical services.pdf)
General Practitioners: Peterborough
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis they have undertaken of the impact of the phasing out of Personal Medical Services payments on the viability of the Millfield Medical Centre, Peterborough.
Earl Howe: NHS England is in the process of reviewing Personal Medical Services (PMS) contracts to ensure fair funding for all general practices and its East Anglia Area Team will be carrying out a full review of the Millfield Medical Centre’s PMS contract in early 2015.
Gibraltar
Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how old are the two Royal Navy vessels providing security in British waters at Gibraltar; what is their maximum potential speed in knots; and what is the estimated speed of the Spanish naval vessels which have made incursions in those waters.
Lord Astor of Hever: HMS SCIMITAR is 21 years old; HMS SABRE is 22 years old. Both are capable of travelling in excess of 25 knots, which enables them to fulfil their assigned role.
The speed of Spanish naval vessels is a matter for them.
Government Departments: Disclosure of Information
Lord Tyler: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Wallace of Tankerness on 13 January (HL Deb, cols 19–20), what progress they have made in fulfilling their commitments to make further improvements to the accessibility of government transparency information by (1) ensuring greater co-ordination of the publication of data sets so that all returns within a quarter can be found on one page, (2) improving the access to and presentation of those data, including by improving
the consistency of presentation and titling, (3) ensuring greater consistency in the content of departmental reporting, particularly in including the subject of meetings, and (4) ensuring that the gov.uk transparency pages contain a link to the statutory register of lobbyists so that the data can be easily cross-referenced.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Cabinet Office regularly monitors adherence to departmental open data commitments, as well as timeliness of their publication across government. We are making regular efforts to improve access to and presentation of the data, including by improving the consistency of presentation and titling.
Steps have already been taken to improve the consistency of Ministers’, Senior Officials’ and Special Advisers’ transparency returns and technical improvements to the presentation of this data will be introduced for information published in 2015. The recently established independent Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists now has a web presence on gov.uk and the Government will ensure that the transparency pages of gov.uk provide a link to the statutory register once launched.
Government Departments: Pensions
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the Government Employee Pension liability.
Lord Deighton: The Whole of Government Accounts for 2012-13 showed that the value of public service pension liabilities was £1,171.6 billion.
Government Departments: Staff
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will update the table in the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 10 January 2012 (HL14312) showing how many members of Home Office staff have been convicted of criminal offences in connection with their official activities in each of the last five years, showing in each case the name of the offender, the date of conviction and the sentence received.
Lord Bates: Since June 2013, there have been three additional cases of members of Home Office staff that have been convicted of criminal offences in connection with their official activities. The nature of the offences are in the table provided.
This Answer included the following attachment Table 1 (Table v1.doc)
Health: Screening
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to evaluate the NHS Check programme.
Earl Howe: The Commons Science and Technology Select Committee recently recommended a review of the Health Check programme in its report on the National Screening Committee. The Government will publish its response to the Committee’s report, including the recommendation on the NHS Health Check programme, in the new year.
Hearing Impairment: Children
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they are currently making available to parents of deaf children about the quality of paediatric audiology services.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the quality of paediatric audiology services, and how they will be monitored in the future.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider mandating NHS England to ensure that all children’s audiology services both undertake the Improving Quality In Physiological Services process and sign waivers of confidentiality so that all information about the quality of children’s audiology services is available to families of deaf children.
Earl Howe: We are advised by NHS England that the Improving Quality in Physiological Services programme, run jointly by the United Kingdom of Accreditation Service (UKAS) and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is raising the profile of accreditation and quality assurance schemes for physiological diagnostic services. A mapping exercise is underway to identify those services which are accredited or working towards accreditation which is an integral improvement step on the pathway to full accreditation as a mark of quality. To date audiology services are making good progress towards accreditation.
Commissioning of accredited services is considered good practice and should be encouraged. UKAS and RCP are supporting the NHS England business objective to increase the use of accreditation. Information about those services which have achieved accreditation is publicly available on the UKAS website.
All hospital providers of audiology services are registered with the Care Quality Commission and information on their monitoring and inspections is freely available online. Local authorities and clinical
commissioning groups should also be providing details of services for deaf children as part of their published offer under the new statutory framework for special educational needs and disability.
Higher Education: Admissions
Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many students (1) from the United Kingdom, and (2) from other countries, were admitted to Higher Education Institutions in England for each of the five years to August 2014; and for each of those years, how many of each of those groups of students were admitted as (a) full-time undergraduates, (b) part-time undergraduates, (c) full-time postgraduates, (d) part-time postgraduates, (e) full-time mature students, and (f) part-time mature students.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects data on students enrolled at UK Higher Education Providers.
Statistics on entrants by mode of study, level of study and domicile were published by HESA in Table 2 of their Statistical First Release “Higher Education Student Enrolments and Qualifications obtained at Higher Education Providers in the United Kingdom. (https://www.hesa.ac.uk/component/content/article?id=3103)
Statistics on the number of entrants by age, mode and domicile is shown in the attached table.
Figures for 2013/14 will become available when HESA publish their annual Statistical First Release on 15 January 2015.
This Answer included the following attachment:
Entrants by domicile1, level, mode of study and ag (HL3809 (28837).xlsx)
HIV Infection
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans are in place for the national HIV prevention programme beyond April 2016.
Earl Howe: We are looking to be more ambitious and innovative in the way we deliver the HIV prevention programme in 2015-16 and beyond. This programme will be part of our longer-term strategy for sexual and reproductive health which we plan to announce in the New Year.
Honour Based Violence
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure uniform police reporting, in forces across the United Kingdom, of honour killings.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British citizens are the victims of honour killings each year.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve extra-territorial reporting and prosecution of honour killings.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that the safety of those who testify against their relatives in honour killing cases can be better protected.
Lord Bates: The government finds so called honour-based violence unacceptable and condemns this practice. At the Girl Summit in July the College of Policing announced the development of a new Authorised Professional Practice (APP) for police on honour based violence and forced marriage. The APP is the official and most up to date source of policing practice. In 2015 Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies will be carrying out an inspection into honour based violence. The inspection will look at the way cases are handled, how officers are trained and any community based prevention work.
While the government does not hold specific data on honour killings of British citizens as it is not a separately identifiable offence, the Crown Prosecution Service Violence Against Women and Girls Report 2013-14 published in July 2014 sets out that the volume of referrals from the police to the Crown Prosecution Service of honour based violence related offences rose to 240 in 2013-14 from 230 in 2012-2013. 158 (65.8% of these referrals) were charged. 206 defendants were prosecuted for honour based violence related offences in 2013-2014, a rise from 200 last year, with 59.7% convicted.
To improve the extra-territorial reporting and prosecution of honour killings, extra-territorial provision is included in the new forced marriage offence, introduced through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The Serious Crime Bill includes provisions to extend extra-territorial jurisdiction over offences of female genital mutilation, recognised in some instances as a type of honour based violence, committed abroad.
Witnesses in cases of honour based violence may be eligible for special measures during the trial, such as giving evidence from behind a screen or with the assistance of a video link, to enable them to give their best possible evidence. The Judge can also order that the court is cleared if intimidation is suspected in the court room. The police can employ measures proportionate to an assessed risk to the witness, including the installation of locks and security alarms. In the
most serious cases where there is a threat to life, witnesses may be referred to the UK Protected Person Service for the highest level of protection.
House of Lords: Catering
Lord Avebury: To ask the Chairman of Committees what has been (1) the expenditure, and (2) the profit or deficit, for the years 2012–13 and 2013–14 of each catering outlet in the House of Lords.
Lord Sewel: The turnover, expenditure and profit or loss of each Catering and Retail Service outlet in 2012-13 and 2013-14 are set out in the tables below.
2012-13
Outlet Turnover (£) Expenditure (£) Profit/loss (£)
Peers' Dining Room 491,364 1,308,224 -816,860
Barry Room 238,267 498,307 -260,040
Home Room 44,838 182,122 -137,284
River Restaurant 257,041 689,116 -432,075
Bishops Bar 51,399 111,197 -59,798
Peers Guest Room 59,952 56,524 3,428
Lords Bar 99,612 130,914 -31,302
Millbank House 90,139 205,036 -114,897
2013-14
Outlet Turnover (£) Expenditure (£) Profit/loss (£)
Peers' Dining Room 554,236 1,441,232 -886,996
Barry Room 204,882 466,362 -261,480
Home Room 29,503 163,502 -133,999
River Restaurant 258,457 703,978 -445,521
Bishops Bar 60,090 125,399 -65,310
Peers Guest Room 60,045 75,335 -15,290
Lords Bar 106,561 102,746 3,815
Millbank House 91,430 240,236 -148,806
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
The Lord Bishop of Truro: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will encourage the personalisation of oxygen services specifically for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and ensure that users are thoroughly trained to avoid incorrect oxygen techniques.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to make sure that all patients diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are assessed for and offered access to appropriate courses of pulmonary rehabilitation.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will guarantee that all people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are assessed for appropriate and personalised oxygen therapy after diagnosis.
Earl Howe: Clinicians are responsible for prescribing home oxygen and robust oxygen assessment services are in place across the country.
In terms of personalisation, there is little specific evidence to suggest that prescribing of oxygen for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis should be any different from that of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other causes of respiratory failure. Oxygen therapy is the treatment for the lack of oxygen whatever the specific disease.
Commissioning of home oxygen services should be overseen by clinical commissioning groups except where an individual requires specialised services. In these circumstances, oxygen therapy is covered in the service specification for specialised commissioning of interstitial lung disease. Where oxygen is prescribed at home, NHS England would expect that training is given by the provider on the correct use of the equipment.
NHS England expects commissioners and providers to take account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on oxygen and rehabilitation in commissioning and providing these services. A NICE Quality Standard is also being developed in this area.
In addition, the British Thoracic Society (which is NICE accredited) is due to launch its home oxygen clinical guidelines in February 2015.
Immigration
Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 5 December (HL3055), whether they have published an impact assessment on the fiscal impact of immigration into the United Kingdom since 2008.
Lord Deighton: The government has not published an impact assessment on the fiscal impact of immigration into the United Kingdom since 2008. The fiscal impacts of migration are considered in impact assessments published by the government where appropriate.
Immigration: Poland
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 2 December (HL3119), which department would have the authority to carry out an assessment of the contribution of Polish immigrants to the United Kingdom.
Lord Bates: No assessment of immigrants’ contribution to the United Kingdom on the basis of nationality has been conducted by Her Majesty's Government, but it would be open to a number of departments to do so.
Imports
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the 2013 calendar year, what was the split of the total imports of goods from outside the European Union, between (1) industrial goods, and (2) processed and unprocessed agricultural and fish products; and what were the corresponding aggregate gross (before handling charge) values of the Common External Tariff charged by HM Revenue and Customs on (a) industrial goods, and (b) processed and unprocessed agricultural and fish products.
Lord Deighton: In 2013 total imports of goods by volume from outside the EU was split 96.6% industrial goods and 3.4% agricultural and fish products.
The split by customs duty paid was 84.3% (£2,406,874,076) for industrial goods and 15.7% (£448,545,528) for agricultural products.
Imports
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the 2013 calendar year, what was the aggregate value of imports of goods from outside the European Union on which HM Revenue and Customs charged a positive Common External Tariff (CET); and what was the corresponding aggregate value of the CET so charged.
Lord Deighton: In 2013, goods subject to a positive duty charge with an aggregate value of £46,801,238,041 were imported from outside the EU. Customs duty totalling £2,855,517,901 was charged and collected on these goods.
Imports
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the 2013 calendar year, what was the aggregate value of imports of goods from outside the European Union on which HM Revenue and Customs effectively charged zero Common External Tariff (CET), whether this was because the product in question was not liable to CET or because it was zero-rated.
Lord Deighton: During 2013, the aggregate value of goods imported from outside the EU on which no customs duty was charged was £216,685,828,867.
Imports
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 28 May 2012 (WA 112–3), what were the top 20 categories
(as defined by HM Revenue and Customs) of goods imported from outside the European Union in 2013 according to value of imports; and how much was collected by HMRC in gross customs duties in each of those categories in 2013.
Lord Deighton: The top 20 categories of goods imported from outside the European Union in 2013 by value are detailed in the table below. The table also provides details of the customs duties collected for each category as defined by the integrated tariff of the United Kingdom.
Rank Value of goods (£) Customs duty paid (£) Category description
1 41,171,266,525 1,126,611 Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products made thereof
2 25,579,474,047 135,782,315 Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances
3 18,954,148,255 18,663,167 Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad with precious metal and articles made thereof
4 17,924,341,565 201,768,337 Electrical machinery, equipment and parts; includes sound and television recorders and reproducers
5 7,175,773,811 5,102,959 Aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof
6 6,427,348,150 379,211,375 Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted
7 6,396,399,234 208,449,001 Vehicles, other than railway or tramway rolling stock and parts and accessories thereof
8 5,676,252,444 397,736,063 Articles of apparel and clothing accessories not knitted or crocheted
9 5,415,414,998 42,138,787 Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof
10 4,450,948,324 nil Pharmaceutical products
11 3,615,260,808 139,622,724 Plastics and articles thereof
12 3,446,588,010 34,153,904 Furniture, bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; lamps and light fittings; illuminated signs and nameplates; prefabricated buildings
13 3,135,140,133 2,224 Works of art, collectors' pieces and antiques
14 2,804,838,221 55,333,629 Toys, games and sports requisites, parts and accessories thereof
15 2,622,013,962 36,523,824 Articles of iron or steel
16 2,577,771,512 35,193,037 Organic chemicals
17 2,533,965,297 234,672,999 Footwear, gaiters and the like, parts of such articles
18 2,172,023,552 88,034,379 Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons
19 1,858,239,088 nil Ores, slag and ash
20 1,696,793,223 34,745,661 Rubber and articles thereof
In Vitro Fertilisation
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 3 December 2013 (WA 36) and 3 December 2014 (HL3158), which were the relevant experts or international authorities with whom the Chief Medical Officer “had a lot of discussions”; which international authorities agreed with the Chief Medical Officer’s own assessment that no-one “has come up with a better definition”; how the new definition is being accordingly incorporated into the syllabus for biology students; and what are their views on the ontological propriety of the proposed redefinition of genetic modification on the basis that it “is not that that is what it is”.
Earl Howe: As stated in my Written Answer of 3 December 2014 (Official Report, Column WA270), the development of a working definition for genetic modification in humans was undertaken in order to bring clarity to the discussion around mitochondrial donation and is solely intended to be used in this context. There is no universally agreed definition of genetic modification in humans and the working definition devised for the debate on mitochondrial donation did not aim to establish one. The Chief Medical Officer was clear in her evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee on 22 October 2014 that the definition’s purpose is to clarify discussion of this issue.
With regard to the discussions that took place in developing the working definition, in developing its position the Department, in consultation with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, also had discussions with the Wellcome Trust and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics.
In Vitro Fertilisation
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 15 December (HL3301), how many foetal reductions performed following in vitro fertilisation over the past decade were performed between (1) weeks 0–5, (2) weeks 6–13, and (3) weeks 14–16.
Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that in the decade preceding 31 December 2012, the Authority’s register records the following incidences of foetal reductions performed following in vitro fertilisation:
Foetal reduction in weeks 0-5 Foetal reduction in weeks 6-13 Foetal reduction in weeks 14-16
0 156 27
In Vitro Fertilisation
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 15 December (HL3302), how exhaustively the POLG gene at chromosomal locus 15q25 has been sequenced in all individuals known to be affected by the mitochondrial diseases listed in Annex D of the mitochondrial donation consultation document in order to establish the evidence base described in that answer; and whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority would routinely require sequencing of the POLG gene in order to ensure that pronuclear transfer or spindle-chromosomal transfer should only be used for patients who have an inherited mitochondrial DNA mutation and not where faulty mitochondria may have arisen from a nuclear gene mutation.
Earl Howe: We are advised by the Wellcome Trust that diagnosis of mitochondrial DNA disease is performed within the National Health Service Highly Specialised Service diagnostic laboratory using well established diagnostic algorithms and Practice Guidelines for the Molecular Diagnosis of Mitochondrial Diseases published by the Clinical Molecular Genetics Society at:
http://www.acgs.uk.com/media/774654/mito_2008.pdf
Mitochondrial defects that arise due to nuclear gene mutations, such as DNA polymerase gamma, routinely give rise to multiple different mutations of mitochondrial DNA within patient tissues or depletion of mitochondrial DNA. This is apparent upon genetic testing and would then lead to analysis of the DNA polymerase gamma gene to identify the nuclear gene defect.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it will design the regulatory process following the passage of any regulations to allow mitochondrial donation. Should Parliament pass the mitochondrial donation regulations, the technique could only be licensed for the avoidance of diseases caused by inherited mutations in mitochondrial DNA, not nuclear DNA.
This Answer included the following attachment: CMGS Practice Guidelines (CMGS Practice Guidelines for the Molecular Diagnosis of Mitochondrial Diseases.pdf)
In Vitro Fertilisation
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 30 October 2013 (WA 259), 26 November 2013 (WA 263), 3 December 2013 (WA 36), 3 December 2014 (HL3158) and 16 December 2014 (HL3461), whether they consider there to be any barriers to a universally agreed definition of genetic modification, in the light of the Chief Medical Officer’s views on the matter; if so, what are the “rather mixed and odd ways” in which others have used terms like “genetic modification,” “GM” and “germline”; and how the statements by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics are consistent with their view that “this process is not genetic modification”.
Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority refers to the proposed mitochondrial donation techniques as “germ-line modification” and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics as “germ line gene therapy”. As I stated in my Written Answer of 16 December 2014 (HL3461), we agree with this and believe it to be consistent with our view that the proposed mitochondrial donation techniques are not genetic modification.
Income Tax
Lord Christopher: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the increases in income tax personal allowance have had an impact on the data on income levels available to them; and if so, what action they intend to take as a result.
Lord Deighton: Increases to the amount of income tax personal allowance do not affect the amount of income data available to HM Revenue and Customs.
India
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent attacks on religious minorities in India, notably Christians; and when they next intend to raise this issue with the government of India.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: India’s Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion. The Indian government has a range of policies
and programmes to support religious minorities. However, incidents of discrimination against minority communities in India do still occur.
Our High Commissioner in New Delhi met India’s new Minister of Minority Affairs, Dr Najma Heptulla, on 16 June to discuss a range of minority issues. Our High Commission in New Delhi discusses minority issues, including religious tolerance of Christians, with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with other relevant State level authorities. Minority rights were also discussed at the EU-India human rights dialogue on 27 November 2013. We will continue to maintain a dialogue with the new Indian government about minority rights issues.
We also support religious and other minorities in India through the Department for International Development’s programme in India which helps to promote equal treatment and access to services for the most disadvantaged communities.
India
Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the reports of an attack on 13 December by Hindu radicals on a Christian pastor and his church members singing Christmas carols in Hyderabad.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: India’s Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion. The Indian government has a range of policies and programmes to support religious minorities. However, incidents of discrimination against minority communities in India do still occur. We are aware of the recent attack on a pastor in Hyderabad. The Chief Minister of Telangana Sri K Chandrashekar Rao made clear publicly that such attacks would not be tolerated.
The British High Commissioner Sir James Bevan met India’s new Minister of Minority Affairs, Dr Najma Heptulla, on 16 June to discuss a range of minority issues. Our High Commission in New Delhi discusses minority issues, including religious tolerance of Christians, with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with other relevant State level authorities. Minority rights were also discussed at the EU-India human rights dialogue on 27 November 2013. We will continue to maintain a dialogue with the new Indian government about minority rights issues.
India
Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to, or discussions they have had with, the government of India regarding freedom of religion or belief in that country since the election of Prime Minister Modi.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British High Commissioner Sir James Bevan met India’s new Minister of Minority Affairs, Dr Najma Heptulla, on 16 June to discuss a range of minority issues. Our High Commission in New Delhi discusses minority issues, including religious tolerance of Christians, with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with other relevant State level authorities. Minority rights
were also discussed at the EU-India human rights dialogue on 27 November 2013. We will continue to maintain a dialogue with the new Indian government about minority rights issues.
We also support religious and other minorities in India through the Department for International Development’s programme in India which helps to promote equal treatment and access to services for the most disadvantaged communities.
Influenza: Vaccination
Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Public Health England’s recommendation that children and adults with a learning disability should routinely be offered influenza vaccination on uptake among people with a learning disability.
Earl Howe: The measures that have been introduced to promote the offer of influenza vaccination to people with a learning disability should result in increased uptake among this group. It is not possible accurately to predict or quantify the scale of the change.
Internment: Northern Ireland
Lord Eames: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of allegations that information on alleged torture by United Kingdom forces in Northern Ireland was withheld from the European Court of Human Rights by the United Kingdom Government in 1971.
Lord Astor of Hever: The request will now be considered by the Court in line with the arrangements laid down in its rules of procedure. In accordance with those rules, if it does not decide to refuse the request the Court will refer it to the United Kingdom and invite written comments within a time-limit set by the Court.
Internment: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the request made to the European Court on Human Rights by the government of the Republic of Ireland for a review of the 1978 judgment in the case Ireland v the United Kingdom.
Lord Astor of Hever: The request will now be considered by the Court in line with the arrangements laid down in its rules of procedure. In accordance with those rules, if it does not decide to refuse the request the Court will refer it to the United Kingdom and invite written comments within a time-limit set by the Court.
Israel
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the appointment of General Eisenkot as Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Force; and what discussions they have had with the Government of Israel concerning his Dahiyya Doctrine.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We are aware of Major General Eisenkot’s nomination to succeed Lieutenant General Gantz as the Chief of Staff for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). As he is the current Deputy Chief of Staff, we would therefore expect a degree of continuity. While we have not had any discussions with the IDF over the “Dahiyya” Doctrine, we would have expectations of Israeli military conduct being in full compliance with international law and therefore meeting the tests of military necessity, distinction and proportionality.
Israel
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning (1) the arrest of fishermen on 6 December, (2) reported targeting of fishing boats with machine gun fire, and (3) deaths and wounding of fishermen since 26 August.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities over the issues concerning fishermen in Gaza. However, our officials in Tel Aviv are looking into the situation faced by Gazan fishermen and will consider whether to take any action on this issue.
Israel
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Israel's proposed “nation-state” bill.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not made an assessment on this issue, we have raised with the Israeli authorities the importance of maintaining equal rights for all of Israel’s citizens.
Israel
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning reports of the Israeli Civil Administration’s confiscation of wet weather tarpaulin sheets on 27 November from the Samen Bedouin Community in East Jerusalem.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, the Government believes that Israel has legal obligations as an Occupying Power with respect to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, under applicable international law. We have a regular dialogue with the Government
of Israel, with regards to the implementation of those obligations, and raise our serious concerns regarding such issues as demolitions of Palestinian property, as well as permitting and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the harmony rules for RAF personnel serving in the new F35B squadrons will be brought into line with their Royal Navy equivalents.
Lord Astor of Hever: RAF personnel serving in the new F35B squadrons will follow RAF harmony guidelines. They will not be brought into line with their Navy equivalents.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the primary factor in the choice of F35B variant as the United Kingdom’s new attack aircraft was the requirement for the aircraft to be operated from the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.
Lord Astor of Hever: The F35B meets the UK's Combat Air capability requirements, contributing a 5th Generation capability alongside the Typhoon. The F35B provides flexibility to be equally capable of operating from bases ashore or from the Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers as the operational scenario dictates.
Jordan
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any additional plans to provide further support to the government of Jordan to assist with displaced Syrian refugees.
Baroness Northover: By the end of March 2015, the UK will have provided almost £220 million of assistance to Jordan since the start of the Syria crisis. In 2014/15, UKAid spending in Jordan is forecast to be around £66 million. Since the onset of the Syria crisis the UK has committed £700 million for humanitarian activities in Syria and neighbouring states. This includes £82 million to date in support of UNICEF’s ‘No Lost Generation’ initiative, which provides protection, trauma care and education for children affected by the crisis.
Kenya
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the evidence provided by Human Rights Watch in respect of the availability of justice for those who experienced mass killings and rape associated with the 2007 presidential election in Kenya.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Pursuing transitional justice is important for long-term peace and stability in Kenya. We acknowledge the steps taken by the Government of Kenya to address the needs of some victims of post-election violence. The UK encourages greater efforts by the Government of Kenya to promote reconciliation and make further substantial progress on this agenda. It is therefore essential that the needs of the victims continue to be placed at the centre of efforts to deliver justice.
Learning Disability and Autism
Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in working with Health Education England, Skills for Health and partners to develop a national workforce academy to improve the knowledge and skills of health and social care professionals working with people with a learning disability or autism whose behaviour challenges.
Earl Howe: Sir Stephen Bubb’s report, Winterbourne View – Time for Change, which was published in November recommended that a national workforce academy should be established. A cross-system response to the report is expected early in the new year and will be coordinated by NHS England.
Learning Disability: Health Services
Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address variations in uptake and quality of annual health checks for people with a learning disability.
Earl Howe: General Practitioners are supported to deliver annual health checks for people with learning disabilities from the age of 14 through the Designated Enhanced Service payment scheme. The promotion of and increased access to annual health checks is a priority for NHS England.
NHS England is working in partnership with the Improving Health and Lives team in Public Health England to deliver workshops for stakeholders, and to improve information to people with learning disabilities and their families and carers to support them to access the services.
NHS England’s work in 2014-15 has focused on analysing the variation in uptake at the level of its Area Teams, including engaging with a range of stakeholders to assess the barriers and obstacles to improving uptake. This early engagement and analysis has highlighted the importance that local clinical leadership has had in driving up uptake in areas where there is higher uptake.
Learning Disability: Nurses
Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that every acute hospital employs a learning disability liaison nurse.
Earl Howe: The Equality Act 2010 exists to protect people with disabilities from discrimination. All National Health Service providers including acute hospitals have a duty to promote disability equality.
The requirement for acute hospitals to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for people with learning disabilities is normally included in commissioner contracts and compliance measured as part of the contract management role/process. Trusts are held to account through this mechanism.
Learning Disability Liaison Nurses are proven to improve the quality of services for people with learning disabilities in acute hospitals, and are an important way of demonstrating compliance with the requirement.
The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) approach to inspecting trusts ensures that the trust has made appropriate adjustments to meet the needs of service users, as outlined in the Key Line Of Enquiry for ‘Responsive’ in the appendix to the acute hospital handbook, available on the CQC’s website. Appropriate adjustments specifically include provision for the care of patients with learning disabilities.
The Government’s Mandate to NHS England sets out our ambitions for the health service, which include an objective that NHS England ensures clinical commissioning groups work with local authorities to ensure that vulnerable people, particularly those with learning disabilities and autism, receive safe, appropriate, high quality care. NHS England sets out how it will achieve the objectives in the Mandate in its 2014-15 – 2016-17 business plan. The Government will hold NHS England to account for its achievement.
Leasehold
Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the division of responsibilities in leasehold property between (1) lead lessees, (2) landlords, and (3) long-term residents who are either tenants or leaseholders.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The responsibilities of each party with a legal and/or financial interest in a leasehold property will be determined by the terms of the lease. This is the contractual agreement between the parties, and which may vary depending on the property concerned and other requirements.
Libya
Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will propose a resolution of the United Nations Security Council following the referral to that body by the International Criminal Court of the finding of non-compliance by the government of Libya in respect of failure to surrender Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to the Court and failure to return seized documents to the defence.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: On 10 December the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber dealing with Saif Qadhafi’s case issued a decision, which found that Libya had failed to comply with the Court’s request to surrender Qadhafi. It decided to refer Libya’s non-compliance to the United Nations Security Council. The United Kingdom fully supports the ICC’s decision and urges Libya to surrender Qadhafi to the Court. We will work within the Security Council for an effective response to the ICC.
Loans
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the size of peer-to-peer consumer and business finance.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to regulate the peer-to-peer lending market.
Lord Deighton: Peer-to-peer lending is an innovative new form of finance and the Government is keen to see this sector continue to grow and evolve.
Following representations from the peer-to-peer sector, the Government announced in November 2012 its intention to bring peer-to-peer lending within the regulatory scope of the Financial Conduct Authority from April 2014. Proportionate regulation will allow the sector to continue to grow.
The Government has not made an assessment of the size of the peer-to-peer consumer and business finance markets.
Loans
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had any discussions with the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority about whether to allow the securitisation of peer-to-peer consumer or business loans.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they, the Bank of England or the Financial Conduct Authority have held any discussions with the credit rating agencies about the securitisation of peer-to-peer consumer or business loans.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what risks they consider need to be prepared for in the expansion of the peer-to-peer lending market; and whether the potential securitisation of such lending would require additional regulation.
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England are looking at modelling what level of institutional investment in peer-to-peer (P2P) collaterised loan obligations, or at what level funds established to buy P2P collaterised loans, would present a systemic risk to the financial system; and if not, whether they have done so or plan to.
Lord Deighton: Her Majesty’s Government have not had any discussions with the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or credit rating agencies about the securitisation of peer-to-peer loans.
However, since April 2014, the peer-to-peer lending sector has been supervised and regulated by the FCA. The FCA monitors risks in any regulated sector on an ongoing basis.
Loans: Republic of Ireland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the arrangements for the government of the Republic of Ireland to repay loans provided during the recent banking crisis.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Republic of Ireland owes the United Kingdom as a result of loans made during the recent banking crisis.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the discussions which preceded the loan of funds to the Republic of Ireland as a result of the recent banking crisis, what restrictions were placed on their use.
Lord Deighton: The UK provided a bilateral loan to Ireland as part of an international assistance package, designed to stabilise the Irish economy and public finances. The UK bilateral loan was not limited to specific purposes but contributed to Ireland's general government financing.
In accordance with the Loans to Ireland Act 2010, HM Treasury reports to Parliament every six months including information on principal and interest payments.
I refer the noble Lord to the report laid on 13 October 2014 which is also available online, alongside all previous reports submitted by HM Treasury[1].
[1]
These reports are available in the Library of the House and can be accessed on the following site: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bilateral-loan-to-ireland
Malaysia
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of the ill-treatment and death of North Korean workers at a mine in Sarawak; and whether they have raised those reports with the government of Malaysia.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of reports of fatalities at a mine in Sarawak and wider concerns about labour rights in Malaysia, in particular for foreign workers. Our High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is in close touch with civil society and regularly hears their concerns.
Marine Protected Areas
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Marine Protected Areas will be established around the coast of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland during each year from 2015 to 2020; what restrictions on fishing, transport, and extraction of oil, gas and minerals will be required for each area; and which organisations will be responsible for regulating those areas and reporting on those developments.
Lord De Mauley: Each Administration in the UK has responsibility for designating Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in its inshore waters. Offshore waters adjacent to England, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the UK Government. The Scottish Government is responsible for the designation of MPAs for offshore waters adjacent to Scotland. Responsibility for reporting on any plans for future Marine Protected Areas within their areas rests with the appropriate administration in the UK.
The UK Government aims to consult on a second tranche of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) early next year. This will include details of all the proposed sites and an Impact Assessment containing estimates
of the cost implications for marine industries. A third tranche of MCZs is expected to follow. Natural England has recently consulted on proposals for two Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in English inshore waters in accordance with the EU Wildbirds Directive. Proposals for further SPAs in the waters for which the UK Government is responsible will be published in due course. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee is analysing evidence to determine whether there are any further potential Special Areas of Conservation for harbour porpoise in accordance with the criteria in the EU Habitats Directive, and will report in due course.
All regulatory authorities are obliged to exercise their functions, including licensing and development consents, in a manner consistent with their legal obligations to protect MPAs in the relevant national legislation. The main regulatory authorities are the Department for Energy and Climate Change, with respect to significant energy projects and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for most other marine licencing consents. Inshore fisheries are managed by the relevant Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority and the MMO. Fisheries management for offshore sites will be achieved through EU Regulation under the Common Fisheries Policy.
Mass Media: Competition
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to ensure that there is a diverse range of independent news media voices across all platforms.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government consulted on the scope of a measurement framework for media plurality in July 2013. We published our response to that consultation in August 2014; our response also addressed the recommendations of the Lords' Communications Committee report into plurality. In our response, we set out the scope of a measurement framework for media plurality and subsequently commissioned Ofcom to develop this, informed by a suitable set of indicators. The Government has been clear that it will not consider changing the existing regulatory framework for media plurality until the measurement framework and a baseline assessment have been delivered. I understand that Ofcom plans to consult on their proposals for a measurement framework early in the New Year and hopes to publish its conclusions in summer 2015.
Medicine: Postgraduate Education
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) Masters students, and (2) PhD students were supported via the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in nursing or allied care disciplines in each of the last three years.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Department supports postgraduate study in nursing and allied care disciplines through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), except where courses are sponsored directly by National Health Service (NHS) bodies.
HEFCE funding is provided via two different routes:
i) Taught Programmes, which are typically Masters qualifications such as Masters of Arts or Masters of Sciences, but also include courses such as postgraduate diplomas;
ii) Research Programmes, which are typically Doctorates in Philosophy (PhDs), but can include some Masters programmes such as Masters of Philosophy or Masters of Research courses. Research programmes are funded through ‘Quality-Related (QR) Research Degree Programme (RDP) supervision funding’.
Information on the number of full-time equivalents funded on each of these programmes is provided in the tables.
Funding for Postgraduate Taught Programmes
Students funded by HEFCE on Taught Programmes in nursing and subjects allied to medicine1
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13
Taught Masters Programmes2 2,685 3,170 2,910
Other Taught Post-Graduate Programmes 1,045 1,160 1,360
Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 students.
1. Figures are based on the ‘Subjects allied to medicine’ principal subject area, defined by the Joint Academic Coding System, and exclude those studying ‘Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology’ and ‘Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy’.
2. Taught Masters Programmes are defined by HESA course aims E00, M00, M01, M02, M10, M11, M16 and M50. The full definitions for these course aims are published at www.hesa.ac.uk
3. Source of data: HESA/ILR data for the period 2010-11 to 2012-13.
Funding for Postgraduate Research Programmes
Students counting towards HEFCE’s Quality Related Research Degree Programme supervision funding1, 2
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13
Nursing and Midwifery 355 375 375
Allied Health Professions and Studies 955 995 1,000
Total 1,310 1,365 1,370
Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 students.
1 Eligible UK- and EU-domiciled postgraduate research students are counted in this allocation.
2 Research Students include both those studying towards PhDs and those studying towards a research masters (such as an MRes or MPhil).
3 Nursing and allied care studies have been defined in this table on the basis of Units of Assessment used in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
4 FTE Figures on QR RDP supervision funding are based on Post-Graduate Research Data reported to HESA for the years shown.
5 Funding is confined to those Higher Education Provider Departments that attained a rating of at least a 2* in the 2008 RAE.
Medicine: Postgraduate Education
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) Masters students, and (2) PhD students were supported via the Department of Health in nursing or allied care disciplines in each of the last three years.
Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Health Education England (HEE) fund higher education institutions (HEIs) to provide Masters in Clinical Research places to nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals (AHPs) who work in the National Health Service. HEIs have reported 125 Masters studentships in the 2011-12 academic year (all HEIs) and 152 in 2012-13 (11 out of 12 HEIs). Full data for 2012-13 is expected shortly. Data for 2013-14 is expected by early 2015.
NIHR and NIHR/HEE doctoral fellowships for nurses, midwives and AHPs totalled nine awarded in 2012, 32 in 2013 and 15 in 2014.
Mental Health Services
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to determine how the legal requirement in relation to parity of esteem is to be followed by NHS England.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policies have been implemented by NHS England to implement the legal requirement in relation to parity of esteem.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to monitor the performance of NHS England in ensuring that parity of esteem is fully implemented in the National Health Service.
Earl Howe: The Government holds the National Health Service to account for achieving parity of esteem by setting objectives in the NHS England Mandate and monitoring their delivery through the NHS Outcomes Framework. If NHS England is failing to deliver against its objectives, Ministers can ask NHS England to report on what action it has taken, or to set out a plan for improvement.
The NHS Mandate 2015-16 makes clear that by March 2016 we expect NHS England to have made further measurable progress towards achieving true parity of esteem where everyone who needs it has timely access to evidenced based services that are better integrated with physical health services.
In January 2014 the Government set out its priorities for mental health in Closing the Gap that sets out the steps that the government, NHS England and their partners will take to make progress towards parity of esteem for mental health. This is complemented by the Department and NHS England’s new five-year plan for mental health, Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020 that was published in October 2014.
To make progress towards delivering parity of esteem the Department and NHS England have:
- worked together to ensure that there are consistent messages to commissioners and providers about the importance of delivering parity of esteem for mental health service users;- extended the legal rights to choice in mental health so people with mental health problems will have the same choice for their care as they do for their physical health;- invested £400 million in Improving Access to Psychological Therapy for adults and £54m over the four year period from 2011-2015 in the children and young people’s IAPT programme to transform child and adolescent mental health services;- set two new waiting time targets to make sure that, by 2016, at least 50% of young people referred for early intervention in psychosis services will start treatment within two weeks and treatment within six weeks for 75% of people referred to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, with 95% of people being treated within 18 weeks;- identified £40 million additional spending this year and freed up a further £80 million for 2015-16, to support the implementation of the new waiting time standards; and- invested £2 million in nine street triage pilots where police and mental health professionals work together to support people in mental health crisis access safe, appropriate care and we have committed £25 million in 2014-15 to commission 10 trial sites delivering on a new standard service specification for liaison and diversion services in England.
Monitor and NHS England are responsible for setting the national tariff arrangements and are working together to develop a national payment system for mental health which promotes improving outcomes and recovery.
We will also be investing £30 million a year over the next five years in England to improve services for young people with mental health problems. This will place particular emphasis on eating disorders.
Mental Health Services
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mechanisms they have set up to consider complaints from patients who consider that parity of esteem has not been established in relation to their own treatment.
Earl Howe: Where a patient is dissatisfied with the service provided by the National Health Service, it is right that they should make a complaint. The appropriate mechanism for such a complaint is the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009. This would include a complaint about parity of esteem.
Mental Health Services
Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people experiencing mental health problems, including those with an
additional learning disability, do not have to wait for longer than 18 weeks to receive appropriate treatment.
Earl Howe: Mental health and well-being is a priority for this Government. We have legislated for parity of esteem between mental and physical health and included it in our Mandate to NHS England. This makes it clear that “everyone who needs it should have timely access to evidence-based services”. This will involve extending and ensuring more open access to programmes.
In our new five-year plan for mental health, Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020, we identified £40 million additional spending this year and freed up a further £80 million for 2015-16. This will, for the first time ever, enable the setting of access and waiting time standards in mental health services, including for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities. The standards will include:
- treatment within six weeks for 75% of people referred to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, with 95% of people being treated within 18 weeks;- treatment within two weeks for more than 50% of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis; and- £30 million targeted investment will help people in crisis to access effective support in accident and emergency.
Starting this year, the Department and NHS England will work together with mental health system partners to develop detailed proposals for the introduction of further access and waiting time standards from 2016 onwards.
Mental Illness: Police Custody
Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made to eliminate the use of police cells as a place of safety for children and adults experiencing a mental health crisis.
Earl Howe: The Government is taking action to prevent the inappropriate use of police cells as a place of safety under the Mental Health Act 1983.
The Government has an ambition to reduce this practice by 50% this year – and to see how police and health colleagues can work together so that it does not happen at all to children and young people.
Last year the number of people taken to police cells as places of safety fell significantly, from 8,667 in 2011-12 to 6,028 in 2013-14. The police have told us that between the six months of April and September this year there have been 2,282 such cases – which, if maintained over the rest of the year, would result in a further 24% decrease in use of cells over last year. At the same time the use of health-based places of safety increased by 3,019 uses between 2012-13 and 2013-14.
This puts us well on track to achieve our aim of reducing the 2011-12 figure of 8,667 uses of police cells by half in 2014-15.
There was a small reduction of 10% in the numbers of children who were taken to a police cell as a place of safety – for 2013-14 this happened in 236 cases, and for 2012-13 this happened in 263 cases.
In February, we published a Crisis Care Concordat to make sure people in crisis get the help they need. All localities are working together to complete local crisis declarations agreed by all the local relevant agencies, by the end of the year.
The concordat states a clear expectation that “police custody is never used as a place of safety” for under-18s, except in very exceptional circumstances where a police officer makes the decision that immediate safety of a child or young person requires it.
In conjunction with the Home Office, the Department of Health has conducted a review of Section 135 and Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983. This was published on 18 December 2014.
The new Children and Young People's Mental Health and Well-Being Taskforce will also be looking at the issue of under 18s being detained in police custody as part of its Access and Prevention work.
Mesothelioma
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Faulks on 9 December (HL Deb, col 1710), what evidence they have for the assertion that a lack of good research proposals is deterring research into mesothelioma and that there are no problems concerning availability of funding.
Earl Howe: The Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) have been receiving high quality research applications in mesothelioma. The Government is implementing a package of measures to stimulate an increase in the volume of applications and funded research in mesothelioma.
In the last five financial years (2009-10 to 2013-14) the MRC has received 10 applications for grants or fellowships that relate to research on mesothelioma. Of these 10 applications four were successful resulting in a success rate of 40%. This is higher than the overall success rate for applications to the MRC which during the same period has been between 20% and 25%.
In the last five financial years, 11 applications relating to mesothelioma have been submitted to research programmes managed by the NIHR. Of these 11 applications four were successful resulting in a success rate of 36%. Success rates for NIHR-managed programmes are available on the NIHR website and are typically lower than 36%.
Middle East
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they assess the effectiveness of the various United Nations agencies trying to meet the urgent needs of refugees and displaced people in northern Iraq and around the frontiers of Syria; and in particular whether they consider that enough authority is locally devolved.
Baroness Northover: DFID closely monitors the effectiveness of UN agencies in meeting the urgent needs of displaced people in Northern Iraq and around the frontiers of Syria, including through our field team. The UK is supporting the UN to scale up operations – including through funding key staff positions in agency field offices – to strengthen the UN’s presence at a local level.
Middle East
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what priority they are giving to negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: There remains an urgent need for negotiations to agree a durable ceasefire agreement, which tackles the underlying problems of the conflict in Gaza. We were disappointed that it was not possible for the Cairo negotiations to resume as planned on 27 October, due to the terrorist attack in the Sinai. We are urging the parties to ensure that these resume quickly.
Middle East
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take regarding Israel’s occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Middle East Peace Process continues to be one of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s principal foreign policy priorities. Only a negotiated two-state solution will resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once and for all and end the occupation. The UK stands ready to do all it can to support this goal.
Middle East
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to protect the viability of the two state solution, in the light of Israel’s plans on settlement expansions.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Discussions are underway in Brussels on what further measures the EU could take to discourage further settlement expansion. As the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of 17 November made clear, the UK and other EU Member States are deeply concerned by recent developments, are closely monitoring the situation and its broader implications, and remain ready to take further action in order to protect the viability of the two state solution.
Middle East
Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of civilian casualties caused by air strikes against ISIS by Western forces.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The coalition, which includes a number of regional partners, as well as “western” nations, takes every possible precaution to avoid civilian casualties, unlike the ISIL terrorists who show no respect for human rights or human life within the territory they control. Coalition targets are selected with the utmost care, the times of attack are carefully chosen and precision guided weapons are used. We are not aware of UK strikes causing civilian casualties.
Middle East
Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the treatment of homosexuals in Middle East countries, in particular in (1) Israel, (2) the Palestinian Territories, and (3) Gaza.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government's clear message is that human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people.
We believe that the international community must address all forms of discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and we must also promote respect for diversity. Work in combating violence and discrimination against LGBT people forms an important part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's wider international human rights work.
The British Embassy in Tel Aviv has marched in the Gay Pride parades in Tel Aviv over recent years. At this year's march, Her Majesty's Ambassador to Israel spoke at the large public gathering and referred to Israel becoming a more tolerant society over the past decade.
We are deeply concerned about the treatment of the LGBT community in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly in Gaza where they are subject to widespread social discrimination for cultural and religious reasons. Homosexuality remains a taboo subject in the OPTs. In some places, such as Ramallah, these taboos are relaxed, but in more conservative areas the situation is very challenging. There are no laws protecting LGBT people, however, we are not aware of any recent legal cases being prosecuted against LGBT people.
Middle East
Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to protect the viability of the two-state solution, in the light of the statement by the Hamas leadership on 14 December that they are intent on the destruction of Israel.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We condemn the statement by senior Hamas leader, Khalil al-Hayya, on 14 December claiming that “the illusion of Israel will be removed” by Hamas' military wing.
The Government's policy on Hamas has not changed and is clear: Hamas must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements. We believe that only a negotiated two-state solution will resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once and for all and end the occupation.
Military Aircraft
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long they estimate it will take to procure an armed long-range anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance capability, based on a manned aircraft, after the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review has been completed.
Lord Astor of Hever: The time it would take to acquire such an aircraft would depend on the platform selected, the availability of funding, and commercial arrangements. It is therefore not possible to provide a specific timeline.
Military Aircraft
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Air ISTAR Optimisation Study included any evidence-based analysis of any capability gap left by the scrapping of the Nimrod replacement programme.
Lord Astor of Hever: Yes. The evidence gathered by the study will permit informed decisions to be made during the next Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Military Aircraft
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis has been conducted to establish the potential systems and cost benefits of including a long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft in the United Kingdom strategic deterrent system or systems.
Lord Astor of Hever: We have performed a number of assessments of the potential impact that a maritime patrol aircraft might have on the security of the strategic deterrent system. The potential contribution of such aircraft to the maintenance of continuous at-sea deterrence is well understood.
I am withholding further information as its disclosure would or would likely prejudice national security.
Military Aircraft
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what platforms they consider could fill any anti-submarine warfare manned aircraft gap at an acceptable level of technical risk within the timeframe available after the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review; and what assessment they have made of how long it would take to integrate United Kingdom complex weapons into such platforms.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Air ISTAR Optimisation Study included any analysis of the comparative whole-life costs across all Defence Lines of Development of deploying the different solutions to any maritime surveillance and long-range anti-submarine warfare capability gap.
Lord Astor of Hever: The information requested is not available, as typically such questions are addressed at a later stage in a procurement cycle. A decision on whether to acquire a new capability will not be made until the next Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Minimum Wage
Lord Christopher: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many visits were made to employers in each year from 2010 to 2013 and in the first nine months of 2014 to check that the minimum wage was being properly paid; and what were the results of those checks in each of those years.
Lord Deighton: The Government takes the enforcement of National Minimum Wage very seriously and has increased the financial penalty percentage from 50% to 100% of the unpaid wages owed to workers, and the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. These new limits are now in force where arrears are identified in pay reference periods on or after 7 March 2014. The Government will also bring in primary legislation as soon as possible so that the maximum £20,000 penalty can apply to each underpaid worker.
HMRC reviews every complaint that is referred to it, investigating the complaint and, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where we identify a high risk of non-payment of NMW.
HMRC record completed investigations but these do not include details of the numbers of visits. Some investigations may require several visits and others may be completed without any. HMRC completed 1455 investigations last year identifying record arrears of over £4.6 million. Full details for 2010 to 2014 are contained in the table below. We do not typically disclose results mid-way through a year; this is because the results have not been internally verified.
Year 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Arrears £3,818,396 £3,582,685 £3,974,008 £4,645,547
Investigations 2,904 2,534 1,693 1,455
Cases with arrears 1,140 968 736 680
Money Laundering: EU Action
Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress of current negotiations on the proposed 4th European Union Directive on
money laundering as regards risk assessment and consequent enhanced due diligence for United Kingdom Politically Exposed Persons.
Lord Deighton: The Government has advocated a risk-based approach to “politically exposed persons” domestically, through negotiations on the Directive.
In the UK, this would require treating UK PEPs, such as UK Parliamentarians, on the basis of risk when undertaking customer due diligence. Enhanced due diligence would only apply if the business relationship is assessed as high risk.
Political agreement between the Presidency, the European Parliament and the Commission on the Directive was reached on 16 December. We expect the Italian Presidency to provide further details shortly.
Muscular Dystrophy: Drugs
Lord Walton of Detchant: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have withdrawn approval of the drug Translarna, introduced for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, despite the preliminary results achieved in some patients in trials in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Earl Howe: The Government has not withdrawn any approvals for Translarna (ataluren).
We understand that a draft clinical commissioning policy to cover the use of Translarna for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy is currently going through NHS England's standard development and decision making processes.
NHS England remains committed to ensuring that a timely decision is made about this treatment as one of a range of investment proposals that has been put forward for the 2015-16 financial year.
NHS England continues to keep the range of services and treatments available to patients under review as new evidence and expert guidance becomes available.
National Insurance Contributions
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many additional part-time workers, by gender, currently earning between £3,000 a year and the current lower earnings limit they estimate would, by virtue of their earnings, fall within the National Insurance system should the lower earnings limit be reduced to £3,000 and at what gross cost to the Exchequer; how many of those additional part-time workers, by gender, earning between £3,000 a year and the lower earnings limit would currently be credited into the National Insurance system; and what, taking into account existing crediting arrangements, would be the net cost of reducing the lower earnings limit to £3,000.
Lord Deighton: The information is not available.
Naturalisation
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applicants for naturalisation demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of the English language because they had obtained an academic qualification (not being a professional or vocational qualification), which is deemed by the United Kingdom National Recognition Information Centre to meet the recognised standard of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or PhD in the United Kingdom.
Lord Bates: Information on how many applicants for naturalisation demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of English by providing an academic qualification which is deemed by UK NARIC to meet the standard of a UK degree is not aggregated in national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.
Naturalisation
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether an applicant for naturalisation is exempt from satisfying the English language requirement if the applicant can prove a knowledge of Welsh or Scots Gaelic at a minimum level of Bachelor of Arts on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Lord Bates: An individual applying for naturalisation is required to demonstrate their knowledge of language and life in the UK. The British Nationality (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 specify how that requirement may be satisfied, which does not include demonstrating proficiency in either Welsh or Scottish Gaelic. The ability to speak to and understand the wider community is key to integration. As English is the language spoken throughout the UK, an ability to speak English enables interaction wherever an individual chooses to live. Therefore, a person can only meet this part of the knowledge of language and life requirement by demonstrating speaking and listening proficiency in English.
Neurology
Lord Walton of Detchant: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they propose to respond to the survey of Acute Neurology Services issued by the Association of British Neurologists in December; and what action they plan to take to ensure that clearly defined quality standards in acute neurology are achieved evenly throughout the United Kingdom in the near future.
Earl Howe: NHS England recognises that, as this report from the Association of British Neurologists (ABN) shows, there is room for improvement in the way neurology services are delivered in acute settings. It has been working with the ABN, the Neurological Alliance, the National Clinical Director for Neurological Conditions and representatives from the Strategic Clinical Networks to develop a framework for improving neurology standards within acute settings.
The aim of this framework, which is in the process of being developed, is to help patients and their carers understand what standard of care they should expect, and to support clinicians, National Health Service staff, commissioners and others in the NHS and elsewhere that are responsible for the care of people with neurological conditions to understand how Acute services can be better delivered.
Neurological care in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is matter for the devolved administrations of those countries.
New Towns
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how their plans for new Garden Cities differ in comparison to the original concept.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There is no difference. Our locally-led Garden Cities prospectus, published in April, offered a package of support to localities wishing to bring forward new high quality, well designed new communities which put the resident at the heart of planning. As stated in that prospectus, the Government does not wish to impose a set of detailed development principles on localities taking forward new garden cities, but will instead work with localities to support them in developing and delivering their own vision.
NHS England
Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total number of staff employed by NHS England, their grades and their total cost.
Earl Howe: The total number of whole time equivalent (WTE) staff employed by NHS England as of November 2014 is 5605.47 and their total cost for 2014-15 is £312,897,165. The split by grade can be seen in the following table.
Salary Band Worked WTE paid in Nov-14 Actual Apr to Nov and estimate Dec 14 to Mar 15 £
Admin & Clerical band 2 373.70 7,964,906
Admin & Clerical band 3 424.80 10,239,492
Admin & Clerical band 4 591.76 15,162,179
Admin & Clerical band 5 376.52 11,885,462
Admin & Clerical band 6 229.14 8,938,141
Admin & Clerical band 7 164.83 7,770,548
Band 5 263.21 8,269,730
Band 6 306.32 10,902,343
Band 7 462.47 20,659,007
Band 8A 566.74 31,793,887
Band 8B 588.63 39,383,822
Band 8C 389.43 30,474,862
Band 8D 316.72 32,087,072
Band 9 245.17 30,376,967
Consultant 53.35 6,267,998
General Practitioners 2.73 405,083
Locum Speciality Registrar 0.00 32,893
Pharmacy band 4 1.00 22,135
Pharmacy band 7 1.00 48,129
Pharmacy band 8A 0.80 40,374
Pharmacy band 8C 1.00 60,488
Trust Scale (Medical) 2.94 1,077,426
Very Senior Managers 243.21 39,034,221
Grand Total 5605.47 312,897,165
NHS England Specialised Commissioning Task Force
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the full terms of reference of the NHS England specialised commissioning task force review, particularly in respect of its work relating to the funding and commissioning of treatments for rare diseases.
Earl Howe: The aim of the specialised commissioning taskforce is to improve ways of working and to ensure that specialised commissioning is undertaken in the most efficient and effective way possible.
Within the task force work programme there are specific projects. A number of the work streams are relevant to the funding of all specialised services, of which rare diseases will be an element.
NHS England provides regular updates on the work of the taskforce to external and internal stakeholders every 3-4 weeks. There are also briefings given at key
meetings and to key groups - for example the Patient and Public Voice Assurance Group. Updates can be found on the NHS England website.
NHS England Specialised Commissioning Task Force
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the NHS England specialised commissioning task force will take into account the outcome of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence review of the process for evaluating highly specialised technologies.
Earl Howe: The Rare Diseases Advisory Group (RDAG) makes recommendations to NHS England and the devolved administrations of NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and NHS Northern Ireland on issues related to highly specialised services.
RDAG makes recommendations to the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group about how highly specialised services should be commissioned.
RDAG receives recommendations from Clinical Reference Groups set up by NHS England, and in addition formulates its advice by calling on sources of sound evidence from outside the National Health Service, such as professional bodies and patient groups.
RDAG will respond to consultations issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Highly Specialised Technology Programme, and provide advice to NHS England and the devolved administrations on the most appropriate services to deliver those highly specialised technologies that receive a positive technology appraisal determination from NICE.
NHS: Negligence
Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been paid out by the National Health Service in settlement of clinical negligence claims both in absolute terms and as a percentage of the NHS budget in each of the last ten years for which data are available.
Earl Howe: The Department does not hold complete information on this centrally, as each National Health Service body is responsible for handling its own litigation except where they have the claims processed under the statutory NHS indemnity schemes, which are administered by the NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA) on behalf of the Secretary of State. However, the vast majority of litigation claims against the NHS are handled by the NHS LA, and costs met from its schemes.
The following table shows the payments paid out by the NHS LA in settlement of clinical negligence claims both in absolute terms and as a percentage of the Department’s total departmental expenditure limit (TDEL) in each of the last ten years for which data are available.
Payments made by NHS LA in respect of clinical negligence claims against the NHS:
Year Total Payments (TDEL) Outturn Percentage
£’000 £’000
2004-05 502,893 69,000,000 0.7%
2005-06 560,308 76,000,000 0.7%
2006-07 579,390 81,000,000 0.7%
2007-08 633,325 84,000,000 0.8%
2008-09 769,226 91,000,000 0.8%
2009-10 786,991 98,000,000 0.8%
2010-11 863,398 100,000,000 0.9%
2011-12 1,277,372 103,000,000 1.2%
2012-13 1,258,880 105,000,000 1.2%
2013-14 1,192,538 110,000,000 1.1%
Note:
1. Numbers taken from the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts
2. During the Spending Review 2010 period (i.e. 2011-12 to 2014-15), there have been two significant Machinery of Government changes to transfer functions and spending from DH to the Department for Communities and Local Government. These changes were only backdated to 2007-08 and therefore the TDEL figures for financial years before this date are not directly comparable.
Non-domestic Rates
Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to bring forward proposals to enable small businesses to claim a rates reduction to help them retain staff.
Lord Deighton: At Autumn Statement 2014, the government announced it would double Small Business Rate Relief in England for one year from April 2015, reducing business rates for 575,000 small businesses, with 385,000 paying no rates at all.
Further, businesses throughout the UK are entitled to a £2,000 Employment Allowance to reduce their employer National Insurance Contributions bill every year. 97 per cent of claimants for the Employment Allowance have been small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
North Korea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of disabled people in North Korea.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As set out in the latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Annual Report, there was no evidence of
improvement in the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 2013, with the possible exception of a marginal improvement in disability rights.
The DPRK signed the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in July 2013. We understand that, following revision of its relevant legislation, the DPRK government is aiming to ratify the Convention by the end of 2016.
During 2014, our Embassy in Pyongyang has worked where possible with international and domestic organisations in the DPRK to promote disability rights and improve the treatment of disabled people. This included supporting a sports and cultural event for disabled children on the “National Day of People with Disability” to raise awareness of disability issues.
Internationally, we are keeping the spotlight on the DPRK on the range of human rights issues. We strongly supported the recent country resolution on human rights in the UN General Assembly Third Committee.
North Korea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the safety of the families of North Korean refugees who remain in North Korea was considered before the United Kingdom designated South Korea as a safe country of origin for refugees.
Lord Bates: The legal test for designation of a State (or part of a State) is set out in section 94(5) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. A country can be designated if it is “generally safe”, i.e. that persecution or other serious human rights abuses are not widespread and that removal of a person to that State would not in general contravene the UK’s obligations under European Convention on Human Rights. The treatment faced outside of the state (or part of state) by those entitled to reside in it is not a relevant consideration. Any risk faced by the families of refugees would be the same whether the person gets protection in the UK or in South Korea. Even if that risk were different, designation of South Korea is still appropriate because there is, in general, no risk to nationals or residents of that country.
North Korea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded organisations in North Korea pay their in-country partners in North Korean Won or in foreign currency; and how the British Embassy pays its North Korean staff.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Foreign and Commonwealth Office projects in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are usually delivered through international partners, such as the British Council, International Committee of the Red Cross or the Royal United Service Institute. Where we or partners make payments in-country for specific goods or services, this is usually done in euros. Our Embassy in Pyongyang does not pay for project costs in North Korean won.
The local staff who work at our Embassy in Pyongyang are not directly employed by the Embassy, but employed and assigned by the DPRK government. This arrangement is common to all Embassies and international organisations working in the DPRK. Basic salaries are paid to the DPRK’s General Services Bureau, while allowances, overtime and bonuses are paid directly to individuals. All payments are made in euros.
North Korea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what anti-bribery measures are in place for Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded organisations working in North Korea in the light of the assessment in Transparency International’s 2014 Corruption Index of corruption among North Korean public officials.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) projects in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are usually delivered through international partners such as the British Council, International Committee of the Red Cross or the Royal United Services Institute. Before we select an implementing partner we carry out relevant due diligence checks, which include, but are not limited to, obtaining assurances about: training provided to staff in relation to reporting bribery and corruption; how those concerns are shared with donors; and what policies and principles and/or procedures the organisation has in place to regulate its own conduct.
In line with standard FCO project requirements, detailed budgets are required for all projects and these are carefully checked to ensure both in-country and other costs are reasonable. Project implementers are required to provide quarterly financial reports and originals or copies of all invoices and receipts, as well as a Project Completion Report containing a detailed breakdown of all expenditure during the project period. The final payment on any project is only released after submission of a satisfactory Project Completion Report.
North Korea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in North Korea, in particular the recommendation that those responsible should be tried for crimes against humanity.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Following the publication of the Commission’s report in February 2014, the UK has worked with the EU and like-minded partners to ensure strong resolutions on DPRK human rights at both the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly, including language condemning the ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights in the DPRK, commending the work of the Commission of Inquiry and encouraging the UN Security Council to consider the relevant conclusions and recommendations of the Commission and take appropriate action to ensure accountability.
We have also worked to ensure formal discussion of DPRK human rights by the UN Security Council. On 5 December the UK, along with nine other members
of the Security Council, sent a joint letter to the President of the Security Council, requesting that the situation in the DPRK be placed on the Council’s agenda. A meeting to discuss this new agenda item took place on 22 December. During this first discussion the UK used our intervention to express our concern at the human rights situation in the DPRK and our belief that if the DPRK will not hold human rights violators to account, the international community must be ready to do so. We also underlined that the DPRK authorities bear primary responsibility for protecting human rights and expressed our regret that they have withdrawn the offers of engagement made in the run up to the Third Committee vote.
North Korea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (214687) on 21 November, how many North Korean citizens were able to access United Kingdom-funded small-scale projects focused on human rights, rather than humanitarian goals, throughout 2013.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law forms a core part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s work. We aim to make a difference to people’s lives by helping to build the capacity of governments and civil society to promote and protect human rights across the globe, including where possible within the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The nature of human rights projects means it is difficult to define them in terms of how many people were able to “access” them. For example, in 2013 one project in support of human rights in the DPRK was the funding of the UN Commission of Inquiry to visit London and hear testimony from refugees. No North Korean citizens participated in this project and very few will have heard of the Commission’s report, but this does not mean the project was not a meaningful contribution to human rights in the DPRK.
North Korea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what change will be delivered in North Korea by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded Thomson Foundation project "Inside Out: Working in North Korea to connect its journalists to the internet world", in respect of the unavailability of the internet in that country and the United Nations Commission of Inquiry’s findings on freedom of expression and freedom of information in that country; and what assessment they have made of concerns that North Korean journalists benefiting from the project are members of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) maintains extremely tight control over media and restricts access to foreign broadcasting. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded project ‘Inside Out: Working in North Korea to connect its journalists to the internet world’ is an on-going media project which intends to increase interaction between the DPRK and international media
organisations. The objective is to promote a more open culture of news reporting in line with internationally accepted journalistic norms and technical standards, by encouraging greater discussion and dialogue within DPRK broadcasting. Rather than benefitting the Workers’ Party of Korea, the project seeks to encourage greater interaction between the participants and the outside world.
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that sufficient progress was made at the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference; and what progress they can report on identified follow-on actions.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government believes the Action Plan that resulted from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 2010 Review Conference, which was agreed by all NPT States Parties, was a success, encompassing over sixty actions related to disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Since the 2010 Review Conference, the UK has taken a variety of steps in support of progress against that Action Plan. Many of these steps were set out in our statements to the 2014 NPT Preparatory Committee, which are available on the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs website at the following link: http://papersmart.unmeetings.org/en/secretariat/unoda/npt/third-session-of¬the-preparatory-committee-2014/statements-(10)/. The UK also published a national report on progress against the Action Plan at the Preparatory Committee; a copy is available in the Library of the House and attached to this response.
This Answer included the following attachment: UK National Report (UK's national report to the 2014 PrepCom.docx)
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take give a political lead at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to be held from 28 April to 9 May 2015 in New York, in the light of that conference taking place during the election period.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The UK takes all of its international obligations seriously. We are still developing our approach to next year’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, taking account of international developments and consultations with other States Parties. We are also considering the implications for the UK’s approach, given the Review Conference’s concurrent timing with the general election.
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what priorities they identified at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty preparatory committee earlier this year that they will pursue at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review itself.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Our officials actively participated in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 2014 Preparatory Committee, which provided a valuable opportunity to engage with NPT States Parties on priorities for the Review Conference. The Government’s objectives reflect our overall approach to the NPT: we want to agree further progress towards a world free from nuclear weapons and to highlight our actions in support of this; encourage action that will help to contain any threat of proliferation or non-compliance with the NPT; and support the responsible global expansion of civil nuclear industries. We believe that the NPT is the cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and we therefore hope that NPT States Parties will be able to agree a consensual outcome balanced across all three mutually-reinforcing pillars to strengthen that position.
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they hope to make on Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty next year; and what obstacles they anticipate.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government will continue to implement the commitment announced in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, to reduce the number of operationally available nuclear warheads to no more than 120 and to reduce our overall nuclear weapon stockpile to no more than 180 by the mid 2020s. We will continue our efforts to build confidence between the Nuclear Weapons States (a fundamental foundation for disarmament). As one of those steps to foster mutual trust and confidence, the UK will host the next conference of P5 Nuclear Weapon States in London in February 2015.
We will also continue to push for entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and for negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty to start in the Conference on Disarmament. In addition, we will take forward our pioneering research into disarmament verification. We have made clear that our goal is a world without nuclear weapons. This goal has to be approached step by step through further reductions by the two States holding the majority of nuclear weapons and through increased confidence between the Nuclear Weapon States.
We remain fully committed to these efforts, despite the challenges of the current global security environment.
Nuclear Weapons
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what positive outcomes they can report from the 3rd International Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons which they attended in Vienna.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The UK’s participation in the Conference was welcomed by many states, non-governmental organisations and parliamentarians. At the Conference, officials listened carefully to the participants, who expressed a very wide range of views. Some argued that the way to achieve the goal of a world without nuclear weapons was to ban weapons now or to fix a
timetable for their elimination. This approach fails to take account of the stability and security which nuclear weapons can help to secure. None of us would gain from a loss of that stability. The UK believes that the UN Disarmament Machinery and the Non-Proliferation Treaty provide the right forum for working towards a world without nuclear weapons.
Our Ambassador to Austria restated our concern at the humanitarian consequences which could result from the use of nuclear weapons. That is why the UK works extremely hard to prevent the use of nuclear weapons; to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons; and to keep our own nuclear weapons safe and secure. We are also committed to working towards a world without nuclear weapons. In our Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010, the Government undertook to reduce the number of warheads we have by the mid-2020s. However, we shall retain a continuous submarine based deterrent, for as long as the global security situation makes it necessary.
A copy of the UK intervention at the Conference has been placed in the Library of the House and is attached to this response.
This Answer included the following attachment:UK intervention at International Conference (HL3607-UK Intervention Vienna HINW.docx)
Nurses
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many students graduated as registered nurses in each of the years from 2010 to 2014.
Earl Howe: The Department does not hold information on the number of students who have graduated as registered nurses.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is responsible for registering nurses. The following table shows the number of nurses who trained in England and registered for the first time with the NMC in each of the last four years.
Number of nurses who trained in England and registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council for the first time:
Year Number of initial registrations from nurses who have trained in England
1 April 2010 – 31 March 2011 14,216
1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012 13,981
1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013 15,452
1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014 16,657
Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council
Nurses
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many registered nurses were enlisted on the General Medical Council register in each of the years from 2010 to 2014.
Earl Howe: Nurses are not required to register with the General Medical Council (GMC), but are required to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in order to practise as a nurse in the United Kingdom. Both the GMC and the NMC are independent bodies and are responsible for ensuring that their own registers are appropriately maintained.
The NMC does not collect information on dual registration. The following data, obtained from the NMC, shows the number of entries on the NMC register on 31 March each year since 2010:
Date Nurse Midwife Nurse & SCPHN1 Nurse and Midwife Nurse, Midwife & SCPHN Midwife & SCPHN SCPHN Total
31 March 2010 600,794 26,328 25,375 12,602 667 208 8 665,982
31 March 2011 604,223 26,328 25,643 11,813 612 249 0 668,868
31 March 2012 606,410 28,501 25,467 11,424 539 279 0 672,620
31 March 2013 608,107 29,562 26,084 10,609 533 377 3 675,275
31 March 2014 612,047 30,535 26,961 10,256 514 556 10 680,879
Notes:
1. Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN)
Nurses
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many registered nurses were employed by the National Health Service in each of the years from 2010 to 2014.
Earl Howe: The Health and Social Care Information Centre publishes provisional monthly workforce statistics. The latest available data for September 2014 shows that there are now 313,514 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the nursing, midwifery and health visiting group.
The number of registered nurses employed by the National Health Service in each of the years from 2010 to 2014 is included in the following table.
Hospital and Community Health Services: Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting staff
England as at 30 September each year FTE
Staff Group 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 309,139 306,346 305,060 307,692 313,514
of which:
Registered midwife 20,126 20,519 20,935 21,284 21,670
Health visitor 8,017 7,941 8,386 9,109 10,167
Source:
Health and Social Care Information Centre Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics for September 2014
Notes:
These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English NHS organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave.
In 2011, the bank staff return was ceased. All data (for all years) in these tables excludes bank staff.
Nurses: North East
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address any shortage of nurses in the North East of England; and whether they have considered the implications of the possible failure to renew the contract currently held by Northumbria University for nurse and other related training.
Earl Howe: Health Education North East (HENE) is working closely with the nurse leaders across the region to develop a Nursing Recruitment and Retention Strategy to address the shortage of nurses. The development of the strategy was agreed by HENE’s governing body at its meeting in September 2014.
HENE has a successful history of working with two high quality providers of nursing education, Northumbria and Teesside Universities, and there is no current intention to terminate either of these annual nursing contracts. Additionally, HENE has begun working with the Open University (OU) to develop future flexible routes into nursing by commissioning extra adult nurse places through the OU programme.
Health Education England has reached agreement with Universities UK and the Council of Deans on contracts with universities, including Northumbria, for the provision of nurse and other related training.
Nurses: Training
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost of training a graduate registered nurse, including on-costs and the student bursary.
Earl Howe: The Personal Social Services Research Unit at the University of Kent estimates that the average cost of training a nurse in 2013 was £78,604. This figure reflects the total cost of training and therefore includes costs funded through the public purse, including the National Health Service bursary, and by the student.
Nutrition
Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 November (HL2579), which eight supermarkets are currently signed up to the calorie reduction pledge.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 November (HL2579), what is the calorie reduction pledge signed up to by eight supermarket chains; whether they have a sugar reduction goal in mind in reference to the pledge; and if so, what it is.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 November (HL2579), who is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the supermarkets’ action either to cut sugar or to provide sugar-free or sugar-reduced products.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 November (HL2579), in the light of their commitment to reducing obesity, why the partnership with supermarkets in relation to their provision of sugar-free or sugar-reduced products is voluntary and not mandatory.
Earl Howe: The voluntary approach of working with industry is achieving real reductions in calories, including sugar. Examples include:
- the Co-operative Group taking out added sugar from its high juices, removing 1.5 billion kcals per year; - Tesco removing two billion calories from its juices, following on from the one billion removed in 2012; and
- Sainsbury’s reducing sugar in its Own Brand chilled juices by 83.5 tonnes a year.The eight supermarkets currently signed up to the calorie reduction pledge are: - Aldi Stores;- ASDA;- the Co-operative Group;- Marks and Spencer;- Morrisons;- Sainsbury’s;- Tesco; and- Waitrose.
Companies signed up to the calorie reduction pledge have committed to support and enable their customers to eat and drink fewer calories through a range of actions, including product/menu reformulation, reviewing portion sizes, education and information, and actions to shift the marketing mix towards lower calorie options. The emphasis of the pledge is on overall calorie reduction; however, cutting sugar forms an important part of that strategy.
Companies report each year on their activities to reduce calories, including sugar, and these returns are published on the Responsibility Deal website along with their Delivery Plans. An independent evaluation of the Responsibility Deal is under way and due to report early 2016.
Occupied Territories
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to place restrictions on United Kingdom trade with Israeli settlements.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: There are currently no plans to place restrictions on UK trade with Israeli settlements. The Government has, however, placed advice online to raise awareness of the key security and political risks that UK businesses may face when operating abroad, including in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This includes guidance on Israeli settlements. We are advising British businesses to bear in mind the Government's view on the illegality of settlements under international law when considering their investments and activities in the region.
Occupied Territories
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to prohibit the importation of goods from Israeli settlements to the United Kingdom unless they are certified by the Palestinian Authority under the European Union–Palestine Liberation Organisation Association Agreement.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: There are currently no plans for EU or domestic legislation to ban the import of settlement products. The issue of settlement produce is a subject of ongoing work with our EU partners. This work includes steps to ensure that settlement
products are correctly labelled to enable consumers to make informed decisions concerning the products they buy.
Offences against Children: Rotherham
Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure the protection of vulnerable children, particularly in Rotherham, in the face of recent cuts in the budget of South Yorkshire Police.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have analysed the Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham; and whether the total number of victims cited in that report is based on verifiable data or is an estimate.
Lord Bates: The Government is clear that there is more to be done for victims and to minimise the risk of such terrible events occurring in Rotherham or anywhere else in the future. What happened in Rotherham was a complete dereliction of duty.
This is why the Home Secretary has been chairing a series of Secretaries of State meetings alongside colleagues from the Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, Communities and Local Government and Department of Health, and the Attorney General and Solicitor General to analyse the failures identified in the Jay report and consider how all parties, including the police and local government, can work together more effectively on the issue of child sexual exploitation to protect vulnerable children and bring offenders to justice.
This will build on the existing work of the Home Office-led National Group to tackle sexual violence against children and vulnerable people, which is ensuring agencies are working together to better identify those at risk.
The Jay report made a ‘conservative estimate’ that there were over 1400 victims of CSE during the 15-year period. The 1400 figure was based on a reading of 66 case files, out of a total of 988, and includes some who were forced to watch others being assaulted and abused as well as those who were physically harmed.
The Government is determined that appalling cases of child abuse should be exposed so that perpetrators face justice and the vulnerable are protected. Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are able to apply for Special Grant if the police force they are responsible for faces an unexpected and exceptional event that places a significant financial burden on the force.
Offences against Children: Rotherham
Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to ensure that South Yorkshire Police carry out the recommendations in the report by Professor Alexis Jay Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham (1997–2013).
Lord Bates: The Home Secretary has written to all chief constables to ask them to take on board the lessons from the Jay report into the failings in Rotherham, and from the rolling HMIC inspections into how forces are protecting children. HMIC’s South Yorkshire Police child protection inspection report was published on 30 September.
The National Policing Lead for child protection and abuse investigation has taken action to revise the national policing child sexual exploitation action plan to take account of the learning from the Jay report and other recent publications. A series of briefings to police managers across England and Wales, including South Yorkshire Police, have been completed so that the key findings of the Jay Inquiry are shared with frontline leaders across the police service.
Furthermore, on 13 October it was announced that the Chief Constable for South Yorkshire requested that the National Crime Agency leads an independent investigation into outstanding allegations of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, raised in the Professor Jay Report.
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the outcomes of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Ministerial Council Meeting held in Basel on 4 and 5 December; and what progress was made in the Helsinki +40 process.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement of 15 December 2014 on the outcomes of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) Basel Ministerial Council, made by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), which I repeated in the House of Lords (Official Report, cols. WS5-6). In the Statement, it was noted that a further declaration was agreed on the continuation of the Helsinki +40 process. However, the process in 2014 has largely stalled due to the Ukraine crisis, with only limited discussion of possible efficiency measures. The incoming Serbian OSCE chairmanship has a mandate to continue discussions. But it remains unclear how they can take the process forward while Russia continues to violate core OSCE principles. We continue to focus in the first place on restoring respect for, and implementation of, those commitments.
Outdoor Education
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the main barriers for schools in developing wider learning outside the classroom programmes.
Lord Nash: All schools can choose to include teaching which takes place beyond the school’s premises into their curriculum. The Government does not prescribe to schools how they should teach; instead, it provides them with the freedom to design their own curriculum activities which best support the needs of their pupils.
When activities are structured and organised effectively, they can provide young people with stimulating experiences which build on the knowledge and understanding they gain through lessons. Learning outside the classroom can also help to build pupils’ character and interpersonal skills.
Ofsted’s report ‘Learning outside the classroom: How far should you go?’ (2008) reported on barriers to schools’ provision of such activities. The barriers included concerns about health and safety, financial costs, concerns about pupils’ behaviour, and staff workload. The report outlines successful strategies and approaches adopted by schools to overcome such barriers.
Pakistan
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to ensuring that international aid for the purposes of education in Pakistan is not used to further the discrimination of minorities; and whether conditional aid programmes will be implemented in the region.
Baroness Northover: DFID has strong monitoring and third party validation arrangements in place across our education programmes to ensure UK aid is not used in ways that promote prejudice and discrimination against religious or other minorities.
Palestinians
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have held discussions with the European Union concerning the case for reversing its policy of trying to isolate and topple Hamas, in the light of the analysis of the International Crisis Group.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The EU and the UK have not changed their position on Hamas. The military wing of Hamas has been proscribed since 2001 under UK legislation. On Wednesday 17 December the EU General Court annulled the EU listing of Hamas on procedural grounds. However, the effects of the EU Hamas listing, including asset freezes, remain in place and we will work with partners to ensure that the Hamas listing at the EU is maintained.
Palestinians
Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of Christians in Gaza.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We understand that there are around 1,300 Christians in Gaza, who are allowed to practise freely, including observing religious holidays.
Palestinians
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what temporary arrangements have been made for the homeless in Gaza over this and succeeding winters.
Baroness Northover: The UK was one of the biggest donors to Gaza following the recent conflict, providing more than £17 million in emergency assistance to deliver lifesaving food, clean water, shelter and medical assistance. At the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in October, the UK pledged a further £20 million which includes the provision of shelter and basic services for people displaced from their homes. We have disbursed a quarter of this pledge already to help meet the needs of the most vulnerable this winter. DFID is also funding the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism for the import of construction materials into Gaza so that people are able to repair their homes.
Palestinians
Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the value to the Palestinian economy of the employment of Palestinians by Israeli companies in the West Bank.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Palestinian Central Bureau for Statistics reports that 23,100 Palestinians from the West Bank are employed in Israeli settlements (statistics for Q2, 2014). We do not have any estimation of the value of this employment to the Palestinian economy. We consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal under international law, regardless of whether Palestinians are employed in companies there or not.
Palestinians
Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they are making to encourage Hamas to co-operate with international aid agencies in the reconstruction of civilian property.
Baroness Northover: Reconstruction in Gaza will require political commitment by all parties, technical capacities for crossings and equipment, the smooth functioning of the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism and adequate financial resources. The UK is providing £0.5 million to the mechanism as part of our pledge for Gaza early recovery and reconstruction. By 10 December, more than 6,000 people had been able to buy building materials. Ultimately, we need to see a
sustainable solution for Gaza that addresses the underlying issues, and we continue to urge the parties to resume negotiations to that end.
Parkinson’s Disease: Drugs
Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people in the advanced stages of Parkinson's disease have access to a full range of treatment options.
Earl Howe: Parkinson’s disease: Diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2006 sets out a range of treatment options for Parkinson’s disease.
Treatments for Parkinson’s disease are largely drug based. The NICE guidance states that patient preference should be taken into account, once they have been informed of the short and long-term benefits and drawbacks of the different types of drugs available. The guidance makes it clear that other supportive treatments may also be appropriate. These can include physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.
Parkinson’s Disease: Drugs
Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received about access to Duodopa for people in the advanced stages of Parkinson's disease; and what responses they have made.
Earl Howe: We have received a number of representations from hon. Members, noble Lords, patient groups and members of the public about access to Duodopa for the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease on the National Health Service.
Our responses have made clear that NHS England has responsibility for commissioning adult specialist neurosciences services, including the majority of services for patients with Parkinson’s disease and have set out NHS England’s position on this issue at the time of writing.
Parkinson’s Disease: Drugs
Baroness Howells of St Davids: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect NHS England to take a decision regarding the draft clinical commissioning policy for Duodopa.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how NHS England's decision regarding the draft clinical commissioning policy for Duodopa will be communicated to (1) the public, (2) patient organisations, and (3) healthcare professionals.
Earl Howe: NHS England has advised that its Clinical Priorities Advisory Group recommended that Levodopa-Carbidopa intestinal gel (Duodopa) for advanced Parkinson’s disease should not be routinely commissioned by NHS England at this time. NHS England’s Directly Commissioned Services Committee endorsed this recommendation in June 2014 and agreed that this technology should be considered further through NHS England’s prioritisation process. The decisions of the committee were communicated via a stakeholder newsletter which is accessible both via direct mail, and through the NHS England website.
Further work has been completed on NHS England’s draft clinical commissioning policy and this is now included in the prioritisation process alongside other new treatments for consideration for 2015-16.
The decision-making framework for NHS England’s prioritisation process was discussed at its Board meeting on 17 December 2014. The Board agreed the high level principles of the framework and NHS England plans to launch a public consultation about the principles and approach to decision-making from January 2015. Members of the public, patient organisations and healthcare professionals will be able to feed their comments in via this route.
NHS England continues to keep the range of services and treatments available to patients under review as new evidence and expert guidance becomes available.
Pay
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent report of the International Labour Organisation on changes in real wages in the United Kingdom compared to those in other G20 countries.
Lord Deighton: Wage flexibility in the UK has helped support employment levels and household income. The government’s strategy for delivering sustainable increases in living standards is to support economic growth and get more people into work. Since the election the UK has had the fastest employment growth in the G7 (plus Australia). Employment has increased by 1.7 million since the Coalition came to power and this Government has taken decisive action to support working families, by raising the personal allowance, freezing fuel duty, and introducing tax-free childcare.
Pedestrian Crossings
Lord McAvoy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have given guidance to local authorities regarding the installation of shared space pedestrian crossings.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received any representations regarding the installation of shared space pedestrian crossings.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what statistics they have on the number of accidents where a shared space pedestrian crossing has been installed; and whether those statistics indicate an increase in such accidents.
Baroness Kramer: The design of traffic management schemes, including whether to install a shared space scheme, is the responsibility of local authorities. Shared space may incorporate what are sometimes called ‘courtesy crossings’, but these have no formal definition. They are similar in principle to informal dropped kerb crossings, which can be used to provide a crossing place where a controlled crossing is not justified.
The Department for Transport’s guidance on shared space schemes is given in the attached Local Transport Note 1/11: Shared Space.
The Department has also circulated to local authorities guidance produced by the National Federation for the Blind on ‘Access for Blind People in Towns’.
The Department receives correspondence on issues relating to all aspects of traffic management, including shared space. The correspondents range from individual members of the public to local authorities, engineering practitioners, and campaign groups.
The Department’s road safety statistics do not record whether an incident took place on a courtesy crossing, as these are not defined.
This answer contained the following attachment: Local Transport Note 1/11 (HL3699 - Local Transport Note 1-11.pdf)
Peers
Lord Hoyle: To ask the Chairman of Committees (1) how many Members of the House of Lords are over 70 years of age in each of the following categories: Conservative; Labour; Liberal Democrat; other, and (2) on average, how many Members attend the House each week.
Lord Sewel: There are 128 Conservative Peers, 122 Labour Peers, 45 Liberal Democrat Peers, 101 Crossbench Peers and 19 other Peers over 70 years of age.
The Administration does not collect average weekly attendance figures but the average daily attendance in this Session is 479.
Pensions: Tax Allowances
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current annual cost to the Exchequer of tax relief at the standard and higher rates of tax respectively on contributions to private pensions.
Lord Deighton: Tax relief on pension contributions is the primary means by which the Government incentivises saving for retirement. The estimated exchequer cost arising from income tax relief on contributions made to private pensions and relief on the investment returns to private pensions in 2012-13 was £34.8bn[1]. Income tax on pensions in payment in the same year was £12.0bn, resulting in a net cost of pensions tax relief of £22.8bn in 2012-13.
This is published in HMRC National Statistics table PEN6, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ registered-pension-schemes-cost-of-tax-relief Figures for 2012-13 are the latest available.
Post Offices
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the reduction in the Post Office network on its ability to meet its obligation to provide a universal postal service.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: This Government has committed to there being no programme of Post Office closures. Furthermore since October 2014, and the launch of Post Office’s home shopping returns pilot which has seen approximately 150 new postal access points open across the UK, the network is now growing for the first time in more than 50 years.
Royal Mail and the Post Office are separate independent businesses and it is Royal Mail, not the Post Office, which is the company that has been designated as the UK’s universal postal service provider.
The Post Office acts as an agent of Royal Mail, providing access to its mail products and services through its national network under commercial contract. The Post Office provides access to a wide range of other services including Government, financial and telephony.
The Government understands the important role that post offices play in communities across the country and since 2010 has committed nearly £2 billion to maintain, modernise and protect a network of at least 11,500 branches that continues to meet strict access criteria that see, for example, 95% of the urban population living within one mile of a post office outlet.
Prison Sentences
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the budget for providing courses for indeterminate sentence prisoners convicted of (1) sex offences, and (2) other offences, in each of the last three years.
Lord Faulks: The National Offender Management Service’s central accounting system does not separately identify details of budgets allocated for the provision of courses for all prisoners serving indeterminate sentence, or by conviction categories. Budgets associated with such expenditure are primarily met through establishment baseline funding and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by examining locally held records at each establishment, disaggregating and then collating the costs that relate to the relevant categories of offenders and courses.
There is no set departmental guidance on the proportional allocation of individual budgets. Prison budgets are compiled annually based on an assessment of operational business needs and may vary from year to year according to changes in departmental priorities.
Prisons: Publications
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to comply with the High Court ruling that the ban on sending books to prisoners in England and Wales is unlawful.
Lord Faulks: We need to await the terms of the Court Order before we can decide how best to fulfil the ruling of the Court.
The judgment in this case was surprising, as there was never a specific ban on books. The restrictions on parcels have been in existence across most of the prison estate for many years and for very good reasons. Prisoners have access to the same library service as the rest of us, and can buy books through the prison shop.
Private Equity
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to introduce any further transparency requirements for companies owned or substantially owned by private equity funds.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Measures to create a central, public register of people with significant control over UK companies
are contained within the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill. Where a private equity fund owns more than 25% of a UK company’s shares or voting rights – or otherwise exercises significant control over that company - the company will need to disclose information on the control of the fund in line with the requirements in Schedule 3 of the Bill.
The Government does not have any plans to introduce any further transparency requirements on such companies.
Private Equity
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received any representations from investors in private equity funds on the increase in fees paid by portfolio companies to the operators of the funds and not to the funds where investors would benefit.
Lord Deighton: Treasury Ministers and officials receive regular correspondence on a wide range of issues. We cannot disclose details of specific representations.
Public Expenditure
Lord Davies of Stamford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the underspend of the Ministry of Defence in the financial years 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14 and prospectively in 2014–15; and how much of the underspend in each of those years has been rolled forward and made available for additional spending by the Ministry of Defence in subsequent years.
Lord Astor of Hever: Comparable figures for financial year 2010-11 are not available as the Government had not, at that time, introduced The Clear of Line Sight initiative, which precludes analysis on a near cash basis for that financial year.
In 2011-12 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) underspent by £300 million and there was no budget exchange.
In 2012-13 the MOD underspent by £2.3 billion; £590 million was rolled forward into 2013-14, £1,706 million into 2014-15 and £21 million in 2015-16.
In 2013-14 the MOD underspent by £900 million, £100 million was rolled forward into 2014-15 and £700 million in 2015-16.
The MOD's final outturn for 2014-15 will not be available until the end of the financial year.
Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the value of Barnett consequentials paid to the Northern Ireland Executive for the last three years for which figures are available.
Lord Deighton: Since Spending Review 2010, the Northern Ireland Executive has received additional allocations following the application of the Barnett Formula. The cumulative amounts are set out in the table below.
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
£m £m £m
62 140 221
Public Footpaths
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to protect footpaths and rights of way in England.
Lord De Mauley: Local highway authorities are responsible for protecting the rights of the public to use footpaths and other rights of way. They are also responsible for determining their own local spending priorities. However, we have recently completed the £2 million Paths for Communities Programme, creating 53.28 kilometres of new bridleway and 21.42 kilometres of new footpath—in total over 74 kilometres of new public rights of way.
We are also introducing a balanced package of rights of way reforms as part of the Deregulation Bill. Those reforms will significantly improve the processes for recording and altering the public rights of way network. The reforms make the procedures more streamlined and will help complete the definitive map and statement by the 2026 cut-off date, thereby protecting historical public rights of way from extinguishment.
Public Sector: Car Allowances
Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which groups of employees in the public sector are reimbursed for official use of private cars at a higher rate than 45 pence per mile and why.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Cabinet Office does not hold the information requested.
In the Civil Service, departments and agencies have delegated authority to determine their own policy on the reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by their staff on official business, subject to the rules in Chapter 8 of the Civil Service Management Code: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-servants-terms-and-conditions
Public Sector: Pay
Baroness Seccombe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the annual cost of paying the Living Wage across the public sector.
Lord Deighton: The Government does not have an estimate of the cost of applying the living wage across the public sector.
The Government supports all employers who choose to pay the living wage and encourages businesses to pay the living wage where it is affordable.
For the pay review body workforces and central government the majority of pay scale points are above the living wage.
Public Sector: Pensions
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the total United Kingdom public pension liability.
Lord Deighton: The 2012-13 Whole of Government Accounts show that the annual spend on public state pensions was £83.8bn, up from £78.1bn in 2011-12.
Pupil Exclusions: Disability
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government , for each year since 2010, what percentage of exclusions from (1) maintained schools, and (2) academy schools, related to disabled pupils with or without statements.
Lord Nash: The Department for Education does not publish information on exclusions of pupils with special education needs (SEN) for academies.
Information for state-funded schools is published in the “Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England: 2012 to 2013” Statistical First Release. This information is published online at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2012-to-2013
Table 9 gives a time series of the number of permanent exclusions of pupils with SEN. Tables 10a and 10b show the number of fixed-period exclusions of pupils with SEN and the number of pupils with SEN with one or more fixed- period exclusion, respectively. Data for earlier years can be found in the “Statistics: exclusions”
series. This information is published online at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-exclusions
Pupil Exclusions: Disability
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government , for each year since 2010 what was the average time for (1) a permanently excluded disabled pupil with a Special Educational Need (SEN), and (2) a permanently excluded disabled pupil without SEN, to be accepted at another school.
Lord Nash: The Department for Education does not collect information regarding the length of time it takes for an excluded pupil to be accepted at another school.
Qatar
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of the ill-treatment of North Korean labourers working in building World Cup facilities in Qatar; and whether they have raised those reports with the government of Qatar.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We are aware of reports of the ill-treatment of North Korean labourers working in Qatar. We take the issue of the treatment of migrant workers very seriously. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), recently raised human rights issues with the Qatari Government during his visit to Doha on 15 October, and the issue of migrant workers was raised with the Emir of Qatar during his visit to the UK on 28 to 30 October. We support Qatar’s intention to reform the current labour law and we continue to encourage the Qatari Government to address human rights concerns and stand ready to support those efforts where we can.
Rare Diseases Advisory Group
Lord Walton of Detchant: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a report on the work of the Rare Diseases Advisory Group, indicating the extent to which its recommendations have influenced the decisions of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England.
Earl Howe: The Rare Diseases Advisory Group (RDAG) was established by NHS England to provide it and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with consistent advice on developing and implementing the strategy for rare diseases and highly specialised services. The RDAG is
directly accountable to the NHS England Clinical Priorities Advisory Group. The group’s terms of reference state that the agendas and minutes from their meetings are available on the NHS England website. The Department has no plans to publish any further reports on RDAG’s work.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops its guidance independently, based on the available evidence and in consultation with stakeholders. NICE is a full member of RDAG. NHS England is a stakeholder in all NICE’s highly specialised technology guidance and may seek advice from the RDAG in engaging with NICE’s guidance development processes.
Rare Diseases Advisory Group
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they have received from NHS England’s Rare Diseases Advisory Group.
Earl Howe: The Rare Diseases Advisory Group was established in March 2014 by NHS England. It was set up to provide NHS England and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with consistent advice on developing and implementing the strategy for rare diseases and highly specialised services. The Department has not received any advice from the group.
Regeneration Investment Organisation
Lord Kinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for further development of the Regeneration Investment Organisation over (1) the next two years, (2) the next five years, and (3) the next 10 years.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: UKTI’s Regeneration Investment Organisation (RIO) was established a year ago to help international investors identify and fund regeneration opportunities in the UK. RIO was established to address the delays and the fragmentation of the current offer for international investors, acting as a “one stop shop”.
In its first year, RIO has identified a pipeline of 41 ‘shovel ready’ projects requiring £33bn of investment and actively markets this pipeline to international investors. Over the next two years, this pipeline will be developed further and RIO will identify additional international investors to match to the pipeline of opportunities.
Success for RIO over the next five to ten years will be to have established a track record of successful investment in regeneration projects, enabling sustainable jobs and growth across the UK.
Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland
Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the cost to the Exchequer incurred in training HM Revenue and Customs officers in Northern Ireland in the use of vehicle stop and search powers in each of the last five years.
Lord Deighton: A cadre of officers has been trained to use vehicle stop and search powers. There is no estimate available of the cost.
RSPCA
Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the legal aid budget in 2012, 2013 and 2014 has been spent reimbursing the RSPCA.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the legal aid budget has been spent on reimbursing defendants in RSPCA private prosecutions in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Lord Faulks: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has no record of any payments being made relating to the RSPCA in the years in question.
RSPCA
Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times in 2012, 2013 and 2014 the Crown Prosecution Service has either taken over or forced discontinuation of a private prosecution brought by the RSCPA.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain an authoritative central record of the number of private prosecutions taken over. To identify the exact number of times the CPS took over or forced the discontinuation of a private prosecution brought by the RSPCA would require a manual exercise to review individual files which would incur a disproportionate cost.
RSPCA
Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times Ministers in the Ministry of Justice have met RSPCA representatives in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Lord Faulks: All meetings that take place between Ministers and external organisations are recorded in quarterly transparency statistics, published at the link below; https://www.gov.uk/
Russia
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to discuss with the government of Russia the issues of freedom of expression and variety of opinions in the media there, in the light of the proposed closure of the last independent television station in that country.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: A law banning commercial advertising on paid cable and satellite television channels in Russia will come into force on 1 January 2015. Commentators have suggested that this law will make it difficult for independent television station, Dozhd, to survive. Increasing pressure on independent journalists and news outlets in Russia, including Dozhd, is of great concern. We regularly make our concerns clear in bilateral interactions at all levels. Most recently, I raised concerns about restrictions on the freedom of expression in Russia with the Russian Ambassador on 25 November. In October, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) also raised concerns about this issue with the Russian Ambassador, highlighting the negative impact of restrictive legislation on the freedom of the media.
Russia
Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report from Human Rights Watch on the effect of the 2013 law banning gay “propaganda” in Russia on the incidence of homophobic attacks and on the reaction to crimes against LGBT citizens, what representations they have made to the government of Russia about the status of LGBT citizens of that country.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have raised concerns about LGBT rights in Russia bilaterally at a number of levels since the law banning the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” among minors was passed in June 2013. Most recently, the Minister for Europe discussed concerns about the protection of LGBT people in Russia with the Russian Ambassador on 18 December. He expressed deep disquiet at the findings of the Human Rights Watch report and the impact of the law on the LGBT community in Russia. FCO officials also raised the safety of participants at LGBT events with the Russian authorities in November.
FCO officials in Russia meet regularly with LGBT activists and attend LGBT events, such a Queerfest and the Side-by-Side Film Festival, to provide support. This year we are supporting the operation of a counselling hotline for the LGBT community in Russia, as well as a capacity building project for Russian LGBT campaigners. We also supported the Russian Open Games in February, a five day international sporting event organised by the Russian LGBT Sports Federation.
Schools: Drinks
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the health and behavioural effects of the sale of sugar-based drinks in schools.
Lord Nash: The Department for Education has made no formal assessment of the health and behavioural effects of the sale of sugar-based drinks in schools.
Widely available public health evidence is used to underpin statutory school food standards, which bar the provision of drinks with significant quantities of sugar.
Revised standards come into force from January 2015 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food).
Schools: Registration
Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of unregistered schools in England; in which local authority area or areas they are primarily located; how many unregistered schools have been compelled to register in each of the past three years; and what action can be taken to close non-compliant schools and place those pupils affected in more appropriate learning environments.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Department for Education does not have a fixed estimate of the number of unregistered schools in England or the areas in which they are primarily located. The number of institutions that the Department is aware of and working with fluctuates on a continual basis as they open, close or become registered.
In the last three years the Department has asked 33 unregistered schools to register. There were 9 requests in 2012; 16 in 2013 and 8 in 2014.
It is a criminal offence to operate an unregistered school. Where a school refuses to register, the Department works with the police and Ofsted to pursue a prosecution. The Department also works with the local authority to ensure that children are placed in more appropriate settings.
Social Security Benefits
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many and what proportion of those affected by the benefit cap since its introduction are in receipt of (1) Employment Support Allowance, (2) Income Support, and (3) Carer’s Allowance.
Lord Freud: The latest official statistics on the benefit cap can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014
These statistics do not contain benefit type information. A suite of evaluation was published on 15 December 2014. This evaluation made estimates of the proportion of capped households in scope for the cap who were in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support (IS), Employment Support Allowance (ESA) or other benefit types over time. The evaluation uses a different methodology to the Official Statistics and does not provide a cumulative count of numbers which is in line with Official Statistics. In July 2014 (the most recent data used in the evaluation), estimates found 23 per cent of capped claimants were in receipt of ESA; 45 per cent of capped claimants were in receipt of IS; and 9 per cent were in receipt of another benefit type, of which modelling suggests around 1,400 households had at least one Carer’s Allowance claimant.
Further information can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-cap-evaluation
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-cap-review-of-the-first-year
Social Services: Training
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total budget allocated by each appropriate department to support the education and training of non-regulated care staff in each of the last three years.
Earl Howe: Information on the total expenditure on education and training of the adult social care workforce is not available centrally.
It is the responsibility of individual social care employers to ensure their staff are appropriately trained and competent to carry out their role. The Department of Health has supported employers to train their staff through the sponsorship of Skills for Care, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and the National Skills Academy for Social Care.
Funding to develop the social care workforce (both regulated and non-regulated) has been made available to these organisations as follows:
Financial Year £ million
2012-13 £27.8
2013-14 £31.3
2014-15 £30.7
Notes:
Figures include some social work programmes and in the case of SCIE are funding for e-learning only. The Department does not hold figures for non-regulated care staff only.
Sports: Tickets
Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in the Consumer Rights Bill to ensure that sports fans buying tickets through secondary markets have a right to basic information about the seat and row they have on their ticket for a sporting event; whether they consider that fans should have a right to know the original face value of a ticket; and whether they consider that they should have an opportunity to ascertain whether the ticket is genuine by being able to review essential details on the ticket with the box office.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: As the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and associated guidance make clear. The provision of certain information on tickets offered for sale to the public is an existing requirement for traders (including “for a ticket associated with a particular reserved seat (e.g. Seat 1, Row A) the seat number”).
However, since Report Stage I have been discussing these issues with Ministerial colleagues and interested parties, and will continue to do so, in order to ensure the genuine concerns of fans and ticket sellers are addressed.
St Helena
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in securing direct air access to St Helena.
Baroness Northover: The UK Government is providing support to the air service procurement process that is currently underway and run by the St Helena Government.
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Lord Christopher: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the changes in the rate of the stamp duty on the prices of houses worth less than £1 million.
Lord Deighton: The reform to Stamp Duty Land Tax on residential properties will have a limited impact on house prices overall and this effect will be small compared to overall fluctuations in house prices.
Stem Cells
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government , further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 4 December (HL3090), whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee and its Licence Committee will provide their own assessment of the journal articles concerned in order to ensure that the continued use of embryos is necessary or desirable for the specified principal purposes; how they consider the feasibility of treating degenerative conditions such as those listed in Annex D of the mitochondrial donation consultation document might be affected by the findings in the aforementioned journal articles; for how long the research project concerned has been investigating the use of embryonic stem cells “to improve the outcome of infertility treatments”; and in what ways their possible clinical use in treating infertility might impel the Secretary of State to include things specified in the regulations which would not otherwise fall within the definitions of “embryo”, “eggs”, “sperm” or “gametes”.
Earl Howe: We are advised by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that its Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee (SCAAC) regularly reviews the literature regarding alternative methods to derive human embryonic stem cells so that the HFEA Licence Committee can bear it in mind when considering research licence applications and renewals of licences, in order to ensure that the continued use of embryos is necessary or desirable for the specified principal purposes. SCAAC last considered a literature review on this topic on 4 June 2014 and the paper is available on the HFEA website at: http://www.hfea.gov.uk/9152.html
We are advised that the journal articles referred to by the noble Lord will be considered in the next review process.
We are also advised that the research project to which the noble Lord refers first expressly used the phrase “to improve the outcome of infertility treatments” in May 2013.
As the noble Lord is aware, the regulation making power in section 3ZA of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended, is limited to enabling regulations to be made to allow an egg or embryo to which a mitochondrial donation technique has been applied to be recognised as a permitted egg or embryo and, therefore, suitable to be placed in a woman. There is no cure for mitochondrial disease. The intended purpose of the draft regulations is to prevent the transmission of serious mitochondrial disease from mother to child in the first instance.
Student Wastage
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to Written Answer by Earl Howe on 16 December (HL3361), what was the projected attrition rate for each Higher Education Institution expressed as a percentage of starters for student nurses in each of the last three years for which information is available.
Earl Howe: Health Education England does not hold the information in the format requested.
Sudan
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor about her announcement on 12 December that she was halting the Court’s investigations into war crimes in Darfur due to a lack of meaningful progress; and what assessment they have made of the implications this may have about the conduct the Sudanese authorities and about the reputation, standing and effectiveness of the International Criminal Court.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has said that she is left with no choice but to hibernate investigative activities in Darfur. Although we have not made any direct representations to the Prosecutor on this announcement, the UK continues to call on the Government of Sudan to meet its legal obligations to cooperate with the ICC: the arrest warrants remain outstanding. With respect to the implications of this announcement for the ICC, we continue to assess that State cooperation, in particular with respect to enforcement of arrest warrants, is vital for the ICC to be effective in fulfilling its mandate to achieve justice for the victims of atrocities. I reinforced the UK’s support for the ICC when I met the Prosecutor at the Assembly of States Parties in New York on 12 December.
Syria
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of an embargo against relief aid and supplies for the Kurdish majority cantons of northern Syria; and what steps they are taking to ensure aid supplies reach those in need.
Baroness Northover: Delivering humanitarian assistance in Syria continues to pose significant challenges. The UK is working closely with our partners on contingency planning and is continuing to push all parties to allow the safe, unhindered delivery of aid.
Tanks
Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many main battle tanks, either serviceable or useable at short notice, are presently available to the British Army.
Lord Astor of Hever: We do not routinely comment on availability and levels of readiness for individual capabilities as to do so would compromise operational security or disclose information which could be of use to our adversaries. The Army has sufficient levels of main battle tanks to meet the levels of readiness required under Defence Strategic Direction and as set out in the Defence Plan.
Temporary Accommodation
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why there has been an increase between September 2013 and September 2014 in the number of statutorily homeless households placed in temporary accommodation in another local authority area.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: This Government has invested over £500 million since 2010 to tackle all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own. Until settled accommodation is available households will be placed in suitable temporary accommodation. In considering suitability housing authorities must, by law, consider whether the accommodation is affordable for the applicant, its size, its condition, its accessibility and also its location. We have made it clear that no council should be sending tenants en masse to a different part of the country.
The numbers of households in temporary accommodation is well below the peak under the previous administration, when they hit 101,000 in 2004. Councils have a responsibility to move homeless households into settled accommodation as quickly as possible. That is why we changed the law so that councils can place families in decent and affordable private rented homes more quickly. This will mean
homeless households will not have to wait as long for settled accommodation, spending less time in temporary accommodation. Households now spend on average seven months less in temporary accommodation than at the start of 2010.
London Boroughs account for 93% of households provided with temporary accommodation in another district. London Councils have previously said that the vast majority of out of borough placements are within London, or where that is not the case, are local to the placing Borough.
Temporary Accommodation: Greater London
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to uprate the Housing Benefit Subsidy regime for temporary accommodation to address any difficulties experienced by London boroughs in procuring accommodation for statutorily homeless households at or below 90 per cent of the 2011 rate of Local Housing Allowance.
Lord Freud: There are no current plans to uprate the Local Housing Allowance rate applicable to Temporary Accommodation in Housing Benefit.
Terrorism
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much financial compensation was paid out in respect of criminal damage and criminal injuries as a result of terrorist activity in Great Britain for claims lodged between 1970 and 1998.
Lord Faulks: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) does not hold this information. Before 2012, CICA did not record the specific crime of which their applicants had been a victim. This was because payments are based primarily on the injuries sustained rather than the crime of which they were a victim.
Terrorism: Northern Ireland
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much financial compensation was paid out in respect of criminal damage and criminal injury claims lodged between 1970 and 1998 as a result of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Lord Faulks: This matter is devolved in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Compensation Services (formerly known as the Compensation Agency), within the Northern Ireland Department of Justice. Compensation Services administers five statutory compensation schemes in Northern Ireland including criminal injuries and criminal damage.
Tickets
Baroness Heyhoe Flint: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the Metropolitan Police in their February 2013 Report “Ticket Crime”, and in particular the suggestion that “the lack of legislation outlawing the unauthorised resale of tickets and the absence of regulation of the primary and secondary markets encourages unscrupulous practices, a lack of transparency and fraud”.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Metropolitan Police’s 2013 report “Ticket Crime” highlights that many of the methods that touts use to acquire tickets are already illegal, as is the act of fraudulently selling fake or non-existent tickets.
I will continue to discuss the secondary ticket market with ministerial colleagues and the relevant stakeholders, this includes discussion of options that will help consumers to make informed ticket purchases in a safe and secure environment.
Tickets
Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken to achieve the core Department for Business, Innovation and Skills mission statement objective of increasing transparency and empowering customers in respect of sports fans, theatre-goers and concert-goers seeking to secure reasonably priced tickets from secondary ticket markets.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has issued guidance relating to online ticket sales in the context of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. This guidance establishes how the requirements of these Regulations regarding transparency are interpreted for this market. This ensures that consumers purchasing tickets online from a trader are made aware of “their total price (including delivery costs and other charges)” and the “main characteristics” of the tickets, where “main characteristics” includes “the date and time of the event and the content of the event (e.g. who is performing)” and “for a ticket associated with a particular reserved seat (e.g. Seat 1, Row A) the seat number”.
Tickets
Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to investigate the number of tickets available for sale on the secondary market for the Ashes Test at Lords in 2015 which comply with the Consumer
Contracts Information Cancellation and Additional Charges Regulations 2013; and what action they intend to take in respect of the findings of any such investigation.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has no plans specifically to investigate the number of tickets available on the secondary market for the Ashes test at Lords in 2015.
Enforcement of The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 is a matter for Trading Standards and any consumers with concerns should approach their local authority’s Trading Standards or Citizens Advice via their helpline which is 03454 040506.
Tickets: Fraud
Baroness Heyhoe Flint: To ask Her Majesty’s Government , further to the remarks by Baroness Neville-Rolfe during the Report Stage of the Consumer Rights Bill on 19 November that “there is fraud in the ticket market; we do not dispute the numbers quoted from the National Fraud Authority on this. In this case of ticket fraud, it reports £1.5 billion of losses” (HL Deb, col 489), whether they intend to take action in the Bill to address the scale of fraud on consumers, in particular sports, music, theatre and entertainment fans.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: There is existing legislation in place to protect fans, as consumers, when they buy tickets. The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 ensure consumers are given key information before they buy from a trader.
These Regulations exist alongside the Fraud Act 2006 which encompasses frauds involving tickets.
Whilst we do not believe that further legislation is required on the specific issue of ticket fraud, the Government is reflecting on the best way to respond to the debate on tickets during Lords Report Stage of the Consumer Rights Bill.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long it will take to procure an armed long-range anti-submarine warfare system and maritime surveillance capability, based on an unmanned aircraft, following the completion of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Lord Astor of Hever: Analysis conducted to date suggests that unmanned systems will not be able to provide an armed, long-range, anti-submarine warfare capability in the near to medium term.
Vending Machines
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the vending machine industry regarding the introduction of new coins and the costs to business it may entail.
Lord Deighton: The Government launched a public consultation on 12 September 2014, which focused on the impacts to industry of introducing a new, highly secure £1 coin in 2017. The consultation process ran until 21 November 2014 and included discussions with a wide range of industry stakeholders. The Government is currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.
Veterans: Housing
Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 3 December (HL2639), when and how the outstanding balance of the £100 million veterans accommodation fund will be awarded.
Lord Astor of Hever: I believe the noble Lord is referring to the £40 million Veterans Accommodation Fund as announced by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, in February 2014.
As I advised in the answer I gave on 3 December 2014 (Official Report, column WA282) the entire £40 million has now been allocated. Twelve of the projects have already been announced and these are detailed in the table below.
Delivery Organisation Project Title Funding Agreed
Veterans Aid Refurbishment and extension to Veterans Aid hostel £3 million
Haig Housing Trust Haig Housing Trust Morden and Edinburgh Infill Project £8.6 million
Royal Naval Benevolent Trust Pembroke House Care & Nursing Home Window Replacement £112,270
Stoll Refurbishment of Bathrooms for Disabled Veterans at Stoll £246,199
Royal British Legion Maurice House Dementia Wing £2,556,705
First Choice Housing Association Veterans Accommodation Pathway (Wales and the Borders) £2.268 million
Blind Veterans UK Life Skills for Independent Living £1.25 million
RAF Benevolent Fund Kitchen and Garden Adaptations for Use by Wheelchair-Dependent, Lifetime Disabled Veterans £400,000
Riverside ECHG Colchester Veterans Accommodation Pathway £6 million
RBLI Project LIBOR £1.950 million
Erskine Erskine Lighting Project £550,000
Stoll/Riverside ECHG/Haig Housing Trust The Aldershot Veterans Accommodation Pathway £8.5 million
The remainder will be announced in due course.
Vocational Guidance
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government , further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan MP, on 10 December (HC Deb, cols 891–3), what was the tendering process for the transformation of the National Careers Service into the proposed National Careers Company.
Lord Nash: The new careers and enterprise company that my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced on 10 December will not replace the National Careers Service. The National Careers Service does a different job. The new company will not itself be a direct delivery organisation. It will work closely with the National Careers Service, which will continue to support adults and young people and help the company bring employers and schools together, and it will work with a wide range of other organisations.
Welfare Assistance Schemes
Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which organisations responded to the consultation on Local Welfare Assistance funding published on 10 October.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government will publish a summary of responses that have been received, early in 2015.
Work Experience
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage and support the remuneration of internships.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The term “intern” is not defined in any legislation: entitlement to the minimum wage depends on whether or not an individual is a worker. If an internship meets the legal definition of a worker, then they must be paid at least the minimum wage from the start. Given the dependency on employment status, it is vital that employers and workers understand how this is determined.
Last November, the Minister for Employment Relations launched a series of posters and an information video alongside 200 letters to employers to increase awareness of employers’ and interns’ rights and responsibilities in relation to the National Minimum Wage. This was followed by a Facebook campaign. The Facebook messages reached 160,000 young people and HMRC are currently evaluating the impact of the letters sent to employers.
In addition, complaints from interns about non-payment of the minimum wage are prioritised by HMRC for investigation and HMRC will investigate every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should call the helpline on 0800 917 2368.
Determining an individual’s employment status can be complicated; this is why the Business Secretary announced a review of employment status in October this year, to help ensure an employment status framework in the UK that meets the needs of everyone. This is an internal review and will present findings to Ministers early next year.
World War I: Debts
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they are making to repay outstanding
debt from the First World War; and to whom the repayments will be made.
Lord Deighton: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced on 3 December that the Government will redeem 3½% War Loan, thus repaying the vast majority of the nation’s First World War debt. The Chancellor also announced that the Government will adopt a strategy to remove the other remaining undated gilts in the government’s debt portfolio, some of which have origins going back to the eighteenth century, where it is deemed value for money to do so.
This announcement followed the Government’s decision on 31 October to redeem the much smaller 4% Consolidated Loan, the first planned repayment of an undated gilt of this kind by government for 67 years. The Debt Management Office also announced on 17 December that 3½% Conversion Loan would be redeemed on 1 April 2015. After these redemptions, none of the £2.2bn worth of First World War debt currently in the government’s debt portfolio will remain.
The Treasury will redeem the outstanding £1.9 billion of debt from 3½% War Loan on Monday 9 March 2015, and the 4% Consolidated Loan will be redeemed on 1 February 2015.
The repayments on this debt will go to the holders of these bonds. The Treasury does not hold detailed information on the identity of organisations or individuals who own gilts, however information on sectoral holdings of gilts is published on a quarterly basis by the Office for National Statistics. The latest information on the breakdown of gilt holdings by sector, including a breakdown of non-UK resident holders of gilts by foreign central banks and other non-residents, is published by the ONS in Section 5.2.10 of its quarterly United Kingdom Economic Accounts publication.
We are only able to take this action today thanks to the difficult decisions that this government has taken to get a grip on the public finances. The fact that we will no longer have to pay the relatively high rate of interest on these gilts means that most important of all, this decision represents great value for money for the taxpayer. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2015-01-06a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Housing: Construction
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make water companies statutory consultees in major housing developments.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Whilst we generally resist adding new statutory consultees to the planning application process, the Government has made a commitment, as part of its reform package under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, to consult on whether or not we should make water companies statutory consultees on certain planning applications, and if so, how best to do this. It will be important that water companies engage local planning authorities on their applications at the right time so they can input effectively and not slow down the application process.The approach to managing and avoiding flood risk is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, underpinned by our planning guidance. This applies to all sources of flooding, including from overwhelmed sewers and drainage systems. The Framework expects local planning authorities to plan for the development and infrastructure required in their area, including infrastructure for wastewater and utilities. They should work with other providers, such as sewerage companies, to assess the quality and capacity of infrastructure and its ability to meet forecast demands.
Department of Health and Social Care
Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the guidance of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation which states that vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus is recommended for infants; and if they intend to accept that recommendation, when they expect members of the public to begin receiving their vaccination.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had regarding the business case to support the introduction of an immunisation programme for respiratory syncytial virus for older adults this winter.
Lord Markham: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is actively reviewing evidence for new and emerging products for a potential respiratory syncytial virus immunisation programme for adults and will advise Government once their review has concluded. The Department will support the implementation of any policy arising from this advice with NHS England and UK Health Security Agency as soon as is practicable.
Osteoporosis: Fractures
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherNHS England has set key performance indicators for integrated care boards or NHS Trusts to improve detection of osteoporotic fractures; and, in considering whether or not to set such key performance indicators, whether NHS England takes account of the risk that bone fractures can cause of premature death and disability.
Lord Markham: As part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership commission and manage a range of audits, including the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme. These collect and analyse data supplied by local clinicians to provide a national picture regarding care. The results can then be used by systems and trusts to focus quality improvement.This programme audits against a range of key performance indicators informed by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology assessments and guidance from the Royal Osteoporotic Society Clinical Standards. This includes those related to detection of osteoporotic fractures. There are also indicators related to osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures within the Quality and Outcomes Framework.
Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office: Routledge
Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the contractual relationship between the Cabinet Office and the publisher, Routledge.
Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether Routledge has an exclusive right to publish Official Histories produced by the Official History Programme under its contract with the Cabinet Office.
Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any new Official Histories have been commissioned since the publication of the Joe Pilling Review into the Official History Programme in 2008; and if so, what Official Histories have been commissioned and when.
Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether Official Histories on ‘Devolution’ and ‘Policy towards the Former Yugoslavia’ have been commissioned.
Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Official History Programme has its own budget.
Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government whatwas the total budget allocated by the Cabinet Office to the Official History Programme in each of the financial years: (1) 2016–17, (2) 2017–18, (3) 2018–19, (4) 2019–20, (5) 2020–21, and (6) 2021–22.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Cabinet Office, as part of a consortium including the FCDO and MoD, has a non-exclusive contract with Taylor Francis, Routledge’s Parent Company, for the publication of Official Histories.No new official histories have been commissioned since the Pilling Review and no histories of devolution or policy towards Yugoslavia have been commissioned.The Official History Programme had a budget of £7,500 in 2016-17 but has not had a separate budget since then.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food: Prices
Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of food inflation on family budgets in (1) Northern Ireland, (2) England, (3) Scotland, and (4) Wales.
Lord Benyon: Tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation this year. Annual food price inflation, reported by the ONS, was 19.1% in April 2023. This was a decrease of 0.1 percentage points on the March 2023 rate. Overall CPI inflation decreased to 8.7% in April 2023 down from 10.1% in March 2023. The rate of food price inflation in the UK equalled the average rate for the EU in March 2023. The recent high levels of inflation have primarily been driven by higher energy prices and pressures on global supply chains and there are signs those are beginning to ease. Industry analyst expectations are that we are either at or approaching the food price inflation peak, from which point they expect food price inflation to gradually decrease over the remainder of 2023. We will need several more months of data to be confident that the fall this month is a reflection that the peak has already been reached. While we do not have individual data on food price inflation rates for the devolved nations, we do have some statistics from the Office of National Statistics on differences in average household spend for the different devolved nations. For the year from April 1st 2020 to March 31st 2021, UK households spent on average £64.90 on food and non-alcoholic beverages, compared to £65.50 for England, £62.20 for Wales, £60.10 for Scotland and £70 for NI. As a proportion of total expenditure, this was 11.7% for UK, 11.5% for England, 12.7% for Wales, 12.4% for Scotland and 14.6% for Northern Ireland. The average impact of food inflation on household budgets within each of the devolved administrations will depend on both the relevant food inflation rate, and the proportion of total expenditure spend on food per household in that region. The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the current exceptionally high cost of living. To protect the most vulnerable from the worst of cost-of-living pressures, the Chancellor recently announced a package of targeted support worth £26 billion, which includes continued support for rising energy bills.
Plastics: Pollution Control
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what are their negotiating objectives for the Plastic Pollution Treaty.
Lord Benyon: The UK is proud to have supported the proposal by Rwanda and Peru that led to the ambitious resolution on ending plastic pollution agreed at the continuation of the 5th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022. A series of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meetings are now underway to negotiate the content of the treaty, with good progress being made. The second of five planned INC meetings is taking place 29 May – 2 June in Paris, with the aim of concluding negotiations by the end of 2024. The UK’s objectives are to agree an ambitious and comprehensive treaty that addresses the whole lifecycle of plastics, from the production and design of plastics to their consumption and disposal. Furthermore, the UK supports a treaty that addresses the environmental and health impacts of plastic pollution. The UK supports a combination of internationally legally binding obligations and national measures across the whole lifecycle of plastic to ensure that the treaty can adequately address the transboundary nature of plastic pollution. The UK is also a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, a group of over 50 countries calling for a headline target under the treaty to stop plastic from flowing into the environment by 2040.
Environment Protection
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government when the measurable indicators of progress for the Environmental Improvement Plan will be finalised.
Lord Benyon: The Environment Act’s statutory cycle of monitoring, planning and reporting ensures that government will take early, regular steps to achieve targets and can be held to account with regular scrutiny from the Office for Environmental Protection and Parliament. A key part of this cycle is the Annual Progress Report (APR) which describes what has been done to implement the Environmental Improvement Plan and considers whether the natural environment, or aspects of it, have improved over the reporting period. The latest APR was published on 20th July 2022. In addition to other sources, the APR utilises data from the Outcome Indicator Framework for the 25 Year Environment Plan which is a suite of outcome indicators that measure changes to the environment. The 2023 annual update to the Outcome Indicator Framework was published on 22 May 2023 and provides the latest available data on environmental trends. Defra intends to publish data for all indicators by 2024. The Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 is the first revision of the 25 Year Environment Plan. The full Outcome Indicator Framework will be reviewed in 2024 to evaluate its ongoing suitability and consideration of best available evidence. This review will also consider the framework’s alignment with the planned monitoring of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.
Plastics: Recycling
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the Greenpeace reportForever Toxic: The science on health threats from plastic recycling, published on 24 May; in particular, the finding that "recycled plastics often contain higher levels of chemicals".
Lord Benyon: We welcome the breadth of ongoing work in this area such as the research carried out by Greenpeace. In accordance with the waste hierarchy, in all circumstances, preventing waste in the first place is the preferred option.
Sewage: Property Development
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of major housing developments in contributing to sewage spills into combined sewers where the standard of the pipes falls below acceptable environmental standards.
Lord Benyon: In August 2022 the Government launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history – the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. This plan was published alongside an Impact Assessment. The Government has reviewed making Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) mandatory in new developments and will do this through the implementation of Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. We are now looking at how best to implement, considering scope, threshold and process, while also being mindful of the cumulative impact of new regulatory burdens on the development sector. There will be a public consultation later this year with implementation expected during 2024. The approach to managing and avoiding flood risk is also set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, underpinned by our planning guidance, applies to all sources of flooding, including from overwhelmed sewers and drainage systems. The Framework expects local planning authorities to plan for the development and infrastructure required in their area, including infrastructure for wastewater and utilities. They should work with other providers, such as sewerage companies, to assess the quality and capacity of infrastructure and its ability to meet forecast demands. The Government has made a commitment, as part of its reform package under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, to consult on whether or not we should make water companies statutory consultees on certain planning applications, and if so, how best to do this. It will be important that water companies engage local planning authorities on the right applications at the right time so they can input effectively and not slow down the application process.
Department for Transport
Logistics: Alternative Fuels
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the forthcoming low carbon fuels strategy will cover all transport modes used by the logistics sector.
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role synthetic fuels could play in reducing carbon emissions associated with the logistics sector.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The forthcoming low carbon fuels strategy will cover all transport modes used by the logistics sector. Synthetic fuels can be expensive and energy-intensive to manufacture. However, they do have potential to help decarbonise transport sectors where there are limited alternatives to liquid or gaseous fuels, such as the heaviest and longest-range vehicles and aircraft.In recognition of the potential benefits of synthetic fuels produced using renewable power, these fuels are eligible for support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) certificate trading scheme.
Large Goods Vehicles: Carbon Emissions
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government when the nextstage of the Zero Emission Road Freight (ZERFT) Demonstration programme will commence.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Following last year’s successful competition, due diligence on winning bidders is expected to be completed soon and the final outcome will then be announced.
Logistics: Hydrogen
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role hydrogen could play in reducing carbon emissions associated with the logistics sector.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Hydrogen has an important potential role to play in decarbonising heavier applications such as HGVs. There are specific use cases where hydrogen can offer advantages over batteries, for example where vehicles need longer ranges and more rapid refuelling (longer distance HGVs) or greater energy density. The Zero Emission Road Freight Demonstrator programme will showcase zero emission HGV technologies, including hydrogen fuel cells, at scale, on UK roads. The programme will build a strong evidence base to enable strategic, long-term, national infrastructure decisions to be made. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) supports the supply of renewable hydrogen used in transport by placing obligations on suppliers to ensure a percentage of the fuel supplied in the UK is from renewable sources where it can provide valuable carbon savings. The Government has expanded this support to include not just road vehicles, but also trains and shipping. Fuels supplied under the RTFO scheme deliver a third of domestic transport carbon savings under current carbon budgets.
Logistics: Alternative Fuels
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the cost of low-carbon fuels, compared to diesel and kerosene, on their usage by logistics businesses.
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on carbon emissions from logistics vehicles that would come from greater use of low-carbon drop-in fuels, compared to diesel.
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they haveto increase the production of low-carbon fuels for all logistics transport modes.
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the low carbon fuels strategy.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Low Carbon Fuel Strategy, which the Department intends to publish later this year, will set out possible scenarios for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport sectors out to 2050. The Government supports the production of low carbon fuels through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and published a cost benefit analysis for the RTFO in 2021, but it has not undertaken a formal assessment of the impact of cost of different fuel types or the level of usage for logistics businesses. The Department recognises the opportunities for using higher blend renewable fuels, including drop in fuels, in maximising greenhouse gas savings when used in existing vehicles. As set out in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, the Department is exploring potential measures to remove market barriers for use in the logistics sector.
Home Office
Refugees: Resettlement
Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government how many referrals were made by theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to (1) the UK Resettlement Scheme, (2) Community Sponsorship, (3) the Mandate Resettlement Scheme, and (4) the Family Reunion Scheme, in each of the past three years; and how many referrals were not accepted in each of those schemes.
Lord Murray of Blidworth: Between 2015 and March 2023, just over half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK. This includes those from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, as well as family members of refugees, alongside our global resettlement schemes. The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through existing resettlement schemes and is one of the largest recipients of UNHCR referred refugees globally, second only to Sweden in Europe since 2015.Under these schemes, the UNHCR will refer refugees for resettlement after undertaking an assessment of people’s needs and vulnerabilities. The UK does not seek to influence which cases are referred by the UNHCR under these global schemes.Family Reunion is not referral based. It is an application based route.
Slavery: Victims
Lord Morrow: To ask His Majesty's Government, in each of the past five years, how many decision makers there have been in the competent authorities making conclusive grounds decisions identifying victims of modern slavery.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: There are 207.93 full-time equivalent (FTE) decision makers working in the Single Competent Authority. There are 111.87 decision makers working within the Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority. Both Competent Authorities carry a number of vacancies being filled through recruitment activity. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of only Conclusive Grounds Decision Makers; staff can be dual skilled and will work on both, Reasonable Grounds decision and Conclusive Ground decision, workstreams according to business needs. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of decision maker numbers for the past five years.
HOPE not Hate
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 16 May (HL7538 and HL7539), what action they have taken against (1) groups, or (2) individuals, of extremist concern; when they took that action; and what was the outcome.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Some groups publicly demonstrate behaviours that oppose the values and principles that underpin our society. The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society. This includes using existing mechanisms to analyse, prevent and disrupt the spread of ideologies that can lead to community division.We assess all evidence of those that radicalise others though their support for or justification of violence and will not tolerate those who spread divisive and harmful narratives. We work with local, regional and national partners, including with policing, to reduce the impact of these groups in communities and limit their influence as a potential driver for radicalisation.We continue to work with law enforcement agencies and multi-agency partners to increase our understanding of new and emerging radicalising threats to society. Any violent threat is assessed and managed by the police and security services based on the threat that it is deemed to pose.The Home Office avoids publicly commenting on whether or not specific groups or individuals are of extremist concern, as this could have a detrimental effect on our ability to take future action against them.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Sudan: Armed Conflict
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 18 May concerning the conflict in Sudan, whether they intend to convene a highlevel strategic discussion with international partners to address (1) the conflict in Sudan, and (2) the consequences of the increasing number of displaced Sudanese people and refugees.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Since this conflict erupted in April, we have pursued all diplomatic avenues to end the violence, de-escalate tensions and secure humanitarian access. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary and Minister for Development and Africa have been in regular touch with international partners to support efforts to sustain a ceasefire. We are also monitoring and addressing the humanitarian and security impacts of the conflict on Sudan's neighbouring countries. On 4 May, the UK Government announced an initial £5 million of life-saving aid to help meet the urgent needs of tens of thousands of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad who have fled the violence in Sudan.
Nagorno Karabakh: International Law
Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 April (HL Deb, col 464), what assessment they have made of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh in international law.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's long-standing position has been to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally-recognised borders, which include Nagorno Karabakh. At the same time, the UK Government is clear that there is no military solution to the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh; we welcome the recent participation of Armenia and Azerbaijan in negotiations to work towards settling all outstanding matters between them, and urge them to build on this momentum.
EU Indo-Pacific Forum
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: To ask His Majesty's Government which minister or ministers represented the UK at the EU Indo–Pacific Forum on 12 May; andwhich bilateral meetings were held by the UK representative with EU and Indo–Pacific ministers who attended the Forum.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcomes from the discussions at the EU Indo–Pacific Forum held in Stockholm on 12 May; and what plans they have made to attend such meetings in the future.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations], represented the UK at the EU Indo-Pacific Forum in Stockholm on 13 May. I had substantive dialogue with many EU and Indo-Pacific Ministers during the meeting, as well as bilaterals with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Rabbani Khar, Bangladesh's Minister of Information, Mahmud and Sweden's Foreign Minister Billström. Discussions at the Forum were useful and demonstrated strong collective commitment to promoting peace and security, stability and shared prosperity across the region. The UK will continue engaging with our EU and Indo-Pacific partners in multiple formats to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2023-06-02 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Department of Health and Social Care
Employment: Coronavirus
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued on whether people should return to work after having had COVID-19 but without having taken a PCR test.
Lord Kamall: We have issued online guidance on 11 October which states that individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms should stay at home and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Anyone subsequently notified by NHS Test and Trace or local authority contact tracer that they have tested positive is legally required to self-isolate. Employees should notify their employer in such circumstances.An individual can return to work, after the end of their self-isolation period if their symptoms have gone or if the only symptoms they have are a cough or anosmia, which can last for several weeks. There is no requirement to return a negative PCR test in order to end self-isolation. Individuals who still have a high temperature or are otherwise unwell should stay at home and seek medical advice.Stay at home guidance (pdf, 418.1KB)
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what conditions qualify someone in England as vulnerable and thus eligible for COVID-19 booster vaccines; and what are the estimated numbers by each condition.
Lord Kamall: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advises that individuals who received vaccination in phase one of the COVID-19 vaccination programme should be offered a booster vaccine. This includes those aged 50 years old and over and those aged 16 to 49 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19. Information regarding the estimated numbers by each underlying health condition is not held centrally in the format requested.
Hospital Wards: Gender
Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will investigate reports that an NHS trust has been labelling patients who wish to be placed on single sex wards as 'transphobes', 'offenders' and 'perpetrators'; and whether they will name the trust involved.
Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what statistics are available on the number of male patients identifying as female who have been placed on female-only NHS hospital wards, including in mental health facilities, and (2) how many assaults on female patients there have been by male patients identifying as female.
Lord Kamall: The information requested is not collected centrally. Any patient, irrespective of their gender, who has a history of violence or sex offences and may pose a risk to others should be risk assessed and any relevant action taken to ensure the safety of others.NHS England and NHS Improvement have not received any information relating to these reports. All patients should be treated with respect and dignity, in accordance with the values of the National Health Service.
Anaemia: Children
Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introducespecific policies that will reduce the occurrence of nutritional anaemia in children.
Lord Kamall: While we have no specific plans to do so, the Government’s advice on a healthy, balanced diet for children is shown in the Eatwell Guide. The Eatwell Guide is a visual representation of the types and proportions of foods needed for a healthy balanced diet, including variety of iron rich foods essential in preventing anaemia.
Anaemia: Children
Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances of nutritional anaemia in children have been treated in paediatric units in hospitals in Englandin (1) 2019, and (2) 2020.
Lord Kamall: The information is not held in the format requested. Data on admissions do not record the type of ward or unit where a patient was treated and does not represent the number of incidences treated.
Coronavirus: Screening
Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the market costs for COVID-19 PCR tests for the general public; and what steps are they taking to lower these costs.
Lord Kamall: We are committed to working with the travel industry and private providers to reduce these costs and since requirements were introduced for international travel testing, the costs have fallen significantly. We have reduced the cost of NHS Test and Trace tests for international arrivals from £88 to £68 for ‘green list’ arrivals or fully vaccinated ‘amber list’ arrivals and from £170 to £136 for two tests for ‘amber list’ arrivals who are not fully vaccinated. By the end of October, fully vaccinated passengers travelling from non-‘red list’ countries will be able to replace their day two test with a cheaper lateral flow test, reducing the cost of tests on arrival into England.
Disease Control
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what advice they have given to the NHS about priorities for preventing disease, and (2) what percentage of total health expenditure is devoted to disease prevention.
Lord Kamall: The 2021-22 Mandate to NHS England and NHS Improvement sets an objective to improve the prevention of ill-health and delivery of public health services. This includes investment in evidence-based programmes on smoking, alcohol and secondary prevention of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes and dementia.While National Health Service spending on prevention is not collected in the format requested, the Office for National Statistics estimates that prevention forms approximately 5% of all public funding on health in the United Kingdom. We have asked NHS England and NHS Improvement to introduce a yearly prevention spend, outcome and trajectory reporting criteria, including for major preventable diseases.
Eyesight and Hearing: Research
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to establish a national eye health and hearing study for the UK.
Lord Kamall: There are no specific plans to do so. However, the National Institution for Health Research is currently funding a number of related studies, including a £1,586,456 study of neo-vascular age related macular degeneration and glaucoma and a £656,052 project on risk prediction.
Medical Equipment: Innovation
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request that the Medical Technologies Directorate publish a definition of “innovative medical devices”.
Lord Kamall: We have previously discussed the need for a definition of innovation within medical devices with the industry. As part of our overall strategy, we will engage with the public sector, industry and healthcare provider organisations to develop this definition.
Coronavirus: Drugs
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the use of Ronapreve has been restricted only to people who are currently hospitalised with COVID-19; what assessment they have made of the numbers of patients expected to be treated with Ronapreve in the next 12 months; and what, if any assessment, they have made of the benefits of providing it as prophylaxis for high-risk patients who are not in hospital.
Lord Kamall: The current supply of Ronapreve is limited globally and the clinical policy prioritises the most vulnerable patients for whom this treatment will have the largest beneficial impact. The use of Ronapreve is being monitored and the interim clinical policy will be updated if supported by the latest evidence.The number of patients treated by Ronapreve will depend on the infection rate over the next year; the degree of vaccine protection; the availability of Ronapreve and other products; and on National Health Service clinical policy. To date, the evidence has most strongly supported treatment indications, but the evidence on prophylactic use will continue to be actively reviewed.
Coronavirus
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to expanding the guidance on the symptoms of COVID-19, given the results of the ongoing ZOE COVID Study.
Lord Kamall: Experts continue to keep the symptoms under review as our understanding of the virus develops. We assess the data from the COVID Symptom Study in addition to other surveillance studies and will update our guidance if necessary.
Anaemia: Children
Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children with nutritional anaemiawere treated in each of the English NHS regions in (1) 2019, and (2) 2020.
Lord Kamall: This information is not held centrally.
Ministry of Defence
Armed Forces: Families
Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the UK armed forces families' strategy will be published.
Baroness Goldie: I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence People and Veterans (Leo Docherty), in the House of Commons on 6 September 2021 to the hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) in response to Question number 40594. Armed Forces: Families (docx, 16.0KB)
Aircraft Carriers: Far East
Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact, if any, rising tensions between China and Taiwan have had on the route for the carrier strike group.
Baroness Goldie: The Carrier Strike Group's ships navigated the South China Sea and HMS Richmond navigated the Taiwan Strait as necessary between planned activity in the Indo-Pacific region. The tension between China and Taiwan, although noted, did not change the routing of the Carrier Strike Group.
Aircraft Carriers: Military Exercises
Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government with what countries to date the carrier strike group has had (1) engagements, or (2) military exercises; and what were these engagements and military exercises.
Baroness Goldie: The table below sets out the countries and/or overseas territories that the UK Carrier Strike Group has interacted with during this deployment. Country / Overseas TerritoryActivityAustraliaPassage Exercise , air interaction, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD[1]BangladeshPort visit to ChittogramBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryPort visit to Diego GarciaBruneiPort visit to Bandar Seri BegawanCambodiaVirtual defence engagementCanadaExercise PACIFIC CROWN (Pacific Ocean) South China Sea navigation in companyCyprusPort visit to Limassol and LarnacaDjiboutiPort visit to DjiboutiEgyptPort visit to AlexandriaFranceExercises Atlantic Trident (North Atlantic) and Gallic Strike (Mediterranean) Press ReleaseGeorgiaPort visit to BatumiGibraltarHosted reception at seaGreecePort visits to Piraeus and Souda.GuamPort visits to GuamIndiaMaritime Participation Exercise in the Indian Ocean Press ReleaseIndonesiaPort visit to JakartaIsraelExercise Falcon Strike and Exercise Tri-Lightning (both in the Mediterranean). Port visit to HaifaItalyExercise Falcon Strike, transit in western Mediterranean, Port visits to Augusta, Messina and Taranto Press ReleaseJapanPort visits to Sasebo, Yokosuka, Funakoshi, Exercise PACIFIC CROWN (Pacific Ocean), quad carrier exercise (with two carriers from the USA, one from Japan and HMS Queen Elizabeth), Reception and capability demonstration, South China Sea navigation in company Press ReleaseMalaysiaPassage Exercise, Exercise BERSAMA GOLDMontenegroPort visit to Bar, Reception and Capability Demonstration, Press ReleaseNew ZealandSouth China Sea Transit in company, Exercise BERSAMA GOLDOmanPort visit to DuqmRepublic of KoreaSearch and rescue exercise, at sea reception and capability demonstration Press ReleaseSaudi ArabiaPort visit to Jeddah. Passage ExerciseSingaporePassage Exercise including some limited air exercising. Port visit to Sembawang. Reception and capability demonstration, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD Press ReleaseSpainPort visits to Alicante and CartagenaThailandCo-ordinated maritime manoeuvres Press ReleaseTurkeyPort visit Istanbul Press ReleaseUkrainePort visit to Odessa Press ReleaseUnited StatesDual, tri and quad carrier exercises. Exercise Atlantic Trident (North Atlantic), Exercise Gallic Strike (Mediterranean), Exercise Falcon Strike, Exercise Tri-Lightning Press Release Press ReleaseVietnamPort visit to Da Nang and Passage ExerciseNATO*Exercise Steadfast Defender (North Atlantic), Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 - Operation Sea Guardian (Mediterranean), At-sea reception and capability demonstration Press Release Press Release *Whilst not a country, assets from the UK Carrier Strike Group also participated in NATO-led military exercises and engagements. [1] Five Powers Defence Arrangements Exercise hosted by Malaysia with participants from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK.
Department for Work and Pensions
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support (1) people living with stage 5 kidney disease, and (2) severely immunosuppressed people in the workplace, given recently published data show these groups are not adequately protected following two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk associated with severely immunosuppressed people, including kidney transplant patients, returning to the workplace; and whether specific advice and workplace support will be provided to this group.
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information and guidancethey will provide toemployers on how best to protect people who are severely immunosuppressed and may not mount an adequate immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: I refer the hon. Peer to the answer given to his previous question HL2092. Throughout the pandemic, HSE has encouraged businesses to manage risks in order to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in workplaces through the provision of detailed guidance. HSE published updated guidance on 19th July to reflect changes as a result of the lifting of coronavirus restrictions in England Keeping workplaces safe as coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions are removed (hse.gov.uk). HSE does not consider vaccination of employees to be a workplace control. Businesses must control the risks and review and update their risk assessment to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 by providing adequate ventilation, regular cleaning and frequent handwashing. Businesses can also continue to reduce the risk of transmission during the pandemic by taking measures to limit the number of people their workers are in contact with, and UK government guidance on working safely provides further information and advice on these measures covering a range of different types of work. Employers’ health and safety responsibilities include taking reasonable steps to protect all workers and others from the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in connection with their work activities. As these control measures apply to all workers, regardless of their relative levels of vulnerability or the potential outcome, there are no expectations of additional control measures for Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) workers or the need for individual risk assessments.The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises employers to have individual discussions with their CEV employees about any workplace concerns and understand what is in place to protect them. There is specific guidance on the HSE website to support employers to do this https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/working-safely/protect-people.htm
Home Office
Hamas: Proscribed Organisations
Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to proscribe Hamas's political wing as a terrorist group following the UK's withdrawal from EU.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government does not routinely comment on whether groups are, or are not, being considered for proscription. The Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review.
Hamas: Flags
Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ban the flying of the Hamas flag in the UK following its widespread use in demonstrations in 2021.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The military wing of Hamas remains a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 enabling firm action against those who openly support it, including in displaying logos and flags.We are committed to ensuring the police have robust powers to respond to activities that spread hate and maintain order. We are strengthening powers to manage disruptive protest through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Cabinet Office
Cybercrime
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what cyber security precautions organisations are required to take when selling software or providing software as a service to the Government.
Lord True: Each government department is responsible for managing security risk when procuring any service based on their own risk appetite. Cabinet Office and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides guidance on how to do this including through the provision of commercial frameworks which include cyber security clauses. This is made clear in the Minimum Cyber Security Standard for Government which state that “Departments shall understand and manage security issues that arise because of dependencies on external suppliers or through their supply chain”.The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides extensive guidance and recommended security frameworks that apply to a wide range of digital services. Buying organisations are encouraged to use these in determining their requirements to ensure that appropriate security controls are specified according to risk.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Collapse of Football Index Independent Review
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Regulation of BetIndex Limited, published on 13 September, what steps they are taking, beyond additional funding, to ensure that the Gambling Commission is better able to monitor and intervene in the case of novel gambling products.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Gambling Commission has already taken steps to address issues identified in the independent reviewer’s report, including updating its frameworks for risk-based regulation so that novel products are placed under greater scrutiny and commencing a review of all remote licensees to check for issues relating to boundary-pushing products. The Commission and the Financial Conduct Authority have also strengthened their Memorandum of Understanding, including new escalation routes so that regulatory impasses are identified and overcome quickly.As set out in the terms of reference, the independent review into the regulation of BetIndex was intended to inform our ongoing Review of the Gambling Act 2005. This is looking closely at a range of issues, including the Gambling Commission’s powers and how it uses them, as well as the potential risks posed to consumers by new and emerging technologies. We are considering its findings and recommendations carefully, and aim to publish a white paper setting out any conclusions in due course. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2021-10-19 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Department for Transport
High Speed 2 Line: Iron and Steel
Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the origin of the steel procured for the HS2 project which is produced outside the UK.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Steel used on HS2 is procured through our supply chain, principally the Main Works Civil Contractors. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) publish data annually, the most recent covering FY20/21, on the origin of steel use across Government projects, including HS2.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Companies: Carbon Emissions
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to encourage greater transparency among UK companies accused of exaggerating their environmental commitments, commonly termed as greenwashing, to prevent this from adversely impacting the Government’s Net Zero strategy.
Lord Callanan: Businesses have a vital role to play in helping us to meet our net zero target and are encouraged to join the UN-backed Race to Zero, with 7,552 already setting credible and robust targets and outlining plans to deliver on these targets. ‘Greening Finance: A Roadmap to Sustainable Investing’ sets out how the Government will ensure decision-useful information on sustainability is available to financial market decision-makers, helping to combat potential “greenwashing”. The UK is also requiring asset managers, regulated asset owners and listed companies to publish transition plans that consider the government’s net zero commitment or provide an explanation if they have not done so.
Accountancy: Standards
Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answerby Lord Callanan on 15 June (HL757), whether the use of judgement in resolving accounting issues is by reference to (1) the purpose of audited accounts as set out in company law, or (2) the Conceptual Framework that has “no status because it is not adopted into UK law”.
Lord Callanan: Section 393 of the Companies Act 2006 places a requirement on directors that the accounts must provide a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of a company or group. Directors must provide such information as is necessary to ensure that this requirement is met, including where no specific accounting standard applies to a transaction, event or condition. For those companies using “UK-adopted international accounting standards”, IAS 8 “Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors” provides a basis for the use of judgement in resolving accounting issues in such situations.
Department of Health and Social Care
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to encourage those over the age of 75 who have not come forward for their Spring booster vaccination to do so.
Lord Kamall: Since March 2022, the National Health Service has invited more than five million eligible people in England to receive their COVID-19 spring booster dose, including those aged 75 years old and over, residents of care homes for older adults and those aged 12 years old and over who are immunosuppressed. As of 26 June 2022, over 4.2 million people have received a booster dose in the spring programme.On 22 June 2022, NHS England issued an online press release urging eligible people to receive the booster vaccination. At the end of June, NHS England also sent approximately 250,000 reminders via text message, email and letter, advising that the booster vaccination offer remains available.
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist on 23 March (HL Deb col 958), what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of existing vaccines available in the UK in (1) protecting against, or (2) reducing the impact of, Omicron (a) B4, and (b) B5; what assessment they have made of the likely availability of the improved vaccine undergoing experimentation at (i) St George's Hospital, and (ii) beyond; and on what date the fourth COVID-19 booster vaccine will be available for general use across the UK this autumn.
Lord Kamall: Vaccine effectiveness against emerging variants is continuously assessed. There is currently insufficient data for a robust assessment of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against mild or severe disease with the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants. However, preliminary analyses indicate that the vaccination status of cases infected with BA.4 and BA.5 is not significantly different to that of cases infected with BA.2, suggesting that protection conferred by the vaccines likely remains comparable.Moderna and Pfizer are conducting clinical trials for Omicron-specific variant vaccines, with the intention of making these available in the second half of 2022.The Government continues to be guided by the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on COVID-19 vaccinations. On 15 July 2022, the JCVI issued advice on an autumn booster vaccination programme. This advice states that a booster dose should be offered to residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults; frontline health and social care workers; all adults aged 50 years old and over; persons aged five to 49 years old in a clinical risk group; persons aged five to 49 years old who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression; and persons aged 16 to 49 years old who are carers.
Department for Education
Holiday Activities and Food Programme
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 4 July (HL1123), how those eligible for a free place on the Holiday Activities and Food Programme will be notified of this to ensure that none of those eligible for free school meals will miss out during the summer holidays; and what will be done to ensure that this programme is implemented successfully by local councils across England.
Baroness Barran: Local authorities have the discretion to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of free school meals, but who the local authority believes could benefit from holiday activities and food (HAF) provision.Guidance and grant letters provide a clear structure for local authorities in performing their role as HAF coordinators, while encouraging innovation and ensuring the programme is appropriate for the local area. They are encouraged to work with a wide range of organisations and partners across their local area and ensure schools and other services are on board with directing children and families to the programme.To support local authorities, the department has appointed a national support partner, Childcare Works, which helps local authorities use their funding as effectively as possible and to target their programme at those most in need. Childcare Works facilitates local networks and forums where local authorities can exchange ideas, learn from each other, and work together. The department has also provided local authorities with a communication toolkit to support local promotion of the programme.The department is working with national and local partners to build on the success of the HAF programme. On 14 June, we held a roundtable event with representatives from supermarkets and sport organisations, many of whom are already providing support to the programme.The department is monitoring delivery carefully, including through the regular reports that local authorities send to the department. During the summer of 2021, the HAF programme reached over 600,000 children and young people in England in total, including over 495,000 children eligible for free school meals. This means hundreds of thousands of children from low-income families are benefitting from healthy food and better nutrition.
Ministry of Justice
Prisoners: Older People
Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1)men, and (2) women, over the age of 70 are serving custodial sentences in England and Wales.
Lord Bellamy: As of 31 March 2022 (latest available published statistics), there were 1,618 male sentenced prisoners and 21 female sentenced prisoners aged ‘70 and over’ in prisons in England & Wales.
Prison Sentences: Older People
Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people aged 60 to 69 received an extended determinate sentence with a custodial period of 20 years or more in each year since 2012.
Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people aged 70 or over received an extended determinate sentencewith a custodial period of 10 years or more in each year since 2012.
Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many peoplereceived an extended determinate sentence with a custodial period of 10 years or more in each year since 2012; and of those, how many were aged (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 or over, at the time of sentencing.
Lord Bellamy: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on detailed sentence and custodial sentence length, in England and Wales, for the years 2017 to 2021, available in the Outcomes by Offence data tool (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 21 MB). In this dataset, the age range for offenders 25 and over was not broken down further prior to 2017 – please refer to note 5 in the tables. Further breakdowns by age range are therefore not available before 2017. Where data is provided for 2012 to 2017, the 25 + age range is aggregated. The data requested is provided in the attached tables.Table (xlsx, 21.6KB)
Prisoners
Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were serving a determinate sentence of 20 years or more in each year since 2012; and of those, how many were aged (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 or over.
Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were serving a determinate sentence of 20 years or more in each year since 2012, broken down by ethnicity.
Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people aged 70 to 79 received a determinatecustodial sentence of 20 years or more in each year since 2012.
Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people aged 80 or overreceived a determinate custodial sentence of (1) 10 years to less than 15 years, (2) 15 years to less than 20 years, and (3) 20 years or more, in each year since 2012.
Lord Bellamy: Responses are collated from two different data sources. Please refer to the footnotes of the tables to understand the differences.HL1598 and HL1599:The Ministry of Justice publishes information on detailed sentence and custodial sentence length, in England and Wales, for the years 2017 to 2021 available, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 21 MB).In this dataset, the age range for offenders 25 and over was not broken down further prior to 2017 – please refer to note 5 in the tables. Further breakdowns by age range are therefore not available before 2017.The data requested is provided in the attached tables. Please note that court data records length as the custodial period specified in the sentence.HL1594 and HL1595:Requested information can be found in the attached data tables.The sentence length information is the Judicially Imposed Sentence Length (JISL) which reflects the custodial period plus time to be served on post-release Probation supervision.Table (xlsx, 25.3KB)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
European Court of Human Rights: Belfast Agreement
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR); and if so, what is their assessment of the impact of withdrawing from the ECHR on the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has a longstanding tradition of ensuring rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations. The proposed Bill of Rights is fully in line with the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
South Sudan: Humanitarian Aid
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 13 June (HL49), what assessment they have made of the violence in Abyei; and what further steps they intend to take in response.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are carefully observing the ongoing clashes in Abyei and the border regions. As noted in our answer of 13 June, we are heavily engaged with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and welcomed their mandate being renewed by the UN Security Council on 12 May. It is essential that UNISFA is able to fulfil its mandate to protect civilians, and support law and order, local peacebuilding and community dialogues. We join the UN Secretary-General's call for the African Union to intensify its mediation efforts to help reach a political solution for Abyei.We continue to urge the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to regularise meetings of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and agree joint security mechanisms to improve stability in Abyei until its final status can be agreed. We will work with the UN and the humanitarian community in Sudan and South Sudan to address humanitarian needs in Abyei, and call on the governments of both countries to allow humanitarian actors to deliver aid to those in need without hindrance.
Development Aid: LGBT+ People
Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the level of international funding for LGBT+ organisations; and what plans they have to increase the Official Development Assistance funding allocation to such groups.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK regularly engages our partners, including governments, civil society, philanthropists and multilateral organisations, on taking a collaborative approach to Official Development Assistance funding in support of LGBT+ rights. As co-chairs of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), the UK and Argentina oversaw the adoption of the ERC's first strategy and five-year implementation plan in July 2021. The UK actively participates in the ERC Donor Coordination Working Group which aims to improve coordination between all actors. Plans for levels of UK funding for the current spending round are not yet confirmed. In June 2022, the Prime Minister announced £2.7 million of new UK funding to support LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders, and advance equality and freedom across the Commonwealth.
Georgia: Sanctions
Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Georgian nationals resident in the UK are subject to government sanctions.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is not aware of any Georgian nationals resident in the UK who have been designated under UK sanctions.
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Yazidi Justice Committee Report on State Responsibility and the Yazidi Genocide on 6 July, what steps they have taken, or are planning to take, to refer (1) Syria, (2) Iraq, or (3) Turkey, to the International Court of Justice for alleged violations of the Genocide Convention to make a formal determination of genocide and associated international obligations.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We note the findings from the Yazidi Justice Committee's report. The UK has focused its response to the abhorrent crimes that Daesh inflicted by supporting the Government of Iraq to take the necessary actions to secure justice for the Yazidi people and many other victims of Daesh's crimes.This includes leadership in ensuring that the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2379 to establish a UN Investigative Team for the Accountability of Daesh (UNITAD) and supporting this with £2 million in funding. We are encouraging close co-operation between UNITAD and the Government of Iraq to achieve justice for Daesh's victims.We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to raise situations of concern and to support the deployment of all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians.
Iraq: Genocide
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Yazidi Justice Committee Report on State Responsibility and the Yazidi Genocide on 6 July, whether they have assessed whether genocide of the Yazidi has or is continuing to occur; if not, whether they plan (1) to take undertake such an assessment, and (2) to recognise ongoing those events as genocide.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We note the Yazidi Justice Committee's report on State Responsibility and the Yazidi Genocide. It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies.
UN Convention Against Torture
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe joint submission by Human Rights Watch and Lawyers for Justice on the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to the UN Committee Against Torture at its 74th Session, 12–29 July; and what discussions they have had with the Palestinian Authority as a signatory of the Convention Against Torture.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the joint submission and will review the findings. We take allegations or concerns of torture and mistreatment very seriously and will follow up with action, as appropriate.
Religious Freedom
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, they will (1) introduce a Religious Freedom Bill guaranteeing the provisions of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and (2) make the appointment of a Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief a statutory requirement.
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the outcomes and recommendations of the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, held in London between 5 and 7 July.
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the policy of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office concerning Freedom of Religion or Belief and the mandate of the Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief is restricted to the provisions of Article 18 of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights; and whether it can be used to promote other substantive issues.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) hosted by the UK brought together governments, faith and belief leaders and civil society for discussions to address challenges to the right to FoRB. The Conference gave a platform to those persecuted for their religion or belief. Forty-seven governments, international organisations and other entities pledged action in support of FoRB. Thirty countries joined the UK in signing up to a set of statements. My Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Elizabeth Truss), outlined FCDO progress in implementing recommendations from the Bishop of Truro's report and noted the breadth of religion and belief groups that suffer from persecution. I [Lord Ahmad] announced new UK funding for support for defenders of FoRB, as well as funding and expertise for countries prepared to make legislative changes to protect FoRB.FCDO policy on FoRB, and the work of the FoRB Special Envoy, is grounded in international human rights law and standards and recognises the interdependence of all human rights, and the importance of respect for the promotion of democracy, rule of law and stability around the world. The role of FoRB Special Envoy is an appointment made by the Prime Minister and currently held by Fiona Bruce MP. We work closely together to promote FoRB around the world. The Human Rights Act contains protections for the ECHR Article 9 right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the new Bill of Rights will continue this protection.
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their priorities for the Review Conference on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; and what emphasis will they put on the following elements of strategic risk reduction (1) building confidence, (2) increasing mutual understanding and comprehension about nuclear posture and capabilities amongst the P5, and (3) effective crisis management and crisis prevention tools.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to effective international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation and we will engage in such relevant discussions at the NPT RevCon (Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons). We want Russia to demonstrate the same commitment: it was Russia's violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that led to that Treaty's demise. Russia's proposed moratorium would do nothing to address its existing deployments of prohibited missiles, and so would not improve the international political situation.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in discussions at the Review Conference on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and given the international political situation, they will prioritise discussion on a moratorium for (1) intermediate-range nuclear weapons, and (2) the deployment of new short-range nuclear weapons.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Our priorities are to recognise the successes of the past 50 years and reaffirm our commitment to the NPT, finding common areas of agreement across all three pillars (disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear technology).We will work collaboratively to reduce the risk of nuclear conflict and build mutual trust and confidence that allows further progress towards disarmament. The P5 process remains an important channel through which the Nuclear Weapon States discuss the Treaty's implementation. It is also an important risk reduction measure to build trust and confidence, especially during times of tension.
Uzbekistan: Politics and Government
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent events in Karakalpakstan; what discussions they have had with the government of Uzbekistan (1) regarding those events, and (2) to seek a peaceful resolution.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] was saddened by the loss of life that occurred during recent events in the Karakalpakstan region of Uzbekistan. I understand that initially peaceful protests against plans to change Karakalpakstan's autonomous status within Uzbekistan, developed into violent unrest with casualties among civilians and law enforcement. The situation now seems calm. We have taken note of the creation of an Independent Commission under the Parliamentary Ombudsman to investigate these events.On 7 July, I raised the unrest in Karakalpakstan with the Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister and our Ambassador and his team in Tashkent are also in contact with the Uzbek authorities. We have been clear in our communications that the right to peaceful protest and respect for media freedom should be protected. In discussion of these events in multilateral fora, we urged the Uzbek authorities to adhere to their international commitments in their response, and that due process be followed as the authorities seek to understand what happened. We will continue to monitor developments closely.
Shireen Abu Akleh
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the US State Department statement on 4 July that a detailed forensic analysis "could notreach a definitive conclusion regarding the origin of the bullet that killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh", despite multiple eyewitness reports that it was fired by an Israel Defense Forces soldier.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We remain in close contact with the US and other partners on the tragic case of Shireen Abu Akleh. We continue to call for justice, accountability, and urgent steps to be taken to de-escalate tensions, and for restraint in the use of force. The safety of journalists across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work.
UNRWA
Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by theHenry Jackson Society UNRWA's Future Reconsidered, published on 23 February 2020,which referred to the UN Relief and WorksAgency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as a significant road block to peace and a Two State solution, whether they will review the $92m annual funding they provide to the Agency.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We remain longstanding supporters of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and their work to support Palestinian refugees across the region including Gaza. Minister Milling had the opportunity to see the UNWRA supported refugee camp in Jerusalem during her recent visit to the region in June 2022 and saw first-hand the challenges refugees face along with the impact of valuable UK support. At the UNRWA pledging conference in New York in June, we announced a new multi-year funding programme with the agency providing £15 million in 2022, which helps UNRWA provide education to over 533,000 children a year (half of them girls), and access to health services for 3.5 million Palestinian refugees.
Peru: Indigenous Peoples
Lord Alderdice: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Peru about the threats from illegal loggers to (1) leaders, and (2) members, of the Wampis community; and what plans, if any, they have to press for them to be protected.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government monitors human rights in Peru closely. We hold regular discussions on them with the Peruvian Government, including raising prominent cases with the authorities and with civil society stakeholders.The safety of environmental defenders in the Peruvian Amazon region is a particular priority for our human rights work in Peru. Officials in our Embassy to Lima met with the Peruvian Ministry of Justice and Human Rights on 13 July to raise concerns about threats to the Wampis community and human rights defenders, as well as the problem of illegal logging. We are monitoring the Peruvian Government's response and will continue to hold an active dialogue with them on these issues. Our Ambassador to Lima has travelled within Peru to meet environmental defenders and indigenous peoples, and Embassy representatives are in close contact with organisations representing human rights defenders.
Rwanda: Politics and Government
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Rwanda concerning its record on (1) freedom of expression, (2) political debate, and (3) the right for women and girls to safely access abortion, in that country.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government firmly believes that freedom of expression, a strong opposition and vibrant civil society is vital for a healthy and well-functioning democracy in Rwanda and that civil society and opposition parties must be able to operate freely, holding the Government to account and contributing to the debate on how the country should be governed. We remain concerned about some restrictions on the space for opposition voices in Rwanda. The UK remains strongly committed to championing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights globally, including in Rwanda.We regularly discuss a range of issues with the Government of Rwanda through our High Commission in Kigali and at Ministerial level. The Prime Minster met President Kagame in Kigali during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in June, and the Minister for Africa met Foreign Minister Biruta in London on 18 May.
Ministry of Defence
Afghanistan: Politics and Government
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to relocate (1) interpreters, (2) security guards, and (3) other locally employed government staff, who are still in Afghanistan, back to the UK; and what is the timescale for that relocation.
Baroness Goldie: The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) launched on 1 April 2021 and remains open. This scheme offers relocation or other assistance to former Locally Employed Staff (LES) to reflect the changing situation in Afghanistan.To date, we have relocated over 9,900 eligible individuals and their dependents and we estimate that there are around 8,000 (inclusive of their dependents) ARAP eligible individuals still to be relocated to the UK. This figure is subject to change as we continue to work through the outstanding applications.It is not possible to break down statistics for the number of individuals relocated by specific job role, and timescales can vary enormously from case to case dependent on the individual circumstances of an applicant. This can include, but is not limited to, factors such as their ability to respond to requests for information, their location, their access to IT or the employment checks we need to undertake.We continue to work alongside our partners to relocate eligible Afghans through third countries. Due to operational sensitivities, it is not possible to share specific details.
Department for Work and Pensions
Poverty: Children
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support lone parent families, in light of the Institute for Fiscal Studies briefing on 4 July which stated that (1) "1.5 millionchildren of lone parents were in relative income poverty" in 2019–20, and that (2) "the pre-pandemic relative poverty rate for children of lone parents was almost double that for children living with two parents".
Baroness Stedman-Scott: This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty. With a record 1.3 million vacancies across the UK, our focus is firmly on supporting people to move into and progress in work. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children. The latest available data on in-work poverty shows that in 2019/20, children in households where all adults were in work were around six times less likely to be in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than children in a household where nobody works. To help parents into work, our Plan for Jobs is providing broad ranging support for all jobseekers with our Sector Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAP), Job Entry Targeted Support and Restart scheme. We are also extending the support Jobcentres provide to people in work and on low incomes. Through a staged roll-out, which started in April 2022, around 2.1m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for support to progress into higher-paid work. This is on top of the support we have already provided by increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour and giving nearly 1.7 million families an extra £1,000 (on average) a year through our changes to the Universal Credit taper and work allowances. To further support parents to move into and progress in work, eligible UC claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month up to a maximum of £646.35 per month for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children. This is on top of the free childcare offer in England which provides 15 hours a week of free childcare for all 3- and 4-year-olds and disadvantaged 2-year-olds, doubling for working parents of 3- and 4-year-olds to 30 hours a week. Around 1.9 million of the most disadvantaged pupils are eligible for and claiming a free school meal, saving families around £450 per year. In addition, around 1.25 million more infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime as well as over 90,000 disadvantaged further education students. We are also investing £200 million a year to continue the Holiday Activities and Food Programme, which benefitted over 600,000 children last summer, and we have increased the value of the Healthy Start Vouchers by a third to £4.25 a week. Child Maintenance can make a real difference to lone parent households on a low income whether that is through a family-based arrangement (FBA) or the statutory scheme administered by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). We estimate that receiving parents in separated families received £2.4 billion annually in child maintenance payments in the three financial years ending 2019 to 2021 through both FBAs and payments received through the CMS. As a result, there were around 140,000 fewer children in absolute low-income households each year on average between 2018/19 to 2020/21 (on an after-housing costs basis).
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Water: Sewage
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increased releases of raw sewage into waterways onanimal farming, in light of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci being found in more than 10 per cent of supermarket pork products.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government has made improving water quality a priority. The Environment Act has placed our ambition on a statutory footing, setting a duty for water companies to achieve a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows. Our Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan will be published in September and will set out the targets water companies will be required to meet to achieve this. Currently, no assessment has been undertaken on sewage discharges on animal farming more generally. Pharmaceuticals may enter the environment during the manufacture and disposal of pharmaceutical products, or as they pass through humans and animals into wastewater treatment networks or the wider environment. There is much to be done to improve our understanding of the impacts that pharmaceuticals have on the environment, but some are known to cause adverse impacts on aquatic life and contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance. The Environment Agency (EA) and Defra has worked with Water UK on the Chemicals Investigation Programme to investigate the fate and travel of antimicrobial resistance through waste water treatment works, and are advocating more work via the 2024 price review.
Food Data Transparency Partnership
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the (1) work, and (2) membership, of the Food Data Transparency Panel; and whether they will invite the Consortium for Labelling for the Environment, Animal Welfare and Regenerative Farming (CLEAR) to join that panel.
Lord Benyon: To drive positive change through better information, transparency, and accountability, we are launching a transformational Food Data Transparency Partnership. The partnership will provide consumers with the information they need to make more sustainable, ethical, and healthier food choices and incentivise industry to produce healthier and more ethical and sustainable food. Improving food system data and information is a shared challenge. The partnership will provide a framework to bring together the UK government, including the Department for Health and Social Care, Defra and the Food Standards Agency, Devolved Administrations and representatives from across the whole food supply chain and civil society. We want to design stakeholders, including industry and civil society, into the fabric of how the programme is run and into how its outputs are developed. The governance structure and process for involvement is being developed and will be announced in the coming months. Initially, the partnership will develop consistent and defined metrics to measure the health, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare impacts of food. By the end of 2023, in England, we will streamline reporting requirements relating to the production and sale of food and drink. We will consult on implementing mandatory public reporting against a set of health metrics and explore a similar approach to sustainability and animal welfare. We will fully consult on any mandatory measures before they are introduced.
Water Companies: Prosecutions
Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theywill introduce legislation enabling members of the general public to prosecute directors of water companies for wilful neglect of their statutory duties.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We have existing powers to enable regulators to hold directors of companies liable for offences committed by their company if consent, connivance or neglect on their part can be shown. In addition, Ofwat, as the independent economic regulator, protects the interests of consumers by ensuring water companies properly carry out their statutory functions. They will not hesitate to take enforcement action where these duties are breached. In recent years we have seen historic fines placed on water companies, including fines of £90m for Southern Water and £4m for Thames Water in 2021 for serious pollution events.The Government has introduced a range of further measures through the Environment Act 2021, and we have been clear that if we do not see the significant changes we expect, we will take further action.
Biocidal Products: Pollution Control
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of environmental pollution from biocides in personal care products, such as (1)benzalkonium chloride in soaps, or (2) chlorhexidine in mouthwashes.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: These have not currently been identified as chemicals of concern for the Environment Agency (EA)’s monitoring. The EA operates a Prioritisation and Early Warning System for chemicals of emerging concern and will consider these substances under that system.
Home Office
Police: Banks
Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what amount of funding, if any, police forces have received from banks in the last 10 years.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Police and Crime Commissioners generate income through a variety of funding sources including Government grants, police precept, charging for policing commercial events and investments (both interest and dividends).You can find detailed breakdowns of force financing arrangements in their published annual financial statements.
Abortion: Clinics
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the (1) use of buffer zones outside abortion clinics, and (2) reports from women and girls who have attended such clinics in the UK that they were intimidated and harassed on arrival.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office takes the matter of protests outside abortion clinics extremely seriously and recognises the adverse impact that such protests can have on patients and staff. It is completely unacceptable that anyone should feel harassed or intimidated simply for exercising their legal right to healthcare advice and treatment.We have conducted extensive reviews into these protests, which has included reviewing evidence from those directly affected, with the impact on women being at the centre of our consideration. We continue to welcome any new evidence on this important and sensitive issue, as we keep this matter under review.We believe that managing harmful protests requires a locally driven response and that the police and local authorities have the necessary powers to provide this. Public Spaces Protection Orders have been implemented successfully to restrict harmful protests in Ealing, Richmond, and Manchester.
Refugees: Middle East and Ukraine
Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees from (1) Ukraine, (2) Afghanistan, and (3) Syria, have beenhelped through either (a) the Homes for Ukraine scheme, (b) the Ukraine Family Scheme, (c) the Afghans Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, (d) the Afghans Relocation and Assistance Policy, or (e) the Syrian Resettlement Programme, since each of those respective schemes began.
Lord Harrington of Watford: Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Work is underway to assure information relating to all the individuals relocated under the ARAP and ACRS on case working systems. Once this work concludes, statistics on both schemes - including the number of people resettled under each - will be included in future editions of the Immigration Statistics.The Home Office publishes data on resettlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on refugees resettled in the UK by scheme can be found in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending March 2022. Data for June 2022 will be published on 25 August 2022. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’. Table Asy_D02 (xlsx, 8675.7KB)
Environment Protection: Protest
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent environmental protests that endanger the lives of others.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Peaceful protest is a vital part of a democratic society. However, there is a balance to be struck and rights to peaceful protest do not extend to highly disruptive and dangerous acts, such as tunnelling, which places not only the lives of the protesters at risk, but also those who rescue them.The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act has already increased the maximum penalty for those who obstruct the highway, putting their lives and those of road users at risk. The Public Order Bill further improves the police’s ability to respond to dangerous protest acts by criminalising tunnelling which causes serious disruption and creating serious disruption prevention orders; a new court order that targets the most prolific protesters.
Sudan: Rapid Support Forces
The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, towards designating the Sudanese Rapid Forces as a terrorist organisation.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Whilst the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.We remain concerned at the behaviour of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, including internal repression and human rights violations across the country. We have raised our concerns, including with the RSF leadership.
Asylum: Applications
Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve (1) accountability, (2) transparency, and (3) value for money, in recording the average time it takes to process asylum seeker applications from the initial claim to the date of final interview.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office remains committed to routinely publishing information which shows the number of cases in the entire asylum system outstanding to improve accountability, transparency and value for money. However, some data we are unable to provide as it is not easily aggregated, can only be obtained at disproportionate costs or not held in a reportable format.Data on case age and Asylum Operations costs and productivity can be found in ASY_03 and ASY_04 of the published Transparency data (also attached)Immigration and protection data: Q1 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Whilst there are a number of older outstanding cases in the system, these are more complex cases which generally have barriers that causes delays in the time taken to process an asylum seeker application from the initial date of claim to the date of final interview. These barriers are often varied and require time to clear, but our teams are actively working to clear and progress these enable the final interview to take place.published Transparency data (xlsx, 1608.3KB)
Asylum: Middle East and Somalia
Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they consider safe, legal routes to be for asylum seekers from (1) Afghanistan, (2) Iraq, (3) Iran, and (4) Somalia.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK welcomes refugees and people in need of protection through its existing resettlement schemes. The government encourages eligible individuals to use established safe and legal pathways. These include the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship, Mandate Resettlement Scheme, the Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, and the Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy.Individuals from the listed countries may be eligible for resettlement through these existing schemes.In addition to our refugee resettlement schemes, family reunion policy allows a spouse/partner and the children under 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country.Since 2015, we have resettled more than 27,000 refugees through safe and legal routes directly from regions of conflict and instability – around half of whom are children. With worldwide displacement now standing at around 80 million people, we cannot help everyone. We will, however, continue to maintain clear, well-defined safe, and legal routes for people who need protection. Access to the UK’s asylum system should be based on need, not on the ability to pay people smugglers. Those already in a safe country should claim asylum there.More information on safe and legal routes is available on GOV.UK
Asylum: Hotels and RAF Linton-on-Ouse
Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they expect the cost to be of (1) converting RAF Linton so that it will be suitable as a large-scale reception centre for 1,500 asylum seekers, (2) running such a large-scale reception centre, and (3) accommodating 1,500 asylum seeks in hotels; and whether they plan to publish estimates of the capital and running costs of RAF Linton as a large-scale reception centre alongside a cost-benefit analysis.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The sharp increase in small boat crossings and the pandemic has meant increased use of contingency accommodation to meet our legal duty to provide accommodation to destitute asylum seekers, which is costing the UK taxpayers almost £5million a day, every day. The Home Office is looking at proposals to establish a new asylum accommodation centre at RAF Linton-On-Ouse, North Yorkshire. This would support our response to the increasing pressures on the UK asylum system.Ministers have not taken any final decision to accommodate asylum seekers at RAF Linton. Should it be progressed, the site would provide safe and cost-effective accommodation to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destituteWe will be able to assess value for money once we have received firm bids for the provision of the service, but we anticipate being able to generate cost savings.It would not be appropriate to comment further while planning is ongoing.
Asylum: Middle East
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list all the safe and legal routes for asylum seekers from (1) Afghanistan, (2) Syria, and (3) Yemen, which would allow them to claim asylum in the UK (a) on arrival, or (b) prior to their departure from their country of origin.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK welcomes refugees and people in need of protection through its existing resettlement schemes. The government encourages eligible individuals to use established safe and legal pathways. These include the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship, Mandate Resettlement Scheme, the Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy. In addition to our refugee resettlement schemes, family reunion policy allows a spouse/partner and children under 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country. With worldwide displacement now standing at around 80 million people we cannot help everyone. We will, however, continue to maintain clear, well-defined safe, and legal routes for people who need protection. Access to the UK’s asylum system should be based on need, not on the ability to pay people smugglers. Those already in a safe country should claim asylum there. While we do not allow asylum claims from abroad, all asylum claims lodged from within the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system are given full and careful consideration so that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK. More information on safe and legal routes is available via the link below:Nationality and Borders Bill: Factsheet Safe and Legal Routes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Veterans: Hong Kong
Lord Craig of Radley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 8 March (HL Deb col 1370) that "the Government remain committed to implementing a solution to the issue of British Hong Kong veterans before the end of this calendar year", whether they will still "update Parliament by the end of June".
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The option identified by the Home Secretary in December 2021 is being further refined to ensure it will be a sufficient solution for British Hong Kong veterans. The Government remains committed to implementing a solution by the end of this calendar year, and will provide a further update at the earliest opportunity
Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
Baroness Mobarik: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of France regarding an agreement to stop asylum seekers undertaking unsafe Channel crossings.
Baroness Mobarik: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will negotiate with the government of France for centres in that country where asylum seekers can apply for asylum to the UK, rather than crossing the Channel to apply.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK maintains regular contact with the Government of France on our joint cooperation to tackle illegal migration at the shared border at Ministerial and official level. The UK has committed several funding packages to supporting this work, including a bilateral arrangement which was reached between the UK and France on 20 July 2021. The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. However, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety. France is a safe country, and, like the UK, it has an asylum system which provides protection to those who need it. People in France who need protection, can and should claim asylum there rather than refuse the chance to do so and travel illegally and dangerously to the UK instead. It is for this reason that the UK Government will not negotiate to have centres in France where asylum seekers can apply for asylum to the UK. All asylum claims that are lodged from within the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system, are given full and careful consideration so that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.
Cabinet Office
Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many current members of the Senior Civil Service were recruited via the Fast Stream; and why they have paused the Civil Service Fast Stream recruitment in 2022/23 for the 2023 intake.
Lord True: The Fast Stream is a talent pipeline for government departments and professions. It is only right we pause bringing in candidates as departments set out how they might achieve the government’s commitment to return the Civil Service to the size it was in 2016. Whilst we pause the Fast Stream for the 2023 intake, we will take the opportunity to further improve the Fast Stream offer. This reform will ensure that when the scheme reopens, it is focused on driving up specialist skills in the Civil Service, as well as improving the regional representation of the Fast Stream. Information provided by departments to the Cabinet Office shows that as of 1st April 2021, 890 Senior Civil Servants were reported to have been successful in the central Fast Stream selection process. This represents 20% of all Senior Civil Servants (as a percentage of all members where information has been reported by the department as known).
Treasury
Taxation
Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the impact of fiscal drag on the tax revenues for the year 2022–23.
Baroness Penn: The Treasury does not produce fiscal forecasts. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are the Government’s official forecaster. Inflation has a range of impacts on the public finances and previous OBR forecasts have shown how inflation can also increase spending on welfare and debt interest, as well as tax revenues. Borrowing in the financial year-to-June 2022 is currently £3.7 billion more than the £51.8 billion forecast by the OBR in March 2022. The OBR will produce an updated forecast alongside the next Budget, which will reflect the impacts of an updated inflation outlook on both revenues and spending.
Care Workers: Car Allowances
Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the mileage allowance for frontline care workers given the rising cost of fuel.
Baroness Penn: The Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) rates aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Depreciation is estimated to constitute the most significant proportion of the AMAPs. Most domiciliary care staff are employed by private providers who decide their mileage reimbursement rate. Employers, including those of care staff, are not required to use AMAPs. Instead, they can agree to reimburse the actual cost incurred, where individuals can provide evidence of the expenditure, without an Income Tax or National Insurance charge arising. If an employee is paid less than the approved amount, they are entitled to claim tax relief (Mileage Allowance Relief) on the shortfall. The maximum MAR claim is set to the same level as the AMAP rates. As with all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps AMAP rates under review and any changes are considered by the Chancellor.
Income Tax
Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number ofadditional individuals who (1) have become, or (2) are likely to become, liable to pay income tax in 2022/23 because of the freezing of (a) tax-free personal allowance, and (b) income tax thresholds.
Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK adults are not liable to pay income tax because their total income is less than the tax-free personal allowance.
Baroness Penn: The OBR’s 2022 Economic and Fiscal Outlook published the projected number of additional individuals brought into paying tax due to the freeze on the Personal Allowance and Income Tax thresholds as 575,000 in 2022-23. The number of UK adults that are not liable to pay Income Tax because their total income is less than the Personal Allowance can be estimated with the following two figures: The ONS population projection for the number of UK adults (aged 16 and over) in 2022 is around 55 million. The total number of individual Income Tax payers is estimated by HMRC to be 34 million in 2022-23. HMRC’s estimate is based on the 2019-20 Survey of Personal Incomes and is projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2022 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. This represents a sample of individuals in contact with HMRC. However, HMRC do not hold information for all people with incomes below the Income Tax Personal Allowance.
Fuels: Excise Duties and VAT
Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the RAC Fuel Watch data which show that the average UK petrol and diesel priceswas around 191 pence per litre of petrol and 199 pence per litre of diesel as of June, what steps they are taking to reduce (1) fuel duty, and (2) VAT on fuel, to assist families and businesses with the increased cost of living.
Baroness Penn: The temporary 5p cut to duty on petrol and diesel represents a £2.4 billion tax cut in 2022-23, to help consumers with high fuel prices. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20% standard rate applies to most goods and services. It would cost over £6 billion to cut VAT on road fuel from 20% to 5%. The Government keeps all taxes under review.
Arts: Customs
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in negotiations with the EU regarding a carnet waiver for creative artists.
Baroness Penn: ATA Carnets are not a requirement for anyone temporarily importing goods between the UK and EU. They are an optional facilitation which allow goods to be imported temporarily without the normal customs formalities (i.e. customs declarations) and import duty being paid. They allow a single document to be used for multiple countries’ customs controls. The use of an ATA Carnet is subject to an issuing fee and a requirement to provide a security. It is therefore a commercial decision for businesses and individuals whether a Carnet is the most suitable option for temporarily moving their goods. The Government is not currently having any discussions with the EU to negotiate a waiver of ATA Carnets for creative artists. An alternative option to an ATA Carnet is the Temporary Admission (TA) procedure. The UK and EU both operate a similar TA procedure which allows goods to be imported temporarily with relief from customs duty and import VAT, subject to certain conditions being met. If TA is used in conjunction with the UK or EU Returned Goods Relief scheme (for returning goods), goods can be moved temporarily between the UK and EU without having to pay import duties.
Disposable Wipes: VAT
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase VAT on wet wipes.
Baroness Penn: Wet wipes are subject to the 20 per cent standard rate of VAT. As with all elements of tax policy, the Government keeps this under review.
China: Politics and Government
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in arrangements for the 11th UK–China Economic and Financial Dialogue, what consideration they have given to (1) reports that the Foreign Secretary described events in Xinjiang as a “genocide”, (2) threats to the territorial integrity of Taiwan, and (3) the statement by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the Six-monthly report on Hong Kong, published on 31 March, that “fundamental parts of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework have been undermined”.
Baroness Penn: Economic and Financial Dialogues (EFDs) provide an important mechanism for progressing our economic, financial and trade relationships. No date has been agreed for the next UK-China EFD.We have been clear that we will not hesitate to stand up to China on our values where they are threatened.The UK has led international efforts at the UN to hold China to account for its human rights violations in Xinjiang. We have imposed sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, on senior Chinese officials and taken steps to help ensure that no UK organisations are complicit in these violations through their supply chains. As a co-signatory to the Joint Declaration, we will continue to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations.
Economic Cooperation: China
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to hold the 11th UK–China Economic and Financial Dialogue before the appointment of the next Prime Minister; and if so, what are the reasons for making such arrangements.
Baroness Penn: The Government has no plans to hold the next 11th UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue before the appointment of the next Prime Minister. Economic and Financial Dialogues remain an important mechanism for progressing our economic, financial and trade relationships.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Departmental Records
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the colonial archive series FCO 141 has been withdrawn from public access by the National Archives; and whether these documents are being withheld from public viewing and research.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The National Archives issued a public statement on Monday 11 July which answers this question.
Internet: Children
Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government, followingthedelay to the progressof the Online Safety Bill until the autumn, what steps they are taking in the interim to protect children from online harm and abuse.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Government has a comprehensive work programme to ensure that children are protected from online harm and abuse ahead of the implementation of the Online Safety Bill.The Information Commissioner’s Age Appropriate Design Code provides world-leading protections for children’s personal data and the UK’s regulatory regime for video-sharing platforms requires companies in scope to take appropriate measures to protect under-18s from harmful material.Furthermore, the Government published its Online Media Literacy Strategy in July 2021, and we have also published practical guidance and codes for companies on what they can do to design safer services, increase children’s safety online and tackle online child sexual exploitation and abuse ahead of the new regulatory framework.The Government is also supporting the development of innovative online safety technology in advance of regulation coming into force. This includes initiatives such as the Safety Tech Challenge Fund which supported the development of ‘proof of concept’ tools to identify child sexual abuse material in end-to-end encrypted environments whilst upholding user privacy. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2022-07-21 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Department for Education
Children: Social Services
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the briefing The Cost of Delaying Reform to Children’s Social Care, published in May,which summarised analysis commissioned by the children charities Action for Children, Barnardo’s, the Children’s Society, the NSPCC, and the National Children’s Bureau.
Baroness Barran: There needs to be a fundamental shift away from crisis intervention and towards earlier intervention, and the ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’ Implementation Strategy and Consultation sets out how the department intend to achieve that. The consultation can be found attached. These are complex reforms, with complicated systemic interactions, and it is critical that we take a test and learn approach and make sure we have models that can be rolled out effectively.Alongside the Implementation Strategy, the department has announced we are investing £200 million by 2024/25 to address urgent issues facing children and families, to lay the foundations for whole system reform and set national direction for change. This is on top of the £142 million invested by 2024/25 to take forward reforms to unregulated provision in children’s social care, the £160 million as announced in March 2022 to deliver our Adoption Strategy over the next three years, the £259 million to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure and open residential children’s homes over the Spending Review 21 period, and the £230 million over the same period to support young people leaving care.This is all in addition to the £3.85 billion social care grant that the government is providing to local authorities for adults and children’s social care this year.After two years, the department will refresh the ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’ strategy, and seek to scale up the new approaches we have tested and developed, including bringing forward new legislation where necessary (subject to parliamentary time).HL8240_pdf (pdf, 1604.6KB)
Natural History: GCSE
Lord Lucas: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to sign off the proposed Natural History GCSE.
Baroness Barran: The department announced the introduction of a new natural history GCSE last year. We are committed to developing the GCSE as quickly as possible, provided that it meets the rigorous requirements that apply to all GCSEs. The department is working closely with OCR and other exam boards, and independent experts to develop draft subject content for the GCSE.The department aims to consult publicly on the draft subject content later this year. Any amendments to subject content will then be made in light of responses to the public consultation.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Football: Economic Situation
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to carry out a statistical analysis of the economic contribution of football clubs to the UK economy.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Football clubs make a significant contribution to the UK economy and the communities in which they operate. Ernst & Young have estimated that the Premier League contributed £7.6 billion to the UK economy in the 2019/20 season.As well as being economic powerhouses, football clubs are also important local assets which deliver significant benefits to the communities of which they are a key part. Impact analysis conducted by the English Football League indicates that clubs and their Club Community Organisations created over £865 million of social value across England and Wales in the 2021/22 season.
Music Venues: Finance
Lord Watts: To ask His Majesty's Government how they will address the uneven funding between (1) contemporary music, and (2) opera or classical music, to ensure that grassroots music venues are well supported.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting our grassroots music venues, which play an absolutely crucial role in our world-leading music sector, and are key to developing the future talent pipeline.That is why we are supporting them to develop the next generation of British talent, by providing an additional £5 million to Arts Council England’s successful Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund, as announced in the Creative Industries Sector Vision on 14 June. This fund will enable venues to increase support for young, emerging and more diverse artists, improve equipment and physical infrastructure, and support venues to become more financially resilient and develop new income streams.This is in addition to other government support provided to the live music sector, including over £3 million during the pandemic from the Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund, and through Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund since 2019.Contemporary, operatic, and classical music subsectors receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including Arts Council England. Decisions made by the Arts Council about the allocation of funding are taken at arm's length from Government. Decisions are made in line with the Council’s ten-year strategy, which sets the direction for all of the artforms and sub-sectors it supports, including opera, contemporary, and classical music.
Music Venues: Finance
Lord Watts: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to ensure financial support is provided for grassroots music, such as a ticket levy on large arenas and stadiums.
Lord Watts: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to improve funding opportunities for grassroots music venues to prevent them from closing down.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting our grassroots music venues, which play an absolutely crucial role in our world-leading music sector, and are key to developing the future talent pipeline.That is why we will support them to develop the next generation of British talent by providing an additional £5 million to Arts Council England’s successful Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund, as announced in the Creative Industries Sector Vision on 14 June. This fund will enable venues to increase support for young, emerging and more diverse artists, improve equipment and physical infrastructure, and support venues to become more financially resilient and develop new income streams.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in regular discussions with all parts of the music industry, including live venues of all sizes across the country. The department works closely with interested parties and across Government to ensure the live music sector continues to thrive.HM Government has provided significant support to the live music sector. This includes more than £3 million during the pandemic from the Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund, and through the Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund via Arts Council England since 2019.
Department for Work and Pensions
Social Security Benefits: Poverty
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people whowould no longer be in poverty if the benefit cap were (1) abolished, and (2) returned to its original levels.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the effect of the impact of the removal of the benefit cap on the number of people in poverty. The benefit cap continues to provide a strong work incentive and fairness for hardworking taxpaying households, whilst providing a reasonable safety net of support for the most vulnerable.
Social Security Benefits
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the advice provided to them as part of the statutory review of benefit cap levels.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Under S96A of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, the Secretary of State is required to undertake a review of the benefit cap levels at least once every five years. There is no statutory requirement to publish any advice given to inform that review; and as such there are no plans to do so. This has been the policy under this and previous Governments.
Social Security Benefits
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government, whether they intend to abolish the benefit cap following their research which found that only five per cent of affected households moved into work as a result of it.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The benefit cap continues to provide a work incentive and fairness for hard-working taxpaying households, whilst providing a reasonable safety net of support for the most vulnerable. The Government firmly believes that where possible it is in the best interests of children to be in working households and the benefit cap provides a clear incentive to move into work. The lower benefit cap had a positive impact with an additional 5.1% of households moving into employment as a result of it. An additional 2.6% of households left the cap as a result of their benefit entitlements being updated to include an exempting benefit and an additional 1.8% of households left the cap by moving property, at Census Output Area (COA) level, to reduce their rental costs.
Department of Health and Social Care
Coronavirus
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government, furtherthe Written Answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfeon 13 April (HL7017), what surveillance the UK Health Security Agency is currently undertaking in line with their Living with COVID-19 plan published in February 2022, given that the ONS has no plans to test and report on respiratory infections.
Lord Markham: The Government is committed to maintaining robust COVID-19 surveillance activities across primary and secondary care, as well as in high-risk settings. This will be underpinned by the continuation of genomic sequencing to detect and assess severity and vaccine effectiveness against new variants.The approach to COVID-19 surveillance is being actively reviewed to ensure it is proportionate, cost effective and considered alongside how the Government monitors a range of other respiratory diseases. The UK Health Security Agency will continue to publish regular reports on COVID-19 which will contribute to our situational awareness; these include our weekly surveillance reports, which provide data on infection rates and hospitalisation numbers.
Fractures: Health Services
Baroness Bull: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider universal access to a high-quality Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) to be the best form of secondary fracture prevention; and if so,whether they will ensure that universal access to FLS is provided under the forthcoming Major Conditions Strategy.
Lord Markham: The Government recognises the value of quality assured secondary fracture prevention services, including fracture liaison services. NHS England is working with commissioners to support the mobilisation and implementation of Fracture Liaison Services in each area and establish a greater number of clinics. This includes NHS England’s Getting it Right First-Time programme, which has a specific workstream on musculoskeletal health, and through exploring how best to support integrated care systems in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.The forthcoming Major Conditions Strategy will set out a clear vision for musculoskeletal conditions, covering treatment and prevention, alongside other major conditions.
Radiology: Vacancies
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the finding by the Royal College of Radiologists on 8 June that there are "chronic staff shortages" in the NHS, when they will publish the NHS workforce strategy.
Lord Markham: The Government has committed to publishing the long term workforce plan shortly.
Coronavirus: Drugs
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to expedite the approval and rollout of AZD-3152 for preventing COVID-19, in particular (1) for vulnerable patients and (2) in light of the previous process for Evusheld.
Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent, expert body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE is responsible for the processes it uses in developing its recommendations.New medicines for COVID-19 that are referred to NICE will be evaluated through NICE’s technology appraisal process. NICE aims to publish guidance within 90 days of marketing authorisation being issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency wherever possible and works with stakeholders to align its appraisal timelines with the regulatory process.NICE is developing a new review process to update its recommendations on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of COVID-19 treatments so they can be made available more quickly to patients, provided they show promise against new variants and are found to be cost-effective. NICE recently ran a four-week public consultation on proposals for the new rapid update process, which will apply to recommendations NICE has already published on COVID-19 treatments.
Ministry of Justice
Marriage: Women
Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will respond to the Law Commission’s report Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law, published on 18 July 2022 (HC 557); and what plans they have to introduce further legislation to safeguard women who are in unregistered marriages.
Lord Bellamy: We are carefully considering the Law Commission’s recommendations on weddings reform. As part of its review, the Law Commission has considered ways of ensuring that fewer weddings conducted according to religious rites result in a marriage that the law does not recognise. We will respond to the Law Commission’s report in due course.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Sudan: Tuberculosis
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the surge in tuberculosis cases in Sudan; and what steps they are taking to provide medical aid to that country.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The FCDO is tracking the risk of a rise in tuberculosis cases in Sudan, resulting from increased displacement of people and the lack of access now to treatment facilities following the outbreak of conflict on 15 April. The UK remains one of the top global donors to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which is continuing its work to support people in Sudan, although access in the current circumstances is extremely difficult. The FCDO is using our full diplomatic reach to secure humanitarian access and end the violence. We are in regular contact with the Global Fund and are coordinating with the international humanitarian system to support them and other partners to be able to scale-up delivery within Sudan, including of medical supplies, if and when the access situation improves.
Tigray: Humanitarian Aid
Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will match the grant recently made by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church for relief and reconstruction in the war-damaged province of Tigray.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Since the war in Tigray broke out in 2019, the UK has allocated more than £400 million in humanitarian support to Ethiopia. In May 2023 the UK co-chaired a pledging event for the Horn of Africa that raised around £1.9 billion for nearly 32 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. £42 million of this is additional support the UK has pledged for Ethiopia, which will be allocated according to need through trusted partners.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Logistics: Charging Points
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 23 May (HL8071), when they willpublish a plan for reducing energy connection timescales for logistics sites.
Lord Callanan: The Government is working with Ofgem and network companies to release network capacity and improve the connections process, which will reduce connection timescales for all types of connections, including logistics sites. Building on this work, the Government and Ofgem will publish a connections action plan in the summer.
Logistics: Charging Points
Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 23 May (HL8071), what assessment they have made ofthe impact of the planning system on the introduction of depot charging facilities at logistics sites.
Lord Callanan: The Government committed to the publication of a Call for Evidence in the Future of Freight Strategy to better understand the role the planning system has in supporting the needs of the freight and logistics industry. This document is due for publication in the coming weeks and welcomes representations from all stakeholders to provide evidence to enable the Government to fully consider how depot charging facilities at logistics sites can be delivered in the most expeditious way.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Horticulture: Peat
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what exemptions will there be to the general ban on the sale ofpeatand peat-containing products in the retailhorticultural sector from 2024.
Lord Benyon: In August last year Ministers announced that the Government in England would be banning the sale of peat for use in the amateur gardening sector by 2024. We intend to provide various exemptions for professional growers up to 2030, including those for mushroom growing and plug plants. Discussions with stakeholders on the detail of these exemptions are ongoing. The legislation implementing our proposals will be introduced when Parliamentary time allows.
Seas and Oceans: Plastics
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whether there has been any increase in the volume of plasticand polystyrene pollution washed up on the UK’s beaches (1) in the last 12 months, and (2) over the last five years; and what steps they have taken, together with international partners, to mark World Ocean Day on 8 June, particularly with regard to tackling plastic waste in the world’s oceans.
Lord Benyon: The UK Government funds the Marine Conservation Society to record litter from sections of our coast which helps us monitor the levels and trends of plastic pollution. We monitor the current status of beach litter abundance over a three-year period for data reliability, so we cannot provide an accurate trend for the last 12 months. Over the last five years, the total litter count on British beaches has decreased by approximately 7 items / 100m per year. However, we know that plastic and polystyrene fragments are the most commonly found items, with an average of 45.5 pieces found on every 100m of coastline for the period 2020 – 2022. This data is used in combination with other monitoring data to measure the impact of our policies and inform our decisions about how to tackle marine litter. We have already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, reduced the use of single-use carrier bags, and restricted the supply of plastic straws and plastic-stemmed cotton buds and banned the supply of plastic drink stirrers. From October 2023, we will ban the supply of certain types of polystyrene food and drink containers, single-use plastic cutlery, single-use plastic balloon sticks and ban the supply of single-use plastic plates, bowls and trays to the end user, working towards our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. We are also playing our part internationally. One of four themes of our £500m Blue Planet Fund, launched in 2021 to support developing countries protect and enhance the marine environment and reduce poverty, is to tackle marine pollution and litter. Under this fund we're supporting countries to accelerate the transition towards more inclusive circular economies, working with the Global Plastic Action Partnership to establish diverse, multistakeholder platforms across the world, and we’ve supported over 500,000 young people worldwide to become leaders in the fight against plastic pollution through the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge. UK ODA funding has also supported several waste management projects including in Fiji where the local partner is working with private sector businesses on the only international standard landfill in the South Pacific. This aims to ensure 80% of waste is recycled and put back into the circular economy and includes development of a new sanitary landfill to improve waste collection and prevent harmful pollutants that are detrimental to Fijian mangroves and coral reefs entering these ecosystems. On World Ocean Day Defra hosted leaders from the private sector for a roundtable on investment strategies and opportunities for a thriving sustainable blue economy. It showcased the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) to investors, financial institutions, corporations and philanthropies as a commercially viable and scalable investment opportunity for the ocean, reefs, and climate-vulnerable communities. Since first contributing to the GFCR in 2021, the UK has maintained its position as the largest public donor with our total commitment now £33m from the UK’s Blue Planet Fund programme.
UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland
Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the(1) construction, and (2) implementation, of infrastructure at Northern Ireland ports to comply with the provisions of the Windsor Framework.
Lord Benyon: Through the Windsor Framework, the UK Government has committed to construction of an additional, temporary, product inspection facility at Belfast Port to be in place by 1 October 2023. This will allow additional sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks, in advance of the permanent facilities being ready by 1 July 2025.Following successful planning approval for the additional, temporary, product inspection facility, construction in the form of site enabling works commenced on the 22 May 2023.The construction of the permanent facilities at Belfast, Larne, Warrenpoint and Foyle are expected to start from July 2023, with all facilities to be completed and designated by July 2025.
Water Supply
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for a national grid for water to ensure that those parts of England with sufficient water can supply water to areas that are water stressed.
Lord Benyon: The concept of a national grid for water has been assessed previously and has been discounted on the basis of cost and practicalities. Unlike gas and electricity, the infrastructure needed for a national grid is considerable as water is heavy, difficult and costly to move. It remains the case that often, local sources of water are better value economically and environmentally than moving water over long distances, which is carbon and energy intensive. However, there are many existing transfers of water linking parts of the country. For example, the Environment Agency operates a transfer of water from north of Cambridge to Essex to benefit farmers and water companies. Water companies such as United Utilities transfer water from the Lake District to Manchester keeping the city in water. Water companies must look closely at ways of sharing water across their existing networks and by building new links when they prepare their statutory water resource management plans (WRMPs). The current draft WRMPs and regional water resource plans consulted on earlier this year include further development of connections, incrementally building wider and more integrated networks, as well as some regional transfers of water, where these are best value options for customers, society and the environment. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2023-06-16 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2023",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Baroness Andrews: The Standards Board for England is an independent body. Management of individual cases is entirely a matter for the board itself. I have asked the board's chairman to write to you directly in response to your Question, setting out the circumstances in which the investigation and determination of these cases took place, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library. I regret the delays in these cases, but I understand that there were special circumstances. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has agreed with the board the performance targets of completing 40 per cent of investigations within four months and 90 per cent within six months. The board is currently meeting its four-month target and is completing 82 per cent of investigations within six months. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2006-02-06a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2006",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Algeria: Human Rights
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they raised the concerns of Human Rights Watch, the Fédération Internationale des Droits de l'Homme, the World Organisation against Torture and Amnesty International, outlined in their joint letter of 14 March to the European Union, at the European Union-Algeria Association Council on 20 March; and, if so, what answers they received from the Algerian representatives at this meeting.
Lord Triesman: We were disappointed that the planned EU-Algeria Association Council was postponed and we hope that it will be reconvened very soon.
Arms Trade
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which states have so far agreed to the principle of an international treaty on the arms trade.
Lord Triesman: Countries from the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa regions expressed support for a treaty in the June 2005 Nairobi declaration. In October 2005, EU Foreign Ministers added the EU's voice to support for an international treaty to establish common standards for the global trade in conventional arms, and called for the start of a formal negotiation process at the UN at the earliest opportunity. Commonwealth heads of government, meeting in Malta in 2005, also formally stated their support for work on such a treaty to commence at the UN. Numerous other countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Benin, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guinea, Holy See, Iceland, Mali, Norway, Senegal, Switzerland and Turkey have also expressed support. We will continue to work with international partners to generate support for a process to build momentum towards our objective of initial discussions in the UN later in 2006.
Arms Trade
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they last had discussions with the Government of the United States about the content of an arms trade treaty.
Lord Triesman: We have regular discussions with the US Government on a range of such issues, which have included the arms trade treaty. Most recently, our permanent representative to the conference on disarmament discussed the initiative with US counterparts in Washington on 27 February. We will continue to work with international partners to generate support towards our objective of initial discussions in the UN later in 2006.
Arms Trade
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether more rapid progress would be made in agreeing an arms trade treaty if it were limited to small arms and ammunition.
Lord Triesman: We envisage a treaty covering all conventional arms and see no reason to restrict this only to small arms and ammunition. Although small arms are at the core of the problem, larger conventional arms are also responsible for fuelling conflict and instability, and have been used for repressive purposes. We believe that all conventional arms need to be included in the treaty to make it a fully effective tool against the irresponsible trade in arms.
Belarus
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are making representations to the government of Belarus following the recent assault by police officers on the leader of the opposition in that country; and whether there is a common European Union position on the matter.
Lord Triesman: The presidency of the EU issued a statement on 2 March, on behalf of all member states, expressing deep concern over the forceful arrest of Alexander Kozulin and a group of his supporters. The EU stressed that it expected Belarus to adhere fully to its obligations and commitments as a participating state of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, safeguarding the right of assembly and the freedom of expression, and to guarantee the personal security of all presidential candidates before, during and after the elections.
Following the release of Alexander Kozulin, the presidency issued a further statement in the week before the presidential election in Belarus, calling on the Belarusian Government to ensure equal campaigning rights for all candidates. The EU also urged the Belarusian authorities to allow the Belarusian people to exercise their right of assembly and freedom of expression and to take all necessary measures to guarantee the personal safety of peaceful demonstrators and all presidential candidates.
The full texts of both EU declarations are available on the presidency's website at www.eu2006.at/en/News/CFSP—Statements/March/0203Belarus.html and www.eu2006.at/en/News/CFSP—Statements/March/0803belarus.html.
British Coal Compensation
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the sum total of all expenditure incurred to date in regard to the British Coal respiratory disease litigation, broken down between payments made to (a) Capita and its predecessors; (b) medical service providers; (c) all other contractors; (d) the solicitors' co-ordinating group; (e) individual claimants' solicitors; (f) Vendside Limited; (g) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers; and (h) defendants' solicitors and counsel; and what compensation has been paid to the claimants.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The total expenditure incurred in the British Coal respiratory disease litigation is as follows, as categorised above. However, figures for a), c) and h) cannot be split between schemes so include expenditure incurred on both.
(a) £125.4 million; (b) £310 million; (c) £26.4 million—predominantly records storage and collection;
(d) £15 million, excluding payments made in relation to individual claims;
(e) £640.4 million, excluding the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM) and Vendside;
(f) and (g) £21.6 million (Vendside handles claims submitted by the UDM); and
(h) £23.1 million.
Compensation of £1,778 million has been paid to claimants.
British Coal Compensation
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the sum total of all expenditure incurred to date in regard to the British Coal vibration white finger litigation, broken down between payments made to (a) Capita and its predecessors; (b) medical service providers; (c) all other contractors; (d) the solicitors' co-ordinating group; (e) individual claimants' solicitors; (f) Vendside Limited; (g) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers; and (h) defendants' solicitors and counsel; and what compensation has been paid to the claimants.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The total expenditure incurred in the British Coal vibration white finger litigation is as follows, as categorised above. However, figures for a), c), and h) cannot be split between schemes so include expenditure incurred on both.
(a) £125.4 million; (b) £31 million; (c) £26.4 million—predominantly records storage and collection;
(d) £6.4 million, excluding payments made in relation to individual claims;
(e) £88 million, excluding the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM) and Vendside;
(f) and g) £6 million (Vendside handle claims submitted by the UDM); and
(h) £23.1 million.
Compensation of £1,248 million has been paid to claimants.
British Coal Compensation
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the projected date by which all claims under the British Coal respiratory disease litigation will have been settled; and what is the estimated cost that will be incurred, broken down between (a) Capita and all other contractors; (b) the claimants' legal costs; (c) the defendants' legal costs; (d) the internal costs of the Department of Trade and Industry; and (e) compensation which remains to be paid to the claimants.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: We envisage that the main bulk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims will be settled by 2009. However, the department remains unable to set firm end dates for the COPD scheme due to the number of current unknowns and uncertainties surrounding the scheme. These are being considered in court.
The estimated total costs to be incurred, as categorised above, are:
(a) £590 million 1 for administrative costs, including claims handling and consultancy;
£357 million for medical costs and £50 million for records management;
(b) £1196 million;
(c) £44 million;
(d) around £12 million; and
(e) £2,451 million.
1 Claim handling, records management and defendants' legal costs cannot be broken down. These figures represent the total estimate for both schemes.
British Coal Compensation
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the projected date by which all claims under the British Coal vibration white finger litigation will have been settled; and what is the estimated cost that will be incurred, broken down between (a) Capita and all other contractors; (b) the claimants' legal costs; (c) the defendants' legal costs; (d) the internal costs of the Department of Trade and Industry; and (e) compensation which remains to be paid to the claimants.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The general damages of the vibration white finger scheme is in run-down phase, with most claims expected to be settled by the end of July 2006. We are confident that the vast majority of services claims will be settled by the end of 2007.
The estimated total costs to be incurred, as categorised above, are:
(a) £590 million 1 for administrative costs, including claims handling and consultancy, and £30 million for medical costs and £50 million for records management;
(b) £134 million;
(c) £44 million;
(d) around £12 million; and
(e) £1,640 million.
1 Claim handling, records management and defendants' legal costs cannot be broken down. These figures represent the total estimate for both schemes.
British Coal Compensation
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the estimated staffing, administrative and related costs incurred by the Department of Trade and Industry in regard to (a) the British Coal respiratory disease litigation, and (b) the British Coal vibration white finger litigation.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The figures are:
DTI staffing costs for (a) and (b) are around £9 million.
Claims handling and administrative costs, including consultancy services, for both schemes are £316 million.
Other costs incurred in respect of (a) the British Coal respiratory disease litigation and (b) the British Coal vibration white finger litigation, are:
Plaintiffs' legal costs: (a) £615 million and (b) £98 million;
Defendants' legal costs: (a) and (b) £23 million;
medical costs: (a) £310 million and (b) £31 million; and
records management: (a) and (b) £26 million.
EU: Budget
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 2 March (WA 92), whether the difference in United Kingdom contributions to institutions of the European Union and to principal bodies of the Commonwealth reflects the relative benefits of those organisations to the United Kingdom.
Lord Triesman: Yes. The EU and the Commonwealth are very different organisations, both of which deliver distinct benefits to the UK.
EU: Constitution
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether their pledge to hold a binding referendum on whether or not the United Kingdom should adopt the European Union constitution is still in force; whether that pledge applies to the shortened version of the constitution now under discussion by the German and French Governments; and, if so, whether the pledge will remain in force for the remainder of this Parliament.
Lord Triesman: My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has made clear that, if there is a constitutional treaty to vote on, we will hold a referendum. It is not our practice to comment on the likely views of other member states. This Government believe that it is important to focus on delivering the policy priorities agreed at the Hampton Court summit last year.
EU: Membership
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 15 February (WA 184) what prosperity has been brought to the United Kingdom through membership of the European Union which would not have accrued under free trade with the single market; and
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 15 February (WA 184), how many of the 3 million jobs they estimate to be linked to the European Union would be lost if the United Kingdom were to leave the European Union and retain its free trade with the single market.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The EU benefits the UK in more ways than just the gains arising from free trade with the single market, through having an influence over wider EU affairs.
Although we believe around 3 million British jobs are linked to exports to the EU, it is not possible to estimate the employment impact of leaving the EU under the scenario suggested, which we doubt could be achieved and would certainly not be in the UK's interests.
EU: Mercury
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the impact upon the United Kingdom barometer industry of the proposal by the European Commission to ban the use of mercury in temperature and weather gauges; and what representations they have made to the Commission regarding the proposal.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Officials of Her Majesty's Government are currently in discussion with industry to determine the scale of the impacts on their businesses, but the full impact of the EU strategy on mercury and the restrictions on marketing and use have not yet been fully quantified, as the Commission has only recently (February 2006) published its revised proposal.
Subject to the final text of the restriction on marketing and use, manufacturers of barometers (weather gauges) may still be permitted to continue to repair and sell second-hand equipment, continue to place new equipment on the market for scientific use, and continue to export new equipment outside the EU25, provided that the instruments are shipped empty and filled from locally sourced mercury when they are commissioned.
Although fever thermometers containing mercury will be banned, thermometer manufacturers might also be able to realign their markets to the scientific sector. Officials of Her Majesty's Government have lobbied the Commission in support of the UK barometer manufacturing industry and invited one of the manufacturers to join them in direct representation to the Commission and MEPs.
European Defence Agency
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to encourage the new European Defence Agency to start the process of integrated co-operation on new projects, including the plans for force protection formulae.
Lord Drayson: The Government have been very active in encouraging and supporting the European Defence Agency's (EDA) efforts to ensure that there is integrated co-operation on projects and initiatives. In particular, we have actively supported work on a long-term vision to identify the capabilities that will be important to support the European security and defence policy (ESDP) in the future. Ministry of Defence (MoD) experts also participate in meetings of the EDA's integrated development teams (IDTs) to help direct the agency's efforts towards projects within those capability development areas. Similarly, MoD experts participate in the EDA's capability technology boards, which consider the research and technology projects that may be required to support capability needs identified by the IDTs.
On the specific subject of force protection, the EDA has launched an exercise to derive, from capability needs within this area, specific research and technology projects. MoD experts participated in the first EDA workshop on this subject in March and plan to participate in the second workshop in April.
Extraordinary Rendition Flights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the remarks by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 8 March (HL Deb, col. 847) concerning rendition flights, what have been the responses of the United States authorities to the statements made to them on behalf of the United Kingdom.
Lord Triesman: As my noble friend Lord Davies of Oldham said on 8 March (Official Report, col. 847), we are clear that the US would not render a detainee through UK territory or airspace, including our overseas territories, without our permission. I also refer the noble Lord to my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary's Answer to the honourable Member for Sheffield Hallam (Nick Clegg) on 6 February in the other place (Official Report, cols. 784-5W).
Housing: Multiple Occupation
Baroness Scott of Needham Market: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have received from local authorities looking to extend their houses in multiple occupation licensing scheme to smaller properties under Section 56 of the Housing Act 2004.
Baroness Andrews: The Government have not yet received any formal representations from local authorities looking to use the discretionary powers provided by Section 56 of the Housing Act to extend houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing to smaller properties that will fall outside the scope of mandatory licensing. These powers are expected to come into force in April 2006.
However, in December 2003, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister carried out an information-gathering exercise aimed at providing further understanding of the impact of the HMO licensing proposals in the Housing Act on local authorities. As part of the exercise, local authorities were asked for their views on how they might use the discretionary powers provided in the Act to apply additional licensing to smaller HMOs in their areas.
The following 28 authorities indicated their intention to make use of the additional licensing powers in their areas:
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
London Borough of Hillingdon
Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames
London Borough of Haringey
West Lindsey District Council
Cheltenham Borough Council
Birmingham City Council
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
Alnwick District Council
Manchester City Council
Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council
West Oxford District Council
Hull City Council
South Oxfordshire District Council
Edmundsbury Borough Council
Preston City Council
Hynburn Borough Council
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Breckland District Council
Sevenoaks Borough Council
Torbay Council
Huntingdonshire District Council
Hereford Council
Southampton City Council
Sunderland City Council
Redditch Borough Council
Worcester City Council
Blackpool Borough Council
Guildford Borough Council
In addition, the following local authorities indicated that they might consider applying additional licensing to smaller HMOs in their areas in the future:
Canterbury City Council
North West Leicestershire District Council
Rushmoor Borough Council
Lancaster City Council
Nottingham City Council
Exeter City Council
Torridge District Council
The Government are aware that the IDeA, government offices and the anti-social behaviour unit of the Home Office recently wrote to all local authorities to find out their intentions about introducing additional HMO licensing in their areas. They are now waiting for responses from the authorities.
Iran: Human Rights
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they are making to the government of Iran about the hanging of Mr Hojjat Zamani, previously abducted from Turkey in 2003, and about recent death sentences, including those on two men aged 18 and a boy of 15.
Lord Triesman: We have serious concerns about the use of the death penalty in Iran. Ministers and officials have pressed the Iranian authorities on many occasions to address this. Disturbingly, we continue to receive reports of the sentencing to death of minors and of executions carried out in public.
On 16 February, an Iranian newspaper reported that two 18 year-old men had been sentenced to death for raping a 20 year-old female. We will be raising this case with the Iranian authorities and seeking clarification of the ages of the men at the time the alleged offence took place. The imposition of the death sentence for offences committed by those under the age of 18 would violate Iran's freely undertaken obligations under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 37 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
We are also deeply concerned by reports that a 15 year-old boy from Isfahan, named Rasoul, has been sentenced to death. We understand that the sentence has been put on hold pending further investigations.
We are aware of the execution of Hojjat Zamani. At present we have no plans to discuss Mr Zamani's execution with the Iranian authorities.
Iran: Human Rights
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made on human rights dialogue with Iran; and what, if any, have been the results.
Lord Triesman: We remain deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Iran. In recent years, there has been a marked deterioration in a number of areas, such as freedom of expression, the sentencing to death of juvenile offenders and the treatment of Iran's religious minorities.
We continue to use our dialogue with Iran to press the Iranian authorities on human rights policies and cases of concern, and to encourage reform of the institutions and practices that allow violations to occur. Ministers and officials discuss human rights issues with their Iranian counterparts frequently and we also take action through the EU. Regrettably, however, Iran has not agreed to a formal session of the EU-Iran human rights dialogue since June 2004, despite the EU's efforts.
Israel and Palestine: Jericho Prison
Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they made to the Israeli Government, formally or informally, before withdrawing their monitors from Jericho prison.
Lord Triesman: The UK and US Consul-Generals issued a joint letter to President Abbas on 8 March 2006, which noted that if the Palestinian Authority (PA) did not come into full compliance with the Ramallah agreement and make substantive improvements to the security of the monitors or come to a new agreement with the government of Israel, we would have to withdraw our monitors with immediate effect. In accordance with our obligations under the Ramallah agreement, our ambassador in Tel Aviv informed the Israeli authorities that we were delivering a letter in these terms on 8 March.
On 17 and 22 February, our ambassador in Tel Aviv informed the Israeli authorities that we might have to withdraw from the mission due to security concerns. This information was also communicated to the PA initially on 15 December 2005 and on at least five separate occasions after this point. On 10 March our ambassador in Tel Aviv contacted the Israeli authorities to urge that Israel exercise caution if the monitors had to withdraw.
It was considered too dangerous for our monitors to inform either Israel or the PA of the actual date of withdrawal.
Parliament: Power Commission
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give effect to the Power commission's recommendation that a concordat should be drawn up between the Executive and Parliament indicating where key powers lie, providing significant powers of scrutiny and initiation for Parliament.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Government welcome the report of the Power inquiry. We will consider the inquiry's recommendations carefully and have committed to provide a structured response to the report.
Railways: First Great Western
Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In view of the level of detail contained in the franchise specification issued by the Department for Transport, what scope there is for First Great Western trains to respond to the views of the public in its current consultation on its draft timetable.
Lord Davies of Oldham: First Great Western and the department are now considering the responses received from members of the public to the consultation on the draft First Great Western timetable. A further announcement will be made in due course.
Singapore: Chee Soon Juan
Lord Alderdice: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the government of Singapore regarding the trial of Chee Soon Juan, secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party, in the defamation case brought by former Singapore Prime Ministers Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Goh Chok Tong.
Lord Triesman: The Government have not made any representations in this case, which is an internal legal matter in Singapore.
Somalia
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they propose to station a diplomatic mission in Baidoa, or how otherwise they intend to communicate with the government of Somalia.
Lord Triesman: We have no plans at present to open a diplomatic mission in Baidoa. The UK has regular and frequent contact with the transitional federal government of Somalia through our High Commission in Nairobi, and occasional visits to Somalia by officials.
Somaliland
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will provide assistance to the government of Somaliland to enable them to comply with veterinary requirements that would enable exports of livestock to other countries in the region.
Baroness Amos: The UK has no plans to provide such assistance, as the United Nations Development Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank have been engaged on this issue for several years in the region.
They have been developing a veterinary testing regime and institutions to satisfy countries of the safety of Somali livestock and have made representations to Gulf states on this. Ways of overcoming the livestock ban are also being looked into by the productive sector cluster working group as part of the Somali joint needs assessment, which covers Somaliland. We expect, alongside other donors, to support the outcome of this assessment as part of an overall reconstruction package for Somaliland.
Taxation and Benefits: Overpayments
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What criteria are used to determine whether overpayments to vulnerable households should be remitted (a) by HM Revenue and Customs (tax and pension credits); (b) by Jobcentre Plus (income support, jobseeker's allowance and disability benefits); and (c) by local authorities (housing and council tax benefits).
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: It is a longstanding principle that, where it is cost effective to do so, recovery is sought of all overpayments.
The Department for Work and Pensions seeks to recover social security overpayments where customers innocently or otherwise provide incorrect information in relation to their claim or fail to notify a change of circumstances. In addition, the department seeks to recover overpayments that are not recoverable under social security legislation—for example, paid twice for the same period. This is on the basis that customers have no right to retain money that they should not have received. The department's policy is to seek recovery in the cases where it is reasonable to expect the customer to have been aware of the overpayment.
Rates of recovery are set to avoid undue hardship and take account of the financial and personal circumstances of the customer. In exceptional circumstances the Secretary of State can exercise his discretion to waive recovery of an overpayment to avoid severe hardship or where the recovery would be against the public interest.
With regard to housing and council tax benefits, the local authority must decide whether an overpayment is legally recoverable and, if it is, whether it should actually recover it. This decision, as well as the method and rate of recovery, is the responsibility of the local authority. The authority must have regard to the customer's financial circumstances and avoid causing hardship to either customers or any of their dependants.
The policy of HM Revenue and Customs on recovery of tax credit overpayments is set out in its Code of Practice 26, What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit? The criteria used to determine whether overpayments of tax credits should be remitted are contained in Code of Practice 26. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2006-03-27b | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2006",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for International Development
Syria: Overseas Aid
lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total Department for International Development funding that has been diverted to Islamist jihadist groups in Syria; and whether they intend to set up an inquiry to establish how this happened.
lord bates: DFID has a zero tolerance approach to the diversion of aid funds to extremist groups. Our programmes are designed with a range of safeguards to ensure tight financial controls at each level of the process. All reports of fraud, or diversion are taken seriously and investigated.All organisations that receive funding from DFID are required to provide evidence about the use of funds, including providing audited financial statements. This is monitored as part of our monitoring of programme performance and delivery.
Ministry of Justice
Prisoners: Per Capita Costs
lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average annual cost of holding someone serving a custodial sentence.
lord keen of elie: The average annual overall cost per prisoner in financial year 2016-17 was £35,371. The Overall Costs include the direct establishment costs plus expenditure met at regional or national level. This information is produced on an annual basis and is published after the end of each financial year. Additional information on prison unit costs can be accessed from the Prison and Probation Performance Statistics pages for each financial year at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-performance-statistics-2016-to-2017
Prisoners' Release
lord murphy of torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve access to release on temporary licence.
lord keen of elie: We will be exploring in the coming months how best to ensure access to ROTL for those who would benefit, within a robust risk assessment framework. We want to maintain improvements made to ROTL recently while allowing governors greater discretion so that prisoners get the skills and training they need.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Palestinians: Health Services
baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to takeensure that Palestinian healthcare centres in East Jerusalem are protected and to address delays to ambulances and patients entering the city through checkpoints following President Trump’s decision recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: As the Prime Minister made clear in her statement on 6 December we disagree with the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem, and to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final status agreement. We believe it is unhelpful to prospects for peace in the regionWe continue to call on the Israeli Government to ease movement and access restrictions, including those that reduce access to medical care for Palestinians, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories including East Jerusalem. We are clear that medical staff should have the protection that allows them to do their jobs in safety. We regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT's).
Syria: Overseas Aid
baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the suspension of their financial support to the Free Syrian Police, what assessment they have made of the use of funds provided to the armed Syrian opposition; whether those funds are supporting the administration of areas controlled by extremist groups including Hayat Tahrir Ash Sham and Ahrar Ash Sham; and if so, whether they will suspend all such financial support.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: In partnership with other donor countries, Her Majesty's Government provides a range of support to Syrians to help save lives, bolster civil society, counter extremism, promote human rights and accountability, and lay the foundations for a more peaceful future. This financial year, we have allocated over £60 million through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). Of this £10 million has gone to armed opposition groups, in the form of non-lethal assistance and lifesaving support, helping them protect civilians from the threats of both the Assad regime and extremists. This support to armed groups has not been delivered in areas controlled by extremist groups and is not supporting the administration of such areas.
Religious Freedom
lord alderdice: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to raise the profile of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2018.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Throughout the year, we will take opportunities to raise the profile of the UDHR, including Article 18 which enshrines the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Promoting and defending FoRB is a priority of Her Majesty’s Government’s foreign policy. By pursuing this priority in 2018 we will continue to raise the profile of Article 18
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Fly-tipping
baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to assist local authorities to deter fly-tipping.
lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is committed to tackling fly-tipping on a number of fronts. In 2016 we gave local authorities the power to issue fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping. We have enhanced the Environment Agency and local authorities’ powers to search and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers. It is for local authorities to use the full range of powers available to them.We worked with the Sentencing Council when they strengthened the Sentencing Guidelines for environmental offences in 2014. The maximum penalty on indictment for fly-tipping is imprisonment of up to five years or a potentially unlimited fine. Minister Coffey will shortly be writing to Ministry of Justice Ministers on the matter of sentencing, and we will work with those involved in the court system to ensure sentencing levels act as an appropriate deterrent.As part of our Resource and Waste Strategy we will develop further proposals to tackle fly-tipping. We will facilitate partnership working and intelligence sharing between organisations at a local level, including local authorities, and encourage local authorities and the Environment Agency to investigate incidents on private land.
Smoke Control Areas
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the regulations that prevent the burning of unauthorised fuel in smoke control areas.
lord gardiner of kimble: Our assessment of regulations for smoke control areas is that the powers for councils are sufficient but in some areas, awareness is low. We have recently distributed an advice leaflet on open fires and wood burning stoves to all local authorities for dissemination to householders which includes relevant information on smoke control area requirements.
European Environment Agency
lord whitty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for future relationships post-Brexit between (1) UK public agencies, and (2) UK industry, and the European Environment Agency.
lord gardiner of kimble: Our future relationship with the EU is still to be determined and is the subject of negotiations. As part of Exit negotiations the Government will discuss with the EU and Member States our future status and arrangements with regard to EU bodies, including the European Environment Agency.
European Chemicals Agency
lord whitty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for future relationships post-Brexit between (1) UK public agencies, and (2) UK industry, and the European Chemicals Agency.
lord gardiner of kimble: We are working to ensure a smooth transition for the chemical industry as we leave the EU. As part of the exit negotiations, the Government will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of chemicals regulation in the best interests of both the UK and the EU. We want to secure a deep and special partnership with the EU, including in relation to the chemicals sector. Our priority is to maintain an effective regulatory system for the management and control of chemicals to safeguard human health and the environment, respond to emerging risks, and allow trade with the EU that is as frictionless as possible.
Trees
lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the area of England that is likely to be covered by trees and woodland in 2020; and how this compares with(1)Northern Ireland, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales.
lord gardiner of kimble: We have not made an estimate of tree cover in 2020. The Forestry Commission collects and publishes information on tree and woodland cover. The most recent survey results, combining the National Forest Inventory and the assessment of Tree Cover Outside Woodland in Great Britain concluded that tree canopy cover is 15% in England, 19% in Scotland and 19% in Wales. Comparable statistics are not available for Northern Ireland. These percentages are unlikely to be significantly different by 2020. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2017-12-29 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2017",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Productivity
lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the decline in UK productivity over the last three successive quarters; and of the comparative performance of other advanced economies whose productivity is increasing.
lord henley: The fall in productivity in 2019 Q1 was predominantly due to a fall in manufacturing productivity of -0.9%. Productivity in the services sector grew by 0.2% over the same period. A similar pattern was observed in 2018 Q4, with services productivity outperforming manufacturing; growing by 0.4% compared to a fall of -1.1% for the latter.In terms of international comparisons, based on OECD data, all G7 countries excluding the US (for which data are not yet available) experienced a slowdown in productivity growth in 2018. The UK's productivity growth rate of just over 0.5% in 2018, was the second highest in the G7.
Shareholders: Registration
lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require beneficial share owners to be included on shareholder registers.
lord henley: The Companies Act (2006) requires companies to keep a register of members and enter the details of members in this register. In the UK, a shareholder is defined as the member on the company’s register of members. In some cases, the shareholder is also the beneficial owner of the shares. The Government has no plans to require beneficial share owners to be included on shareholder registers.
World Meteorological Organisation
lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what changes, if any, they have advocated to the World Meteorological Organization about the changes to the organisation and funding of the hydrological work of that organisation; and what are the connections of that work with the hydrological programmes of UNESCO.
lord henley: The UK’s Permanent Representative to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), with support from the UK Hydrological Adviser, was actively engaged in discussions at the World Meteorological Congress in June 2019, promoting efficiency and transparency in the intergovernmental agreements on the budget and reform of WMO. The UK remain closely involved in the hydrological work of WMO, with the UK Hydrological Adviser promoting the establishment of appropriate links between WMO and UNESCO, supported by his role as vice-chair of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme.
Equal Pay: Ethnic Groups
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the ethnic minority pay gap in the UK.
lord henley: The Government is committed to a cohesive society where everyone can enter and progress at work and achieve on merit, whatever their background.The Government consulted on how best to implement mandatory ethnicity pay reporting. We received over 300 detailed responses and will set out next steps in due course.The Government has also launched the Race at Work Charter which commits signatories to effective practices that support fairness at work. Over 170 employers have signed up to date.
Natural Gas: Storage
lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Henley on 20 February (HL13575) and on 26 June (HL16396), and following the closure of the Rough gas storage facility, what assessment they have made of whether storing an average of seven days of UK natural gas consumption is a sufficient reserve to cope with any unexpected interruption of global gas supply.
lord henley: Government has published several assessments regarding the UK’s security of gas supply. The assessments include: CEPA’s Security of Supply report (2017), the Strategic Assessment and Review by BEIS (2017) and the UK National Risk Assessment on Security of Supply (2018), as well as the annual Statutory Security of Supply Report (most recent, 2018). These assessments conclude that current and forecast levels of GB supply and storage infrastructure are sufficient to meet demand in all but the most extreme cases of supply disruption.
Electric Vehicles
viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansUK regulators are implementing to ensure continuity of electricity supplies from national and local grids to supply electric cars during rush hour journeys.
lord henley: The Government is committed to making sure consumers have secure, affordable and clean energy now and in the future.The Capacity Market secures the capacity required to meet peak demand, including demand for electric vehicles, in a range of scenarios through auctions held four- and one-year ahead of delivery. Although currently in a standstill period, the Capacity Market has already procured the bulk of the electricity capacity we need up to 2022.In addition, the Government has taken powers in the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 to mandate that charge points sold or installed in the UK must be smart enabled – allowing demand for charging of electric vehicles to be shifted, where appropriate, to off-peak times.Finally, Ofgem regulates network companies to ensure that they deliver a safe, reliable network whilst investing for the future and providing value for money for consumers. This includes ensuring that networks can reliably deliver the energy that consumers need, including for charging electric vehicles.
Department of Health and Social Care
Mental Health Services: Private Sector
lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total payment made by NHS England to private providers of mental health services.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: In the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 approximately £610 million was paid to independent sector providers of specialised mental health services commissioned by NHS England.
NHS: Drugs
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toensure that adequate warehouse space is available in order to stockpile medicines, if required, in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government maintains that leaving the European Union with a deal is the best EU Exit outcome and has strongly expressed its opposition to leaving without a deal, in line with the position consistently expressed by Parliament. However, leaving without a deal on 31 October 2019 remains the legal default at the end of the Article 50 extension period if no withdrawal agreement is agreed. Therefore, as a responsible Government, we will continue to prepare to minimise any disruption to the supply of medicines and medical products in a ‘no deal’ scenario. The Department continues to work closely with the devolved administrations, relevant EU member states, industry trade bodies and suppliers, the National Health Service and our other main stakeholders to ensure that we are prepared for leaving the EU without a deal in October. On 26 June, we wrote to suppliers of medicines to the United Kingdom from or via the EU or European Economic Area setting out our continuing multi-layered approach to ensure the continuity of supply of all medicines and medical products in a potential no-deal exit scenario on 31 October. To ensure sufficient space to store stockpiled medicines, we agreed contracts for additional warehouse space, including ambient, refrigerated and controlled drug storage aligned to the possible 29 March EU exit date. This secured warehouse space remains available up to and beyond 31 October and should be sufficient to meet the additional needs of medicines suppliers for storage space.
Academic Health Science Networks
lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government by what process, during the current development of policy options for Academic Health Science Centres (AHSC), potential new AHSCs can be considered in areas of England currently unrepresented by existing AHSCs.
lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the future relationship will be between Academic Health Science Networks, Academic Health Science Centres and Academic Research Collaborations with regard to the future applied health science ecosystem.
lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the innovations arising from the current phase of Academic Health Science Centres are being made available to patients throughout the NHS.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Department-designated Academic Health Science Centres (AHSCs) along with the Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) are all important components of the country’s health research and innovation ecosystem.The six current Department-designated AHSCs were made on the basis of an open competition, which was open to eligible National Health Service and University partnerships across England. The recommendations for designation were made to the Department by an international independent panel.The remit of the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) has recently been expanded to become the umbrella body across the United Kingdom health innovation eco-system. The AAC has been asked to consider the role of new AHSCs within the health system and to ensure that they complement the innovation landscape, rather than add further complexity to it.It is not possible to provide specific details of the scope and nature of the new designation process at this stage given that the AAC is currently actively considering this. However, it is expected that the future designation process would be open to all NHS and University partnerships across England which meet the published specification to apply, including partnerships in areas of England where there is currently no Departmental-AHSC. As with the previous AHSC designation process, any future process will be run via a full and open competition, assessed by an independent expert panel. Rigorous conflict of interest policies will also be in place throughout the process for all involved to ensure any potential conflicts are dealt with appropriately.The existing Departmental-AHSC designation will be extended until the end of March 2020 to enable a new designation process to be undertaken. The Department’s expectation is that AHSCs will play an increasingly important role in the health innovation and research landscape over the coming years.As currently, the success of any newly designated AHSCs will require close interplay and cooperation between research infrastructure, including NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) and the NIHR ARCs, and with the AHSNs and wider innovation landscape.As part of annual monitoring of the existing Department-designated AHSCs, examples of innovations arising from them have been reported to have been made available to patients in the NHS. These include:- The King’s Health Partners Heart Failure Service, which brings together clinical, research and educational expertise to deliver world class heart care in south London, helping people with heart failure live longer and with better quality of life;- University College London Partners AHSC adoption of a Learning Health System to standardise data entry and allowing the widespread trialling of novel tools to detect atrial fibrillation early;- The Manchester AHSC working with partners to align research around core health and social care priorities; and supporting the roll out of a single blood test driven decision-aid for patients presenting with chest pain at local emergency departments; and- The roll out of the innovative Sleepio app by the Oxford AHSN to support those suffering from insomnia across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.
Human Embryo Experiments: Regulation
lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 9 October 2013 (HL2237), what assessment the Scientificand Clinical Advances Advisory Committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has made of the regulation of embryoid bodiesfollowing the publication of research (1) by Lancaster et al. Cerebral organoids model human brain development and microcephalyin 2013,and (2) in the Nature Cell Biology journal A 3D model of a human epiblast reveals BMP4-driven symmetry breaking on 1 July.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has made no formal assessment of the regulation of embryoid bodies following the publication of research by Lancaster et al. Cerebral organoids model human brain development and microcephaly in 2013, and in the Nature Cell Biology journal A 3D model of a human epiblast reveals BMP4-driven symmetry breaking on 1 July. The publications will be brought to the attention of the Committee.
Care Homes: Dental Services
lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Care Quality CommissionSmiling matters: oral health care in care homes, published on 24 June; and how they intend to respond.
lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to ensure that access to dental provision in care homes is improved.
lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actiontheytake to deal with dentists who are unwilling to visit care homes.
lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that care home services are made aware of NICE guideline NG48Oral health for adults in care homes, published in July 2016.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government welcomes the report by the Care Quality Commission Smiling matters: oral health care in care homes. The Department together with Public Health England, NHS England and Health Education England is carefully considering the recommendations made in the report and will respond in due course.This consideration includes the recommendations that NHS England work with partners in the health and care system to improve access both to high street and, where required domiciliary care for residents of care homes. As well as the recommendation that both local and national monitoring frameworks should include awareness and assessment of oral health including the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guideline NG48.NHS England is responsible for commissioning primary care dental services, including domiciliary care. Domiciliary care may be delivered by any dentist holding a contract to deliver general dental services or it may be specifically commissioned by NHS England locally as an additional service. Where such services have been specifically commissioned any concerns about delivery should be raised with NHS England. NHS England has a duty to provide services to meet local need, including domiciliary services.
Gambling: Rehabilitation
the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the projected funding costs to the NHS of the new gambling-related harm clinics, announced on 23 June.
the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding GambleAware are projected to provideto the (1) NHS Northern Gambling Clinic inLeeds, and (2) the National Problem Gambling Clinic in London.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: As part of its NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England has made a commitment to invest in clinics to help more people with serious gambling problems. NHS England published its Long Term Plan Implementation Framework on 5 July 2019. The projected funding for gambling clinics was not separately identified and will be provided at a later date.The first National Health Service gambling clinic for children will open this year as part of a new network of services for addicts being rolled out. Up to 15 new NHS clinics will be opened over the five years, starting with the NHS Northern Gambling Service in Leeds and two satellite sites in Manchester and Sunderland.GambleAware has indicated that it plans to provide over £1 million annually to the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Trust to fund the NHS Northern Gambling Clinic in Leeds, and £382,000 to the National Problem Gambling Clinic in London in 2019/20.
Health Services and Social Services: Data Protection
lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to permit anonymised data (1) controlled, or (2) generated, by publicly funded health and care organisations in the UK to be shared for commercial purposes with businesses headquartered in non-EEA countries after Brexit.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: Access to patient information for commercial purposes is not permitted, unless the patient has given their consent. The Government's principles governing data-sharing agreements entered into by National Health Service organisations, originally published in draft in December 2018 and reaffirmed in the policy framework update document published earlier this month, make clear that NHS data may only be accessed by third parties where there is an explicit aim to improve the health, welfare and/or care of patients in the NHS or the operation of the NHS, and that a fair share of the benefits from any agreements flow back to the NHS. We do not anticipate this will change when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.
Life Expectancy
lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of why the UKhad one of the largest slowdowns in improvements in life expectancy between 2011 and 2016 out of the 19 countries analysed by the Office for National Statistics in August 2018.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: Life expectancy is as high as it has ever been in this country, but the rate of increase in life expectancy has slowed down in recent years. To better understand the reasons for the slowdown, the Department commissioned Public Health England to publish A review of recent trends in mortality in England, which includes comparison to other parts of the United Kingdom, the European Union and United States of America. A copy of the review is attached.The overall slowdown in improvements is due to a range of factors operating simultaneously across a wide range of age groups, places, and causes of death. Issues include: - the slowdown in improvement in mortality from heart disease and stroke, which are the leading causes of death. This is partly influenced by the increasing prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and low physical activity;- the size and frequency of recent winter peaks in mortality, which were influenced by the intensity and dominant type of influenza circulating, flu vaccine uptake and effectiveness, and is sometimes exacerbated by cold weather, especially among the very elderly people living with conditions such as dementia. Housing and fuel poverty are key to cold weather vulnerability;- in younger adults, the cause of death that had the biggest impact was accidental poisoning, a large proportion of these deaths are due to drug misuse; and- small increases in mortality rates from chronic lower respiratory disease in males and females, and other causes in males (including cirrhosis and other liver diseases). The Government remains committed to giving people five extra years of healthy, independent life by 2035 and to ensuring that everyone gets the same great healthcare no matter where they live, backed by our Long Term Plan for the National Health Service.
A review of recent trends in mortality in England
(PDF Document, 2.93 MB)
Mortality Rates: Children
lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the Office for National Statistics in its mid-year population estimates published in June, that there has been a 14per cent annual increase in the rate of mortality of boys aged five to nine.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Office for National Statistics data shows that for boys aged five to nine there were 137 deaths in England in the period mid-2017 to mid-2018. This is an increase of 19 deaths compared with the period mid-2016 to mid-2017, when there were 118 deaths. As the number of deaths fluctuate between individual years, a longer period must be looked at for evidence of trends. Public Health England’s review of recent trends in mortality in England, showed that there was an improvement in mortality rates for children aged five to nine between 2011 and 2016. There was also an improvement in early periods, 2001 to 2006, and 2006 to 2011.Improving child health outcomes is central to the NHS Long Term Plan and for prioritising services for children and young people. It provides a clear focus on improving the health of children and young people across mental health, learning disabilities, cancer and elsewhere.
Speech and Language Therapy: Children
lord ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretaries of State for Health and Social Care, Education, and Housing, Communities and Local Government have discussed, or plan to discuss the findings of the Children's Commissioner for England's report We need to talk: Access to speech and language therapy, published on 11 June.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: Colleagues across different Departments meet frequently to discuss a range of topics relating to child wellbeing. The Government recognises that speech, language and communication skills are a primary indicator of child wellbeing and will continue to provide strategic leadership across education, health and social care to narrow inequalities.
Ministry of Justice
Prisoners' Release: Curfews
lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners were eligible for Home Detention Curfew in each of the last five years.
lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners were (1) granted, and (2) refused, Home Detention Curfew in each of the last five years.
lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds each Home Detention Curfew application was refused in each of the last five years.
lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners subject to Home Detention Curfews were released before their Home Detention Curfew Eligibility Date in each of the last five years.
lord keen of elie: The following table shows the number of prisoners who were eligible for HDC, and how many and what proportion were released in each of the last five years. Because of the way in which data is recorded, the figures relating to the number eligible are higher than the true picture, as they include all offenders serving sentences of the right length, even though some do not meet the other eligibility criteria (see footnote 1). 20142015(3)201620172018Number eligible for release on HDC (1,2)45,20343,66943,66044,69740,543Number released on HDC8,6148,3199,0419,31214,769Percentage released19%19%21%21%36%(1) This is the number of offenders serving sentences of between 12 weeks and just under 4 years and therefore potentially eligible for release on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) in the relevant period. However, it includes offenders who are in fact statutorily ineligible for HDC, such as registered sex offenders or those with a previous recall for breach of curfew on HDC (prisoners not eligible for HDC for these reasons cannot be identified from the data that is held). Moreover, certain offenders are presumed unsuitable for HDC and will only be considered for release in exceptional circumstances.(2) An offender may be eligible for release on HDC in more than one year. This is because an offender may become eligible for release on HDC in one year and remain in the prison population to be eligible for release as a new year begins.(3) Figures for 2015 and earlier were produced using an older methodology than for the years 2016 to date.Data on the number of prisoners refused HDC is not collated centrally and could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost. A prisoner may be released on or after their HDC eligibility date but may not lawfully be released before the eligibility date; such a release would be counted as a “release in error”. HMPPS publish annual data on releases in error but this does not indicate whether the offender was released on HDC and this could not be established except at disproportionate cost. This data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-hm-prison-and-probation-service-digest-2017-to-2018
Prison and Probation Service: Apprentices
lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprenticeships Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service has made available to staff since 2017.
lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to expand the number of staff apprenticeships offered by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service.
lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service is on target to deliver its share of the 30,000 apprenticeships by 2020, as part of the Civil Service Apprenticeship Scheme.
lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the completion rate for individuals undertaking a staff apprenticeship delivered by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service.
lord keen of elie: HMPPS has made 20 apprenticeships available to staff since 2017.There are plans to expand the number of apprenticeships offered to staff across the Ministry of Justice and its agencies, including Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.To date, HMPPS have not met their annual apprenticeship targets due to the need to delay the Prison Officer apprenticeship launch until annual recruitment levels make this operationally feasible. HMPPS forecast to meet their annual target from 2020-21 onwards.There are currently no apprenticeship completions within Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. Completion data will be available as appropriate from providers.
Prisoners' Release: Curfews
lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners were (1) granted, and (2) refused, Home Detention Curfew in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age, (b) disability, (c) race, (d) religion or belief, (e) sex, (f) sexual orientation, and (g) gender reassignment.
lord keen of elie: Release on HDC allows suitable, risk assessed, prisoners to work towards rehabilitation in the community, while remaining subject to strict monitoring and other conditions. Data on the number of prisoners released on HDC is published quarterly and annually. The data is broken down by gender and the following table shows releases in each of the last five years: Individuals released on HDC 2014-18 20142015(1)201620172018Total Number released on HDC8,6148,6119,0429,32014,769Male7,4417,4227,8448,16613,182Female1,1731,1891,1981,1541,587 (1) Figures for 2015 and earlier were produced using an older methodology than for the years 2016 to date. Currently the data is not broken down by other protected characteristics but the next quarterly publication, due on 25 July, will include data on HDC releases by ethnicity. We are also exploring the scope to publish further breakdowns by other characteristics and this will depend upon the accessibility and reliability of the data, as well as the data protection implications if low numbers enabled individuals to be identified. Data on the number of prisoners refused HDC is not collated centrally and could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.
Ministry of Justice: Public Consultation
lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many consultations the Ministry of Justice has carried out in each of the last five years; and to how many of those it published a formal response within 12 weeks of the consultation closing.
lord keen of elie: The Ministry of Justice has carried out 96 consultations and calls for evidence in the last five years, as follows: 2019 - 42018 - 202017 - 132016 - 202015 - 202014 (12 July onwards) - 19 We published a response on GOV.UK within 12 weeks of the consultation closing in 26 instances: 2019 - 0 (12 week mark not yet reached for 3 out of 4 consultations)2018 - 22017 - 22016 - 82015 - 32014 (12 July onwards) - 11 These figures include consultations and calls for evidence from the Ministry of Justice and our agencies, but do not include those initiated by independent bodies such as the Law Commission or the Sentencing Council. The figures include consultations run in partnership with other government departments. All Ministry of Justice consultations and calls for evidence are available on GOV.UK and the online consultation platform, Citizen Space.
Tommy Robinson
lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the safety of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon in prison.
lord keen of elie: As per my answer to your previous question, HL8657, we do not comment on individual cases. The Ministry of Justice confirms that it takes the duty of care very seriously to ensure all prisoners are able to serve their sentences in a safe environment. Each prisoner is risk assessed upon reception into custody and extra measures are put into place to protect prisoners where there are concerns for their welfare.
Department for International Trade
Trade Promotion
lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government which trade envoys are currently in post, broken down by (1) the countries or groups of countries to which they are assigned, and (2) the date of their appointment.
viscount younger of leckie: There are currently 26 appointed Trade Envoys and details are attached.
Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys
(Word Document, 14.64 KB)
Trade Promotion
viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Fairhead on23 January (HL12726) and Viscount Younger of Leckie on 4 July (HL16484), whether the Department for International Trade's Regional Trade Plans include recommendations for implementation which reflect the views of the private sector; whether equalconsideration is given to the recommendations of small and medium-sized enterprises in addition to those of large organisations; and why they do not currently intend to publish Regional Trade Plans in full.
viscount younger of leckie: To achieve a forward-looking Global Britain the Department for International Trade works with both UK and overseas businesses of all sizes to drive an increase in trade. Regional Trade Plans are strategic documents which drive the delivery of our Departmental objectives overseas and have been developed by teams who work regularly with businesses in their regions and in the UK. These views are reflected in regional priorities in the Plans. We intend to publish a summary of Regional Trade Plans, which will consolidate more detailed internal plans.
Ministry of Defence
World War II: Anniversaries
lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what events they are planning to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem in September.
earl howe: The Headquarters and The Association of The Parachute Regiment are closely engaged with our in-country staff in co-ordinating a series of events taking place in and around Arnhem over the period 20-22 September 2019. Both the Chief of the General Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff will be in attendance at the main Dutch event in Arnhem at the invitation of their respective opposite numbers within the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces. As part of the commemorations, both the Mercian Regiment and the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment will be providing substantial representation; given their antecedent Regiments’ involvement in the form of the South Staffordshire Regiment and the Border Regiment, respectively, as glider-borne troops who made up the 1st Air Landing Brigade.
Department for Work and Pensions
Social Security Benefits
baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Buscombe on 25 June (HL Deb, col 1004), what sources they used to inform their statements that the UK (1) delivers the fourth most generous level of welfare support in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), (2) spends more on family benefits than any other country in the G7, and (3) spends the second highest amount on family benefits as a share of GDP, in the OECD.
baroness buscombe: (1) This statement was due to official error. We are the fourth most generous country according to the UN 2019 World Happiness Report. The UK spends £220bn on welfare each year, providing vital financial support for the most vulnerable in society. (2) and (3) These two statements come from OECD 2015 data (https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?datasetcode=SOCX_AGG). 2015 data is used as it is the most recent full data set. Please note that OECD definitions do not always match UK definitions, but insure data is comparable across OECD countries.
Welfare State
lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to create a new "safety net" to prevent people from becoming destitute; and what consideration they have given to re-establishing a national assistance board to assist in this endeavour.
baroness buscombe: This Government is committed to providing a strong safety-net for those who need it. We continue to spend over £95 billion a year on working age welfare benefits. We have a well-established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans for those who need extra support, and Jobcentre managers work closely with external partners to help vulnerable claimants. Our local government finance settlement means that over this year and next, councils will get over £10 billion in direct grants from central government to continue to offer a range of vital services to their local communities. We have no plans to re-establish a national assistance board.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Roads: Litter
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they take when a local authority does not perform roadside litter collection responsibly; and whether any action has been taken against a local authority since January 2018.
lord gardiner of kimble: It is for local authorities to fulfil their duties to clear roadside litter. Section 91 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 allows for proceedings in the magistrates’ court to be brought against the body responsible for clearing litter.
Home Office
Migrant Workers: Veterinary Medicine
lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to accept the Migration Advisory Committee's recommendation to add veterinarians to the Shortage Occupation List; and if not, why not.
lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to add veterinarians to the Shortage Occupation List in sufficient time for them to be trained and ready to deploy in advance of a no-deal Brexit.
baroness williams of trafford: I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to HL16474 on the 2nd July 2019.
Treasury
Insurance Companies: Investment
lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote investment by the insurance industry into applied research, new technologies, and infrastructure; whether information about any such investments will be published on an annual basis; and if so, where.
lord young of cookham: The treatment of infrastructure investment by insurance undertakings for the purposes of prudential regulation is set by the Solvency II Directive. In March 2019, the EU adopted new Solvency II rules to help insurers to invest in equity and private debt and to provide long-term capital financing. This means that insurers will be able to hold less capital for such investments and will therefore find such investments more attractive. The Government does not collect information about such investments, but individual insurance firms often include such details in their annual reports. The government provides competitive R&D tax reliefs to support businesses to invest. Support for businesses through R&D tax reliefs rose to £3.7 billion in 2015-16, up by almost a quarter from the previous year. The government is also carrying out the Infrastructure Finance Review, to support private infrastructure investment and ensure that infrastructure projects, including those using new technologies, are able to access the finance they need. The review will conclude alongside the National Infrastructure Strategy in the Autumn. In 2018, the UK Government provided £20m of ‘pioneer funding’ through the Next Generation Services Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to explore how new technologies could transform the UK accountancy, insurance and legal services industries
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Television: Licensing
lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the change to the TV licence concession for the over-75s from June 2020 on those with sight impairments; and whether such people will have that concession removed after 2020.
lord ashton of hyde: The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC. However, the Government has no intention to change the blind (severely sight impaired) licence fee concession, regardless of the age of the recipient. Guidance on the blind (severely sight imparied) licence fee concession can be found on the TV Licensing website: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/blindseverely-sight-impaired-aud5
Television: Licensing
lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that people over the age of 75 who cannot afford to pay for a TV licence from June 2020 will be able (1) to access content, and (2) to be kept informed of current affairs, to support their continued democratic engagement.
lord ashton of hyde: The government recognises the importance of television to people of all ages, particularly for older people who value television as a source of entertainment, companionship and a way to stay connected with the world. We are very disappointed with the BBC’s decision that only people who are aged 75 and above and in receipt of pension credit will continue to receive a free television licence from June 2020. The Secretary of State has met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-General of the BBC and asked them to do more to help the most vulnerable groups affected by the decision. A TV licence is only required to watch or record live television programmes, or to download or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer. Therefore, those without a TV licence will still be able to access other BBC content via the BBC radio stations (including BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer Radio), and the BBC, BBC News and BBC Sport websites. Further television programming can also be reached via other On-Demand and subscription television services, and current affairs content is available through news websites, newspapers, social media channels and apps, enabling continued democratic engagement. Online parliamentary petitions can be found here: https://petition.parliament.uk/. More information about when a TV Licence is required can be found on the TV Licensing website here: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2019-07-17 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
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Department for Transport
High Speed 2 Railway Line
lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest economic case for HS2; and whether this has altered since the High Speed Rail (London — West Midlands) Act 2017 received Royal Assent.
baroness sugg: The latest economic case for HS2 is the High Speed Two Phase Two Economic Case, published in July 2017. The next economic case is planned to be published in 2019 as part of the Full Business Case for Phase One.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what seat occupancy assumptions have been used in theeconomic case for HS2.
baroness sugg: The economic case does not assume a fixed occupancy rate for HS2 services. Predicted levels of occupancy and crowding are a product of demand, supply, and other transport modelling assumptions and vary by time of day, year and HS2 service.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
lord mancroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 23 May (HL7911), what discussions they have had with contractors about the need to ensure that fencing along the HS2 Phase One line is (1) stock proof to enable agricultural use to continue along the line post-opening, and (2) of sufficient quality to prevent domestic animals and wildlife from accessing the line.
baroness sugg: HS2 Ltd has been working with the main works civil contractors to develop Phase One scheme designs which will continue until the end of 2018 when it expects to agree construction plans for the new high-speed railway and ancillary works such as fencing. HS2 Ltd’s technical standard for fencing requires that temporary and permanent fencing shall be stock-proofed where appropriate, and this shall take account of the anticipated livestock loading on the fencing and its foundations. The security fencing around the entire railway, designed to prevent unauthorised access, will also act as a barrier for domestic animals and many species of wildlife.
Blue Badge Scheme
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the results of their consultation on extending eligibility of Blue Badge holders to ensure parity for those with physical and non-physical disabilities.
baroness sugg: The consultation received a significant response and the views received are currently being considered carefully. An announcement will be made as soon as possible following completion of the analysis.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Industry: Greater London
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the lack of industrial floor space in London and of its effects on businesses.
lord henley: The Mayor of London has devolved responsibility for producing an integrated spatial strategy for London, known as the London Plan, which includes setting policies for land use (including industrial land and floor space). The latest draft London Plan was published for consultation in 2017 and includes proposals to increase the amount of industrial land and floor space in boroughs where there is a known future demand. Government sets national planning policy which the Mayor and individual boroughs are required to conform to when setting their own policies. National policy makes clear the need for areas to plan for their economic growth, and for areas to allocate sites and land uses depending on their housing and economic need assessments. The draft London Plan will be subject to examination by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, where the Mayor’s policies for industrial land will be scrutinised against national policy to ensure they’re fit for purpose.
Industry: Greater London
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to increase the amount of industrial floor space available in London.
lord henley: The Mayor of London has devolved responsibility for producing an integrated spatial strategy for London, known as the London Plan, which includes setting policies for land use (including industrial land and floor space). The latest draft London Plan was published for consultation in 2017 and includes proposals to increase the amount of industrial land and floor space in boroughs where there is a known future demand. Government sets national planning policy which the Mayor and individual boroughs are required to conform to when setting their own policies. National policy makes clear the need for areas to plan for their economic growth, and for areas to allocate sites and land uses depending on their housing and economic need assessments. The draft London Plan will be subject to examination by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, where the Mayor’s policies for industrial land will be scrutinised against national policy to ensure they’re fit for purpose.
UK Notified Bodies
the earl of kinnoull: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK Notified Bodies will be able to continue to work with UK manufacturers, checking their products conform to the essential requirements of European directives which have also been transposed into UK law, until the end of the anticipated Brexit implementation period.
lord henley: The Government recognises the valuable work undertaken by UK Notified Bodies in ensuring that products placed on the market have been through suitable assessment to ensure they comply with the relevant requirements. During the implementation period the UK will no longer be a Member State of the European Union, but market access will continue on current terms. For UK Notified Bodies this means that they will continue to be able to conduct third-party conformity assessments for both the UK and the EU markets as they do now.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Pakistan: Religious Freedom
lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reportForced Conversions & Forced Marriages in Sindh, Pakistan, published by the Commonwealth Institute for Freedom of Religion and Belief and the University of Birmingham.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief globally. We believe that the freedom to practice one's faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a fundamental human right.Pakistan is a human rights priority for the UK. We remain deeply concerned by reports of forced marriages and forced conversions in Pakistan. We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of vulnerable groups, including religious minorities and women, with the Pakistani Government at a senior level. I discussed our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the treatment of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Interior Minister during his visit to the UK in February 2018.I was pleased to attend at the launch of the Commonwealth Initiative for Freedom of Religion and Belief and University of Birmingham report on forced conversions and forced marriages in Sindh, Pakistan, in Parliament on 6 June. We will carefully consider the recommendations of this report.The UK supports a range of projects in Pakistan which aim to: promote greater tolerance and religious freedom; increase the recording and prosecution of cases of violence against women and children; improve women and girls' awareness of their legal rights and access to formal justice systems; and increase the participation of women in democracy as voters and candidates.
Pakistan: Religious Freedom
lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to reflect the recommendations and conclusions from the reportForced Conversions & Forced Marriages in Sindh, Pakistan,published by the Commonwealth Institute for Freedom of Religion and Belief and the University of Birminghamin their development and foreign affairs policies; and if so, how.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief globally. The freedom to practice one's faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a fundamental human right.Pakistan is a human rights priority for the UK. We remain deeply concerned by reports of forced marriages and forced conversions in Pakistan. We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of vulnerable groups, including religious minorities and women, with the Pakistani Government at a senior level. I discussed our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the treatment of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Interior Minister during his visit to the UK in February 2018.I was pleased to attend at the launch of the Commonwealth Initiative for Freedom of Religion and Belief and University of Birmingham report on forced conversions and forced marriages in Sindh, Pakistan, in Parliament on 6 June. We will carefully consider the recommendations of this report.The UK supports a range of projects in Pakistan which aim to: promote greater tolerance and religious freedom; increase the recording and prosecution of cases of violence against women and children; improve women and girls' awareness of their legal rights and access to formal justice systems; and increase the participation of women in democracy as voters and candidates.
Palestinians: Recognition of States
lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government which member states of the United Nations have recognised Palestine as a state.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: 136 UN member states have recognised a Palestinian state. They are: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Angola; Antigua & Barbuda; Argentina; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belize; Benin; Bhutan; Bolivia; Bosnia & Herzegovina; Botswana; Brazil; Brunei Darussalam; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; China; Comoros; Republic of Congo; Costa Rica; Cote d' Ivoire; Cuba; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Equatorial Guinea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Ghana; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; Hungary; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Lebanon; Lesotho; Liberia; Libya; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Namibia; Nepal; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; Oman; Pakistan; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Saint Lucia; Sao Tome and Principe; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Slovakia; Somalia; South Africa; South Sudan; Sri Lanka; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Sudan; Suriname; Swaziland; Sweden; Syria; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; Uruguay; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu; Venezuela; Vietnam; Yemen; Zambia and Zimbabwe.The Holy See, which is not a member of the United Nations but has permanent observer status, has also recognised a Palestinian state.
Yemen: Military Intervention
baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to secure the agreement of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition involved in the conflict in Yemen to the UN Plan of Action to protect children who are being killed, wounded and displaced by airborne and other military attacks.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The United Kingdom considers the agreement and implementation of the UN Action Plans to be a vital step in improving the protection of children. We therefore call on all parties listed within the annex of the Secretary-General's report that have not put these measures in place to do so as a matter of priority. We call on all other parties who have put measures in place to honour their commitments in full.We regularly raise the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law with Saudi Arabia and other parties involved in the coalition supporting the legitiment Goverment of Yemen. The Prime Minister raised the issue with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia during a call on 2 June.
Burma: Christianity
the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Myanmarfollowing reports of attacks by the Myanmar military on the Christian Kachin people in the north of Myanmar.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary most recently raised his concerns about the fighting in Kachin State in his call with Burma's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 11 June. He called for Burma's military to exercise restraint and allow humanitarian access. Our Ambassador to Burma expressed concern about the military's treatment of civilians in Kachin in his meeting with Burma's Commander in Chief on 3 May.The Minister for Asia and the Pacific issued a statement on 11 May calling on all parties to the conflict to cease fighting, protect civilians, and return fully to peace talks, which the UK supports and which seek to bring to an end 70 years of internal conflict in Burma.
Philippines: Ministers of Religion
lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the Philippines about the recent killings of the Reverends Tentorio, Favali, Carzedda, Paez, and Ventura; and whether they will call for an independent inquiry into their deaths.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is committed to the promotion of human rights, including freedom of religion and belief. Whilst we have not discussed the specific killings of the Reverends Tentorio, Favali, Carzedda, Paez, and Ventura, we have continued to call on the Government of the Philippines, including at the Human Rights Council, to ensure a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders. We urge thorough and impartial investigations into all violent deaths.
Burma: Armed Conflict
baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to put pressure on the Burmese authorities to comply with international humanitarian law and assist Kachin civilians trapped in the fighting.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns about the fighting in Kachin State in his most recent call with Burma's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 11 June. He called for Burma's military to exercise restraint and allow humanitarian access. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific made clear on 17 May the Government's concern about the situation in Karen State, calling on all parties to cease fighting; allow access for humanitarian aid; and abide by the National Ceasefire Agreement.
Burma: Rohingya
baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to press the government of Burma to address the underlying causes of the Rohingya refugee crisis.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government considers the full implementation of the Rakhine Advisory Commission's recommendations the best route to addressing the underlying causes of the Rohingya refugee crisis. The UK ensured the UN Security Council's Presidential Statement of November 2017 urged all parts of the Government of Burma to work together to implement the Commission's recommendations swiftly and in full, and supports the work of the Advisory Board to the Implementation Committee for the Rakhine Advisory Commission. The Foreign Secretary has pressed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to create the conditions in Rakhine State that would allow Rohingya refugees to return, and in their most recent conversation on 11 June underlined the importance of promoting reconciliation between the different communities of Rakhine. The UK continues to press the Burmese authorities to hold to account those responsible for human rights violations in Rakhine, to make clear there can be no impunity for those responsible for the violence that has caused almost 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh since 25 August 2017.
Northern Ireland Office
British Irish Intergovernmental Conference
lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to hold a meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference; if so, who would represent the UK at such a meeting; what preparatory consultations, if any, they have had with those architects of the Belfast Agreement who are still in Parliament; and what matters would be scheduled for discussion at any such meeting.
lord duncan of springbank: This Government remains focused on our efforts to restore a locally elected, devolved Government in Northern Ireland. We have regular discussions with the Irish Government in full accordance with the well-established three stranded approach.
Belfast-Dublin Railway Line
lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive and the government of Ireland about improving the rail line between Dublin and Belfast, including any plans to electrify the route.
lord duncan of springbank: Transport Infrastructure in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.
Department of Health and Social Care
Speech and Language Disorders: Children and Young People
lord shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission research into the effectiveness of speech and language therapy interventions for children and young people with mental health needs and speech, language and communication needs.
lord o'shaughnessy: There are currently five active projects funded by the National Institute for Health Research on effectiveness of speech and language therapy interventions for children and young people. There are no current plans to commission further research at this stage.Public Health England has formed a partnership with the Department for Education to improve early language acquisition; this will enable health visitors and early years practitioners to identify and support children’s early speech, language and communication needs through training guidance and an enhanced early language assessment tool.
General Practitioners
lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients were treated by doctors in general practice in each year between 2007 and 2017.
lord o'shaughnessy: The number of patients treated by doctors in general practice is not collected or held centrally. The number of general practitioner (GP) appointments is not collected or held centrally. NHS Digital and NHS England are currently undergoing a review process on these appointments data. When this is published it will not include retrospective appointment data. The number of registered patients at GP practices in England has been collected since April 2013 and is presented in the following table. DateNumber of patients registered at a GP practice201356,043,609201456,442,722201557,011,772201657,631,776201758,328,549 Notes:The data presented covers England only.Data snapshot extracted on 1 April from NHS Digital maintained GP Payments system.The data does not go back further than April 2013.
Health Professions: Dismissal
lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) doctors, and (2) nurses who have been dismissed for misconduct at work.
lord o'shaughnessy: NHS Digital publishes data on dismissals under reasons for leaving. The reasons include capability, conduct, statutory and “for some other substantial reason”. The following table shows National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) doctors and nurses and health visitors dismissed for ‘conduct’ over the last five years, headcount. DoctorsNurses and health visitors2011-12Q1983 Q213108 Q31195 Q41299 2012-13Q1571 Q24105 Q3586 Q410102 2013-14Q11090 Q2898 Q34109 Q41292 2014-15Q11192 Q29100 Q31681 Q4977 2015-16Q1991 Q2488 Q3288 Q41180 2016-17Q1970 Q21083 Q3563 Q4679 2017-18Q1790 Q2767 Q3962 Q4Data not released yetData not released yet Source: NHS HCHS monthly workforce statistics, NHS DigitalNotes:- Quarter 1: 1 April - 30 June- Quarter 2: 1 July - 30 September- Quarter 3: 1 October - 31 December- Quarter 4: 1 January - 31 March - These figures are based upon information recorded in Electronic Staff Record (ESR) by organisations as part of locally managed staff leaving processes. The accuracy and quality of this data is reliant on local organisations updating each person’s records appropriately when a staff member moves or leaves. - These figures represent NHS staff who are employed and directly paid by NHS organisations in England using ESR. Two foundation trusts do not use ESR, and these are Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
General Practitioners: Working Hours
lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of hours worked by GPs in the NHS; whether working hours are increasing; whether they intend to limit the number of hours worked; and what discussions they have had with doctors' organisations about GPs' working hours.
lord o'shaughnessy: Based on responses to the GP Worklife Survey, the average weekly hours worked by general practitioners (GPs) in England has remained relatively stable since 2008, but increased slightly from 41.4 hours to 41.8 hours per week between 2015 and 2017.The following table summarises statistics for average weekly hours worked by GPs from 2008 to 2017.YearNumber of responsesMean200863442.120101,05441.420121,11241.720151,11341.4201786941.8 The Department regularly meets with the Royal College of General Practitioners and representatives from the profession to discuss a range of issues, including the number of hours worked by GPs. GP contractors are required to provide essential and additional services within core hours in order to meet the reasonable needs of their patients. It is for the practice partners to agree the working hours of individual GPs within the practice.Any changes to these arrangements will need to be negotiated between NHS England and the GPs’ representative body, the General Practitioners’ Committee of the British Medical Association.The working hours for salaried GPs are set out in the salaried GP model terms and conditions of service. This defines full-time as 37.5 hours per week, and specifies that working hours should be carefully defined within a job plan.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord O'Shaughnessy on 5 June (HL8135), what assessment they have made of the ethicality of the continued recommendation of graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy to patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, following scientific research demonstrating that such therapies are not effective and may harm patients with that illness, and the imminent update of NICE guideline CG53, published in 2007.
lord o'shaughnessy: We are aware that there are concerns that more recent data and analysis suggests graded exercise therapy (GET) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) might not be as effective as has been found by previous trial results. It is important that all the evidence, including new evidence, is looked at closely. We welcome NICE’s decision to update its clinical guideline on CFS/ME and to examine the new analysis of the evidence base supporting the use of CBT and GET. Updated NICE guidance is planned for publication in 2020.It is important to highlight that the current NICE CFS/ME guideline acknowledges that there is no one form of treatment to suit every patient and that treatment and care should take into account the personal needs and preferences of the patient. NICE also makes clear that, in common with all people receiving care in the National Health Service, those with CFS/ME have the right to refuse or withdraw from any component of their care plan.
Department for Exiting the European Union
Borders: Northern Ireland
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue to pursue a backstop arrangement for the Irish border following the rejection ofthat proposal by the EU Chief Brexit Negotiator.
lord callanan: The government published a technical paper on customs setting out the UK’s proposal for a temporary customs arrangement between the UK and EU as a backstop solution for the Northern Ireland and Ireland land border, that would only come into force in specific and narrow circumstances. It is in line with Joint Report commitments on maintaining the constitutional integrity of the UK. Michel Barnier confirmed that he had not rejected the UK’s proposals. We look forward to discussing this further with the EU.
Department for Education
Schools: Assessments
lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of pupils have been granted extra time in public exams as a result of special educational needs in (1) state schools, and (2) independent schools; and whether the process for diagnosis of such needs is uniform in both sectors.
lord agnew of oulton: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to the noble Lord. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Special Educational Needs: Speech and Language Disorders
lord shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to include someone with expertise in speech, language and communication on the external steering group working with the Department for Education on updating the mental health and behaviour guidance for schools.
lord agnew of oulton: The external steering group for the mental health and behaviour, chaired by Tom Bennett, includes members with a wide range of experience and expertise on behaviour, mental health and vulnerable groups. It includes a range of senior teachers and head teachers as well as special educational needs specialists, such as the Council for Disabled Children. The department will continue to consult experts as the work progresses.
Special Educational Needs: Speech and Language Disorders
lord shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the trailblazer areas proposed in theTransforming Children and Young People's Mental Health Provision: a Green Paper(Cm 9525)have embedded, or have access to, dedicated speech and language therapy services.
lord agnew of oulton: The government is considering the responses to the consultation on the green paper ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’ and plans to publish a response before summer recess. The response will set out more information on how the trailblazers for new mental health support teams will work. The trailblazers will test how teams can link to the work of other professionals to enhance the support for vulnerable children and will consider how this can include speech and language therapists.Mental health support teams will work closely with schools and colleges. They can build on the steps the government has already taken to improve access to speech and language therapy. The government introduced through the Children and Families Act 2014, a framework for ensuring that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with speech language and communication needs, are identified early and receive the support they require to succeed in education and move into independent adult life.The department has also funded I CAN, on behalf of The Communication Trust, and several other specific impairment organisations, to produce materials for use by schools, colleges and others. These materials and resources are freely available on the SEND and Education Training Foundation Gateway.The Department for Health and Social Care is also working with the department and Public Health England to enable early years professionals to identify and support children’s early speech, language and communication needs.
Ministry of Justice
Personal Injury: Compensation
lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what new definitions of damages for personal injuries were introduced into law by the Civil Procedure Rules 1998.
lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government which damages claimed for are taken into consideration when determining whether a claim for damages for personal injuries should follow the small claims track; and whether special damages and future losses are taken into account in such determinations.
lord keen of elie: There were no new definitions of damages for personal injuries introduced by the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) 1998. A “claim for personal injuries” is defined in CPR 2.3 as “proceedings in which there is a claim for damages in respect of personal injuries to the claimant or any other person or in respect of a person’s death, and ‘personal injuries’ includes any disease and any impairment of a person’s physical or mental condition.”In general, cases allocated to the Small Claims track are those with a financial value of no more than £10,000. For personal injury, there is a lower small claims limit of £1,000 that applies to damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity. Additional damages may be recovered, such as for loss of earnings, damage to property and medical expenses, although to remain on the Small Claims track the total value of the whole claim must not exceed the relevant financial limit.
Marriage: Humanism
viscount ridley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to a laying an order under section 14 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 to give legal recognition to marriages performed by Humanists UK, as recommended in the recent report of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist GroupAny Lawful Impediment?
lord keen of elie: The Government welcomes the engagement of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist group and we are giving careful consideration to the findings of the group’s inquiry.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Almshouses
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the future role of almshouses in providing housing to elderly people.
lord bourne of aberystwyth: Almshouses have played an important role for many years in providing affordable homes, and often support, for older and other vulnerable residents in need. They provide a safe and secure environment in communities across the country, particularly in many rural areas. It is clear that almshouses, not least through the dedication and work of the trustees and volunteers who run them, will continue to play a most valuable role in the future.
Religious Buildings: Islam
lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they collect data on the number of (1) mosques, and (2) madrassas, in England and Wales; and if so, how many there are.
lord bourne of aberystwyth: We estimate that there are around 1500 mosques and prayer halls in England. We do not hold any data on the number of madrassas.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Environment Protection
baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to involvescientists, economists and environmentalists in developing a set of metrics to measure the progress of the 25 Year Environment Plan; and when thosemetrics will be published.
lord gardiner of kimble: We have engaged with scientists, economists and environmentalists from a number of external organisations since January to inform the development of a comprehensive suite of metrics and indicators. We will engage further with interested parties over the summer to canvas views on what this suite of indicators and metrics ought to cover. This will be achieved through a combination of publicly available briefing papers and targeted technical meetings with individual organisations and small groups of interested parties. The package of metrics we propose will then be subject to a further period of formal consultation in order to ensure we get this important measure absolutely right.
Water: National Policy Statements
baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in consulting on the National Policy Statement for Water Resources; and when the outcome of that consultationwill be published.
lord gardiner of kimble: I announced that a national policy statement for water resources would be developed in a written ministerial statement in March 2017 (HLWS532). In November 2017, the government consulted on the approach to developing the statement and proposals to amend the definitions of nationally significant infrastructure projects for water in the Planning Act 2008. The summary of responses and government response was published in March. The government undertook a further informal consultation on amendments to the definitions in April. The government will set out the final thresholds and infrastructure types for the proposed amendment to the Planning Act 2008 in the summer. The government will consult on the draft national policy statement this autumn.
Birds of Prey: Conservation
baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many successful prosecutions have been made for raptor persecution in each of the last five years.
lord gardiner of kimble: The Ministry of Justice data does not distinguish raptors from other birds and, as such, this information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The number of convictions under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for offences in relation to birds, their nests and eggs in each of the last five years are as follows: 2013: 15 2014: 12 2015: 18 2016: 12 2017: 14
Cabinet Office
Public Sector: Conduct
lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what professional standards are required of employees of public sector commercial enterprises; and whetherthese comply with the standards of the Civil Service Code.
lord young of cookham: Cabinet Office is not involved with setting the professional standards or terms and conditions for these organisations. We are therefore not able to provide a response.
Absent Parents: Suicide
lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of suicides since 2000 of separated fathers compared to those of separated mothers.
lord young of cookham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. Letter from John Pullinger CB, National Statistician, to The Lord Pearson of Rannoch, dated 15 June 2018.Dear Lord Pearson, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your Parliamentary Question asking about the number of suicides since 2000 of separated fathers compared to those of separated mothers (HL8615).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes suicide rates for the UK, constituent countries, regions and local authorities in England and Wales in an annual bulletin[1].The information we hold on deaths is limited to what is recorded on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death by a doctor, provided to the registrar by the informant at the time of death registration, or recorded by a coroner following their inquest into the cause and circumstances of the death. We can provide the number of suicides per year by legal marital status, but we have no available information on whether the deceased was (a) separated at the time of death, that is, living apart from their partner; or (b) was a father or mother. Table 1 attached provides the numbers and crude rates per 100,00 persons of deaths due to suicide, by sex, for each year between 2000 and 2016 in England and Wales. The rates are broken down by marital status recorded at death. A copy has been placed in the House of Lords Library. Yours sincerely, John Pullinger[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2016registrations | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2018-06-20 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2018",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Prisoners: Resettlement
Baroness Wilkins: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish their response to the joint thematic report Through the Prison Gate published by the Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Chief Inspector of Probation.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Through the Prison Gate was the first joint thematic report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Probation on the theme of resettlement. The two chief inspectors have provided an authoritative and thoughtful analysis of what the prison and probation services are doing together to re-integrate offenders back into the community and so reduce re-offending and of what more both services need to do. We are very grateful to them for this analysis, much of which is reinforced in the report Reducing re-offending by Ex-Prisoners published today by the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU).
Both of these reports recognise the importance of identifying the factors which need to be addressed for individual offenders if the risks of them re-offending are to be reduced. They also recognise the importance of developing an integrated approach to the management of offenders throughout their sentence.
The chief inspectors' report makes recommendations on the need for:
a national resettlement strategy;
the position of short-term prisoners to be taken into account when reviewing the sentencing framework;
the Prison and Probation Services to develop the What Works strategy and to achieve consistency and continuity in preventing re-offending and reintegrating offenders into the community;
a case management approach, and of the Prison and Probation Services to review the respective roles of their staff at different stages of a prison sentence;
the Prison Service to develop a strategy for prisoners to be located closer to home;
the Prison and Probation Services to develop a co-ordinated partnership plan as part of their What Works resettlement strategy;
both services to develop a joint strategy for drug and alcohol misuse;
both services to provide guidance on the role of home detention curfew (HDC); and
both services to ensure that a national public protection policy is developed for the assessment and management of risk in all cases.
Many of these issues are also picked up in the SEU report. The Government will now be producing an action plan setting out our proposals for taking forward the recommendations. In drawing up that action plan we will also take account of the recommendations made by the chief inspectors.
As the chief inspectors acknowledge, the Prison and Probation Services have made progress in developing and co-ordinating their resettlement policies under the What Works approach. However, there is a need for greater overall strategic direction, including greater sharing of good practice and performance targets.
We have already taken steps to provide greater strategic direction by making arrangements for the establishment of the correctional services board, which will bring together the heads of the Prison and Probation Services and the Chair of the Youth Justice Board. Outside experience and skills will be provided by non-executive members. Early priorities for the board will include the development of a strategic plan for the correctional services, with a particular focus, as the report recommends, on improving provision for those sentenced to less than 12 months, and, in particular, 18 to 20 year-old offenders.
In taking forward both the chief inspectors' and the SEU reports we will also be developing a national resettlement strategy. Details will be set out in the action plan which will now be developed.
That action plan will also include proposals for developing and piloting a case management approach, as recommended by the chief inspectors, building upon the pilot schemes which the Prison and Probation Services are already running.
Through the Prison Gate draws attention to the benefits of keeping prisoners closer to their homes in the months before release and to the benefits of home detention curfew in helping prisoners prepare for release. We believe that HDC can play an important part in helping offenders to settle back into the community in a controlled way.
We also recognise the advantages for resettlement of prisoners being able to serve their sentences closer to home. Although the increasing prison population makes it difficult to achieve this, we will continue to explore both nationally and regionally what more can be done to minimise the number of prisoners held outside their home area.
The importance of tackling drug and alcohol problems is highlighted in both Through the Prison Gate and the SEU report. A good deal of investment has been made by both services in this area, but there is clearly more to be done, particularly in ensuring continuity of care and of provision in the community. We will be addressing this issue further as we take forward the planning and implementation of our resettlement strategy.
Through the Prison Gate also highlights the importance for a national public protection policy of the assessment and management of risk in all cases. The effective management of dangerous offenders is a priority for both the Prison and Probation Services. Both services have a detailed programme of work in support of their public protection objectives and are represented on the Home Office Dangerous Offenders Advisory Group. The establishment of multi-agency public protection panels has placed a statutory duty on police and probation services to make joint arrangements for the assessment and management of sexual, violent and other offenders who may cause serious harm. These panels work closely with the prison service and other agencies in managing the risk presented by such offenders. In addition, the National Probation Service is working with the Police Information Technology Organisation on the development of a joint police/probation database which will cover all offenders falling under the public protection duty placed on the police and the National Probation Service by the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.
Both services are also working together with the Parole Board to develop revised guidance on the settling of licence conditions to ensure a more consistent approach and are piloting the use of electronic monitoring as a licence condition, focusing in particular on dangerous offenders.
A detailed commentary on all the recommendations contained in the inspectorates' report describing work currently in hand by the Prison Service and the National Probation Service has been placed in the Library.
Through the Prison Gate, together with the SEU report, has set out a challenging set of tasks for the new correctional services board. We will in due course be publishing an action plan setting out our detailed proposals in response to the SEU report and the recommendations of the chief inspectors.
Trafficking People
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the offence of people trafficking contained in Schedule 2, paragraph 3 to the Proceeds of Crime Bill is adequate to combat people trafficking in its various guises.
Lord Filkin: The offence currently specified in Schedule 2, paragraph 3, covers smuggling (facilitation of illegal entry) rather than trafficking. The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill contains a new offence of trafficking for the purposes of controlling someone in prostitution, and we will include this offence in Schedule 2.
We have made clear that we regard this as a stop-gap offence pending the introduction of wider offences of trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation when parliamentary time permits. We will review how the POC provisions should apply to any new offences of people trafficking that are created.
Trafficking People
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
For each of the last five years, what sum has been recovered by way of confiscation from those prosecuted for involvement in the sexual exploitation of women.
Lord Filkin: Under current legislation, the commercial sexual exploitation of women is not a specific legal offence. There are a number of exisiting offences relating to those who profit from the prostitution of others such as running a brothel. Information relating to the sums recovered as a result of confiscations from prosecutions in these cases is not currently centrally collected.
Trafficking People
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What sums of money have been set aside to help victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation.
Lord Filkin: In the White Paper Secure Borders, Safe Haven we have set out a comprehensive approach for victims in order to facilitate their giving evidence agianst the traffickers who have brought them here to exploit them. In co-operation with the voluntary sector, we will make arrangements for their protection and in some cases we recognise that it may be appropriate for them to remain here. We will also provide support for those returning to their home countries. This initiative will run on a trial basis for six months in the first place so that we can evaluate its impact. The funding arrangements are under discussion.
Justice and Home Affairs Council, 13 and 14 June
Lord Desai: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to detail the outcome of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in Luxembourg on 13 and 14 June and what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record.
Lord Filkin: I, together with my right honourable friend the Home Secretary and my right honourable friend Jim Wallace, the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice for Scotland, represented the United Kingdom at the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 13 June.
A points: the A points were approved as in document 9825/02 PTS A 31 and ADD 1 and COR 1 (a copy of which has been placed in the Library), except points 23, 24, 25 and 45.
Terrorism: the Council noted a terrrorism threat assessment document, Europol reports on security measures taken since 11 September and extremist terrorism and a report on the current list of terrorist organisations. The Director of Europol reported on the work of the Europol Counter-Terrorism Task Force, noting that the provision of information to Europol had improved but remained insufficient and that more could be done to improve co-operation with the United States.
Activities of the Spanish Presidency on the subject of violence against women, to be submitted by the Ministers of Education, Justice, Home Affairs and Health at forthcoming Councils: the Presidency presented a study on measures adopted by member states to combat violence against women and a guide to good practice to mitigate the effects of and eradicate violence against women.
Illegal immigration and external borders: during a general debate on illegal immigration and asylum, the Home Secretary called for the Seville European Council to deliver concrete results so that citizens could see the relevance of a European Union (EU) approach. He said that the message should not be one of "Fortress Europe" but a coherent policy which opposed racism, welcomed legal inward migration, protected refugees and ensured that each member state accepted its responsibilities. The Home Secretary vigorously supported common action to protect the European Union's external frontier, arguing that this should be achieved through the use of joint operations at weak points in the border, extensions of the immigration liaison officer network and greater use of Europol's expertise, rather than through the establishment of a new border police. He also supported the need to complete work on common asylum measures and co-operation with third countries in a spirit of "positive conditionality", involving the provision of assistance to support returns and develop migration infrastructures.
The Council also noted a Presidency report on progress made in the fight against illegal immigration, agreed conclusions on measures to be established for the prevention of and the fight against illegal immigration and the trafficking of human beings by sea and agreed a plan on the management of external borders.
Proposal for a Council regulation establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the member state responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the member states by a third country national: in discussing key aspects of the draft Dublin II Regulations, the majority of member states, including the United Kingdom, said that the exisitng Dublin convention criteria should be taken as a starting point but that procedures should be improved and time limits shortened. Two member states with difficult external frontiers argued that they should not be penalised by virtue of their geographical position. Two other member states also opposed the proposed new criterion on tolerated illegal presence.
Proposal for a Council Decision on the implementation of specific measures for police and judicial co-operation to combat terrorism in accordance with Article 4 of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP: the Council reached a general approach on the Council decision. Portugal, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom maintained parliamentary scrutiny reserves on the text.
Proposal for a Council framework decision laying down minimum provisions on the constituent elements of criminal acts and penalties in the field of drug trafficking: the Council reached a general approach on the majority of the text. However, member states were divided by a proposal to permit the imposition of lower penalties for trafficking in small quantities of drugs. The Presidency concluded that discussions on this item would continue under the Danish Presidency.
Proposal for a Council directive to improve access to justice in cross-border disputes by establishing minimum common rules relating to legal aid and other financial aspects of civil proceedings: the Council agreed that the scope of the draft legal aid directive should be limited to cross-border claims.
Proposal for a Council regulation creating a European enforcement order for uncontested claims: the Commission presented its proposal for a European enforcement order. This would abolish, in uncontested cases, the requirement for a court to examine the procedure by which a judgment was issued in another member state before recognising the validity of that judgment.
Civilian aspects of crisis management: the Presidency reported that member states had met the targets set by the Gothenburg European Council for the provision of officials and judges to international missions intended to strengthen the rule of law in third countries.
Any other business: the Commission presented its revised scoreboard on the implementation of the Tampere European Council conclusions.
Mixed Committee: the Mixed Committee with Norway and Iceland met at ministerial level in the margins of the Council. It noted the existence of two negotiating mandates for the association of Switzerland with the implementation of the Schengen acquis, the Dublin Convention and Eurodac acquis; of a general approach on the proposal for a decision amending Article 40 of the Schengen Convention, subject to parliamentary scrutiny reserves from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom; of conclusions concerning the new requirements for the Schengen Information System (SIS) and a technical solution for the participation in the SIS by the United Kingdom and Ireland, reflecting the partial participation of the United Kingdom and Ireland in Schengen; and of a plan on the management of external borders.
Single Currency
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
(a) whether they will provide details of each section of each Act of Parliament in force relating to any duties and powers of (1) the Bank of England or (2) any Minister of the Crown, which would be transferred to the European Central Bank or other institution of the European Community in the event of full accession of the United Kingdom to the euro monetary system; and
(b) whether they will place details in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: If government, Parliament and the people—in a referendum—decide to join a successful single currency, the transfer of legal responsibility for monetary policy to the European Central Bank would entail changes to the domestic legislation of the United Kingdom governing the formulation and conduct of monetary policy, at least to the extent necessary to ensure compatibility with the EC Treaty and the statute of the ESCB.
Single Currency
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any decision to abolish the pound and adopt the euro would be irrevocable; and, if so, how the constitutional principle that one Parliament cannot bind its successor would be maintained.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I refer the noble Lord to the comments I made during the debate on 24 June 1999 (Official Report, col. 1063).
Malawi
Lord Steel of Aikwood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether their representative on the International Monetary Fund has reported on the demand of the fund that the government of Malawi should sell grain stocks to repay government debt and the effect this has during the current drought and crop failure in the country.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: It has not been a requirement of the International Monetary Fund that Malawi government grain stocks be sold to repay debt, nor has the fund had any role in developing such a policy. The fund programme agreed by the government of Malawi contains no conditions in this regard.
In line with the Malawi government food security policy, government publicly included in their letter of intent to the fund in December 2000 their decision to reduce grain stocks to 60,000 tonnes, from 167,000 tonnes. The letter of intent is a broad government policy document and there is no link between such letters and access to fund resources.
These grain stocks were seen as appropriate for a disaster response, which, when coupled with an early warning system, should have allowed time to import necessary food.
However, the Government of Malawi sold all of their food stocks, which has exacerbated the crisis. This sale has recently been under investigation by the National Audit Office, and it is unclear what happened to the proceeds from these sales.
The Government of Malawi have admitted that the early warning system failed, and the UK Department of International Development is working with others to assist the Government of Malawi in developing a comprehensive long-term national food security strategy.
At the same time, the UK has allocated £13 million to direct support for food import and distribution in Malawi and Zimbabwe, and in addition we have recently committed £45 million for further support through the World Food Programme for NGOs for food distribution and inputs for the next planting season in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland.
IMF: Accountability
Lord Steel of Aikwood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What accountability mechanisms exist for the International Monetary Fund to be answerable to member governments.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The board of governors, on which all member countries are represented, is the highest authority governing the IMF and through which IMF management is held accountable by member governments. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the UK's governor. The board of governors meets once a year at the IMF annual meetings.
The International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), currently chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is the main committee of the board of governors. The IMFC is the main forum for discussing IMF policies at ministerial level. The IMFC meets twice a year at the spring and annual meetings.
On a day-to-day basis the IMF is answerable to the executive board, which is responsible for conducting the business of the fund. There are 24 executive directors representing all member countries through a constituency system. The UK is a single country constituency and the executive director is a senior official from HM Treasury.
The recent establishment of the IMF's Independent Evaluation Office is an important development to enhance the accountability of the IMF. After wide consultation with member governments, the IMF and civil society on the design of their work programme, the IEO intends to publish its first report, on repeat use of fund resources, in time for the annual meetings. The IEO will continue to report regularly to member governments through the IMFC and the executive board.
The Government are also committed to improving the accountability and transparency of the UK's dealings with the IMF. HM Treasury publishes an annual report to Parliament and to the public describing in detail the position taken by the UK on key policies and operations.
RPIX
Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What would be the retail prices index (to two decimal places) excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX) in December 2000, December 2001 and May 2002 if the depreciation of owner-occupied houses, which has been a component of the index since 1995, were to be excluded from 1 January 2000; and how this compares with the RPIX of the relevant months.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated 1 July 2002.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the Retail Prices Index (RPI). Your question asks what the all items RPI excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX) would be in December 2000, December 2001 and May 2002 to two decimal places if the depreciation component were excluded and how this compares with RPIX of the relevant months.[HL4877]
The table below compares index levels for RPIX and RPIX, excluding the depreciation component, for each of the months in question. These indices are shown to one decimal place, the level of accuracy we deem to be of publishable quality.
Selected RPI indices, Jan 1987=100
Month RPIX RPIX excluding depreciation
December 2000 169.3 167.7
December 2001 172.5 170.5
May 2002 175.2 173.0
You might like to note for future reference that these figures are published each month in table 2 of the Consumer Price Indices First Release and on the National Statistics website www.statistics.gov.uk.
Deaths of Privates Benton, James, Gray and Collinson
Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In respect of the deaths of Private Benton in June 1995, Private James in November 1995, Private Gray in September 2001 and Private Collinson in March 2002, what was the precise date of death in each case; where was the body found; on what date was the investigation into death concluded; what was the rank and status of the person in charge of that investigation; whether there was a civil inquest; if so, on what date was that inquest held, and by whom; and what was the finding of that inquest.
Lord Bach: Private Benton died on 9 June 1995; his body was found at the perimeter fence at the Princess Royal Barracks in Deepcut. The death was investigated by Surrey police, with assistance from the Special Investigation Branch Royal Military Police (SIB RMP).The exact date of conclusion is not clear. The coroner's inquest took place on 6 July 1995 and recorded "self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the chest".
Private James died on 27 November 1995; her body was found in a wooded area adjacent to the Royal Way rear gate at the Princess Royal Barracks in Deepcut. The death was investigated by Surrey police, with assistance from SIB RMP. The exact date of conclusion is not clear. A coroner's inquest took place on 21 December 1995 and recorded an open verdict.
Private Gray died on 17 September 2001; his body was found at the perimeter fence adjacent to the Officers' Mess. A coroner's inquest took place on 19 March 2002 and recorded an open verdict.
Private Collinson died on 23 March 2002; his body was found at the perimeter fence of the Officers' Mess. No coroner's inquest has yet taken place.
The deaths of Private Gray and Private Collinson are subject to ongoing investigations by a detective chief inspector of the Surrey police. An Army board of inquiry will be held into each incident in due course, although this cannot take place until the associated police investigations are complete.
Trafalgar
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have, or may have, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the naval victory of Trafalgar in 2005.
Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence is working closely with a number of organisations to develop the Royal Navy's plans for the commemoration of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005. Led by the Official Nelson Commemoration Committee, which brings together the interests of a wide range of maritime museums and associations connected with the Nelson heritage, a national and international programme of cultural and commemorative events is being discussed, among which a number of events involving the Royal Navy are being considered but at this stage it is too early to be precise.
RAF Human Centrifuge Contract: Environmental Tectonics Corporation
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether at the time of the signing of the contract with the Environmental Tectonics Corporation they were aware of any failures by the company to deliver on contracts to supply equipment of a similar kind to other customers.
Lord Bach: At the time of signing the contract for the RAF human centrifuge with the Environmental Tectonics Corporation the Ministry of Defence was unaware of any failures by that company to deliver on contracts to supply equipment of a similar kind to other customers.
RAF Human Centrifuge Contract: Environmental Tectonics Corporation
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the in-service date expected for the RAF human centrifuge project at the time of the signing of the contract with Environmental Tectonics Corporation.
Lord Bach: The contractual date at which the Environmental Tectonics Corporation human centrifuge was to have been taken into service by the Ministry of Defence was 28 October 1999. This date has remained unchanged since the signing of the contract.
RAF Human Centrifuge Contract: Environmental Tectonics Corporation
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they first became aware of the inability of Environmental Tectonics Corporation to fulfil the contract for the RAF human centrifuge, and
What is the total expenditure to date on the RAF human centrifuge project.
Lord Bach: This information is the subject of legal proceedings between the Ministry of Defence and the company and as a result I am withholding this information in accordance with Exemption 4 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information which relates to legal proceedings.
RAF Human Centrifuge Contract: Environmental Tectonics Corporation
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any payments have been made to Environmental Tectonics Corporation in respect of the RAF human centrifuge project.
Lord Bach: I can confirm that, in accordance with the contract, payments have been made to the Environmental Tectonics Corporation in respect of the RAF human centrifuge project.
RAF Human Centrifuge Contract: Environmental Tectonics Corporation
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 29 May (WA150), whether the sentence "We anticipate that the costs for the new project will be in line with the original costs for the programme" is intended to mean that the total of the expenditure on the aborted contract to date and of the new proposed contract for the RAF human centrifuge will be no more than that expected for the original aborted contract.
Lord Bach: The meaning of the sentence "We anticipate that the costs for the new project will be in line with the original costs for the programme" is that the anticipated total expenditure on the new proposed contract for the RAF human centrifuge will be no more than that on the original aborted contract with Environmental Tectonics Corporation. This does not include payments made to ETC in accordance with the original contract prior to its termination, as these are currently the subject of legal proceedings.
Courts Martial
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many occasions, for the last 12 month period for which records are available, members of the Armed Forces have elected for trial by court martial rather than accept summary jurisdiction but no court martial was subsequently initiated by the appropriate service prosecuting authority; and, if no records are kept, why not.
Lord Bach: During the period 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001, the Naval Prosecuting Authority decided not to proceed with trial by court martial in 11 instances where personnel had elected for trial by court martial rather than accept summary justice. In the Royal Air Force, where personnel elected for trial by court martial rather than accept summary jurisdiction, all the cases referred during 2001 proceeded to court martial. The Army Prosecuting Authority has approximately 750 cases per year referred to it for a decision on whether to proceed to court martial, but its records do not separately identify those where the individual has elected for trial by court martial. Arrangements will be made to collect this information in future.
Courts Martial
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many members of the Armed Forces have been awaiting court martial for: (a) up to eight weeks; (b) between eight weeks and 16 weeks; (c) between 16 and 26 weeks; and (d) between 26 weeks and 52 weeks; and, if no records are kept, why not.
Lord Bach: As at 31 May 2002, the numbers of Armed Forces personnel awaiting court martial are as recorded below. The periods of time were calculated from when commanding officers received court martial papers to serve on the accused.
Naval Service
Up to 8 weeks—15
8–16 weeks—46
16–26 weeks—15
26–52 weeks—8
Royal Air Force
Up to 8 weeks—25
8–16 weeks—101
16–26 weeks—3
26–52 weeks—1
Army
The numbers of Army personnel awaiting court martial is not recorded in weeks. To require it to be so would incur disproportionate effort. However, the information is available in the following quarterly format:
Up to 3 months—107
3–6 months—122
6–9 months—229
9–12 months—162
12–15 months—111
15–18 months—50
The Army has implemented a number of initiatives to shorten the waiting time in bringing cases to court martial. These include an improved monitoring system, prioritising investigations into more serious cases, a more flexible assize system to allow better use of court time and the establishment of an Office for Standards of Casework (Army) under a brigadier to monitor casework processes and promote improvements. The Army is fully committed to reducing further the time taken to bring cases to court.
ASTUTE Class Submarines
Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Where the ASTUTE class submarines will be based.
Lord Bach: Both the first and second batches of ASTUTE class submarines will be based at HM Naval Base Clyde. The first batch is already on order and a decision on the procurement of the second batch of up to three further ASTUTE class submarines is expected later this year.
Strategic Sealift Capability
Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made toward finalising the arrangements for the UK's future military strategic sealift capability.
Lord Bach: We are pleased to announce that negotiations with AWSR Shipping Ltd have been concluded and a PFI contract that will run until 2024 has been signed. The full service will be available from 2003. AWSR will provide, operate, maintain and manage six roll-on-roll-off vessels and supply crews for the whole of the period of their contract; 180 new jobs for British seafarers will be created. After a phase-in period, crews will be sponsored reserves. Based on a projected usage, the service is worth some £950 million, of which some £800 million is likely to be spent in the United Kingdom.
All six ships will not be needed all the time for Ministry of Defence work. When not engaged on MoD tasks they will be available for commercial trade.
The service will play a central role in fulfilling our Strategic Defence Review commitment to enhance the Armed Forces' equipment lift requirements and allow the movement of the joint rapid reaction forces quickly to overseas theatres as required.
Radioactive Waste
Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What advice they have received from the Royal Society on the management of existing radioactive waste from nuclear power stations and military activities; what is this response; and whether existing arrangements are adequate.
Lord Whitty: The Royal Society responded on 12 March to the consultation paper Managing radioactive waste safety published last September by the Government and the devolved administrations. A copy of this response has been placed in the Library of the House.
Our paper said that we must decide how we are going to manage up to 500,000 tonnes of solid radioactive waste over the next several thousand years and it proposed a programme of action for reaching that decision. We are now evaluating the outcome of the consultation. We shall shortly publish a summary of responses and announce what we plan to do next.
Small Farmers: EU Subsidy Scheme
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' departmental report 2002, why there is any need to consider whether to implement the European Union's simplified scheme for payment of subsidies to small farmers.
Lord Whitty: The Government believe that the scheme offers the welcome possibility of simplifying subsidy claims for a small number of English farmers. However, there is a need to consider whether the significant costs of implementation represent the best use of available resources within the department at this particular time. I expect to make a final decision later in the summer.
Casualty Watch Surveys
Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they believe that national Casualty Watch surveys are valuable; and, if so, which body or bodies are expected to carry out such surveys once community health councils have been abolished.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government give careful consideration to Casualty Watch surveys but they need to be considered alongside other evidence to give a full picture of the patient experience of the National Health Service.
Patient surveys and reports from patients forums will in the future provide this evidence locally. Nationally the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health will be able to ask patients forums across the country to carry out Casualty Watch type activity. This activity will not be limited to looking at accident and emergency departments; rather it will be able to review any issue that is of national concern following a review of patients forums annual activities. These reviews will therefore reflect the matters that are important to patients and will not be limited to single issues determined by the centre. The commission will be able to report its findings to the Secretary of State for Health and any other body it deems appropriate.
Mixed Sex Wards
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked her Majesty's Government:
What is their definition of a mixed sex ward and a single sex ward; and
Whether each hospital trust or individual hospital is free to use its own criteria as to what constitutes a single sex ward or whether there are guidelines laid down which are to applied to all National Health Service hospitals; and
Whether, where mixed sex wards exist, patients are given the opportunity to refuse treatment in them in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Department of Health; and
Whether inspections of hospitals are undertaken to assess the progress of eliminating mixed sex wards; and whether regular reports are made to Ministers on the results of those inspections; and
Whether all mixed sex wards in the National Health Service hospitals, other than intensive care units, will have been eliminated by 31 December 2002; and, if not, why not.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have set a target of December 2002 for the provision of single sex accommodation in 95 per cent of trusts.
Guidance on maintaining privacy and dignity was first issued to the service in 1997 and since then trusts have been working towards clear targets to eliminate mixed sex accommodation.
There are three targets that trusts are working towards. These are:
ensuring that appropriate organisational arrangements are in place to secure good standards of privacy and dignity for hospital patients;
achieving fully the Patient's Charter standard for segregated washing and toilet facilities across the NHS;
providing safe facilities for patients in hospital who are mentally ill which safeguard their privacy and dignity.
Guidance is set out in EL(97)3 and EL(97)53. A monitoring tool was issued with HSC 1998/143. In addition, guidance on achieving single sex accommodation Enhancing Privacy and Dignity has been issued to the NHS, together with Health Building Notes and Design Guides HBM 4 In-patient accommodation—Options for Choice. The guidance provides NHS trusts with design solutions for new accommodation to meet the requirements of privacy, dignity and safety.
The Government define appropriate levels of privacy and dignity as being wards split into single sex bays, or single rooms, with associated single sex toilet facilities.
The majority of hospital wards are usually subdivided into bays and single rooms which are designated as male or female and are therefore able to care for men and women without compromising privacy and dignity. Each NHS trust will decide how to configure their wards to meet local needs and case mix demands and to reflect the design of the ward.
It is the responsibility of each NHS trust to manage patient admissions in such a manner as to ensure that patient privacy is protected. Guidance on maintaining patient privacy and dignity was issued to the service in 1997. This advises that patients are given the opportunity to request alternative accommodation where accommodation offered is shared by men and women. Where a patient refuses admission into hospital because of shared accommodation, a further admission date into appropriate segregated accommodation is offered.
Borderline Substances Advisory Committee
Lord Naseby: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How long it normally takes the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances to assess a case and make a decision.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances meets three times a year to consider applications from companies. Decisions are taken immediately on applications which are supported by satisfactory evidence. The committee may reject other applications or request further evidence. Applications or additional evidence are not considered outside the cycle of regular meetings.
Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 22 January 2002 (HL Deb, col. 120) and the adult stem cell research carried out by Professor Verfaillie and her team and published today in Nature Online, whether they conclude that embryonic stem cell research should now stop.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Verfaillie paper is one of two papers published in Nature Online which report developments in stem cell research. In contrast, the other reports encouraging findings using embryonic stem cells in a mouse model of Parkinson's Disease.
Government policy remains that stem cell research should be a priority area. The Government believe strongly that no single source of stem cells should be worked upon exclusively but wish to see research continue to move forward on adult, cord blood, fetal and embryonic stem cells.
The licensing of individual projects involving embryo research is a matter for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which will assess whether the use or creation of human embryos is necessary.
Government Documents: Availability to Peers
The Duke of Montrose: asked the Leader of the House:
Whether he will take steps to ensure that Members of this House can obtain properly printed government documents when they are required for consideration in this House rather than being forced to print out those documents from departmental websites.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Current practice on which documents government departments and agencies send to the House of Lords, and in which form they are supplied, varies from department to department and among the various government agencies.
In my view, any document mentioned on the House of Lords Order Paper should be available to Members of the House in every form in which it is available, be that as a printed document, a website download or even a CD-ROM.
To this end I have written to Sir Richard Wilson today suggesting that coherent guidance should be given to all government departments and agencies that whenever a document they produce is mentioned on the House of Lords Order Paper, or is likely to be of particular interest to the House, adequate copies of that document should be sent to the Printed Paper Office, I have asked Sir Richard to cascade this guidance down through the various permanent secretaries and agency chief executives.
Electoral Commission: Accountability
Lord Lipsey: asked the Leader of the House:
Who in the House of Lords is responsible for answering Questions on the Electoral Commission.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Accountability arrangements for the Electoral Commission are governed by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. Section 1 of the Act sets up the Electoral Commission as a statutory body independent of government. As such, the Act makes no provision for ministerial accountability. However, Section 2 of the Act establishes a Speaker's Committee with powers to approve the commission's five-year plan and estimates. Schedule 2 to the Act makes provision for the Speaker's Committee to report to the House of Commons. The Act makes no corresponding provision requiring any report to be made to this House either by a Minister or by the Speaker's Committee. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2002-07-01a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2002",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Abortion
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 22 October (WA 1), what is the legal basis on which the duty to provide abortion services for women living in Northern Ireland has been delegated to primary care trusts; whether primary care trusts are able to discharge that duty for all such women patients or only specified categories of women patients; and, if so, for what categories.
Earl Howe: The Secretary of State has a duty under Section 3 of the National Health Service Act 2006 to provide a variety of secondary care services to such extent as he considers necessary to meet all reasonable requirements. This duty is delegated to primary care trusts (PCTs) in Regulation 3(2) of, and Part 2 of Schedule 1 to, the National Health Service (Functions of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts and administration arrangements) (England) Regulations 2002 ("the Regulations").
Regulation 3(7) of the regulations sets out who a PCT is responsible for exercising functions (including the Section 3 duty) in respect of. Under Regulation 3(7), there are two sets of limited circumstances in which PCTs would be able to exercise their delegated functions to provide abortion services to women resident in Northern Ireland. The first is set out in Regulation 3(7)(a)(iii), which provides that a PCT shall exercise its delegated functions in so far as those functions consist of the provision (or securing the provision) of certain services to "qualifying patients" resident in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland who are present in its area and do not fall under the responsibility of another PCT. This essentially covers persons resident in the above countries with serious mental illness who are present in a PCT's area. The second is set out in Regulation 3(7)(b)(i), which provides that a PCT must exercise its delegated functions in so far as those functions consist of the provision (or securing the provision) of accident and emergency services for the benefit of all persons resident in its area.
A PCT's functions under Regulation 3(7)(a)(iii) will clearly be exercisable only in respect of the limited number of women who fall within that provision. A PCT's functions under Regulation 3(7)(b)(i) will be exercisable in respect of any person present in the PCT's area.
There is no absolute right for a patient to receive particular treatment under the NHS. A PCT has delegated powers to provide abortion services to a woman who is ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland but present in the PCT's area in so far as that provision falls within Regulation 3(7)(a)(iii) or (b)(i) and is considered by the PCT to be necessary to meet all reasonable requirements. The PCT can take into account all relevant factors in deciding what is necessary to meet all reasonable requirements. Each PCT, in exercising the delegated duty in relation to abortion services, will make its own judgment whether to provide treatment to a woman resident in Northern Ireland, based on the circumstances of each case.
Abortion
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 December (WA 268), whether they will collect data on the sex of unborn babies aborted after 10 weeks gestation; and why they do not collect that data already.
Earl Howe: Work is in progress to monitor gender ratios at birth following a recent report by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. While the overall United Kingdom birth ratio is within normal limits, analysis of birth data for the calendar years from 2007 to 2011 has found the gender ratios at birth vary by mothers' country of birth. For the majority of groups, this variation is the result of small numbers of births and does not persist between years.
However, for a very small number of countries of birth there are indications that birth ratios may differ from the UK as a whole and potentially fall outside of the range considered possible without intervention. However, it is possible that this is also the product of natural variation. Monitoring of this issue will continue.
Identifying the gender of aborted foetuses over 10 weeks' gestation raises ethical and clinical issues. We have no plans to introduce such a practice.
Adoption
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many newborn babies were available for adoption during the past 12 months for which figures are available.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: Information on the number of newborn babies available for adoption is not collected by the department. Information is collected on the number of looked-after children for whom the decision has been made by the local authority that it would be in the child's best interests to be placed for adoption. The number of looked-after children aged under 1 at 31 March 2012 and with such an adoption decision in place was 3,670. A further 50 children aged under 1 at 31 March 2012 were placed for adoption with the consent of parents or guardians.
Of the 3,670 looked-after children with an adoption decision in place, 560 had also become the subject of a placement order in the year ending 31 March 2012.
Afghanistan
The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the Government of Afghanistan regarding the protection that is currently given to United Kingdom-managed or United Kingdom-supported official aid and development programmes by British or NATO and International Security Assistance Force armed forces which are due to be withdrawn after 2014.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any UK-supported Afghan aid projects in the voluntary sector currently receive protection from British or NATO and International Security Assistance Force Armed Forces; and what provision has been made for their future protection after 2014.
Baroness Northover: One UK-supported development programme is protected by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops. The FCO-funded infrastructure project "Route 611" is scheduled for completion before ISAF forces redeploy at the end of 2014 whereupon ownership will transfer to the Afghan Government. The UK Government are in regular contact with the Afghan Government, in Helmand and Kabul, to ensure that adequate funding is provided for future operation and maintenance of all current UK development projects transferring to Afghan ownership.
Agriculture: Soil Management
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they contributed to the World Soil Day on 5 December organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the subsequent 3-day technical workshop on Sustainable Soil Management; and whether anyone from the United Kingdom took part.
Lord De Mauley: The Government did not take any specific action to contribute to World Soil Day 2012. Nevertheless, the Government continue to raise awareness and knowledge of soils issues through, for example, close working with farming stakeholders and research councils.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) technical workshop on sustainable soil management was attended by the President of the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS). Defra is continuing to liaise with the BSSS on the development of the Global Soils Partnership, which is being taken forward under the auspices of the FAO.
Agriculture: Soil Management
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their definition of a healthy soil; and whether they intend to develop that definition further for the purposes of the common agricultural policy reform.
Lord De Mauley: There is presently no agreed definition of a healthy soil and we do not intend to develop one for the purposes of common agricultural policy reform. However, research has been carried out to define quantitatively the properties of soils that support different ecosystem services and we are continuing to fund further research in this area. The Government's vision for soils is set out in the Natural Environment White Paper 2011, The Natural Choice. This states that by 2030 we want all of England's soils to be managed sustainably and degradation threats tackled successfully in order to safeguard their ability to provide essential ecosystem services and functions for future generations.
Airports: Gatwick and Heathrow
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Institute of Directors' report into airport expansion at Gatwick and Heathrow.
Earl Attlee: The Government's position on expansion at Heathrow and Gatwick airports remains unchanged and as set out in our coalition agreement.
We have, however, appointed Sir Howard Davies to chair an independent commission to identify and recommend to Government options for maintaining the UK's status as a leading global aviation hub.
I would encourage the Institute of Directors to submit any relevant evidence on such matters to the Airports Commission.
Airports: Security
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what regulatory system applies in respect of security for passengers at airports; and what are the risks which any such system is intended to mitigate.
Earl Attlee: The European Union has competence in the field of aviation security. Accordingly, UK airports are subject to European regulations that set common rules for safeguarding civil aviation.
In addition, the UK has a number of requirements in place over and above those common rules (known as more stringent measures); these are regulated under powers contained in the Aviation Security Act 1982.
The regime is designed to mitigate the risk of acts of unlawful interference with civil aviation, primarily arising from the terrorist threat.
Airports: Security
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they determine the adequacy of security arrangements at foreign airports; and on what risks their determination is based.
Earl Attlee: Internationally, civil aviation is overseen by ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organisation), a specialist body of the UN. Under the ICAO treaty the responsibility for aviation security lies with host states. In order to validate this, ICAO carries out a programme to audit aviation security in each state. The results of these audits are confidential to the state and ICAO.
The Department for Transport maintains a small network of overseas liaison officers who work with states in Africa, the Middle East and Asia to share UK experience and improve aviation security. Their views, along with information from other sources and advice from the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, enable the department to establish a view of risk and consequently to provide appropriate advice to UK air carriers on security measures at the foreign airports that they operate to.
Armed Forces: Afghanistan
The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many projects currently supported by the Ministry of Defence in Afghanistan will qualify or be proposed for funding from the Department for International Development after 2014; and whether new defence projects such as the officers' academy will qualify for Department for International Development funding.
Baroness Northover: There are no plans to transfer existing Ministry of Defence (MoD) projects to the Department for International Development ownership. MoD funding arrangements for the Officer Academy are still to be confirmed but we expect these to be discussed as part of next year's Comprehensive Spending Review.
Arms Trade Treaty
The Lord Bishop of Wakefield: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to build international support for the draft text of an arms trade treaty following negotiations at the United Nations in July 2012.
Baroness Warsi: The UK played a leading role in securing a resolution at the UN 1st Committee last month. The resolution calls for the convening of a diplomatic conference from 18-28 March 2013 to finalise work on the treaty. An overwhelming majority of states (157) voted for the resolution, including the US, China and India, with only 18 countries abstaining and none voting against.
We have begun to discuss the draft text from the July conference with stakeholders in the non-governmental organisations community, industry and key allies. With a clear set of priorities established, we will then work intensively to build the necessary consensus around them in advance of the March conference.
Arts: Funding
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of central funding for the arts in the financial years 2011-12 and 2012-13 was (1) for capital programmes, and (2) for revenue support.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is unable to provide details of potential funding provided for the arts across all of government, as this information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, the funding DCMS provided to Arts Council England (ACE) in the financial years 2011-12 and 2012-13 can be found in the following table.
Capital Programmes and % of total funding Revenue Support and % of total funding Total
2011-12 (outturn) £13.032m (3%) £376.669m (97%) £389.701m
2012-13 (budget) £21.271m (6%) £346.408m (94%) £367.679m
These figures exclude funding from the Department for Education for cultural education programmes, museums capital and revenue funding and restructuring costs in 2012-13. Revenue support includes administration costs.
In addition to the funding provided to ACE, DCMS provided the following funding to support the arts.
Capital Programmes and % of total funding Revenue Support and % of total funding Total
2011-12 (outturn) £0.761m (35%) £1.437m (65%) £2.198m
2012-13 (budget) £0m £1.025m (100%) £1.025m
Asylum Seekers
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum applications had been outstanding for more than 12 months in each year from 2008 to 2011; and how many have currently been outstanding for more than 12 months.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The numbers of asylum applications made between 2008 and 2011 that had been outstanding for more than 12 months before an initial decision, by year, are shown in the attached table. The applications referred to in the data are not necessarily still outstanding.
Asylum applications made 2008 to 7 May 2011 from main applicants outstanding for more than 12 months
Year in which application made Number of applications outstanding for more than 12 months Total main applicants
2008 5,101 25,932
2009 2,772 24,487
2010 526 17,916
1 Jan to 7 May 2011 295 6,722
Notes: Information on the length of time cases have been outstanding has to be derived from existing data on the systems as follows:
1. The asylum applications made 2008 to 7 May 2011 by main applicants outstanding for more than 12 months have been derived from data published as National Statistics in Table as.06. They have been derived by taking the number of applicants who applied that year and then checking whether they had an initial decision within 365 days of their application. If they did not have an initial decision at this point, we considered their application as outstanding. The 2011 data relate only to applications between January and 7 May 2011 as the previously published data were extracted from CID on 7 May 2012, so applications after this point would all have been outstanding for less than a year.
Data from 2011 onwards are provisional figures.
Source: Table as.06 (extracted 7 May 2012) - Immigration Statistics July - September 2012
These figures are a subset of published data on the outcome analysis of asylum applications, based on the year of application in the release "Immigration Statistics, July to September 2012", which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office science website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q3-2012/
The number of asylum applications currently outstanding for more than 12 months is 2,135. This figure is a subset of published data in the above publication and has been derived by looking at asylum claims that were pending an initial decision on the 30th September 2012, as published in Table as.01.q, and calculating for how many the application date was prior to 30th September 2011.
Asylum Seekers
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what methods they are using to improve the quality of first decisions in asylum applications by women.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The UK Border Agency is committed to improving the management of asylum claims from women and this includes improving the quality of decisions in these cases. In October 2010 the agency published revised guidance to decision-makers on gender-based claims and, recently, the agency has implemented a programme of mandatory training on gender issues to those decision-makers.
Both guidance and training were developed in conjunction with corporate partners, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Asylum Aid. The agency has also carried out a thematic review of decisions in gender-based cases and is using the outcomes from the review to plan further improvements, working with corporate partners to do this. In addition, the agency has embarked on a major review of the way in which information and advice is provided to asylum applicants throughout the process. This includes specifically looking at the journey of women through the process.
The agency continues to measure quality by auditing 10% of first-instance asylum decisions but it is in the process of developing its "next generation" quality framework, which will broaden the scope of what is measured to ensure compliance across the system.
Bank of England
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a nominal gross domestic product target for the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England.
Lord Sassoon: The Chancellor set the Monetary Policy Committee its remit, at Budget 2012, to target inflation of 2%, as measured by the 12-month increase in the consumer prices index. The Government have no plans to change the inflation targeting framework.
Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether retail deposits with a bank within the proposed regulatory ring-fence will continue to be subject to a maximum limit on claims under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Compensation Scheme will continue to provide protection for up to £85,000 per depositor, per authorised institution.
The level of protection is set out in the EU Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive, which sets a maximum harmonised limit of €100,000. In line with this, the UK limit is £85,000.
Banking: European Central Bank
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact on the United Kingdom banking industry of the establishment of a new supervisory role for the European Central Bank over large banks in the eurozone.
Lord Sassoon: The Prime Minister's Statement to the House of Commons on 17 December 20121 on the outcome of the December European Council and the Government's Explanatory Memorandum on European Union Documents No. 13682/12, 13683/12 and 12854/12, on the Commission's proposal for a Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM), set out the following key points:
the current allocation of competencies between home and host supervisor and the member state of the banking group would not change;in terms of its regulatory impact, the new supervisory structure may result in additional costs for entities which have operations in participating member states-such as complying with additional requests for information from the European Central Bank (ECB), as well as relevant national competent authorities. However, these costs are anticipated to be small, relative to the benefits to be derived from the establishment of the SSM, in terms of strengthened supervision within the eurozone; andin terms of its financial impact, credit institution subsidiaries of UK firms established in participating member states would fund the new supervisory function of the ECB through payment of a levy. At least some of the cost could be offset by a reduction in the levy charged to finance national regulators.
1 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121217/debtext/121217-0001.htm#1212174000003
Banking: European Central Bank
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether United Kingdom banks will be free to opt to be regulated by the European Central Bank (ECB) rather than the Bank of England or its Prudential Regulatory Authority; and whether they have considered the implications for the competitiveness of United Kingdom banks if the ECB sets lower requirements for capital and liquidity.
Lord Newby: United Kingdom banks will not be free to opt to be regulated by the European Central Bank (ECB) rather than the Bank of England or its Prudential Regulatory Authority. The Government have taken into consideration the implications for the competitiveness of the United Kingdom banks and will keep the position under review.
Banks: Iceland
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been repaid to the United Kingdom by or in respect of each of the failed Icelandic banks; how much is still owed by each bank; and what steps they are taking to ensure repayment.
Lord Sassoon: The Government expect full recovery of the amount that Iceland is liable for, regarding failed banks. Information on payments in respect of Icelandic banks can be found in Sections 30, 31 and 33 of the Treasury annual reports and accounts 2011-121.
During 2011-12, the administrator for Icesave paid out dividends to HM Treasury and the FSCS of £1.3 billion. Of this, £0.4 billion was used by the Financial Service Compensation Scheme to repay part of the loan with HM Treasury, £0.7 billion was allocated to the Depositors' and Investors' Guarantee Fund share of the loan and the remaining £0.2 billion was used to reimburse HM Treasury for its statutory debt payments for deposit balances in excess of £50,000.
Negotiations with Iceland over the terms of a loan agreement in respect of the compensation paid to UK depositors of Icesave, the UK branch of Landsbanki hf, are ongoing. Progress is currently suspended pending the outcome of proceedings by the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Surveillance Authority against Iceland in the EFTA Court in respect of Iceland's alleged failure to meet its legal obligations to UK and Dutch depositors under the EU deposit guarantee directive.
1 www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/hmt_annual_report_2012.pdf
Banks: Lending
Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what rate of interest is paid by banks for funds under the funding for loans scheme; and to what extent interest rate reductions have been passed on to consumers through lower interest rates.
Lord Sassoon: The amount that banks participating in the Funding for Lending Scheme can borrow from the Bank of England and the fee they pay for it are linked to their lending performance to UK households and businesses. Banks that maintain or increase their net lending pay a fee of 0.25% per year. Banks that decrease lending pay an additional 0.25% for each percentage point reduction in net lending, up to a maximum of 1.5%, in the case where lending falls by more than 5%.
It is still too early to judge the impact of the scheme on lending rates. However, mortgage rates quoted by banks have reduced by up to 0.4 percentage points since June 2012.
Benefits
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Department for Work and Pensions benefit centres handle appeals against decisions to place recipients of the employment and support allowance in the work-related activity group, and related matters; and, in each case, (1) how many appeals are outstanding, and (2) how long they expect to take to deal with the current backlog.
Lord Freud: There are currently 39 centres handling employment and support allowance appeals within the network of benefit centres.
The work position is managed across the network and therefore the individual position of benefit centres can be misleading as the work can be moved to sites with more capacity.
Additional resource has recently been moved into the benefit centre network to assist with the high volumes of appeals that have been received and it is currently expected that work volumes outstanding will return to normal levels by the end of July 2013 on a national basis.
This position is constantly being reviewed with an aim to reducing the outstanding work at the earliest opportunity.
Benefits
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children under 16 live in households with working and non-working parents respectively who will be affected by the proposed 1% cap in benefit increases.
Lord Freud: Assessments of impacts will accompany the uprating order for 2013 and the forthcoming uprating Bill.
Benefits
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 17 December (WA 270), why the information on the European Union nationality of recipients of child benefits is not available; how they assess and record a claimant's status as ordinarily resident and having a right to reside in the United Kingdom; and whether such details can be accumulated and extrapolated.
Lord Deighton: Nationality is not a condition of entitlement to child benefit, so it is not recorded or retained in the relevant computer system.
The factors which HMRC take into account when it assesses whether a claimant is ordinarily resident and has a right to reside in the United Kingdom are summarised in public guidance which is published on the departmental website1.
The criteria for being ordinarily resident in the UK to receive child benefit are to:
have the main home in the UK;have chosen to live and settle here; andonly go abroad for short periods, for example, on holiday.
The criteria for having the right to reside in the UK to receive child benefit are for a person to be:
a UK national;
from the Channel Islands;
from the Isle of Man; or
from the Republic of Ireland.
More detailed information about ordinary residence and the right to reside is contained in the HMRC Child Benefit Technical Manual, which is also published on HMRC's website2.
However, details of ordinary residence and the right to reside in individual cases are not retained in a format that can be accumulated and extrapolated.
1 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/childbenefit/start/who-qualifies/ new-arrivals-uk.htm
2 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/cbtmanual/CBTM10020.htm and http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/cbtmanual/CBTM10070.htm
Benefits
Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average time taken to process applications for disability living allowance; whether there is a target time within which those applications should be processed; and, if so, what proportion of applications meet that target.
Lord Freud: The latest Average Actual Clearance Time for processing DLA claims is 28.4 days at November year to date (April to November 2012). However, there is no set target for this measure.
When reporting clearance times, the department uses a timeband measure of 79% of claims cleared in 40 days. Against this target we are currently reporting 79.3% in the month for November and 76.8% year to date (April to November 2012).
Burma
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Burma regarding the allegations of rape of women by Burmese military forces in Rohingya.
Baroness Warsi: We have received many reports of human rights abuses in Rakhine State since the outbreak of violence in June, including reports that allege the involvement of government security forces in the rape of Rohingya women and girls.
During his recent visit to Burma, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised our concerns with the Burmese Foreign Minister, U Wunna Maung Lwin, and requested support for the Foreign Secretary's preventing sexual violence initiative. During his visit to Rakhine State, Mr Swire met local government officials and delivered strong messages on human rights including on ensuring that those accused of human rights abuses are held to account.
The publication of the report by the investigative commission that was set up to probe the causes of the violence in Rakhine State has been delayed so that the commission can incorporate its findings on the violence of late October. It will be important for investigations into alleged atrocities, including rape, to be transparent and thorough, ensuring that those who have committed crimes are held to account for their actions.
Burma
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Bangladesh regarding provision of assistance to Rohingyan refugees.
Baroness Warsi: The Government raise regularly the issue of Rohingya refugees and the importance of continuing humanitarian aid with the Government of Bangladesh. Our high commissioner in Dhaka raised the issue on 11 November with senior interlocutors in the Bangladesh Government and wrote on the issue to the Bangladesh Prime Minister's office on 15 August. Officials from our high commission have previously visited the camps for displaced Rohingyas. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised this issue during a meeting with the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, on 28 July and the then Secretary of State for the Department for International Development (DfID), my right honourable friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), raised it in a meeting with the Prime Minister on 12 August. I also discussed our concerns with Dipu Moni, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, earlier this month.
We have also raised the issue of Rohingya refugees with the Government of Bangladesh as part of a recent EU demarche. DfID continues to provide core contributions to the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department and UN agencies that directly support the Rohingya community. In October DfID allocated £2 million in humanitarian funding to communities affected by the unrest in Rakhine.
We also continue to seek every opportunity to raise our concerns about the treatment of the Rohingya directly with the Burmese Government not only in Burma but also in international fora such as the UN in New York, the EU and at the recent Asia-Europe summit in Laos.
The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), visited Burma from 12-15 December. In meetings with the Burmese Government, both at national and local level, he pressed for increased humanitarian aid access to all communities in need, for those responsible for the violence to be brought to account, and for a long-term solution to the issues affecting the Rohingya. He visited Rakhine State to see for himself the situation on the ground, speaking to victims of the violence in three camps for internally displaced people and to local political and religious leaders.
Burma
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the most recent violence in Arakan State in Burma.
Baroness Warsi: The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), visited Burma, including Rakhine State, between 12 and 15 December. He was able to see conditions in five camps and settlements for internally displaced persons in Rakhine, including camps at Myebon and Pauktaw.
Our assessment is that the violence in Rakhine State has been driven primarily by decades-long inter-communal tensions between communities in western Burma. The estimate from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs on 12 December was that 115,000 people have been displaced by violence during 2012; 36,000 of these from the incidents in October. An unverified number of people have been killed, with official figures from the Burmese Government in the region of 80 people, but it is not possible to confirm numbers precisely. The majority of killed and displaced were from the Rohingya community, though the Rakhine community has also been affected. Efforts to establish dialogue between community leaders have so far met with little success.
In meetings with the Burmese Government, both at national and local level, Hugo Swire pressed for increased humanitarian aid access to all communities in need, for those responsible for the violence to be brought to account, including where security forces had been implicated, and for a long-term solution to the issues affecting the Rohingya to include consideration of the issue of citizenship.
Burma
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Burma regarding the ongoing violence in Rakhine/Arakan State.
Baroness Warsi: From 12 to 15 December the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), visited Burma. In meetings with the Burmese Government, both at a national level and in Rakhine State itself, he pressed for increased humanitarian aid access to all communities in need, for those responsible for the violence to be brought to account, including where security forces had been implicated, and for a long-term solution to the issues affecting the Rohingya to include consideration of the issue of citizenship.
The UK remains one of the most vocal members of the international community on the issues in Rakhine State. We continue to seek every opportunity to raise our concerns directly with the Burmese Government not only in Burma-including during the visits of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and the Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), earlier this year-but also through international fora such as the UN in New York, the EU and at the Asia-Europe summit in Laos.
Burma
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for an International Peace Mission to Burma.
Baroness Warsi: The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), visited Rakhine on 14 and 15 December, where he met communities affected by the violence and urged the Burmese authorities to ensure both security and humanitarian access across Rakhine State. The Burmese Government have, to date, allowed 19 separate visits by independent observers from foreign Governments and international organisations to visit the areas affected by the violence. Officials from our embassy, including our ambassador, led the first independent diplomatic mission to Rakhine State in early October, and visited again in early November.
Given the levels of international access to the area, and the Burmese Government's establishment of an investigative commission to look into the events in Rakhine State, the British Government will await the Commission's recommendations, and will work with the Burmese authorities accordingly. We judge that to call for an International Peace Mission at this time would pre-empt the Burmese Government's own commission.
Burma
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for the establishment of a United Nations Commission of Enquiry in Burma to consider the ongoing violence in Rakhine/Arakan State; and whether they have taken steps to promote the establishment of such a body.
Baroness Warsi: During his recent visit to Rakhine State the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), discussed in detail the drivers of the recent violence in Rakhine State with the Burmese authorities and leaders of affected Rohingya and Rakhine communities. In the course of his visit the Minister welcomed the formation of an independent investigative commission by the Burmese Government into the causes of the violence. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), also made clear that, for the commission to be credible, it needed to involve a consultative process with all the affected communities, including the Rohingya, and that any investigations into alleged atrocities should be transparent and thorough, ensuring that those who have committed crimes are held to account for their actions. We are awaiting the initial findings of the Commission's report, due in March 2013.
In a statement on 17 November, the UN Secretary General welcomed the positive steps made by President Thein Sein, including the Burmese Government's intention to ensure that the perpetrators of violence are held to account. UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Baroness Amos, has recently returned from a visit to Rakhine State. The UN has not made the case for a commission of inquiry at this time. The UN is planning a roundtable discussion in Burma in early 2013, in order to address the issues in Rakhine State and the plight of the Rohingya community specifically. The UK will continue take an active role in this discussion and any further UN initiatives.
Burma
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian needs of those displaced by conflict in Kachin State, Burma.
Baroness Northover: I refer the noble Baroness to the Answer that my honourable friend the Minister of State, Alan Duncan, gave to the honourable Member for Walsall South (Valerie Vaz) on 22 November (Official Report, col. 607W). Negotiations between the Burmese Government and Kachin representatives for full international access to areas controlled by the Kachin Independence Army have continued since then, but remain difficult.
Burma
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Burma about the cessation of conflict in Kachin State and ensuring humanitarian access to all internally displaced people.
Baroness Warsi: The Government are concerned by the ongoing conflict between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Burmese military. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), visited Burma from 12 to 15 December 2012. He raised the UK's concerns with the Burmese Minister of Defence, Lt General Wai Lwin, and Minister Aung Min, the lead government negotiator for the peace process. Mr Swire urged the Burmese Government to push for a ceasefire and begin constructive dialogue with the KIA. He also pressed the Burmese Government to ensure humanitarian access to all conflict-affected populations in Kachin State.
The Department for International Development has allocated £3.5 million to support humanitarian needs in Kachin, helping to meet the needs of internally displaced people, primarily in border camps not controlled by the Government. The aid will help meet their food security, shelter, water, sanitation, health and bedding needs.
Burma
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider funding established local non-governmental organisations to provide aid to areas in Shan, Kachin, and Rakhine states in Burma which international non-governmental organisations cannot reach due to government restrictions.
Baroness Northover: The Department for International Development (DfID) selects delivery partners on a case-by-case basis according to whom we judge is best able to deliver what is required. The additional support for Kachin, agreed this month by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State, will be implemented by an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), Trocaire, working closely with a local organisation, Karuna Myanmar Social Services (KMSS). In Rakhine State, DfID's humanitarian assistance will be delivered by a consortium of international NGOs, but we will continue to monitor the situation, in case opportunities to work with local NGOs arise. DfID also supports the Shan Women's Action Network who work in Thailand to support the needs of people displaced by conflict in Shan State.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what approach they have taken to help local councils tackle the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning when using Warm Homes Healthy People funding.
Earl Howe: The Cold Weather Plan for England 2012, published on 26 October 2012, recognises that carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a potential killer and urges individuals to consider fitting an audible CO alarm that is EN 50291-compliant, but that fitting an alarm should not replace regular maintenance of appliances.
The Warm Homes Healthy People 2012 fund supports the Cold Weather Plan, and local authorities were invited to submit innovative proposals to make homes warmer and reduce levels of death and morbidity. Installation of CO monitors is in line with the aims of the Cold Weather Plan in helping to protect vulnerable people during the coming winter.
Information on the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in vulnerable households by local authorities has not been routinely collected as part of the Warm Homes Healthy People £20 million funding for 2012-13. However, an analysis of the successful proposals shows that at least 14 local authority proposals (covering 16 local authorities) have included the installation of carbon monoxide detectors as part of their projects. We know that there were some other local authorities that included CO monitors as an element of their wider proposals.
The department has also awarded national grants to the value of £1.5 million to Age UK and the Foundations Independent Living Trust to complement the work carried out by local authorities.
As part of the Age UK proposals, local and national handyperson services will check if households have a working carbon monoxide detector and, where needed, will install a new one, with the aim of a rollout of the installation of free CO detectors nationwide.
Children: Data Sharing
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hill of Oareford on 23 July (WA 92-3), what was the outcome of the working group dealing with information regarding children; and what action they plan to take in response.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The work of the information-sharing group is now complete. The focus of the work has been on information sharing between early years practitioners (for example, staff in children's centres or nurseries) and health professionals. The group's discussions and scrutiny covered the use of both information sharing of population data (such as new birth data) and individual data about a particular child or their family.
We expect the final report of the group, entitled "Information sharing in the Foundation Years", to be submitted to Ministers at both the Department for Education and the Department of Health shortly.
Dentistry: Dental Hygienists
Lord Lea of Crondall: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they plan to take on patients' access to dental hygienists following the recommendations of the Office of Fair Trading report on dentistry published in May 2012.
Earl Howe: Access to dental care professionals (DCPs), including dental hygienists, is a matter for the General Dental Council (GDC). Following the publication of the Office of Fair Treading report on dentistry, the GDC has initiated a review of direct access to DCPs. The review is expected to report in early 2013.
Drones
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of frequent drone flights on the civilian populations of parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and in particular on children.
Baroness Warsi: The UK operates remotely piloted aircraft systems in support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan. The rules of engagement are the same as those for manned aircraft. Drone strikes against terrorist targets in Pakistan are a matter for the states involved. We expect all states concerned to act in accordance with international law and take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties when conducting military operations.
Drugs
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the remarks on 13 December by the Deputy Prime Minister regarding drugs policy, whether they have any plans to amend their existing policy on illegal drugs.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: We are confident our ambitious approach to tackling drugs is the right one. Drug usage remains at one of the lowest level since records began and people going into treatment today are far more likely to free themselves from dependency than ever before.
But we are not complacent. We are continually looking at new ways of reducing demand, restricting supply and promoting recovery. We will be considering the recommendations from the Home Affairs Select Committee's Drug Inquiry report and will respond in due course.
Drugs: Orphan Medicines
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what safeguards are in place to ensure that interim National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) appraisal processes for orphan medicines are appropriate, while NICE develops its permanent appraisal process for such medicines.
Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is working closely with stakeholders to prepare to take on its new responsibilities for assessing highly specialised technologies for people with rare conditions from 1 April 2013.
As an independent organisation, it will be for NICE to ensure that it has appropriate procedures in place.
Economy
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of monetary policy on economic demand.
Lord Deighton: The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) macroeconomic policy tools, including bank rate and quantitative easing (QE), via the asset purchase facility (APE), are designed to affect the economy as a whole in order to meet the 2% inflation target over the medium term.
The Bank of England has estimated that the first round of QE, between March 2009 and January 2010, raised spending and activity in the UK economy. Analysis set out in the Bank's December 2012 Quarterly Bulletin finds that the impact of the second round of asset purchases between October 2011 and May 2012 looks to have been similar to the first round in terms of its proportionate effect on broad money and the wider economy.
The MPC stated, in the minutes of its meeting in November 2012, that "demand and output would have been significantly weaker" in the absence of asset purchases.
Economy
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the impact on finance costs for them and for business of the United Kingdom losing its AAA credit rating.
Lord Sassoon: The Government's actions, taken to reduce the deficit and rebuild the economy, have secured stability and positioned the UK as a relative safe haven. Interest rates are near historic lows, benefiting families, businesses and the tax payer. Returning the UK to sustainable, balanced economic growth is the Government's overriding priority.
Economy: Cost of Living
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to reduce the cost of living.
Lord Newby: The Government continue to take steps to support households.
The personal allowance will increase further to £9,440 in April 2013 to support hard-working individuals. This cash increase of £1,335 in 2013-14 is the largest ever. The 3p fuel duty increase planned for January 2013 has been cancelled. The Government have also announced a third council tax freeze.
Education: English Language
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to improve English language teaching for immigrants.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston: Where English language training is publicly funded through further education colleges and training providers, they are responsible for the quality of their provision. They are held to account for the quality of teaching and the outcomes of this provision by the Skills Funding Agency and Ofsted. Government and Ofsted have placed a new emphasis on the importance of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in further education and skills provision. When provision is identified as inadequate, there are now clear intervention procedures. The Government fund through partner agencies quality improvement support for the sector, which includes support to improve the quality of English provision for adults.
Elections: Devolved Administrations
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Cabinet Office is taking to co-operate with the devolved Administrations in (1) Wales, (2) Scotland, and (3) Northern Ireland, to ensure that the maximum number of young people qualify to vote in each of those nations.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Government, politicians, political parties, electoral administrators and others in society all have a role to play in encouraging people to register to vote.
The Government are committed to doing all they can to maximise registration, including among young people, and are looking to make it as easy and convenient as possible for people to register to vote as well as move to IER. This includes looking at the work done in Northern Ireland to get young people registered. We are also piloting different approaches across the country to encourage young people to register to vote.
To maximise levels of voter registration among young people, the Government are piloting different approaches to encourage them to register to vote. This includes: holding 20 events in schools, running participatory sessions to inform attainers about the reasons to register to vote and encourage them to do so; making available an online registration event toolkit aimed at teachers and community leaders so that they can deliver their own events targeted at young people; and commissioning digital work so that young people who register can share this fact on Facebook, encouraging other young people in their social networks also to register. We are also running data-mining pilots which intend to assess whether data matching with data from other government departments and bodies such as the Student Loans Company can assist in getting more young people on to the register.
Elections: Voting Age
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will monitor the experience in lowering of the voting age to 16 in the Scottish referendum with a view to informing future decisions about lowering the voting age throughout the rest of the country.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The UK and Scottish Governments have agreed that the power to legislate for a referendum on Scotland's independence should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament. As a result it will be for the Scottish Parliament to determine the franchise of the referendum-just as it is responsible for determining the franchise for any other referendum or election within its devolved competence.
However, this sets no precedent for the franchise for the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament or local authorities, which remain the responsibility of the UK Government and Parliament.
There is no consensus within government for lowering the voting age to 16 and we therefore have no current plans to do so.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 7 February 2011 (WA 12) regarding the number of cycles in which a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) was reported as the reason for abandoning a cycle of licensed treatment, what consideration the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has given to the impact of (1) financial payment structures, (2) lack of appropriate cycle monitoring, and (3) competition due to the HFEA's publication of clinic success rates, on the incidence of OHSS and the under-reporting of complications.
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what data directly held by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) the HFEA base their assertion that the single biggest risk of fertility treatment is multiple pregnancy; whether it is directly informed by data from the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health; what data is held by the HFEA regarding the frequency of late miscarriage, high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia in mothers; what efforts were made by the HFEA to ensure that any additional data relating to the risks associated with multiple pregnancy were made available to them; what other risks of fertility treatment are known to the HFEA; and what data is held by the HFEA regarding the frequency and severity of any other such risks.
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health, Anne Milton, on 19 June (Official Report, cols. 941-942W) regarding the activity of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in monitoring research on the safety of treatment techniques, the Written Statement by Earl Howe on 24 November 2010 (WS 101-2) and the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 9 July (WA 202-3), why the HFEA has not made an assessment of the figures described in the journal Human Fertility (volume 10, issue 3, pages 183-7).
Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it reviewed its policies regarding egg, sperm and embryo donation in 2011, including donor compensation and benefits in kind, details of which can be found on the HFEA website at: www.hfea.gov.uk/5605.html.
The HFEA has also advised that it has limited powers around ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and does not collect data about the overall incidence of OHSS or produce requirements around monitoring of patients. Clinics are, however, asked to report treatment cycles to the HFEA where a cycle has been abandoned due to there being a risk of the patient developing OHSS. Severe cases of OHSS are treated as incidents and the HFEA expects an incident report from a clinic whenever a clinic is made aware of a severe case of OHSS. The HFEA also asks to see a clinic's OHSS management protocols before a licence renewal inspection.
The success rates that the HFEA publishes are designed to give patients information to enable them to decide on the best clinic for them, taking into account a number of factors including success rates.
The HFEA has advised that its statement that the single biggest risk of fertility treatment is multiple pregnancy was based on the outcome of a series of discussions the Expert Group on Multiple Births after In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) had between the autumn of 2005 and October 2006. The HFEA set up an independent expert group in response to rising concerns about the incidence of multiple births after IVF/ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection). The group reviewed the available international and national data on multiple births after IVF/ICSI, health and psychosocial outcomes for twins and their families, and the experience with single embryo transfer gathered in some European countries. It made recommendations to the HFEA and other organisations that have a role to play in reducing the high incidence of multiple births after IVF. The work to reduce multiple births has been a collaborative effort with other professional organisations.
Data held by the HFEA regarding the frequency of late miscarriage, following IVF/ICSI, are set out in the following tables:
Year Incidence of miscarriages Rate of miscarriages against all pregnancies %
2006 1,346 12
2007 1,594 13
2008 1,763 13
2009 1,978 13
2010 1,963 12
A count of the number of outcomes that listed both a live birth and a miscarriage. These are included in the previous totals.
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Outcomes 252 334 412 415 404
Note: These data concern cases where more than one gestational sac was reported, so reflects instances of a multiple pregnancy where both a miscarriage and a live birth occurred.
The HFEA does not hold data on high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia in mothers. Other risks of fertility treatment are set out on the HFEA's website at: www.hfea.gov.uk/fertility-treatment-risks.html.
These risks, along with the risk of multiple births, are considered through the HFEA's regulatory regime. The data that the HFEA holds on such risks vary depending on the particular risk.
With regard to the information in Human Fertility, the HFEA has advised that it has nothing to add to the Answer I gave the noble Lord on 9 July 2012 (Official Report, cols. WA 202-3).
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) held discussions with Susan Bewley, Lin Foo and Peter Braude regarding concerns raised in their editorial for the British Medical Journal in January 2011; whether actions were proposed by the HFEA in response, and if so, what; and when any such discussions or actions took place.
Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the authority's horizon-scanning process is an early warning system that identifies new scientific and clinical developments that may impact on the field of assisted reproduction or embryo research. Horizon scanning allows the HFEA to consider the legal, ethical and scientific implications of any new technique that scientists or clinicians may wish to use in HFEA-licensed research or treatment. Research and developments are presented to the HFEA's Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee (SCAAC) in order for it to provide recommendations. The HFEA has also advised that Bewley et al (2011) was included in its summary of follow-up research for SCAAC. This can be found on the HFEA's website at: www.hfea.gov.uk/7089.html.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 20 July 2011 (WA 305-6), how many cybrid embryos have been generated with eggs from non-human species in total according to records held by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA); and how many other classes of "admixed human" embryos have been generated.
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 20 July 2011 (WA 306) and by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 7 November 2002 (WA 145), whether they now collect data on how many human embryos have been (1) created, (2) frozen, (3) destroyed, (4) implanted, and (5) experimented upon, since the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; if so, what are those figures; and, if not, whether they will instruct the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to refine their collection of data so that it provides full disclosure under each of those categories.
Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it has no further information to add to that provided in the Answer I gave the noble Lord about human admixed embryos on 20 July 2011 (Official Report, cols. WA 305-6).
The HFEA has also advised that the data it holds in relation to human embryos that have been created, frozen, destroyed and implanted are set out in the following table. It does not hold data in relation to embryos experimented upon.
The HFEA has an obligation to collect information as required by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. It is for the authority itself to determine what further information it considers appropriate to collect.
HFEA Human Embryo Data-Cycles from 1 August 1991 to 31 December 2011
Embryos Frozen Embryos Discarded Implanted
Embryos created Embryos stored for the patients use Embryos stored for donation Embryos stored for research Embryos reported on the Treatment form as being discarded Embryos reported on the Gamete Movement form as being removed from storage and discarded Embryos transferred Gestational sacs observed
3,546,818 839,325 2,071 5,876 1,691,090 23,480 1,388,443 235,480
Source: Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Energy: Biofuels
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the value of adding a recycled biofuels category to the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation to recognise the position of biofuels made from locally sourced waste products.
Earl Attlee: The Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation already provides additional support to biofuels made from waste by awarding two renewable transport fuel certificates for each litre supplied. We are committed to reviewing the double-counting system in 2013.
Energy: Green Deal
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will extend the Green Deal and reduction of value added tax to include voltage optimisation.
Lord Sassoon: The Government have recently commissioned the independent Scientific Integrity Group to review evidence from industry and other sources on the efficacy of voltage optimisation as an energy efficiency measure. The views from this expert group will help with an assessment of the benefits of this technology and its potential for its inclusion within the standard assessment procedure and, in turn, the Green Deal.
There are currently no plans to introduce a reduced rate of VAT for voltage optimisation.
Energy: Prices
Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government by how much energy prices have risen for the average family in the United Kingdom since 2010, (1) as an absolute amount and (2) as a percentage; and how much of that amount and percentage is due to environmental taxes.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: DECC publishes data on gas and electricity prices in its Quarterly Energy Prices publication in tables 2.2.3 and 2.3.3. Based on the latest available data from this, over the period 2010 to 2012, average gas (Great Britain) and standard electricity (UK) retail prices for the residential sector increased by:
0.77p/kWh and 1.83p/kWh respectively (in current prices);
21% and 14% respectively (in current prices); and
15% and 9% respectively (in real terms).
These changes are based on an assumed, fixed consumption of 18.000kWh per year for gas and 3.300kWh per year for electricity. They therefore do not take into account year-to-year differences in weather and improvements in energy efficiency, both of which help determine energy consumption.
The only environmental tax (based on the definition used by HM Treasury1) that had an impact on residential energy prices over this period is the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) which adds a cost per unit of carbon emitted from electricity generation. The impact of the EU ETS on retail electricity prices is estimated to have fallen over the period, consistent with the fall in the price of EU allowances, and therefore is not estimated to have contributed to the rise in retail electricity prices since 2010. The majority of the rise in residential energy prices has been driven by rises in wholesale energy costs as a result of increases in fossil fuel prices on international markets and rising network costs as ageing infrastructure has been replaced.
1 Available online at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_60_12.htm
Energy: Smart Meters
Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will happen to data stored in utility smart meters at the end of 13 months; and to whom that data will belong.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston: Smart metering equipment has the capability to store a minimum of' the past 15 months of half hourly consumption data on a rolling basis: once the meter's data storage is full, the oldest data will be overwritten with newer data. As the oldest data are overwritten, they will effectively be deleted and therefore not owned by anyone.
A recently published consultation on implementing the provisions of the energy efficiency directive has proposed the option that smart meters actually store a minimum of 24 months of data.
EU: Banking
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact on United Kingdom banking and bank regulation of fewer than five European Union member states remaining outside the banking union; and what measures exist to prevent mandatory supervision of United Kingdom banks by the European Banking Authority in that circumstance.
Lord Deighton: I refer to Lord Sassoon's Answer of 21 December 2012 (HL4170), which set out the Prime Minister's Statement to the House of Commons on 17 December 20121 regarding the outcome of the December European Council and the Commission's proposal for a single supervisory mechanism.
There are no proposals to confer responsibility for supervising banks on the European Banking Authority.
1 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa.cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121217/debtext/121217-0001.htm#1212174000003
EU: Competence
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 14 December (WA 262), what estimate they have made of the cost involved in the use of existing resources to compile the review of European Union competences.
Baroness Warsi: There has been no central estimation of the overall cost. Each department is responsible for allocating its own resources to meet its priorities, including delivering the reports on which it leads or to which it has an interest in contributing.
EU: Justice and Home Affairs Powers
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have not implemented the European Supervision Order set out in Council Framework Decision 2009/829/JHA.
Lord McNally: Under the terms of the Lisbon treaty, the Government are required to decide by 31 May 2014 whether we opt out of, or remain bound by, all those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted prior to the entry into force of the treaty, which includes this measure. As my right honourable friend the Home Secretary announced in the other place on 15 October 2012 (Official Report, col. 35), which I informed this House about through a Statement on the same day, this wider decision is still being considered and any implementation of this measure will await the outcome of that process.
EU: Prisoner Voting
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consulted the Governments of (1) Armenia, (2) Andorra, (3) Bulgaria, (4) Estonia, (5) Georgia, (6) Hungary, (7) Liechtenstein, and (8) Russia, about how to address the issue of prisoner voting with the European Court of Human Rights.
Lord McNally: The Government have not consulted these countries. We are aware of the different approaches to prisoner voting in these and other states, and these various approaches have formed part of the Government's wider consideration of this issue.
EU: Trade Agreements
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint on 14 December (WA 263), given that Singapore does not impose tariffs on imports, what benefits to British exporters the forthcoming European Union-Singapore fair trade agreement will bring.
Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: Following the recent conclusion of negotiations, work is ongoing to assess the outcome. However, we do not yet have a full picture of what has been agreed (since the negotiations are conducted by the Commission on behalf of the member states) and the full benefits to UK business will only become clear when we see the full deal. What we do know is that there will be new opportunities for British businesses to bid for public procurement contracts in Singapore. The FTA grants EU bidders significantly more guaranteed opportunities in public tenders compared to any other country, including for the first time in many utilities sectors in which the EU has many leading suppliers.
We also expect to see new opportunities in the services sector, where we expect Singapore to extend its market access commitments, to agree new regulatory disciplines in certain service sectors and to offer parity with other major trading partners in most service sectors, thus offering a more level playing field for UK suppliers.
Additionally, Singapore has agreed to tackle technical barriers in key sectors such as cars, pharmaceuticals, electronics and renewable energy equipment. These rules will make it easier for goods produced and tested to European standards to be sold in Singapore without technical changes or additional testing.
The FTA also includes a high level of intellectual property rights protection. This will, for example, offer better remuneration rights for certain creative activities.
European Commission
Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to improve (1) the number of applications, and (2) the success rate, of British citizens competing for positions in the European Commission.
Baroness Warsi: The Government have taken steps to improve both the number of applications and the success rates of British citizens applying to the EU institutions, where UK experience and insight can add real value.
This Government relaunched the European Fast Stream (EFS) in 2009 and included significant communications activity, led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), aimed at better publicising and improving the attractiveness of careers with the EU institutions to both graduates and professionals. This has resulted in a 30% increase in British applicants to the main EU graduate recruitment.
The EFS prepares UK civil servants for the entry exams to the EU institutions, and includes tuition in relevant languages. The EFS also serves to create a cadre of EU expertise within the UK Civil Service. The UK's Permanent Representation to the EU (UK Rep) provides support for UK applicants, both inside and outside of the UK Civil Service, who are applying for posts within the institutions.
The FCO is also engaged with the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) to encourage a greater number of UK applicants and improve the success rate among those applying for positions in the European Commission. Next year we will have the results of the 2012 graduate recruitment and a clearer picture of our success rate.
This is a very long-term project. The UK still remains under-represented at the European Commission -representing only 4.7% of total staff according to the latest figures, while the UK accounts for 12.4% of the EU population. We continue to monitor and promote various career options, including opportunities for permanent and temporary staff, and seconded UK civil servants.
Falklands War Veterans
Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Earl Howe on 17 December (Official Report, col. 1339), whether veterans whose hearing was damaged during the Falklands War are receiving priority treatment from the National Health Service.
Earl Howe: All veterans are entitled to priority treatment, subject to the clinical needs of others, for conditions relating to their time in service.
When referring a veteran to secondary care for a condition that (in their clinical opinion) may be related to military service, general practitioners (GPs) are asked to make this clear in their referral-as long as the patient is happy with this. Secondary care clinicians are asked to prioritise all veterans (for conditions that they judge likely to be related to military service) over other patients with the same level of clinical need. Veterans are not given priority over patients with more urgent clinical needs.
The importance of priority treatment for veterans, and how it should be applied, has been outlined to the National Health Service through a number of letters sent out over recent years from the department. These include correspondence sent from the chief executive of the NHS in 2007 to all senior management of the NHS, which was then reiterated by the Chief Medical Officer in a letter to all GPs in 2010. The earlier letter made a particular point of highlighting the needs of veterans with service-related noise-induced hearing loss. The priority treatment requirement has also been emphasised in past NHS Operating Framework documents.
The department has ensured that senior managers and clinicians within the NHS are kept informed of the healthcare needs of the Armed Forces community, with a series of leaflets and correspondence being sent over recent years that clearly outline the guidelines in place around the treatment of service personnel, veterans and their families. Most recently, the department collaborated with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to create an e-learning package aimed at raising GPs' awareness of the needs of veterans, including priority treatment and the relevant health services available to them. This package is available for GPs to access through the RCGP's website.
Finance: Isle of Man and Channel Islands
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the steps taken by (1) the Isle of Man, (2) Jersey, and (3) Guernsey, to stop those islands and institutions operating from them from being used to support (a) money-laundering, (b) terrorist finance, and (c) tax evasion; and whether those islands have responded positively to all requests made of them by the Government in that connection.
Lord Deighton: The anti-money-laundering and counterterrorist financing regimes of the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey (the Crown Dependencies) have been evaluated against the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards by the International Monetary Fund within the past four years, with all three territories achieving favourable assessments.
In 2012, the UK facilitated the entry of the Crown Dependencies into MONEYVAL (which conducts self-assessment and mutual assessment exercises of the anti-money-laundering measures in place in Council of Europe member states, which are not members of the FATF)1. These dependencies are, therefore, now considered part of the global network of FATF regional bodies.
The Government are fully committed to tackling offshore tax evasion. On 7 December 2012, the Government announced that they would be entering into an agreement with the Isle of Man to move to automatic information exchange. They also confirmed that they are in discussions with the other Crown Dependencies, Jersey and Guernsey, about enhanced information exchange as part of their common commitment to combat tax evasion. The reviews of the Crown Dependencies carried out by the Global Forum show that they meet international standards on tax transparency.
1 http://www.fatf-gafi.org/pages/moneyval.html
Financial Services Authority
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the period that must elapse before senior regulators from the Financial Services Authority can join businesses which they have been responsible for regulating, or where they have regulated direct competitors of a prospective employer; and what current guidance is in effect.
Lord Newby: This matter is for the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which is independent from government control. It has, therefore, been passed on to the FSA, which will reply directly by letter. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.
Fire and Rescue Service
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what resources they will make available to Sir Ken Knight to undertake his review of fire and rescue services.
Baroness Hanham: In undertaking his review, Sir Ken Knight will be supported by civil servants from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Fire and Rescue Service
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they assess the level of protection offered by fire and rescue services.
Baroness Hanham: All fire and rescue authorities in England are required by the Fire and Rescue National Framework to have in place and maintain an integrated risk management plan, which identifies local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. The integrated risk management plan, which is subject to consultation with the local community, enables each fire and rescue authority to tailor the allocation of its resources to local circumstances-evaluating where risk is greatest and determining its policies and standards for prevention and intervention accordingly.
Food: Climate Change
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the effect of climate change on small-scale farming in the developing world and its implications for world food supply.
Baroness Northover: Smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable to climate change. They often inhabit marginal landscapes such as hillsides, arid lands and floodplains. They rely directly on climate-affected natural resources for their livelihoods. They have fewer assets to rely on, are less able to diversify their incomes and are more reliant on growing food staples that may be most adversely affected by climate change such as maize, rice and wheat.
Climate modelling predictions are uncertain about future food production, given that some regions are likely to benefit while others are likely to be adversely affected and all projections are subject to significant uncertainty. Higher temperatures and changes in rainfall are predicted to reduce global harvests by 7% by 2050, and in some part of the world by as much as 20% by 2030.
Forced Marriage
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider holding a wider consultation with women's groups about their proposed forced marriage legislation.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: A public consultation on whether we should make forced marriage a criminal offence was held between December 2011 and March 2012. We received responses from a number of women's groups, which set out their views on whether forced marriage should become a criminal offence. We are currently developing the legislation, which will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.
Forced Marriage
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered upgrading the forced marriage protection order to a criminal offence as an alternative to introducing new legislation.
Lord McNally: The Government intend to make the breach of a forced marriage protection order a criminal offence. This is in addition to a new offence of forcing a person to marry against that person's will. We will bring forward legislation on both measures as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Gambia
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will propose that the Gambia be added to the list of countries under the scrutiny of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group.
Baroness Warsi: We regularly raise our concerns about human rights, good governance and democracy with the Gambian Government, and will continue to work with and through international partners and institutions, including the Commonwealth, to improve standards.
However, the UK has no current plans to propose that the Gambia is added to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) agenda.
Gambia
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to legislate to remove the Gambia from the list of safe countries in Section 94(4) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: There are no current plans to remove the Gambia from the list of countries designated under Section 94(4) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
Gambia
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to update the Country of Origin Information Report on the Gambia.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The UK Border Agency plans to publish an update of its Country of Origin Information report on the Gambia in the first half of 2013.
Gambia
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of the Gambia about the closure of independent newspapers and a radio station, the expulsion of a BBC journalist, and other attacks on freedom of expression in that country.
Baroness Warsi: Freedom of expression is an ongoing concern in the Gambia. The sudden closures of Taranga FM Radio Station in August and of the Daily News and the Standard newspapers in September are worrying developments. Our high commissioner in Banjul raised the respective closures with the Foreign Minister. However, we understand that the BBC correspondent was not expelled but following intervention by the high commission was granted a 48-hour visa which was not subsequently renewed.
Support for freedom of expression and the protection of journalists is included in the EU human rights strategy for the Gambia. Our high commissioner in Banjul regularly raises human rights issues with the Gambian Government-when specific incidents occur and twice-yearly through formal discussions under Article 8 of the EU/ACP Cotonou agreement. The next discussions are due to be held in January.
Gaza
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost to United Kingdom public funds of the United Kingdom contribution to reconstruction in Gaza following Operation Pillar of Cloud.
Baroness Northover: The Minister of State for International Development, the right honourable Alan Duncan MP, recently announced on his visit to Gaza that the UK will provide £1.25 million to the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross in protecting civilians and providing emergency services in Gaza and the West Bank. This will include helping at least 85,000 people inside Gaza who have been injured, had their homes destroyed or were otherwise affected by the recent conflict. The funding will provide temporary shelter and medical assistance, as well as help with rebuilding homes and delivering fuel to keep generators running.
Gaza
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel about their treatment of Gazan fishermen.
Baroness Warsi: The UK regularly makes representations at both ministerial and official level to the Israeli authorities on the urgent need to ease restrictions on Gaza, including fishing limits.
In this regard, we welcome the newly introduced six nautical mile fishing limit. We have urged Israel to ease this restriction further, in line with the limit of 20 nautical miles stipulated in the Oslo accords.
Gibraltar
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Warsi on 10 December (WS 98), whether the assertion that "we will continue to take whatever action we consider necessary to protect British sovereignty and the interest of Gibraltar and its people" includes the use of military force.
Baroness Warsi: The Royal Navy challenges all unlawful incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters by Spanish state vessels by issuing appropriate warnings to the vessels concerned. The military therefore already has an important role in upholding the UK's sovereignty over those waters.
We will continue to uphold our sovereignty against unlawful incursions with a range of proportionate naval, police and diplomatic responses.
Government Departments: Budgets
Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in relation to Table 2.2 and the statement about schools in paragraph 1.32 of the Autumn Statement 2012 (Cm 8480), which areas of the Department for Education budget will be reduced and by how much between 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Chancellor's Autumn Statement applied a percentage reduction to the department's unprotected resource budget (RDEL) over the next two years. The reduction will be 1% (£153 million) in 2013-14 and 2% (£306 million) in 2014-15.
The department will be working out the exact detail of how it meets these reductions over the coming months as it goes through its annual business planning process to set budgets for the next year.
Front-line funding for schools will continue to be protected in line with the policy set out at Spending Review 2010. In addition the Government are providing an extra £1 billion of capital funding to build new free schools and academies and expand existing good schools in those areas with the most pressure on pupil places.
Government Departments: Legislation
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance in the preparation of Private Members' Bills was provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in (1) the 2010-12 Session, and (2) this Session.
Lord De Mauley: Core Defra officials provided some assistance in the preparation of the Scrap Metal Dealers Bill introduced this Session, which has completed its passage through the House of Commons and is currently awaiting Lords Committee stage. This included discussing the role of the Environment Agency in the regime for registering scrap metal dealers proposed under the Bill, advising on the potential interface with environmental legislation and reviewing and commenting on draft instructions to Parliamentary Counsel.
Government Departments: Publications
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many copies of (1) Who's Who, (2) Dod's Parliamentary Companion, (3) Dod's Guide to the General Election 2010, and (4) Whitaker's Almanac, were purchased by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, broken down by directorate in each of the past two years for which figures are available.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many copies of (1) Who's Who, (2) Dod's Parliamentary Companion, (3) Dod's Guide to the General Election 2010, and (4) Whitaker's Almanack, were purchased by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for use by Ministers in that department in each of the past two years for which figures are available.
Lord De Mauley: Core Defra has purchased the following numbers of hard copies of each publication since April 2010. A breakdown by year cannot be provided.
Who's Who-one copy; Dod's Parliamentary Companion-seven copies; andWhitaker's Almanack-one copy.
Of these, five copies of Dod's Parliamentary Companion were purchased directly by Minister's Private Offices.
Dod's Guide to the General Election was published only in 2010 and provided free alongside purchased copies of Dod's Parliamentary Companion.
Government Departments: Publications
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they issue guidance about the use of acronyms and jargon in Government publications.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Cabinet Office does not provide such guidance, nor do we keep records of whether other departments or agencies do so.
Government Departments: Publications
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make it their policy to publish as an annex to the annual report produced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) a list of all publications published by Defra in the preceding year.
Lord De Mauley: HM Treasury's Financial Reporting Manual sets out requirements for the format and content of the department's annual report and accounts. There is no requirement and therefore no plan to include a list of publications. This information is however publicly available on the Defra website http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/.
Government Departments: Staff
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 14 March (WA 73), when they now expect the findings of the review of Promoting Equality, Valuing Diversity-A Strategy for the Civil Service 2008-13 to be made public.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: A date has not yet been set but publication will follow that of the Civil Service's Capabilities Plan.
Government: Ministerial Guidance
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint continues to advise the Chancellor of Exchequer on banking matters.
Lord Deighton: Treasury Ministers liaise closely with counterparts in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills on various banking and business matters.
Guernsey Financial Services Commission
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to pursue the Guernsey Financial Services Commission to make good losses suffered by UK investors in the CF Arch Cru Funds; what is their assessment of the level of investor protection provided by the Commission in comparison to that available in the United Kingdom; and whether they will place restrictions on the marketing in the United Kingdom of banking and financial services by firms and individuals based in Guernsey on the basis of that assessment.
Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is responsible for the regulation of financial services firms under the powers in the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) 2000. HM Treasury sets the legal framework for the regulation of financial services.
The CF Arch Cru matter is complex, involving a number of entities, some regulated by the FSA and some regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC). UK investors have suffered considerable losses through their holdings of two UK open-ended investment companies, the CF Arch Cru funds. These funds were invested in certain Guernsey-domiciled companies (the Guernsey cells), listed on the Channel Islands Stock Exchange. These were closed-ended schemes authorised by the GFSC and were not authorised or recognised collective investment schemes in the UK.
The UK Government have no power to pursue Guernsey for redress. However, the FSA is working with the Guernsey authorities regarding these matters. In addition to assisting the FSA, the GFSC is conducting its own investigations relating to those entities within its regulatory scope.
Under Section 270(5) of FSMA 2000 and Statutory Instrument 2003/1181, the FSA provided HM Treasury with an assessment of the authorisation and supervision of collective investment schemes in Guernsey. A comparison of protections will depend on specific protections available to investors and will vary according to the nature of the investment.
Collective investment schemes which fall outside the designated criteria are restricted in their promotion to UK investors, including under Section 238 of FSMA 2000. The Guernsey cells were subject to such restrictions as they were not authorised or recognised by the FSA.
Gypsies and Travellers
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to ensure that wherever reference is made to the ethnicity of patients throughout the NHS, the 2011 Census ethnic group classification, which includes "Gypsy or Irish Traveller", is used.
Earl Howe: In order to support consistency with other data systems within the National Health Service, ethnicity data for NHS patients are currently collected utilising the 2001 codes. The department, in collaboration with other bodies, will shortly produce guidance that advises on the codes for data collection, including those for ethnicity. The guidance will initially recommend that organisations continue to use the 2001 codes; however this will be revisited biannually with decisions to change this advice based upon the breadth of utilisation of the new coding system.
NHS organisations can choose to use either the 2001 or the 2011 categories. If they use the 2011 categories, they will need to re-aggregate anyone coming under the "Gypsy and Irish Traveller" heading into "Other" in order to make national comparisons. Additional codes can be included as appropriate at a local level to reflect the demographic make-up of the local population. This allows local monitoring to take place in a way that supports service planning, decision-making, and key processes such as the Joint Strategic Needs Assessments.
Gypsies and Travellers
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the health needs of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are covered in NHS Joint Strategic Needs Assessments, Health and Well-being Strategies and the agendas of Health and Well-being Boards.
Earl Howe: Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) and Joint Health and Well-being Strategies (JHWSs) are local strategic planning processes, undertaken through health and well-being boards. They will be the means by which the current and future health and well-being needs of the local population will be determined, and this will then be used to plan local services on the basis of the identified needs. JSNAs must therefore be inclusive of the health and care needs of the whole local population, including Gypsy and Traveller and Roma communities. It would not be appropriate for the department to highlight any care group or area of need over another as this would risk undermining the purpose of JSNAs and JHWSs as being an objective, comprehensive and-most importantly-a locally owned process of developing evidence-based priorities for commissioning. As public authorities, health and well-being boards will need to comply with public sector equality duties, not just in how they engage the local community in the development of JSNAs and JHWSs but also in considering the needs of groups with protected characteristics.
We are addressing the health needs of those people most vulnerable to poor health through the Inclusion Health programme, and the early focus of Inclusion Health includes Gypsies and Travellers. A number of representative bodies are working with us to support the National Inclusion Health Board and its working groups, which will work with the National Health Service, local government and others to identify what more must be done to include the needs of vulnerable groups in the commissioning of health and care services. We are supporting health and well-being boards to better understand the needs of vulnerable groups within their JSNAs and JHWSs; and Gypsy and Traveller bodies have contributed to supportive material we are producing.
Gypsies and Travellers
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 16 July (WA 14), whether they are now in a position to publish information on the number and proportion relative to population of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller prisoners; and, if not, when this will be available.
Lord McNally: We are currently not in a position to be able to publish information on the number and proportion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller prisoners relative to the population.
As mentioned previously in a Written Answer on 16 July (WA 14), following the addition of the new census 2011 ethnicity categories into the prison IT system, prisoners received into custody can now declare themselves as Gypsy or Irish Traveller. However, it is unlikely that existing prisoners (those already in custody prior to the new category being introduced) will have been given the opportunity to revise their previously stated ethnicity.
Current data on the number of Gypsy or Irish Traveller prisoners are therefore likely to be an undercount of the true number of prisoners who would identify themselves as Gypsy or Irish Traveller. We are committed to moving all prisoners from the 2001 census codes to the 2011 codes; however, this will take some time. We will shortly (by April 2013 under current plans) be issuing guidance to all prisons on how to conduct a one-off exercise to move existing prisoners on to the new codes.
We will monitor the use of the new code and publish the figures once the coverage and data quality are deemed sufficient to provide meaningful and accurate statistics. We currently have no estimate of when the data will be deemed fit for publication.
Health: Accident and Emergency Departments
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of constraints on NHS spending, how they will ensure patients in accident and emergency departments are treated promptly.
Earl Howe: The accident and emergency (A&E) waiting time standard states that 95% of patients should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of their arrival in the A&E department. This standard is included in the NHS Operating Framework for 2012-13. Furthermore, eight clinical quality indicators for A&E were introduced in April 2011 which measure other clinically important aspects of time.
It is for local National Health Service trusts to ensure that there are strategies and procedures in place to cope with unexpected periods of increased pressure.
Health: Accident and Emergency Departments
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received concerning proposals to close the accident and emergency department at Lewisham Hospital.
Earl Howe: The trust special administrator appointed to South London Healthcare NHS Trust published his draft report on 29 October. This included a proposal for the accident and emergency department at Lewisham hospital to become a 24/7 urgent care service. The consultation on the draft report closed on 13 December. The trust special administrator is now considering the responses to the consultation as he prepares the final report. The trust special administrator must provide to the Secretary of State a final report stating the action the administrator recommends by 7 January. The Secretary of State will decide what action to take in relation to the trust by 1 February.
The right honourable Dame Joan Ruddock DBE MP has asked two Written Questions in Parliament about accident and emergency services in London, following the publication of the trust special administrator's draft report. The right honourable Andy Burnham MP wrote to the Secretary of State on 9 December about the trust special administrator's work and draft recommendations. A search of the department's ministerial correspondence database has identified 50 items of correspondence about the proposals to close the accident and emergency department at Lewisham Hospital. This figure represents correspondence received by the department's Ministerial Correspondence Unit only. In addition, this issue was debated in the House of Commons on 28 November and 20 December.
Ministers have had no meetings with outside parties about the proposal for the accident and emergency department at Lewisham hospital to become a 24/7 urgent care service.
Health: Accident and Emergency Departments
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have spent on the refurbishment of the accident and emergency department at Lewisham Hospital since 2005.
Earl Howe: This information is not held centrally. The following table shows the amounts in loans provided by the department to Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust during the three most recent financial years to fund the development of the integrated Urgent Care Centre at the University Hospital, Lewisham.
Date of loan Amount of loan
15 December 2010 £6.974 million
17 July 2011 £4.566 million
16 July 2012 £302,000
Total £11.842 million
Health: Ambulance Service
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to reduce the emergency response times of ambulance crews.
Earl Howe: National response time standards are in place to ensure an appropriate emergency response from ambulance service trusts. The national standards for ambulance services are:
A8-75% of category A (immediately life-threatening) calls should receive a response within 8 minutes; andA19-95% of category A patients requiring transport should receive this within 19 minutes of the request for transport being made.
In June 2012, category A8 was further split into red 1 (the most time-critical calls, eg cardiac arrest patients who are not breathing and do not have a pulse) and red 2 (serious but less immediately time critical, covering conditions such as stroke and fits). This was designed to reduce the inappropriate and/or multiple dispatch of resources by ambulance trusts and to allow a greater focus on the most serious incidents.
Category C calls are those which are neither life-threatening nor serious. The setting and monitoring of category C call performance is locally determined.
It is the responsibility of the National Health Service locally to ensure that ambulance trusts perform well. Performance on national response time standards is managed at strategic health authority level. Local commissioners must also hold ambulance trusts to account for local performance.
Health: Asbestos-related Disease
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information is required by coroners investigating asbestos-related deaths (1) in the hours following the death, (2) within seven days of the death, and (3) in the course of the inquest.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) guidance, and (2) training, specific to asbestos-related disease is provided to police officers who fulfil the duties of coroner offices in visiting recently bereaved families to investigate asbestos-related deaths.
Lord McNally: The Ministry of Justice has responsibility for coroner law and policy only. Coroners are solely responsible for the conduct of their investigations.
The Ministry of Justice provides training for coroners and their officers. The 2012/13 syllabus includes a session on exposure to asbestos but does not include specific training on visiting recently bereaved families to investigate asbestos-related deaths.
Health: Atypical Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received a recommendation from the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services regarding the commissioning of a national specialised service for atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS); and, if so, when they plan to make a decision based on that recommendation about whether or not a national specialised service for aHUS will be commissioned.
Earl Howe: Ministers have received a recommendation from the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services about the commissioning of a national specialised service for the treatment of atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome and expect to make an announcement early in the new year.
Health: Birth Defects
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest information they have regarding the high risk groups suffering neural tube defects at birth.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the take-up of advice given on NHS websites in respect of prevention of spina bifida is currently monitored.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many births classed as spina bifida caused by neural tube defects there have been in each of the past five years.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to propose new advice or actions regarding women thought to be in the high risk groups with respect to potential neural tube birth defects.
Earl Howe: The department currently recommends that all women who are planning a pregnancy or who could become pregnant should take a daily supplement containing 400 micrograms of folic acid (the synthetic form of the vitamin folate) before conception and until the 12th week of pregnancy, as well as to increase their consumption of folate-rich foods, to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida.
The department recommends that women with an increased risk of having an NTD-affected pregnancy take a higher dose of folic acid (five milligrams/day), which can be prescribed by their general practitioner. Women at high risk of having an NTD-affected pregnancy include those who have previously had a baby with an NTD, those who have (or whose partner has) an NTD, those who are taking an anti-epileptic medication and those who have diabetes.
The national Infant Feeding Survey, carried out every five years on behalf of United Kingdom health departments, collects information about dietary supplementation practices during pregnancy. Data from the most recent Infant Feeding Survey (2010) show that 94% of mothers reported taking folic acid either before or during their pregnancy. Before they were pregnant, 37% said they took folic acid, increasing to 79% who reported taking it during the first three months of pregnancy, while 23% took it later on in pregnancy.
Data on the number of births classed as spina bifida are collected and published by the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers (BINOCAR). The information provided in the following table gives the numbers of live-born babies with spina bifida in the English registers for the years 2006 to 2010. These are the most recent years BINOCAR has complete data for. BINOCAR does not cover all of England and Wales; the registers included in the data cover approximately 35% of the births in England and Wales.
Year Number of cases of spina bifida* (live births)
2006 31
2007 28
2008 41
2009 41
2010 54
Note: Spina bifida is only one form of NTD; if other congenital anomalies of the central nervous system (such as hydrocephalus or anencephaly) are included, these figures will be higher.
The department provides women with information on health and nutrition pre-conception and during pregnancy, including the importance of taking folic acid supplements to reduce the risk of NTDs such as spina bifida, via all its relevant communications. This includes the pregnancy and baby guide on the NHS Choices website, materials produced as part of the Start4Life campaign, and the NHS Information Service for Parents, a new digital service for parents-to-be and new parents launched in May 2012. The Information Service for Parents sends parents regular free e-mails, videos and SMS messages with advice and information about pregnancy and the first few months with a baby. The service includes advice on folic acid and vitamin supplements, with a video for parents covering "Should I take supplements during my pregnancy?". To date over 89,000 parents-to-be and new parents have signed up to the service.
The department was advised by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and the Food Standards Agency Board in 2007 on fortification options as a measure to reduce the risk of pregnancies being affected by neural tube defects (NTDs). Fortification of foodstuffs with folic acid is a complicated issue, with a balance of benefits as well as potential risks. Additional advice on folic acid and cancer risk was requested by the then Chief Medical Officer and provided by SACN in 2009. The papers underpinning the advice from SACN have not yet all been peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal. Ministers need to very carefully consider this complicated issue and would like to see all information in the public domain before making any decision.
Health: Birth Defects
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what current Government-sponsored research is under way in respect of neural tube birth defects.
Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) biomedical research centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London Institute of Child Health is studying whether combined treatment with folic acid and inositol is more effective at preventing neural tube defects than folic acid alone. The researchers are leading a clinical trial of this treatment supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network.
The neural tube defect spina bifida may be associated with hydrocephalus in childhood. Hydrocephalus is commonly treated through insertion of a shunt to drain off the excess fluid, and new devices have been introduced to try to reduce shunt infection. The NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme is funding a £2 million trial comparing these new shunts to standard shunts.
The NIHR is also funding a clinical lectureship focused on neurogenic bowel dysfunction associated with spina bifida and other neurological conditions.
Health: Bounty
Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what payments have been made to Bounty by any department or vice versa in each of the past five years.
Lord Sassoon: The table below sets out the payments made by HM Revenue and Customs to Bounty.
Year Amount paid to Bounty £ Number of Child Benefit claim forms distributed
2007-08 112,487.00 706,843
2008-09 125,671.75 774,604
2009-10 143,167.00 852,592
2010-11 126,906.79 888,180
2011-12 90,805.00 901,298
Information on payments that may have been made by other government departments is not held centrally.
Health: Bounty
Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what payments have been made to Bounty by the Department of Health or vice versa in each of the past five years; and what agreements were in place between Bounty and the Department of Health regarding the contents of, or distribution of, Bounty packs to expectant or new mothers, for each of the past five years.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they hold regarding payments to NHS Hospital Trusts, primary care trusts or strategic health authorities by Bounty for the distribution of their packs to expectant or new mothers.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what conditions, restrictions or safety precautions apply to representatives of commercial companies entering maternity units for the purposes of data collection or providing commercial services such as photography to parents.
Earl Howe: Neither the department nor the National Health Service centrally has any contracts with Bounty. The distribution of Bounty packs is negotiated locally by Bounty with individual NHS and foundation trusts, and individual trusts are able to influence the contents of the packs delivered to their maternity services users. The department does not have information about the contracts that exist between Bounty and the NHS locally, as this is the responsibility of individual NHS authorities and is not collated centrally.
Bounty occasionally promotes departmental public health messages free of charge, including messages on seasonal flu, encouraging pregnant women to have the flu jab, and encouraging women to sign up to the NHS Information Service for Parents. The department's messages are promoted on Bounty's website, in its membership area and in its "Thank you for registering with Bounty" e-mails sent to newly registered pregnant women. The NHS Information Service for Parents wallet cards with sign-up details are placed in Bounty's pregnancy and information pack for pregnant women free of charge.
Levels of security provision are for NHS bodies to establish on a local basis, according to an assessment of the particular security risks they face. Each NHS body is responsible for providing the necessary resources to manage security.
NHS Protect has national responsibility for leading work to protect NHS staff and resources from crime and provides support, guidance and advice to NHS bodies on assessing security risks and taking effective action.
For areas such as maternity units where there are specific security risks, it is for each NHS body to determine who has access to these areas and to have protocols in place for supervising contractors and/or individuals while on their premises.
Health: Bounty
Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether NHS trusts are placed under any restrictions regarding the distribution of materials from commercial companies or charities other than Bounty; and what approval has been given by any department for any such contracts.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of any (1) agreements, (2) correspondence and (3) details of meeting dates, between Bounty and the Department of Health since June 2010.
Earl Howe: The distribution of materials from commercial companies and charities is negotiated locally with individual National Health Service and/or foundation trusts, and as such the department is not involved in the approval process for any relevant contracts.
The department does not have any written agreements with Bounty.
There were 10 items of correspondence received from Bounty since 1 June 2010. Copies of the correspondence, together with department's replies, have been placed in the Library.
Since June 2010 departmental officials have met with Bounty on five occasions; a further meeting is planned in 2013. The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Anne Milton) also met with Bounty in June 2011. The meetings covered a range of issues including Start4life, public health messages surrounding drinking, giving up smoking in pregnancy and opportunities to promote seasonal flu messages. Officials have also attended one of Bounty's health networks to brief it on Start4Life, the NHS Information Service for Parents and the Start4Life smoke-free midwives pack.
Health: Cardiology
The Lord Bishop of Ripon and Leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Independent Reconfiguration Panel to publish the findings of its review of the Safe and Sustainable proposals on children's congenital heart services; whether they issued any instructions about consulting Members of Parliament when requesting that review; and whether they plan to issue further instructions to ensure that interested Members of the House of Lords are able to contribute.
Earl Howe: Following referrals from three local Overview and Scrutiny Committees, and subsequent initial assessments of those referrals, the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) is currently undertaking a full review of the proposals concerning Safe and Sustainable.
The panel is now due to submit its advice to the Secretary of State no later than 28 March 2013. As is routine, the panel will publish its advice at the same time as the Secretary of State makes his decision public.
No instructions were issued to the panel about consulting Members of Parliament and no further instructions will be issued. As an independent body, it is up to the panel to determine how to carry out its review.
However, we are clear that anyone, including honourable Members and other elected or non-elected representatives can make their own representations and views known to the IRP on this important issue.
This can be done by contacting the panel at [email protected] and in writing to IRP, 6th floor, 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9SP.
Health: Consultancy Services
Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much hospital trusts spent on outside consultants, by strategic health authority area, (1) in each of the past 12 months, and (2) in each of the past five years, for which figures are available.
Earl Howe: Information regarding expenditure on consultancy services by National Health Service trusts within strategic health authority (SHA) regions for the years 2007-08 to 2010-11 is in the following table.
SHA spend in respect of the last 12 months in 2012-2013 will be available once the department's annual report and accounts are laid before Parliament in October 2013.
NHS Direct NHS Trust does not fall under a specific SHA region; as such, figures for the organisation have been listed separately.
NHS Trust consultancy spend by SHA region 2007-08 £000s 2008-09 £000s 2009-10 £000s 2010-11 £000s 2011-12 £000s
NHS Direct NHS Trust 3,627 7,279 4,955 1,308 2,730
North East SHA 2,972 2,165 1,230 656 561
North West SHA 13,301 12,862 7,460 8,443 14,079
Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 5,570 6,604 5,720 5,566 7,844
East Midlands SHA 8,349 8,256 12,960 10,822 13,772
West Midlands SHA 17,088 17,631 15,658 12,818 17,005
East of England SHA 10,003 9,403 9,822 7,781 7,325
London SHA 37,588 49,204 52,179 44,871 55,548
South East Coast SHA 13,884 16,355 13,193 10,064 12,411
South Central SHA 13,407 11,716 11,826 9,099 8,811
South West SHA 8,285 7,378 7,865 7,566 6,673
Source: 2007-08 to 2011-12 NHS Trusts Audited Summarisation Schedules
The data are taken from the audited summarisation schedules of NHS trusts which are used to prepare the NHS elements of the department's annual report and accounts.
Health: Finance-related Ill-health
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the link between financial anxiety over debt and health problems; and what steps they are taking to improve debt advice services.
Earl Howe: The links between worklessness and mental ill-health are well established. The Foresight Report Mental Capital and Wellbeing, published by the Government Office of Science, highlighted the link between mental ill-health and social factors, particularly debt. A copy of the report is available at the following link: www.bis.gov.uk/foresight/our-work/projects/published-projects/mental-capital-and-wellbeing/reports-and-publications.
Through provisions in the Financial Services Act, the Government have clarified the role of the Money Advice Service so that it is required to work with other organisations which provide debt services, with a view to improving the availability, quality and consistency in the services available, in the way in which they are provided and in the advice given.
Health: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase investment in innovation in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme is funding a systematic review of evidence on the benefits, harms and costs of treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The review began in May 2012 and is expected to report in mid-2014. In addition, the NIHR is funding two one-year biomedical research fellowships studying IPF.
In addition, the department has asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to produce a clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of IPF. The draft guideline is due to be published for consultation from 11 January 2013 to 22 February 2013, with a view to final publication in June 2013.
Health: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the introduction of the value-based pricing system for treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is developing technology appraisal guidance on the use of pirfenidone (Esbriet) for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. NICE issued initial draft guidance for consultation on 29 November 2012 which does not recommend the drug and currently expects to issue final guidance in April 2013.
The Government have set out their intention to introduce a system of value-based pricing (VBP) for branded medicines from January 2014. VBP will focus primarily on new medicines and it is not our intention to reassess under VBP the vast majority of treatments already appraised by NICE. Under our current plans, we intend to maintain the funding direction for NICE-recommended treatments and replicate its effect for medicines with a value-based price.
Health: Infection Control
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to appoint a new inspector of microbiology and infection control to advise the Government within the new NHS structures.
Earl Howe: The department plans to discuss with the NHS Commissioning Board and Public Health England how to cover the inspector of microbiology and infection control's functions in future.
Health: Infection Control
Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to ensure that variations in the redeployment of specialist infection prevention and control commissioning nurses and teams will not pose risks to management of infection prevention and control.
Earl Howe: It is a matter for local determination to ensure that appropriate specialist infection prevention and control commissioning nurses and teams are in place to prevent and control infections.
Health: Miscarriage
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of women losing their babies due to mistaken diagnosis of miscarriage, and the subsequent advice to doctors from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Earl Howe: It is important that women receive accurate diagnosis of miscarriage to enable them to make informed decisions about their pregnancy.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has considered the available evidence on diagnosis and initial management in early pregnancy of ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage and published clinical guidelines on 12 December 2012: www.nice.org. uk/nicemedia/live/14000/61854/61854.pdf.
Health professionals will wish to follow the NICE recommendation that women be informed that the diagnosis of miscarriage using one ultrasound scan cannot be guaranteed to be 100% accurate and there is a small chance that the diagnosis may be incorrect, particularly at very early gestational ages.
Health: Neurology
Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the commissioning data set for neurology will be developed; and who will be responsible for collecting the data and ensuring that it is accurate.
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the commissioning data set for neurology will be complete.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people with long-term neurological conditions in the United Kingdom have a care plan.
Earl Howe: The department does collect information on the number of people with a long-term neurological condition who have a care plan. Data on care planning was previously collected by the GP Practice Survey, which assesses patients' experiences of local National Health Services. The most recent data collected, which cover the period April 2010 to March 2011, showed that of nearly 2 million respondents with a long-term condition, 83% reported they had a care planning discussion, and 96% reported an improvement in their care as a result of the care planning process. Of those respondents reporting having a care planning discussion, 70% did not want a written plan summarising the discussion.
The Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention work stream on long-term conditions is looking at reducing the variations in the care planning that people receive. Evidence emerging from this work suggests that people want and value a care planning discussion rather than the need for a written care plan.
Arrangements for the development and operation of the neurology dataset will be matters for the NHS Commissioning Board to determine as it moves towards taking on its full responsibilities from April 2013. The board has committed to working with the service to increase the amount of data flowing within the NHS to support clinical commissioners in driving continuous improvements in quality in both secondary and primary care.
Health: Neurology
Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what indicators in the Commissioning Outcomes Framework pertain specifically to neurological conditions.
Earl Howe: The NHS Commissioning Board published the Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (formerly the Commissioning Outcomes Framework) for 2013-14 on 18 December. The set contains indicators from the NHS Outcomes Framework that specifically include patients with neurological conditions. These are as follows (with the NHS Outcomes Framework number in brackets):
potential years of life lost from causes amenable to healthcare (1a); health-related quality of life for people with long- term conditions (2);unplanned hospitalisation for chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions (adults) (2.3.i); andunplanned hospitalisation for asthma, diabetes and epilepsy in under 19s (2.3.ii).
Health: Obesity
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to patients of using products containing orlistat in treatments (1) prescribed by the NHS, and (2) sold over the counter.
Earl Howe: Orlistat is authorised for weight loss in adults who are overweight and should be taken in conjunction with a mildly hypocaloric, lower-fat diet. Orlistat works by preventing the absorption of ingested fat. Orlistat is available as both a prescription-only medicine (Xenical) and a non-prescription over-the-counter medicine that is available under the supervision of a pharmacist (Alli).
Orlistat is authorised throughout the European Union and a full assessment of its safety and efficacy was conducted at the time of authorisation. Public assessment reports have been published by the European Medicines Agency.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency keeps the safety of all licensed medicines, including orlistat-containing products, under close review using a wide range of data sources. These include suspected adverse drug reactions spontaneously reported by health professionals and patients through the Yellow Card scheme.
Up-to-date information on the side effects of orlistat is provided in the product information for prescribers and the patient information leaflets, which accompany both the prescription-only and the over-the-counter medicines.
Health: Parkinson's Disease
Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the quality standard for Parkinson's disease will be developed.
Earl Howe: We have asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop a quality standard on Parkinson's disease as part of a library of approximately 180 National Health Service quality standards. NICE has not yet published a timescale for the development of this quality standard.
The NHS Commissioning Board, which will be responsible for the strategic direction of NHS quality standards from April 2013, has begun discussions with NICE to determine the most appropriate sequencing for NHS quality standards to assist the board in improving patient outcomes across the five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework.
Health: Parkinson's Disease
Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on Parkinson's disease will next be updated.
Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of Parkinson's disease in primary and secondary care in June 2006.
NICE carried out a routine review of the need to update the clinical guideline in 2011 and concluded that the guideline should be further considered for an update once the outcomes of recent clinical research in this area have been published.
Higher Education: Modern Languages
Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) modern languages departments, and (2) degree courses in or including one or more modern language, have been closed in United Kingdom universities in each of the last five years.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Government do not hold the specific data requested. Higher education institutions (HEI) are autonomous and responsible for how they structure themselves and what courses they offer. As a result of our funding reforms, from 2012-13 HEI funding increasingly flows from the fees paid by students, so institutions are making decisions about which courses to offer to respond to student demand.
We have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to protect subjects that are strategically important and vulnerable (SIVS), including modern foreign languages, to avoid undesirable reductions in the scale of provision.
HEFCE is working with institutions to explore how modern foreign language (MFL) provision could best be sustained across the sector, taking into account the new landscape for student fees and finance in HE. HEFCE continues to provide funding for student demand-raising activity in MFL at a national level: for 2012-13 this funding is worth £1 million and between 2013 and 2016 HEFCE has committed to invest a further £3 million in a new programme of demand-raising work. Given the need to sustain the supply of MFL provision, HEFCE protected student numbers in these subjects in the redistribution of student numbers for 2012-13.
The table below shows the total number of students studying modern foreign languages over the past five years. It demonstrates that there has been little change in the overall number of FTE students taking modern foreign languages at undergraduate level.
Table 1: Undergraduate FTE in modern foreign languages drawn from HESA data*
Academic year
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 % change 2006-07 to 2010-11
Undergraduate FTE in modern foreign languages 27,967 26,883 27,441 27,185 28,021 0%
* Includes all students across all modes of study (full-time and part-time), from all domiciles (home, EU and international), and in all years of study. Excludes Open University.
Higher Education: Online Courses
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact on the provision of university education of the publication by leading United Kingdom universities of degree resources online.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The UK must be at the forefront of developments in educational technology. Open online courses present an opportunity for us to widen access to, and meet the global demand for, higher education. Recent initiatives by the Open University and others will make high-quality UK-produced academic content freely available to anyone who wishes to study it. We congratulate the Open University and its partners on this.
House of Lords: Appointments
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Strathclyde on 19 November (WA 320), when they expect to start on the process of achieving the objective of creating a second Chamber that is reflective of the share of the vote secured by the political parties in the last general election.
Lord Strathclyde: It remains the Government's continued intention that Lords appointments will be made with the objective of creating a second Chamber that is reflective of the share of the vote secured by the political parties in the last general election, and this commitment is taken into account by the Prime Minister when making appointments.
House of Lords: Catering
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask the Chairman of Committees whether he will ensure that foie gras is removed from the menu of all catering establishments in the House of Lords.
Lord Sewel: The only outlets where foie gras had been on the menu were the Barry Room and the Peers' Dining Room, during December 2012. Foie gras has now been removed from the menu in both outlets.
Foie gras has also been an option for menus for banqueting events, but will be removed from future banqueting menus.
House of Lords: Members
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 10 December (WA 196), what steps they take to ensure that all Members of the House of Lords retain the correct citizenship status to be a Member of the House.
Lord McNally: Since it was established in May 2000, the House of Lords Appointments Commission has asked non-party-political nominees to confirm their nationality and hereditary Peers elected in a by-election are required to confirm they are not disqualified for membership of the House of Lords, but Members' nationality is not actively monitored thereafter.
House of Lords: Private Members' Bills
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance in the preparation of Private Members' Bills was provided by the Department of Energy and Climate Change in (1) the 2010-12 Session, and (2) this Session.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: No direct assistance in the preparation of Private Members' Bills has been provided by the department during the previous and current Sessions. This is because no Private Members' Bills were tabled which fitted in with agreed policy of the department. The department does, however, endeavour to support Members whenever it can if their proposed Private Members' Bills fit in with departmental policy.
Housing
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to make family housing more accessible.
Baroness Hanham: The Government believe that local communities should determine the right mix of new housing for their area. In June 2010 we removed the national minimum density target from Planning Policy Statement 3 (Housing) to give local authorities the flexibility to set density ranges that suit the local needs in their areas-particularly for family houses. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that councils should plan to meet the objectively assessed needs for market and affordable housing in the housing market area. As part of this, they should plan for a mix of housing based on current and future demographic trends, market trends and the needs of different groups in the community, such as families with children.
The Homes and Communities Agency is expecting that delivery of larger family homes through the new Affordable Homes Programme is broadly in line with the proportion delivered through the earlier National Affordable Homes Programme. Around 29% of the homes will be family-sized homes (3+ bedrooms).
The Government are also committed to helping people access all types of housing, including family housing, by providing help with mortgage finance. Over £900 million is being invested by government and housebuilders through FirstBuy to help up to 27,000 first-time buyers into home ownership by March 2014. FirstBuy offers an equity loan of up to 20% of the property value which can be used towards the cost of purchasing a home. 45.7% of FirstBuy sales to the end of September 2012 were properties of three or more bedrooms. The NewBuy Guarantee scheme helps buyers realise their aspirations for home ownership with a 5% deposit. The Government provide the necessary guarantee to support lenders to offer 95% loan-to-value new-build mortgages.
Housing
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to improve the design quality of new-build housing.
Baroness Hanham: Our housing strategy, Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England, was published in November 2011. It emphasises that getting the quality, sustainability and design of housing right is crucial if communities are going to support new homes.
In line with this, the National Planning Policy Framework published in March 2012 makes clear that good design is a key aspect of sustainable development, is indivisible from good planning and should contribute positively to making places better for people. Specifically it sets out that: permission should be refused for development of poor design; great weight should be given to outstanding or innovative designs; proposals that have evolved to take account of the views of the community should be looked on more favourably; and local planning authorities should have local design review arrangements in place.
In addition, we are currently funding the Design Council CABE to provide design review services. This enables developers and local authorities to get potential schemes reviewed by an independent panel of experts, who provide advice on how the scheme design could be improved.
We have also supported the development of the Building for Life design checklist. This is promoted by the Home Builders Federation and the Design Council as a reference tool that can be used at the pre-application stage to help frame local discussions about the design of a new housing scheme.
Housing
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce minimum space and storage standards for new homes as part of their review of housing standards.
Baroness Hanham: No decisions have been made about standards for space and storage in the review of local housing standards. Ministers will receive recommendations for their consideration in due course.
Housing
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current minimum space standards applicable to new affordable housing developments.
Baroness Hanham: Information on the design and sustainability standards used by the Homes and Communities Agency can be found online at: www. homesandcommunities.co.uk/ourwork/design-and-sustainability-standards.
Information on how the quality of housing schemes is measured is at: www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/hqi.
Housing
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost implications of (1) the Lifetime Homes Standards, (2) the Code for Sustainable Homes, and (3) minimum space standards for public housing for new developments in England.
Baroness Hanham: The Department for Communities and Local Government commissioned analysis of the cost implications of Lifetime Homes Standards by Building Cost Information Service in 2009, which estimated costs ranging between £199 and £2,500 per unit for different home types and designs.
The cost of the Code for Sustainable Homes has been regularly assessed, and the last report was published in 2011. This indicated that extra over costs can range between £230 and £40,000 per unit, depending on different code level, home type and design, and location. The latest cost report is available at this link: https:// www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-building-housing-to-the-code-for-sustainable-homes-standard-updated-cost-review.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has not made any estimate of the cost implications of space standards.
Housing
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regulations relating to information required for the marketing of new homes and what consideration they have given to the proposals made by the Royal Institute of British Architects for an industry-wide voluntary agreement regarding the quality and nature of information provided in marketing information for the sale of homes.
Baroness Hanham: Striking the right balance in the regulatory system is very important. We need to protect consumers while eliminating the avoidable burdens of regulation and bureaucracy to promote growth, innovation and social action.
To protect consumers, the marketing of new homes is covered by general marketing and consumer protection laws. There is also a requirement that an energy performance certificate must be made available to prospective home purchasers.
To remove unnecessary red tape, we abolished the previous Government's home information packs because they significantly increased the cost of moving home for sellers and resulted in duplicated costs as buyers did not trust the information. We have also recently announced our intention to repeal the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 as the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 provide adequate similar protections against false or misleading commercial practices in this sector, as in other sectors.
We would welcome further industry initiatives in response to the proposal from the Royal Institute of British Architects and Future Homes Commission. This could build on the consumer code for house-builders, which is an example of an existing voluntary industry-wide initiative to make the home-buying process fairer and more transparent for purchasers.
Housing
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what conditions or expectations are set out in agreements with developers for the disposal of public land for the purpose of new housing development as to the design quality of the homes that will be built.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what requirements are set out for developers taking part in the Build Now Pay Later scheme in respect of the design quality of homes built on surplus public sector land.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure that new homes built on surplus public sector land are of a good design quality.
Baroness Hanham: As part of the Government's public land programme, departments are freeing up their surplus, formerly used land, with development potential, particularly for housing. Each landowning department is responsible for the disposal of its land and the contracts it uses, including Build Now Pay Later terms, and these will be tailored on a site-by-site basis.
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the Government's planning policies on design, making it clear that good design is a key aspect of sustainable development. Matters of design quality for homes on public land and all sites are for local decision, as they importantly need to respect the local character and environment of the area. I refer my noble friend to the answer given to my honourable friend the Member for South Staffordshire on 7 January (Official Report, col. 127W), which provides more detail about the steps being taken by the Government to encourage good design.
Immigration: Detention
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of detainees without authorisation to be in the United Kingdom have been incarcerated for (1) one year, and (2) over two years.
To ask Her Majesty's Government, of the detainees without authorisation to be present in the United Kingdom who have been incarcerated for over two years, how many were (1) released, (2) forcibly released, and (3) kept in detention, during the last five years.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The number of persons detained under Immigration Act powers at 30 September 2012, the latest date for which published information is available, was 3,091; 149 were detained for one year or more and, of these, 27 were detained for two years or more.
I have assumed that by "forcibly released" you refer to individuals whose release has been ordered by the courts. We have provided information relating to those released on bail, but do not hold information centrally on whether temporary admission or release is given as the result of a court order or following the UK Border Agency's review of detention. Information on the number of individuals leaving detention, including the reasons and length of detention, is only available from 2010.
Of those detained for two years or more:
77 persons left detention in 2010. Of these, 26 were removed and 15 were granted temporary admission or release. A further 31 were granted bail.
118 persons left detention in 2011. Of these, 29 were removed and 23 were granted temporary admission or release. A further 61 were granted bail.
55 persons left detention in 2012 up to 30 September 2012, the latest date for which published information is available. Of these, 19 were removed and 13 were granted temporary admission or release. A further 22 were granted bail.
Detailed information on people in detention, by length of detention, is released quarterly in table dt.9.q, and people leaving detention in tables dt.05.q and dt.06.q of Immigration Statistics, which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Science, Research and Statistics website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-tabs-q3-2012/detention-q3-2012-tabs?view=Binary
Detention is a necessary part of the process to remove some individuals with no right to be in the UK. We always seek to remove those with no right to be here as quickly as possible but if detainees give false or incomplete information or submit spurious last-minute appeals, then in such cases, it can delay their return and extend their detention.
Immigration: Detention
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will establish an independent panel to review the cases of detainees without authorisation to be present in the United Kingdom who are held for lengthy periods.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The establishment of such a panel is not considered to be necessary or appropriate. Exercise of immigration detention powers is a matter for the Secretary of State. Decisions to maintain detention are kept under regular review at successively higher levels in the UK Border Agency, with cases involving particularly lengthy detention being reviewed at director level. The legality of detention can be challenged in the courts, as well as the individual having the right to apply for bail at any time.
Immigration: Handcuffs
Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times (1) handcuffs, and (2) escort chains, were used on children by escort providers escorting children to or from (a) immigration reception centres, (b) the pre-departure accommodation, The Cedars, and (c) immigration detention centres, during the latest 12-month period for which figures are available, and during the three preceding 12-month periods.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Handcuffs are only ever used on children as a last resort where it is strictly necessary to prevent self-harm or escape, or to protect others and property. Escorting officers do not use chains.
The detention and escorting contract transferred to Reliance Secure Task Management on 1 May 2011. From May 2011 to the present date, there have not been any instances of officers using handcuffs on children when escorting them to or from the pre-departure accommodation or immigration removal centres. There are no facilities called immigration reception centres.
Data from the previous escorting provider are not available.
The information is taken from data normally used for management information only. It has not been subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications and is provisional and subject to change.
Israel
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Israel concerning any long-term ceasefire they were negotiating with Hamas before the recent hostilities started.
Baroness Warsi: We are aware of media reports about a possible full ceasefire proposal before the recent violence in Gaza and southern Israel. However, we have not discussed this issue with the Israeli Government.
Following the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire on 21 November, the priority now must be to address the underlying causes of the conflict, including more open access to and from Gaza for people and goods, and an end to the smuggling of weapons. It is important that momentum towards finding a solution to the problems of Gaza is maintained.
Israel and Palestine
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the reported raids by Israeli forces on the offices of Palestinian human rights organisations, including the offices of the Union of Palestinian Women Committees and the Palestinian NGO Network.
Baroness Warsi: We are deeply concerned by the incursion by Israeli security forces into Ramallah on 11 December to raid the offices of three non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with which the EU has implemented co-operation projects-Addameer, the Union of Palestinian Women Committees (UPWC) and the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO).
Incursions by Israeli forces into Palestinian cities where the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo accords assumes the powers and responsibilities for internal security and public order put in jeopardy the internationally recognised success of Palestinian institution-building efforts.
Israel and Palestine
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Government of Israel concerning the recommendation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office report Children in Military Custody that military law and public administration should deal with Palestinian children on an equal footing with Israeli children.
Baroness Warsi: Our ambassador to Tel Aviv has discussed the report's findings with the Israeli Attorney-General and Deputy Attorney-General and with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will continue dialogue with the Israeli authorities on this issue.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), has also written to the Israeli ambassador on this subject and has met Baroness Scotland, as one of the authors, to discuss follow-up to the report.
Israel and Palestine
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning Palestinian farmers in Jayyous and elsewhere who are unable to access their land because of the security barrier.
Baroness Warsi: Through our embassy in Tel Aviv, we have lobbied the appropriate authorities on the issue of movement and access. We continue to work closely with the quartet and EU partners, and to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access.
The UK position on the separation barrier is clear: if Israel wished to build the barrier, it should have been built on the 1967 border-and where it is constructed on the Palestinian side of that border, it is illegal under international law.
According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs there are now 522 obstacles which restrict Palestinian access, compared to 503 at the end of 2010. This is a clear increase and it is clear that more needs to be done, particularly in the Jordan Valley and Palestinian land on the Israeli side of the separation barrier.
We will continue to argue for a just outcome for all the people affected by illegal settlement construction and the confiscation of land due to the separation barrier. This includes funding from the Department for International Development for the Norwegian Refugee Council to provide legal support to communities affected by the occupation.
Israel and Palestine
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the total cost of Mr Tony Blair and his supporting staff in his role as Quartet Envoy to the Middle East; and what is the United Kingdom share of that cost.
Baroness Warsi: The Government do not provide any financial contribution to the Office of the Quartet Representative. However, we do currently second two civil servants to the Office of the Quartet Representative in London, and one to the Office of the Quartet Representative in Jerusalem, to support the work of the quartet in reinforcing the prospects of a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Government do not hold information on the total cost of Tony Blair's role as Quartet Envoy.
Israel and Palestine
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Israel about access to the Old City of Jerusalem for pilgrims and students coming from the West Bank, Jordan and Israel, in line with United Nations resolutions on the matter.
Baroness Warsi: We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement between the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and elsewhere in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Through our embassy in Tel Aviv, we have lobbied the appropriate authorities on the issue of movement and access. We continue to work closely with the quartet and EU partners, and to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access.
Israel and Palestine: West Bank
Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Israel concerning the break-in and removal of all computer hard disks from the human rights offices of Addameer and other community organisations in Ramallah.
Baroness Warsi: We are deeply concerned by the incursion by Israeli security forces into Ramallah on 11 December, to raid the offices of three non-governmental organisations, including Addameer, the Union of Palestinian Women Committees and the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisation Network.
Incursions by Israeli forces into Palestinian cities where the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords assumes the powers and responsibilities for internal security and public order put in jeopardy the internationally recognized success of Palestinian institution building efforts.
Officials at our embassy in Tel Aviv are actively seeking an opportunity to raise this raid with the Israeli authorities.
Justice: Confiscation Orders
Lord Thomas of Gresford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners are currently serving a term of imprisonment for default in the payment of confiscation orders.
Lord McNally: The National Offender Management Service and the Ministry of Justice Analytical Services are unable to obtain information from their data systems in relation to how many offenders are currently serving a confiscation default sentence for non-payment of confiscation orders. In addition, if the court has invoked the default sentence and if the offender is still serving their substantive prison sentence they will not be classed as serving their default sentence until after they have served their main sentence.
Justice: Confiscation Orders
Lord Thomas of Gresford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was recovered from confiscation orders in 2011.
Lord McNally: A record amount of £120.8 million was recovered from confiscation orders in England and Wales during the financial year of 2011-12.
Justice: Confiscation Orders
Lord Thomas of Gresford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many confiscation orders resulted in default sentences being activated in 2011.
Lord McNally: HMCTS has eight regional confiscation units and the breakdown of the number of default prison sentences activated for non-payment of confiscation orders during 2011-12 is recorded in the table below.
HMCTS Regional Confiscation Unit Number of default sentences activated during 2011-12
London 66
Midlands (east) 27
Midlands (west) 41
North East 37
North West 67
South East 48
South West 35
Wales 6
Total 327
Justice: Confiscation Orders
Lord Thomas of Gresford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what range of default sentences were set by the Crown Courts for non-payment of confiscation orders in 2011.
Lord McNally: The minimum prison default sentence for non-payment is seven days for outstanding amounts up to £200, while the maximum additional sentence is 10 years for outstanding amounts over £1 million.
The table below records the sliding scale of default prison sentences against the amount left outstanding, all of which were allocated during 2011-12.
Amount Default Period
Not exceeding £200 7 days
Exceeding £200 but less than £500 14 days
Exceeding £500 but less than £1,000 28 days
Exceeding £1,000 but less than £2,500 45 days
Exceeding £2,500 but less than £5,000 3 months
Exceeding £5,000 but less than £10,000 6 months
Exceeding £10,000 but less than £20,000 12 months
Exceeding £20,000 but less than £50,000 18 months
Exceeding £50,000 but less than £100,000 2 years
Exceeding £100,000 but less than £250,000 3 years
Exceeding £250,000 but less than £1,000,000 5 years
Exceeding £ 1,000,000 10 years
Justice: Confiscation Orders
Lord Thomas of Gresford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what types of offence resulted in confiscation orders being made in 2011.
Lord McNally: During the 2011-12 financial year, 20 of the 21 offence categories were used for grant confiscation orders. No confiscation orders were granted under terrorism during 2011-12.
The table below records the volume and value of confiscation orders granted during 2011-12, under each offence category.
Offence Volume of Orders Granted Value of Orders Granted
Arms Trafficking 7 £1,766,873.33
Bribery and Corruption 11 £1,716,429.75
Burglary/Theft 512 £5,697,593.23
Counterfeiting/Intellectual Property/Forgery 135 £8,814,064.66
Drug Trafficking 3,333 £45,428,479.24
Excise Duty Fraud 46 £2,917,292.68
Handling Stolen Goods 63 £868,691.02
Intellectual Property Crime 13 £186,313.94
Money-laundering - Drugs 257 £12,407,865.56
Money-laundering - Other 333 £32,106,071.95
Other Crime 127 £8,556,117.70
Other Fraud/Embezzlement/Deception/Crimes of dishonesty 904 £36,014,747.14
People Trafficking 32 £2,179,856.14
Pimps and Brothels/Prostitution/Pornography 51 £3,372,369.73
Robbery 103 £513,453.21
Tax and Benefit Fraud 300 £14,215,450.13
Terrorism 0 0.00
Trading Standards Offences 3 £473,820.00
Unknown 12 £150,134.32
VAT Fraud 25 £10,165,274.51
Vehicle Offences 3 £111,772.35
Grand Total 6,270 £187,662,670.59
Justice: Confiscation Orders
Lord Thomas of Gresford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cost of confiscation proceedings in 2010 and 2011 arising out of court hearings, the use of expert witnesses, enforcement and default prison sentences.
Lord McNally: HM Courts and Tribunals Service systems do not identify the cost of confiscation proceedings, including court hearings, the use of expert witnesses, enforcement and default prison sentences. To provide an estimate would require liaising with many government departments and would incur disproportionate costs. Furthermore it is difficult to set an average cost, as some confiscation cases are straightforward while others such as fraud are very complex and would be lengthy and include many specialists.
Kenya
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the issue of an apology to Kenyan victims of torture during the 1950s Kenyan Emergency.
Baroness Warsi: We understand the pain and grievance felt by all those involved in the divisive and bloody events of the emergency period in Kenya. We acknowledge that the claimants in the related case currently before the High Court may have suffered torture and ill treatment. However, in light of the ongoing legal proceedings it would not be appropriate to comment further.
Kenya
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will meet the Kenyan Human Rights Commission to discuss the setting up of a welfare fund for Kenyan victims of torture and violence and degrading treatment by the British colonial authorities during the 1950s Kenyan Emergency.
Baroness Warsi: It would not be appropriate to comment on the possibility of a welfare fund while there is an ongoing legal case in the High Court.
Liver Bird
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to (1) Liverpool Football Club, (2) Liverpool City Council, (3) the UK Intellectual Property Office, and (4) the European Union Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market, regarding the rights associated with the use of the Liver Bird; and, if they have not made representations, whether they will do so.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston: There has been no recent contact between the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and either Liverpool Football Club or Liverpool City Council regarding use of the Liver Bird in their logos. In April 2009, an official from IPO held a discussion with representatives of both Liverpool Football Club and Liverpool City Council to offer advice in relation to their continued and joint use of the Liver Bird.
IPO has not discussed this matter with, nor made any representations to, the Office for the Harmonisation of the Internal Market, and is not aware of any discussions between that office and Liverpool Football Club or Liverpool City Council.
Localism Act 2011
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent the duty to co-operate introduced in the Localism Act 2011 applies to co-operation between public bodies for individual development sites; and whether they will consider measures to require co-operation between public bodies and private companies on individual sites.
Baroness Hanham: The duty to co-operate applies to the preparation of local and marine plans where local planning authorities, county councils and prescribed bodies are planning for strategic cross-boundary matters. Local planning authorities report to their communities on their actions under the duty in their authority monitoring report at least annually. The duty is intended to support the joint working necessary for good plan-making and this may include work with private partners where appropriate. Public bodies subject to the duty are required to have regard to the activities of local enterprise partnerships when preparing local plans, bringing together public and private sector organisations. The duty does not apply to the development management process but there is a similar expectation around effective joint working.
London Underground: Line Extensions
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cost of extending the Northern Line to Battersea Power station; and what contribution the developer of that site will make.
Earl Attlee: The costs of the extension are not expected to exceed £1 billion in outturn prices. Further design works will be required to provide a more accurate forecast of the capital costs, which will also be dependent on the timing of construction.
Transport for London is currently working with the London boroughs of Wandsworth and Lambeth, the Greater London Authority and private developers to finalise the project's funding and financing solution. The developer of the Battersea Power Station site is committed to providing £211.6 million (this figure will be subject to indexation) of funding towards infrastructure works, as set out in its Section 106 agreement. At least 72% of this will be used to fund the Northern Line extension.
Muslim Brotherhood
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of whether the Muslim Brotherhood presents any terrorist threat globally.
Baroness Warsi: The Muslim Brotherhood is a diverse movement that has its own political parties in a number of countries. We will engage with political parties where they respect the democratic process and have a commitment to human rights, the rule of law and non-violence. We do not consider the Muslim Brotherhood to be a terrorist organisation.
NHS: Contracts
Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many NHS contracts are currently placed with organisations owned by private equity companies.
Earl Howe: Contracts to provide goods and services to National Health Service bodies are generally let by the NHS bodies themselves. As a consequence the department does not hold information on the corporate structure of suppliers awarded these contracts.
NHS: Data
Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what applications they have (1) received, and (2) granted, from organisations which collect data from NHS users in NHS hospital maternity units regarding the permission of onward sale of that data to other organisations and individuals.
Earl Howe: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is the central body responsible for undertaking national collections of data from health and care organisations, including data on maternity services. The HSCIC routinely publishes and shares the data it collects so that they can be used to support the delivery of healthcare services but-crucially-only in ways that do not identify individuals. Identifiable data are released by the HSCIC only where consent has been obtained or where there is another basis in law to release it.
The HSCIC receives applications for specific extracts of the data it holds to be provided for particular purposes as part of a bespoke data extract service. All applications for such data extracts are assessed by the centre to ensure there is a valid and appropriate purpose for the intended use of the data. If they include identifiable data, the applicant must have the appropriate legal approval to see the data. In addition, a customer of the service can only hold the data having signed a data reuse agreement which contains strict conditions about how the data are to be used.
The HSCIC operates this service on a cost recovery basis. That means that any charges made by HSCIC cover only the resource cost of providing the data. No charge is made for the data itself.
The HSCIC records requests for bespoke data extracts according to the customer rather than the subject matter of the data. As a result, this information is not stored in a way that allows any requests which may have included maternity data to be identified without examining every extract request manually.
Dame Fiona Caldicott is currently leading an independent review, commissioned by the Government, to examine and report on how we can strike the right balance between appropriately safeguarding people's health and care data while ensuring we are able to harness the enormous power information has to transform people's experience of care. That review is expected to report early in 2013.
NHS: Funding
Baroness Pitkeathley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to the National Health Service in the period 2007-2012, as captured by the National Programme Budgeting Database, of funding continuing healthcare packages for patients' ongoing health and social care needs, broken down by medical speciality.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to the National Health Service in the period 2007-2012 of funding continuing healthcare packages for patients' ongoing health and social care needs arising from problems of vision, broken down by primary care trust.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to the National Health Service in the period 2007-2012 of funding continuing healthcare packages for patients' ongoing health and social care needs arising from neurological problems, broken down by primary care trust.
Earl Howe: The cost of funding National Health Service continuing healthcare packages is not captured specifically by National Programme Budgeting. Since 2009, the department has collected information on the total cost of NHS continuing healthcare packages through a financial information management system1. The annual costs are as follows:
2009-10 - £2,030,071,000;2010-11 - £2,186,171,000; and2011-12 - £2,324,655,000.
This information is not available broken down by medical specialty.
Note:
1This is management information and is not audited for departmental records
NHS: General Practitioners
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to minimise patient services being cut by general practitioners.
Earl Howe: The proposed changes to the general practitioners' (GP) contract for 2013-14 are designed to improve the range and quality of services provided by GP practices.
The Government's evidence to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration proposes that GP practices should also receive an uplift in funding for 2013-14 to allow up to a 1% increase in pay for GPs and practice staff and additional funding to reflect increases in non-staff expenses.
NHS: Liverpool Care Pathway
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all patients who are intended to be placed on the Liverpool Care Pathway, and their legal carers, (1) must be informed by hospital staff of that intention, and (2) have the absolute right to decline this form of care.
Earl Howe: The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) is an option for clinicians to help manage the care of people in their last days or hours of life, complementing the skill and expertise of the practitioner using it. It requires senior doctors and nurses involved in a patient's care to agree that death is very likely to be imminent, and that being placed on the LCP would reduce a patient's distress, discomfort and pain. That decision involves the clinician choosing the best approach to care for an individual patient, whether curative treatment, palliative care, or a mixture of both. The LCP documentation is very clear that the decision should involve the patient and family members wherever possible. The LCP is not a treatment but a framework for managing treatments. Consent is therefore not required for the LCP itself, but normal consent rules apply to treatments while someone is on the LCP. If, as part of the discussions between the patient, family and healthcare team, it becomes clear that someone did not wish LCP to be used to help manage their care, then the healthcare team should respect that choice.
NHS: Liverpool Care Pathway
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government who has been appointed to chair their inquiry into the operation of the Liverpool Care Pathway; with whom the chair will be working to conduct that inquiry; and what mandate the inquiry will have.
Earl Howe: We expect to announce the chair of the independent inquiry very shortly. Once the chair is in place, further details, including the terms of reference for the inquiry, will be published.
North Korea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Warsi on 12 December (Official Report, col. 1064) and following the decision by the Government of North Korea to test its ballistic missile technology, what message was conveyed to the ambassador from North Korea during the meeting to which he was invited at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 12 December; what was his response; and what contact the Foreign Secretary has had with the Government of China in preparation for the meeting of the United Nations Security Council which will consider this matter.
Baroness Warsi: The North Korean ambassador was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), on 12 December. Alistair Burt condemned North Korea's satellite launch, made clear that it was a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1874 and emphasised the importance of North Korea adhering to its international obligations. He also pointed out that North Korea should prioritise its resources on feeding its people, avoid further provocative action and take urgent steps to re-engage constructively with the international community.
The ambassador's response was consistent with public statements by the North Koreans.
The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), met the North Korean ambassador on 19 December. He repeated the UK's strong condemnation of the satellite launch and explained that under international law North Korea must adhere to the obligations placed on it by the UN Security Council. He reiterated the Government's call for North Korea to focus its resources on improving the lives of the North Korean people.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), did not have any contact himself with the Chinese Government before the UN Security Council meeting on 12 December. However, in advance of the satellite launch, he instructed our embassy in Beijing to speak to the Chinese Government to explain our position. Officials from the FCO in London also spoke to the Chinese embassy and our ambassador to North Korea met the Chinese ambassador in Pyongyang to reiterate these messages.
North Korea
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions have taken place in the United Nations Security Council following the launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea; what bilateral discussions they have had with China; and what measures are being taken in response by the international community.
Baroness Warsi: The UN Security Council held urgent consultations following the launch on 12 December of North Korea's Eunha 3 rocket. In that meeting, members of the Security Council condemned the launch as a clear violation of Security Council resolutions 1718 and 1874. They recalled that in April 2012 the council demanded that North Korea not proceed with any further launches using ballistic missile technology. Consultations on the exact nature of the Security Council's response are ongoing between council members.
Officials at the UK Mission to the UN have also discussed the satellite launch with officials at the Chinese Mission to the UN as part of wider efforts to secure a strong UN response. Our embassy in Beijing has also spoken to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and set out our position in an attempt to secure Chinese support for an appropriate Security Council response.
We and other like-minded partners remain focused on seeing the Security Council agree an appropriate response to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's launch. EU member states will then consider their own response, in light of decisions taken by the Security Council. At the same time, other international partners such as South Korea and Japan are also considering bilateral responses to the satellite launch.
Ofsted
Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hill of Oareford on 24 September (WA 326) regarding complaints to Ofsted, whether details of complaints are made public, and if so where; and what was the outcome of the two complaints against further education colleges which were not concluded at the time the Question was answered.
Baroness Garden of Frognal: This question is a matter for Ofsted. The Deputy Chief Inspector, Education, Children's Services and Skills, John Goldup, has written to the noble Baroness, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from John Goldup, Deputy Chief Inspector, Education, Children's Services and Skills, Ofsted, to Baroness Sharp of Guildford, dated 13 December 2012.
Your recent Parliamentary Question has been passed to Ofsted for response. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is away, and I am replying on his behalf.
I can confirm that we do not currently make public details of complaints about Ofsted's work. However, the annual report of the Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for Ofsted (ICASO) evaluates how complaints have been handled when complainants remain dissatisfied following our internal investigations into their concerns. The ICASO annual report is available on its website at: http://www.ofstedadjudicationservice.co.uk/
In terms of the two complaints by further education colleges where investigations had not been completed at the time the previous Parliamentary Question was answered, one related to the inspection judgments awarded, and one related to aspects of inspector conduct, administrative issues and the inspection judgments. None of these concerns was upheld following complaint investigations.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Lord Hill of Oareford, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Older People
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Warsi on 14 December (Official Report, col. 1328) that "the mark of a good society is how it treats its old people", what plans they have to encourage people in the United Kingdom to value older people.
Baroness Warsi: As the debate on 14 December highlighted, the contribution of older people to our society is considerable and wide-ranging. The people who benefit from that contribution-whatever form it takes-already hold them with great value.
Government do recognise the importance of the issues facing people in later life and the contribution they make to society, but do not assume that they know all the answers. The Age Action Alliance was created in recognition of the need for a radical shift in approach. The alliance's vision is informed and driven by older people themselves, sharing a vision of improving older people's lives and creating neighbourhoods where all older people are secure, valued and able to make a contribution to their local communities and wider society.
UK Older People's Day is held on 1 October and celebrates the contribution older people make to our society. The purpose of the day is to be a national celebration of the achievements and contributions that older people make to our society and to the economy. Supported by the Department for Work and Pensions, Older People's Day is a means through which we can progressively address negative attitudes and outdated stereotypes.
Community events such as the Big Lunch have also shown themselves to be good vehicles for bringing the generations together. In 2012 8.5 million people took part, with events often involving an intergenerational aspect. In rural Cleveland, targeted support made possible by this department gave an isolated community a big boost with teenagers helping older residents to take part in the Big Lunch.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 6 December (WA 203-4), whether the voluntary contribution of €150,000 to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development "to support rapid progress on its work to tackle the profit shifting and the erosion of the corporate tax base at the global level" is directly linked to a specific deliverable and agreed timetable.
Lord Newby: The Organisation for the Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) work is important to help promote a better way of dealing with profit shifting and the erosion of the corporate tax base at the global level. The OECD will report to the G20 Finance Ministers on progress in February 2013. The timetable and direction for further work by the OECD will be set following consideration of the February report.
Given the complex issues involved and the need to gather evidence, the voluntary contributions to this work will help make progress in achieving concrete results.
Overseas Aid
The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding the Department for International Development has allocated in the last two financial years for (1) agriculture, (2) forestry, (3) fisheries, and (4) livestock, broken down by country.
Baroness Northover: DfID uses input sector codes to collect information on sectoral spend across its bilateral programme. Information on how much is spent by sector is published annually through its Statistics on International Development publication and at more detailed sectoral level through a set of additional tables. This information can be found at the following link: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Aid-Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2012/.
The tables below provide details of bilateral spending in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and livestock broken down by country and regional programme in financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12. The department also provides finance for these sectors through core contributions to multilateral organisations. For example, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) received £32 million in 2010-11, with elements of this funding being used for agricultural purposes.
Bilateral sector spending, by country, 2010-11
£ thousand
Country Agriculture Fisheries Forestry Livestock Grand Total
Afghanistan 5,088 - - 6 5,094
Africa Regional 11,984 2,813 1,515 1 16,314
Asia Regional - - 13 - 13
Brazil - - 24 - 24
Burma 2.706 - - 375 3,081
Cambodia 455 280 253 - 988
Cameroon - - 257 - 257
China 884 - - - 884
Ethiopia 15,838 - - - 15,838
Ghana 70 - 607 - 677
India 6,888 - - - 6,888
Indonesia - - 753 - 753
Kenya 17 - - - 17
Liberia - - 146 - 146
Malawi 4,097 - - - 4,097
Mozambique 192 - - - 192
Nepal 1,602 - 3,200 - 4,802
Nicaragua 113 - - - 113
Nigeria 294 - - 694 988
Pakistan 2,192 - - - 2,192
Rwanda 4,283 - - - 4,283
South Africa, Republic of 1 -319 - - - -319
South of Sahara Regional 36 - - - 36
St Helena - 169 - - 169
Sudan 1,214 - - - 1,214
Tajikistan, Republic of 11 - - - 11
Tanzania 467 - - - 467
Uganda 334 - - 334
Yemen 1,021 - - - 1,021
Zimbabwe 4,281 - - - 4,281
Non-specific Country 5,050 48 52,872 1,205 59,174
Grand Total 68,799 3,310 59,640 2,281 134,030
1 Reimbursement of funds to programme.
2 Spending on agriculture based on Input Sector Codes 31110, 31120, 31130 and 31191.
3 Spending on fisheries based on Input Sector Codes 31310 and 31320.
4 Spending on forestry based on Input Sector Codes 31210 and 31220.
5 Spending on livestock based on Input Sector Codes 31163.
- represents zero expenditure
Bilateral sector spending, by country, 2011-12
£ thousand
Country Agriculture Fisheries Forestry Livestock Grand Total
Afghanistan 3,540 - - 20 3,560
Africa Regional 3,661 1,834 404 - 5,900
Asia Regional - - 30 - 30
Burma 8,375 - - 875 9,250
Cameroon - - 516 - 516
China - - 44 - 44
Congo (Dem Rep) - - 70 - 70
Ethiopia 16,740 - - - 16,740
Ghana 107 - 167 - 274
India 1,762 - - - 1,762
Indonesia - - 1,036 - 1,036
Kenya - - - 336 336
Malawi 15,246 - - - 15,246
Middle East 200 - - - 200
Mozambique 291 - - - 291
Nepal 1,958 - 3,721 - 5,680
Nigeria 330 - - 573 903
Pakistan 415 - - - 415
Rwanda 7,115 - - - 7,115
Somali Republic 1,394 - - - 1,394
South Sudan 4,380 - 353 - 4.733
Sudan - - 566 - 566
Tajikistan, Republic of 72 - - - 72
Tanzania 3,915 - - - 3.915
Uganda - - 35 - 35
Vietnam 0 0 - - 0
Zambia 22 - - - 22
Zimbabwe 3,883 - - - 3,883
Non-specific Country 5,179 4 2,317 1,091 8,591
Grand Total 78,587 1,838 9,261 2,895 92,580
1 Spending on agriculture based on Input Sector Codes 31110, 31120, 31130 and 31191.
2 Spending on fisheries based on Input Sector Codes 31310 and 31320.
3 Spending on forestry based on Input Sector Codes 31210 and 31220.
4 Spending on livestock based on Input Sector Codes 31163.
- represents zero expenditure.
0 represents expenditure rounded down to zero.
Parliaments: Costs
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the latest figures for the annual total costs, and cost per member, of (1) the House of Lords, (2) the House of Commons, and (c) the European Parliament.
Lord Sassoon: The table below sets out the annual cost, number of Members and average cost per Member for the House of Commons, House of Lords and European Parliament.
Annual cost Number of Members Expenditure per member
£ million £ million
House of Commons 385 650 0.59
House of Lords 109 821-831 0.13
European Parliament1 1,332 736 1.79
The figures for the House of Commons are taken from the House of Commons annual accounts 2011-122 (for both administrative and Members' budgets) and the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority annual accounts 2011-123.
The House of Lords figures are for taken from the House of Lords annual accounts 2011-124.
For the European Parliament, figures are taken from the European Union Budget of 2011 financial report5. The European Parliament increased from 736 Members to 754 from 1 December 2011.
1 Reported annual cost of €1,555 million, converted at the December 2011 exchange rate of €1.18 = £1
2 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/commons/resource-accounts
3 http://parliamentarystandards.org.uk/About%20Us/ Corporate%20Publications/Annual%20Report%20and% 20Accounts%202011-%202012.pdf
4 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/Id/Idresource/35/35.pdf
5 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/aboutparliament/en/ 00059f3ea3/The-budget-of-the-European-Parliament.html
Pensions
Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take to ensure that recipients of the British state pension resident overseas and whose pensions are currently frozen will in future have their pensions paid at the same rate as the remaining expatriates whose pensions are uprated.
Lord Freud: There are no plans to change the current arrangements for pensions paid overseas.
Pensions
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to incorporate the £10 Christmas bonus for pensioners into the basic pension, or to abolish it.
Lord Freud: The £10 Christmas bonus is paid to both pensioners and working-age people in receipt of certain qualifying benefits.
The majority of recipients receive their payment automatically with whichever qualifying benefit they receive, which keeps administrative costs relatively low. There are no plans to change the way the Christmas bonus is paid or to abolish it.
Planning
Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the regulators of utility companies about requiring utility companies to co-operate with public bodies in the planning of sustainable development.
Baroness Hanham: In 2011, the Government undertook a consultation on the draft Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 in which the bodies subject to the duty to co-operate were prescribed. This was a general public consultation and so enabled the regulators of utility companies to put forward their views. The consultation also specifically invited views on the list of bodies that should be subject to the duty.
A summary of the responses to that consultation was published on 27 March 2012 and is available on the departmental website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-planning-regulations.
Police: Aid and Development Programmes
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of opportunities to review the way in which police reform and development is administered overseas in countries where the United Kingdom is contributing to this process.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scope for employing United Kingdom police forces to deliver appropriate outcomes in aid and development programmes.
Baroness Northover: The Building Stability Overseas Strategy sets out the UK's "whole of government" approach to delivering stability and development outcomes overseas. The positive contribution that UK police forces can make to deliver development outcomes is recognised within this strategy. Appropriate use of UK police expertise and experience for a particular programme is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Police reform can make a critical contribution to the development of more effective security and justice services in developing countries. The UK is currently reviewing its existing approaches for police reform in order to prepare up-to-date guidance based on experience and lessons learnt.
Police: Cross-Commonwealth Reform
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scope for developing a cross-Commonwealth approach to police reform, including the establishment of a register of police reform service providers within Commonwealth police agencies.
Baroness Warsi: The Commonwealth Secretariat continues to provide Commonwealth member states with support on police reform, including facilitating co-operation between members. A recent example has seen the Secretariat run a programme to strengthen the capacity of the Sierra Leone police force through partnership with the Botswana Police College. The UK also continues to provide support to Commonwealth members on police reform through our bilateral aid. Most recently, the Department for International Development has funded programmes in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Jamaica, and the International Academy of the College of Policing provided assistance to 17 Commonwealth countries in 2012 through their training programmes. The Government have not, at this point, made an assessment of scope for further developing a cross-Commonwealth approach to police reform.
Police: Overseas Service
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the demand for the provision of United Kingdom policing practice and expertise by countries in Africa.
Baroness Warsi: UK policing is highly regarded internationally, and there is demand for UK policing expertise both through multilateral mechanisms and from specific countries. While we have not made an assessment overall of the demand within Africa for UK policing, requests put to the Stabilisation Unit-which co-ordinates all requests for "non-operational" policing assistance-suggest that demand in Africa, as elsewhere, is high. We currently have senior UK police officers serving in UN missions to South Sudan, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The Government's Building Stability Overseas Strategy recognises the contribution that our policing expertise can make to building security, justice and broader development outcomes.
Police: Reform
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on the police of outsourcing police reform and development to commercial companies; and, what assessment they have made of the benefits delivered by the investment they have committed to such outsourcing to date.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: HM Inspectorate of Constabulary's Collaboration Report (July 2012) estimated that forces would save £169 million through collaboration by March 2015, including through collaboration with the private sector. It is for police and crime commissioners and forces to consider whether the private sector can help achieve cost savings and better services for the public. The police remain a public service, accountable to the people.
Population
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what forecast they have made of the size of the population of the United Kingdom in 2021.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, Director General for ONS, to Lord Empey, dated December 2012.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your question to Her Majesty's Government asking what forecast has been made of the size of the population of the United Kingdom in 2021. [HL4285]
Estimates of future population are available as population projections. The most recent national population projections are based on mid-year population estimates for 2010 published in 2011, and they project the population of the United Kingdom to reach 67.6 million by mid-2021. These projections do not take account of results of the 2011 Census.
National population projections are not forecasts and do not attempt to predict the impact of future government policies, changing economic circumstances or the capacity of an area to accommodate a change in population. They provide an indication of the future size and age structure of the population if recent demographic trends continued.
Population
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government which department or agency is responsible for assessing population trends in England.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, Director General for ONS, to Lord Empey, dated December 2012.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your question to Her Majesty's Government asking which department or agency is responsible for assessing population trends in England. [HL4287]
The Office for National Statistics is responsible for population statistics and analyses population trends in order to produce population projections.
Post Office
Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the £1.34 billion allocated to the Post Office for modernising its network will be spent in rural areas.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston: Post Office Ltd's Network Transformation programme for modernising some 6,000 branches by 2015 is operating on a voluntary basis and is still in its early stages. It is therefore not possible to indicate how much of the funding will be spent in rural areas. Of the 307 branches which had converted to new operating models as at end November 2012, 162 are classified as rural.
Post-2015 Development Agenda
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to promoting a law and justice component within the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will push for a post-2015 millennium development goal of promoting internal security and stability and the rule of law.
Baroness Northover: Ahead of the UN High-Level Panel (HLP) meeting on the post-2015 development goals on 1 November, the UK hosted a day of seminars for panel members on issues that might feature in the new framework. This included sessions on access to justice and personal security.
As co-chair of the High-Level Panel, the Prime Minister is keen that the post-2015 development goals tackle the root causes of poverty. This includes strengthening the rule of law, promoting greater access to justice and providing stable and secure environments for all citizens.
Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what procedures they will adopt to engage directly with Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords in providing their input to, and monitoring of, the deliberations of the High-Level Panel on Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals.
Baroness Northover: The International Development Committee has launched an inquiry into the post-2015 development agenda. The Department for International Development, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provided joint written evidence and the Secretary of State for International Development, the right honourable Justine Greening MP, gave oral evidence in November 2012. Her Majesty's Government (HMG) Ministers are also engaging directly in parliamentary debates, such as the adjournment debates in the House of Commons (January and October 2012) and the Lords debate in November 2012. HMG are also answering large numbers of Parliamentary Questions about the post-2015 development goals and engaging with parliamentarians through All-Party Parliamentary Groups.
Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government which civil society organisations have held discussions with the High-Level Panel on Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals.
Baroness Northover: In parallel to the High-Level Panel meetings, held in New York and London, a global online civil society consultation provided the opportunity to respond to questions on individual and household poverty.
Many members of the High-Level Panel have organised their own national or regional consultations-many of them with civil society representatives.
Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals
Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what topics were discussed, and what were the outcomes of these discussions, at the last meeting of the High-Level Panel on Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals.
Baroness Northover: The first substantive meeting of the post-2015 High-Level Panel took place in London in early November. The panel discussed individual and household level poverty-with a particular emphasis on human development, jobs and livelihoods. In a day of UK-hosted seminars, panellists also addressed key issues related to poverty reduction with some of the world's foremost experts-including sessions on future social and economic projections, the rule of law and good stewardship of natural resources. Panellists agreed on a set of questions that set the agenda for the panel's work and will frame its report. They discussed elements of a vision statement where there was strong support for ending poverty in our time while putting in place the building blocks of sustained prosperity.
Prisoners: Ethnicity and Religion
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they collect on prisoners' ethnicity and religious backgrounds; and what are the most recent figures for which information is available.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what data they hold on the number of religious conversions in prison.
Lord McNally: Tables A and B provide information on population in prison establishments by ethnicity and religion as at 30 September 2012.
Information on the number of prisoners who convert to each religion while in prison is not held centrally. The data held centrally relate to prisoners' current declared religion, not any previously declared religion.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Prisoners: Muslims
Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specialist advisers are employed within the prison service in relation to Muslim detainees; and what are their roles and responsibilities.
Lord McNally: There are a range of specialists employed by the National Offender Management Service to meet the needs of prisoners generally. The service also employs a Muslim adviser to advise specifically on Islamic issues relating to prisoners and to be one of the tiers of approval in the appointment process of all Muslim chaplains. Chaplaincy teams in prisons will include Muslim chaplains whose role includes providing religious and pastoral support to Muslim prisoners.
Prisons: Lincoln Prison
Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have responded to the finding by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in his report on Lincoln Prison published in October 2012 that the data provided evidence of unequal treatment of black and minority ethnic prisoners.
Lord McNally: NOMS is committed to fairness for all in its duty of care towards prisoners. Prison Service Instruction 32/2011 "Ensuring Equality" sets out the policy approach and lists key mandatory actions designed to ensure legal compliance in prison establishments. This is supplemented by comprehensive guidance. This compliance is audited. In the course of 2012-13 it is proposed to improve on the range and quality of monitoring data with the aim of driving forward improvements at both national and local levels.
Since the inspection of HMP Lincoln a new governor has been appointed and he has introduced new arrangements related to equality issues to engage with prisoners in minority groups, including those from black and minority ethnic communities.
As with all establishment inspection reports by HMIP, NOMS intends to produce an action plan responding to all the recommendations made in the report between three and six months after the date of publication. I will therefore write to the noble Baroness detailing the response to the specific recommendations about this matter once the plan has been sent to the chief inspector.
Prisons: Lincoln Prison
Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have sought an explanation for the finding of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in his report on Lincoln Prison published in October 2012 that work, training and education places in a new academy were almost empty whilst up to half the prisoners were locked in their cells during the working part of the day.
Lord McNally: Since the inspection a new governor has been appointed to HMP Lincoln. He is working closely with a new learning and skills provider and other partners to improve and monitor attendance at work, training and education places. They are committed to delivering an appropriate level of offender learning to meet the needs of prisoners, and thereby improving on the previous arrangements and partnership working that existed.
Work is also under way on the reorganisation of Lincoln, in order to deliver a more effective regime.
As with all establishment inspection reports by HMIP, NOMS intends to produce an action plan responding to all the recommendations made in the report between three and six months after the date of publication. I will therefore write to the noble Baroness detailing the response to the specific recommendations about this matter once the plan has been sent to the chief inspector.
Railways: Stations
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with relevant agencies about the reopening of a rail station in Walworth.
Earl Attlee: We are not aware of any discussions that have taken place with agencies about the reopening of a rail station in Walworth.
Railways: Stations
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what public money has been spent on the following railway stations (1) New Cross, (2) New Cross Gate, (3) St John's, (4) Lewisham, and (5) Ladywell, in 2010 and 2011.
Earl Attlee: Under the National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP) £695,000 and £95,000 were spent on improvements to the waiting accommodation at Lewisham Station in 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively.
Under the Access for All (AfA) main programme, £138,000 has been spent so far at New Cross towards a £2.5 million project and £171,000 at New Cross Gate towards a £4 million project, most of which will have been spent in 2010 and 2011. As part of the AfA small scheme programme, a further £65,000 was spent at New Cross Gate in 2009-10 and 2010-11.
At Lewisham, a £5.7 million Access for All project was completed in 2010, although only a minimal amount of this sum would have been spent in 2010.
Railways: Stations
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have spent on (1) Elephant and Castle, and (2) Denmark Hill, railway stations in (a) 2010, and (b) 2011.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston: Under the National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP) £11,000, £30,000 and £879,000 was spent on station improvements at Denmark Hill station in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively.
£3.4 million of funding under the Access for All (AfA) main programme has also been spent towards a £4.18 million project at Denmark Hill, which is due for completion in 2013. Of this, £400,000 was spent in 2010 and £1.6 million in 2011.
Under the station commercial project facility, £328,000 was awarded in 2011 for new station ticket gates and £80,000 to improve retail facilities for passengers at Denmark Hill.
There is no record of equivalent expenditure at Elephant and Castle.
Rodents
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the rat population in (1) England, (2) Wales, (3) Greater London, and (4) Northern Ireland, in each of the past 15 years for which information is available.
Lord De Mauley: Defra has made no estimate of the size of the rat population in England, Wales, Greater London or Northern Ireland in any of the last 15 years.
Defra has published data on rodent presence in domestic dwellings. The most recent information published by Defra is a report in May 2010 of the interim analysis of rodent presence in domestic properties from data for 2005, 2006 and 2007. This reported that there was no significant increase in rat presence inside dwellings between 1996 and 2007. The presence of rats outside dwellings increased between 1996 and 2001 but between 2001 and 2007, although the presence of rats outside dwellings fluctuated, there were no statistically significant increases or decreases.
Rodents
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have (1) taken, and (2) plan to take, to reduce the rodent population in (a) Greater London, (b) England, (c) Wales, and (d) Northern Ireland.
Lord De Mauley: Responsibility for dealing with problems caused by wild animals normally rests with the occupier of the land concerned.
Under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that their districts are kept, as far as is practicable, free of rats. The Act gives local authorities the power to require landowners and occupiers to control rat infestations on their land. A local authority can also, where necessary, carry out the control work itself and recover the cost of such action from the landowner or occupier.
Natural England provides advice on controlling rat infestations; its publication Rats: Options for Controlling Infestations is available on its website.
Schools: Primary School Places
Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide extra funding to increase primary school places in the Greater London area.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The department provides basic need funding to local authorities to support the provision of additional pupil places and we will confirm the 2013-14 allocations by the end of January 2013. The Chancellor, as part of the recent Autumn Statement, announced that an additional £980 million of investment to support the creation of new pupil places will be made in schools in England by the end of this Parliament. The department will make further information about this funding available in the new year.
Schools: Primary School Places
Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of the availability of primary school places, including state-funded church schools, in London.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The department collects pupil place data from all local authorities through the Annual Schools Capacity Survey. The most recent information, which includes state-funded church schools, relates to the position as at May 2011 and shows that there were 1,779 primary schools in London providing 622,597 primary places. Also as at May 2011, a total of 40,353 unfilled places were available across London. The data to provide detail on the May 2012 position will be available in the new year.
Scotland: Independence
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Iceland about the remarks by that country's President, Olafur Grimson, that independence for Scotland could be the "road towards prosperity and a good society".
Baroness Warsi: There are no plans for the Government to make representations to the Icelandic Government about the referendum on Scottish independence.
As the Government have made clear, any decisions on Scotland's future are for the people in Scotland to decide. The Government are confident that Scotland will choose to remain part of the UK and are therefore not planning for any other outcome. The government position is clear: Scotland is stronger in the UK and the UK is stronger with Scotland in it.
Sport: Motor Racing
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made regarding allowing motor racing on closed public roads.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The Department for Transport is currently considering the case for making it easier to hold on-road motor racing events and intends to consult in the spring.
Sudan
Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek to ensure that the Paris Club opposes any debt relief for Sudan until the Government of that country have been shown to have ceased all military action against civilians in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
Lord Sassoon: Any future debt relief for Sudan would take place as part of a wider reform programme that may be prepared by the IMF and would be subject to decisions made by the boards of the IMF, World Bank and Paris Club, on which the UK Government are represented. This would be subject to the same requirements and obligations as for any other country.
It is important that the Government of Sudan demonstrate their full commitment to the reduction of poverty across the whole country. Ongoing conflicts are a significant cause of poverty and an obstacle to the implementation of development plans.
Sudan
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further pressure they will put on the Government of Sudan to allow access for humanitarian aid for the peoples of South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, particularly in view of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement North's offer to initiate a ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid access.
Baroness Northover: We welcome the statement by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement North on 19 December expressing their readiness for a ceasefire. It is now imperative that they, and the Government of Sudan, enter into direct talks immediately and without preconditions, aimed at a cessation of hostilities. A political settlement remains the best hope for the people of the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Working with the United Nations, African Union, League of Arab States and other international partners, we will continue to press both sides to co-operate so that we see these talks begin and full humanitarian access granted.
Syria
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provision of European Union and other international aid and supplies to Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon to assist Syrian refugees in those countries.
Baroness Northover: The European Union has provided substantial funding for the crisis in Syria, including for refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Total EU humanitarian funding for the Syria response to date is well over €320 million. €120 million of this total is provided by the European Commission, with over €200 million by member states. The UK is a leading donor among the EU member states, providing £68.5 million, at least £24 million of which is going to help refugees in neighbouring countries.
The UK continues to monitor the situation closely and actively consider what more we can do. We are calling on the international community, including the EU, to step up and provide more funding, or co-ordinate bilateral assistance with the UN appeals.
Syria
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Syria to allow access by international aid organisations to all civilians including Christians and other religious minorities in Aleppo and Homs.
Baroness Northover: The UK is calling on all parties to the conflict in Syria to facilitate improved access, respect international humanitarian law, facilitate safe passage for humanitarian workers and supplies, and permit civilians to evacuate conflict zones safely. Most recently we did this at the Friends of Syria meeting on 12 December 2012. We are also working closely with the UN on this matter. The UN's Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, Baroness Amos, recently visited Syria and met the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid Muallem, to discuss humanitarian access, among other issues.
Syria
Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Governments of Greece and Turkey to allow access for refugees from the fighting in Syria.
Baroness Northover: There are over 550,000 refugees from Syria in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. We welcome the generous effort of these countries in hosting thousands of refugees and co-ordinating with the UN-led humanitarian response to assist them. We have been clear in our engagement with host Governments, including Turkey's, to press the importance of keeping their borders open to allow refugees to flee the violence in Syria, in line with international law. We understand a small number of Syrians have requested asylum in Greece. The UK is providing assistance to Greece to improve their immigration and asylum management in the context of the EU's support for Greece's action plan.
The UK has provided £68.5 million to assist people affected by the violence in Syria, including £24 million to support refugees. We continue actively to consider what more we can do to ease the desperate suffering of the Syrian people.
Taxation: Avoidance
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many large multinational companies they estimate are trading in the United Kingdom and organising their tax affairs to pay little or no corporation tax.
Lord Sassoon: All multinationals plan and manage their tax compliance. The amount of tax they have to pay is affected by a range of factors, including how they arrange their affairs. There are a range of rules designed to ensure that profits earned in the UK are taxed here. HM Revenue & Customs ensures that multinationals pay the tax that is due under UK tax law.
Taxation: Avoidance
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to avoid any tax avoidance arising from their proposal for employees to exchange shares for employment rights; and whether they agree with the Office for Budget Responsibility's assessment of the potential risk of avoidance or evasion arising from the proposal.
Lord Sassoon: The Government are introducing a new employee shareholder employment status. Employees adopting the new status will receive a minimum of £2,000-worth of shares. Any gains made, on up to £50,000-worth of shares, will be exempt from capital gains tax (CGT).
The Government will take steps to prevent manipulation of CGT exemption available on shares received under the status. The draft capital gains tax legislation, published on 11 December 2012, sets out a number of anti-avoidance provisions, including rules to preserve the integrity of the £50,000 limit and to prevent those in control of a company from accessing the CGT exemption.
The Government agree with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) that predicting take-up of new policies, such as the new employment status, is difficult. However, some further clarification is needed. The OBR refers to tax planning-not avoidance. Encouraging take-up of this targeted employment policy should not be misconstrued as encouraging avoidance. In addition, the potential costs of the policy referred to by the OBR are estimated to take place well beyond the end of the forecast period.
If further provisions are needed to address particular avoidance risks, the Government will have the opportunity to include these at a later date, with a view to ensuring that this policy does not become disproportionately costly to the taxpayer. The Government keep all areas of tax policy under review at all times.
Taxation: Income Tax
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are projected to be paying income tax at the 40% rate in the financial years 2012-13 and 2013-14; and how many paid income tax at that rate in 2009-10.
Lord Sassoon: The number of people with higher-rate income tax liabilities is projected at 4.10 million in 2012-13 and 4.72 million in 2013-14. In 2009-10, 3.19 million people paid income tax at that rate.
These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes data, projected to 2012-13 and 2013-14, using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's December 2012 economic and fiscal outlook.
Thames Tunnel
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which company will be responsible for developing and financing the construction of the Thames Tunnel Project and whether it will adopt the Equator Principles in arranging its financing.
Lord De Mauley: Thames Water Utilities Ltd (TWUL) is the sewerage undertaker in London and is responsible for ensuring a solution to ongoing sewage discharges into the Thames.
While a final decision is yet to be taken, the current working assumption is that the proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel would be financed and built by a dedicated infrastructure provider (IP) procured via competitive tender by TWUL. The IP would be an independent company separate from TWUL with its own licence from Ofwat.
Equator Principles are a voluntary set of standards developed by private sector banks for determining, assessing and managing environmental and social risks when considering project finance investments. The principles are not designed for companies seeking investments in utility services under a well established regulatory regime which already balances the economic, social and environmental aims of sustainable development.
It is unlikely that there would be benefit for Thames Water customers in restricting investment to institutions that have signed up the Equator Principles, but any tender specification for an IP is for Thames Water to determine within the regulatory framework.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of progress in the Turks and Caicos Islands since the cessation of direct rule and the election of a new Government in November 2012.
Baroness Warsi: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), visited the Turks and Caicos Islands on 26 to 28 November and had discussions with Premier Ewing, his new Government and a wide range of stakeholders. Mr Simmonds and the Premier had a bilateral meeting in London on 3 December and Premier Ewing took part in the Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council from 4 to 5 December.
Premier Ewing's new Government have set out an ambitious agenda for the Turks and Caicos Islands which includes the development of the economy, educating and empowering its people, creating opportunities for its workforce, moving towards self-reliance in key areas, the restoration of national pride and achieving desired standards in healthcare and the security of its borders.
Unemployment
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the willingness to work of those experiencing long-term unemployment.
Lord Freud: All those counted in the Labour Force Survey as unemployed, including the long-term unemployed, must have looked for work in the last four weeks and be available to take up work in the next two weeks. People not actively looking for a job are counted as economically inactive rather than unemployed.
People claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months are still required to bring evidence of job search to their fortnightly job search review at the Jobcentre, in addition to activity they are doing to find work supported by their work programme provider.
The department is aware of the challenges currently facing jobseekers in the labour market and a substantial body of support has been put in place to help people move into work. Jobcentres currently offer claimants a comprehensive menu of help including skills provision and job search support. This is bolstered by a number of specific measures including work experience placements, the work programme, the youth contract and support for those looking to start their own business through the new enterprise allowance.
Previous recessions have typically seen a rise in inactivity, including more people claiming unemployment-related benefits who had reduced their job search efforts. No such trend has been seen this time around: excluding full-time students, the inactivity rate is the lowest since records began in 1993.
Universal Credit
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government which areas of the country will be covered by the universal credit pilots due to commence in April 2013.
Lord Freud: Pathfinder is the early implementation of universal credit in April 2013, in the Greater Manchester and Cheshire area, which will enable us to test the end-to-end process in advance of the national launch of universal credit in October 2013.
The people who will be able to claim universal credit during pathfinder will be single, unemployed people with or without rented housing costs, who live in the Tameside, Wigan, Oldham and Warrington local authority areas.
Universal Credit
Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision and support will be provided for universal credit claimants who do not have access to the internet at home, and for those who do not have the ability to use the internet.
Lord Freud: Universal credit will be predominantly online, although telephony and face-to-face channels will remain available. At whatever point claimants enter the system, they will be signposted to the most appropriate channel for their needs.
We recognise some claimants do not have access to the internet and will require support to go online. Our current plans are to provide claimants with help to get online and to stay online over the phone and to provide access to the internet at jobcentres and through partners.
Winter Fuel Payments
Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider taxing winter fuel payments for pensioners rather than means-testing those payments.
Lord Newby: The Government have no plans to means-test winter fuel payments or make them taxable. The coalition agreement set out that the Government will protect key benefits for older people, including winter fuel payments.
Written Ministerial Statements
Lord Hughes of Woodside: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Strathclyde on 12 November (WA 249), and in the light of Recommendation 42 of the Report of the Leader's Group on Working Practices (HL Paper 136, Session 2010-12), whether they will issue guidance that Ministers should publish written responses to all substantial points raised in House of Lords debates and not answered orally in the Official Report as Written Ministerial Statements.
Lord Strathclyde: I do not intend to issue such guidance to Ministers. The Official Report is held in perpetuity and covered by parliamentary privilege, and therefore not every written response by a Minister to a point raised in a debate in the House will be suitable for publication as a Written Ministerial Statement. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2013-01-08a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2013",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Agriculture: Regulations
The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which animal welfare, farming and environmental regulations on the National Farmers' Union priority list are being removed or improved as a result of the Government's better regulation and simplification policies; and what progress they have made towards the reduction target of 25 per cent less regulation by 2010.
Lord Rooker: Following earlier correspondence, the NFU's president for England and Wales wrote to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs last autumn with a list of regulatory areas where it was believed Defra could improve on the current situation. This was submitted under the Government's simplification initiative.
The department's 2006 simplification plan, Maximising Outcomes, Minimising Burdens, identifies the simplification measures under way to deliver, by 2010, a 30 per cent reduction in the administrative burdens that Defra's regulations impose on business. The plan includes the position on those measures being taken forward that were identified by the NFU and which are expected to contribute to the 30 per cent reduction. Other NFU measures are being considered under the Government's 90-day simplification initiative and may feature in future simplification plans. The simplification plan is available from the Library of the House.
Animal Welfare: Wild Birds
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 14 March (WA 122) on a European Union ban on the commercial importation of wild birds, whether an exemption would apply under (a) GATT Article XX as a measure necessary to protect public morals, and (b) under Article XX as a measure necessary to protect animal life or health, thus meeting the requirements for non-discrimination because the trade is not allowed within the European Union.
Lord Rooker: The European Union (EU) has imposed an indefinite ban on the importation of wild-caught birds for animal health reasons. Therefore, the ban has been imposed as an exemption under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Article XX as a measure necessary to protect animal life or health. The exemption under the GATT Article XX as a measure necessary to protect public morals could not be applied because trade in captive-bred birds is allowed within the EU.
Armed Forces: Media Payments
Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether payments made by the media to Armed Forces personnel for accounts of their experiences while on active service are liable to income tax and, where applicable, higher rate tax.
Lord Davies of Oldham: Income from payments made by the media for stories is liable to tax including higher rate tax where applicable. There is no exemption for Armed Forces personnel.
Armed Forces: Postage
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much the British Forces Post Office has made in profit in each of the past 10 years.
Lord Drayson: None. As part of the Ministry of Defence, the British Forces Post Office is a non-profit-making organisation.
British Citizenship
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in light of the United Kingdom's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, they would register as a British citizen a minor who is born abroad in the following circumstances (a) both the father and the mother of the child are British citizens by descent by virtue of their registration under Schedule 2 to the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990; (b) both the father and mother of the child became British Dependent Territories citizens otherwise than by descent on commencement of the British Nationality Act 1981 but ceased to be such citizens by virtue of Section 2(2) of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990; (c) both the father and the mother of the child have no nationality or citizenship other than British citizenship; (d) the child is and has always been stateless; (e) the child is not entitled to acquire the nationality or citizenship of any other country; (f) both parents consent to the registration; (g) there is no reason to refuse the application on character grounds; and (h) neither the father or mother is ordinarily resident or domiciled in the United Kingdom nor is it clear that the child's future clearly lies in the United Kingdom.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: This is a complex matter, which will require some research into the intention behind the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990. I shall write to the noble Lord and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
British Citizenship
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will register as a British citizen under Section 3(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981 a child who satisfies all the requirements for registration under Section 3(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981 except the requirement specified in Section 3(3)(b) because the father or mother of the parent in question became a British citizen otherwise than by descent under section 1(1) of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Discretion to register a child under Section 3(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981 is unlikely to be exercised in the manner described while they retain an opportunity to register under Section 3(5). I am writing separately to the noble Lord regarding the reasons why beneficiaries of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990 hold British citizenship by descent.
Consultants: National Offender Management Service
Baroness Stern: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many consultants have been employed by the National Offender Management Service during the past year; and how much they have been paid in total.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The number of consultants that NOMS has employed during the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 is 73. The total amount paid for the provision of consultancy services in the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 is £4,013,390.
Crime: DNA Database
Lord Turnbull: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 8 March (Official Report, col. 318), whether they can identify up to 12 so-called cold cases of unsolved murder or rape where a conviction was subsequently secured through interrogation of the National DNA Database.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The 12 following cases are among many that demonstrate the benefits of the National DNA Database.
Ian O'Callaghan In 1994, Shirley Leach, a 66 year-old widow, was sexually assaulted and murdered in a toilet at Bury bus station. In 2006, Ian O'Callaghan was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and a DNA sample taken that matched DNA found at the crime scene. O'Callaghan was jailed for life for the murder in November 2006.
James Lloyd Between 1983 and 1986 a number of women in the Rotherham area were raped by a man who appeared to have an obsession with their shoes, which he stole. The cases were reopened in 2001. DNA taken from the crimes did not match directly with anyone on the database but did show a partial match with a woman whose DNA had been sampled when she was arrested for a drink-driving offence, showing that a close relative of hers could have been involved. This led ultimately to the conviction in 2006 of James Lloyd for four rapes and two attempted rapes.
Lee and Stephen Ainsby In 1995 a 17 year-old girl was walking home from a night out with friends in Banbury when she was forced into a car by two men, taken to an isolated rural area and repeatedly raped. In 2003 Lee Ainsby was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and a DNA sample was taken. In 2005 the evidence from the case was reanalysed and samples were loaded on the DNA database. One matched Lee Ainsby; another did not match anyone on the database but must have come from a close relative of Lee. A DNA sample was taken from Lee's brother Stephen, which matched the second sample from the crime. Lee and Stephen Ainsby were convicted and received 10 years each for rape and five years each for kidnapping.
Darren Jennings On Boxing Day 1991, a 20 year-old woman was on her way home when she was dragged into a Manchester builders' yard and raped. In 2004 the case was reopened and a DNA sample was recovered from the evidence retained. This matched Darren Jennings who was jailed for eight years for rape in October 2005.
David Kirby In 1989 an 18 year-old and her boyfriend were held up at gunpoint in a car park in Tunbridge Wells and the girl was raped. The case was reopened when technological improvements allowed DNA to be retrieved from the evidence. In April 2005, David Kirby was jailed for 13 years on one count of rape and two of false imprisonment.
Paul Collings In October 1989 a student was raped in her bedroom at the University of Sussex. Two months later, a student was raped and another indecently assaulted in their bedroom at the University of Kent. In 2004 the case was reopened and DNA taken from samples was found to match that of Paul Collings, who was found guilty of two rapes and an indecent assault in 2006.
Isse Botan A 22 year-old American tourist on her first trip abroad to London in 1993 asked a man for directions. He dragged her into a disused garage and raped her. In 2005 the case was reopened. Technical improvements allowed DNA to be retrieved from the evidence. It matched that from Isse Botan and he was jailed for 12 years for rape in January 2006.
Neville Douglas In 1991 an 18 year-old accepted a lift home after leaving a London nightclub and was raped in the car. The case was reopened and DNA was retrieved that matched that from Neville Douglas. He was jailed for nine years for rape in 2005.
David Decoteau In 1996 a woman was raped in the back office of the west London shop that she worked in. A cold-case review in 2006 matched a sample from the crime with David Decoteau, who was found guilty of rape in January 2007.
Ricky Brown In 1992 a woman agreed to go for a drink with a man she met in a launderette in Orpington. As they walked together she became suspicious and tried to escape but he raped her. Following a cold-case review, Ricky Brown was convicted of the offence in January 2007.
James Marshall In 1992 a woman was walking to a fair in Bury when she was dragged into some scrubland and raped. After a cold-case review, James Marshall was jailed for 18 years for rape in 2006.
Graham Darbyshire In 1995 a woman walking her dog in Witton Park, Blackburn, was raped. Technical improvements allowed a DNA sample taken from the attack to be matched with Graham Darbyshire, who was jailed for life for this attack and another in 1993.
Crime: DNA Database
Lord Turnbull: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 8 March (Official Report, col. 318), whether they can identify up to six so-called cold cases of murder or rape where a conviction was subsequently quashed through interrogation of the National DNA Database.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: "Cold-case review" is a process of examining past unsolved crimes to see if new evidence can be gathered in the light of scientific advances, rather than an attempt to prove that convicted persons are in fact innocent. We cannot therefore identify cases where convictions were quashed by cold-case review. However, DNA does indeed eliminate the innocent through work done during the investigation, before the stage where charges are brought. For example, in the case of the murders of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in 1983 and 1986, a local youth confessed to the second murder. DNA testing eliminated him and later led to the conviction of Colin Pitchfork for both crimes. In the case of the murder of Caroline Dickinson on a school trip to France in 1996, a French vagrant confessed and was eliminated by DNA evidence, before the eventual conviction of Francisco Montes.
Employment Equality (Sex Discrimination) Regulations 2005
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to amend the Employment Equality (Sex Discrimination) Regulations 2005 to make them compatible with the European equal treatment directive.
Baroness Andrews: The Government intend to introduce regulations to amend the Employment Equality (Sex Discrimination) Regulations 2005 with effect from 1 October 2007. This is the earliest appropriate opportunity to do so.
EU: Postal Services
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have assessed the document produced by the Communication Workers Union on European postal services in response to the European Commission's proposal to liberalise the postal services sector in Europe.
Lord Truscott: The Government are aware of the Communication Workers Union response to the European Commission's proposals to liberalise postal services in Europe and welcome its input to the consultation process.
The Government support the European objective of implementing a single market for postal services in 2009 by opening up the sector to competition in a gradual and controlled way within a regulatory framework that ensures the sustained provision of a universal service.
Festivals: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much funding there is in the festival transitional fund in Northern Ireland for the current year; on what basis it is allocated; and after what equality process.
Lord Rooker: A contingency of £100,000 has been set aside for the possibility of a reduced level of transitional funding for specified festivals in 2007.
Final decisions on the possibility of any transitional funding in 2007-08 and the basis on which it is allocated will rest with the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure.
Flooding: Sea Coast Defences
Lord Howell of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What estimates have been made by central government and local authorities of total public expenditure on sea coastal defences against flooding over (a) the next five years, and (b) the next 10 years.
Lord Rooker: Effective flood risk management is a high priority for this Government and we have increased funding significantly in recent years. Future departmental funding, of which spending on flood risk management is a major part, will be considered in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
Gambling: Casinos
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 18 April (WA 65), within what timescale they expect to make an announcement on the action which they will take following proceedings on the draft Gambling (Geographical Distribution of Casino Premises Licences) Order 2007.
Lord Davies of Oldham: An announcement will be made in due course.
Gambling: Internet
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which jurisdictions outside the European Union and the European economic area have submitted applications to be permitted to advertise their online gambling activities in the United Kingdom; and when they expect to announce their decision on which will be allowed to do so.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The following jurisdictions have made representations to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport seeking to be permitted to advertise gambling in Great Britain under Section 331 of the Gambling Act 2005:
AlderneyAlexander First Nation (Canada)Antigua and BarbudaIsle of ManKahnawake First Nation (Canada)Netherlands AntillesTasmania.
We are currently considering these representations and the Secretary of State will announce her decision about which jurisdictions are permitted to advertise in due course.
Government Departments: Telephone Numbers
Lord Tyler: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many non-geographic telephone numbers are in use by the Department for Education and Skills and its agencies; what services can be accessed by calling each of them; and what revenue has been received from them between September 2004 and September 2006.
Lord Adonis: The information as requested is not readily available centrally within the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). To respond fully would involve an extensive internal and external information collection exercise which would exceed the recommended disproportionate cost threshold. DfES does not keep central telephony records for its arm's-length bodies. However, to be helpful, the following information, relating solely to DfES headquarters, can be provided.
DfES currently employs a total of 35 non-geographic telephone numbers. These can be categorised broadly into two groups: those for use by citizens and those for use internally by DfES staff.
The DfES does not participate in revenue-share schemes associated with non-geographic telephone numbers and therefore derives no revenue from the use of these numbers.
Services used by citizens and accessed by customers calling non-geographic telephone numbers include (number of telephone lines in brackets):
Employment Service (2): citizens are able to obtain up-to-date information and advice on jobs and vacancies.Jobcentre Plus helpline (1): citizens are able to contact Jobcentre Plus to discuss the services it offers.Student support funding helpline (1): provides advice and guidance in connection with funding and support available for higher education services.Career development loans helpline (1): advice and guidance on adult learning loans.Aim Higher helpline (1): provides a complete guide to higher education services.Childcare recruitment (2): provides information on careers and training opportunities, working in early years childcare and play work.Attainment and achievement level tables order line (1): Schools performance tables order line.Public communications helpline (2): DfES inquiry line. Manage inquiries from members of the public.Main DfES switchboard number (1): will direct the inquirer to the area or team they wish to contact.Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) (1): the main number for the public to contact OSA, which administers and manages school admission arrangements, statutory proposals from primary and secondary schools.Child Support Agency (CSA) (1): originally set up as the initial contact point for the CSA. This number is no longer used for the CSA and will be re-allocated or ceased.Publications helpline/fax (3): manage requests to order official publications relating to the work of the DfES. Education maintenance allowance (3): a dedicated helpline for local partners, schools and colleges involved in delivering EMA to answer general and administrative queries.Learning Journey (1).Schools for Life—Get on Campaign line (1): advice and guidance on skills for life initiative which aims to improve the literacy, language and numeracy skills of adults. Small firms training scheme (1): now a DWP equality schemes order line. The scheme helps businesses with up to 50 employees for vocational education or training.Star award helpline (1): used by Quality Improvement Agency (for lifelong learning) from April 06.Headship information line (1): provides information in connection with the national headship training programmes which were established to provide a range of opportunities to support the development of the skills and understanding required successfully to lead schools.
Government Departments: Telephone Numbers
Lord Tyler: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many non-geographic telephone numbers are in use by the Department for International Development and its agencies; what services can be accessed by calling each of them; and what revenue has been received from them between September 2004 and September 2006.
Baroness Amos: DfID has one non-geographic telephone number—0845 300 4100—for its public inquiry point. The department received no revenue from this line between September 2004 and September 2006.
Health: Social Care Services
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether financial considerations within National Health Service trusts are having an impact on the provision of social care services provided by local authorities; and, if so, what is the nature of such impact.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Putting the entire National Health Service in a financially sound position has been a key priority in 2006-07.
The NHS and social services have a duty to work together locally, in collaboration with other partners and individuals, to provide high quality health and social care services that both meet the needs of their local population and make the best use of available resources. The NHS has a legal responsibility to provide health and nursing care which social services are not able to provide.
Health: Spinal Cord Injuries
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why National Health Service patients suffering with spinal cord injuries are required to travel to a clinic in Portugal for treatment; what comparable therapies using adult stem cells are available in the United Kingdom; and how many patients have been successfully treated for spinal cord injuries in treatments using embryonic stem cells.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The National Health Service has sent no patients with spinal cord injuries to Portugal for treatment. However, we are aware that some patients have undergone treatment privately in Portugal, and have claimed some improvements in sensory and voluntary motor recovery.
Currently no clinics in the United Kingdom offer therapies to treat spinal cord injuries using either adult or embryonic stem cells.
Treatment of patients with spinal cord injuries, using either embryonic or adult stem cells, is still in an experimental stage. More research will be required before clinical trials can be undertaken to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of such interventions.
Immigration: Detention
Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the detention of children for the purpose of immigration control is compatible with children's right to liberty and the United Kingdom's international human rights obligations; and what action they propose to take to provide minimum safeguards to ensure that the rights of children are not infringed.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Children are detained under immigration Act powers in two limited circumstances: either as part of family groups whose detention is considered appropriate pending examination or removal or, very exceptionally, in the case of an unaccompanied child whilst alternative care arrangements are made, and normally then just overnight. Detention in these circumstances is in accordance with Article 5(1)(f) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The arrangements to safeguard the welfare of children we detain include the contractual requirements under which removal centres operate and are closely monitored; the professional advice of a seconded senior social worker; the regular review of the detention of each child, which seeks to identify and address any welfare concerns—and which can lead to their release in appropriate cases; the statutory scrutiny, which both HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Children's Commissioner provide; and the work of the independent monitoring boards—which have a statutory role to visit and report on the conditions for and treatment of immigration detainees.
International Development: Health
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What they have done, since the publication of the Department for International Development's 2006 White Paper, Eliminating World Poverty, to implement the commitment (mentioned in page 79) to help African partners solve their health staffing crises by expanding links between the UK National Health Service and poor countries; and what plans they have for further action.
Baroness Amos: The principal way that DfID supports links between the UK National Health Service and poor countries is via financial support to the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET). THET provides support and best-practice guidance for links between UK health institutions and those in developing countries.
Lord Crisp's report, Global Health Partnerships, highlighted the valuable contribution that the UK NHS can make to strengthening health capacity globally. The report made a number of recommendations on the best ways of doing this, including continued support to THET.
The inter-ministerial group on health capacity in developing countries will oversee work to take forward the report. Trained health workers are the backbone of health services around the world. DfID supports its African partners to develop strategic national plans for the training and retention of health workers and to increase investment to the health sector overall, through both co-ordinated international support and domestic resources.
Iraq: Withdrawal
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will discuss with the coalition partners a proposal for the early withdrawal of all coalition forces from Iraq.
Lord Triesman: We have regular consultation with our coalition partners on the situation in Iraq. The withdrawal of coalition troops will not be driven by arbitrary timetables. British forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi Government. We will leave once the conditions are right; that is when the Iraqi Government, our coalition partners and we are confident that the Iraqi security forces can operate without our support.
Israel and Palestine
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will take steps to ensure that the European Union and other quartet partners apply balanced pre-negotiation conditions to both Israel and Palestine, including cessation of settlement construction and partial withdrawal of road-block checkpoints and military presence in the occupied territories.
Lord Triesman: We welcome the current fortnightly meetings between Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas, which discuss "quality of life" issues such as movement and access as well as political issues. We hope that they will continue.
We, along with the EU and quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia), have no plans to impose pre-negotiation conditions on either party. We have stressed and will continue to stress to both the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority the need to adhere to international law and implement their roadmap commitments. This includes freezing all settlement construction including the "natural growth" of existing settlements, and dismantling all outposts built since 2001 and easing movement and access in and between the West Bank and Gaza.
Local Government: Unitary Authorities
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which local authorities have applied for unitary authority status; when each of the applicants applied; and what is the current population of each applicant.
Baroness Andrews: We received 26 proposals for unitary authority status by the 25 January 2007 deadline. The local authorities' populations are as follows:
Unitary Proposals Population Estimates Mid-2005
(000s)
Bedford Borough Council 153
Bedfordshire County Council 397.7
Cheshire County Council 679.9
Chester City Council 118.6
Cornwall County Council 519.4
Cornwall districts 519.4
Cumbria County Council 498.9
Durham County Council 499.8
Durham districts 92.2
East Riding UA 327.4
Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council 80.6
Exeter City Council 117.6
Ipswich Borough Council 118.2
Lancaster City Council 138
Mid-Bedfordshire District Council and South Bedfordshire District Council 244.7
North Yorkshire County Council 582
Northumberland County Council 311.3
Northumberland districts councils 311.3
Norwich City Council 127.6
Oxford City Council 149.8
Pendle Borough Council and Burnley Borough Council 177
Preston City Council 131.3
Shropshire County Council 289
Somerset County Council 515.6
South Somerset District Council 156.1
Wiltshire County Council 446.6
Passports
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will levy an appropriate charge to cover the additional costs incurred by the Identity and Passport Service in investigating the circumstances of loss, destruction or theft of a passport for which a replacement application has been received.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Identity and Passport Service already levels a full replacement fee on applications received where a passport has been lost, destroyed or stolen. Details of the original passport are entered on to a database to ensure that no future fraudulent use of the document can be made.
Passports
Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made to enable local passport offices to allow easier processing of applications in person in order to provide greater security.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Joan Ryan, Under-Secretary of State for nationality, citizenship and immigration, announced the start of passport interviews in May in a Written Ministerial Statement on 20 March 2007. A document on the introduction of passport application interview has been placed in the Library of the House.
Passport interviews will be introduced gradually, starting in a limited number of interview offices, with further offices being added progressively through to the end of 2007.
Police: Fixed Penalty Notices
Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many fixed penalty notices have been issued by the Metropolitan Police in 2005 and 2006; how many of those notices have been paid; how many have gone to be determined in court; and how many have remained unanswered.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Information on fixed penalty notices issued for endorsable and non-endorsable motoring offences by offence groups and police force area can be found in the annual Home Office publication Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales, 2004 Supplementary tables (latest available)—tables 20(a) to 20(c) refer. Copies are available in the Library. 2005 data will be available later this year; 2006 data will be available in 2008.
Data are also collected centrally on the disposal (that is, paid, fine registration certificate issued et cetera) of fixed penalty notices issued. However, because of the time taken for the procedures for payment to be enforced, the data are collected approximately nine months later than the period of issue. Tables 21 (a) and 21(b) of the above publication details data by number and percentage of fixed penalty notices by result for the previous year (2003).
In 2005, 18,047 penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) were issued by the Metropolitan Police. Of these, 7,867 were paid in full and 945 recipients elected to have their case heard in court. A further 8,786 had a fine of one and a half times the penalty amount registered against them by the courts as they both failed to pay the penalty and request a court hearing. An additional 145 PNDs were cancelled due to administrative error or mitigating circumstances and, in the remaining 304 cases, the outcome was unknown as they were still in progress at the time annual figures were submitted.
Provisional data for January to June 2006 show that 9,663 PNDs were issued by the Metropolitan Police. Provisional data for the whole of 2006 will be available in April 2007.
Information on fixed penalty notices for environmental offences and payment rates broken down by area are available via the below weblink at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/legislation/fpn/index.htm.
Railways: Level Crossings
Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What further proposals they have for enhancing safety at level crossings beyond those measures which have already been enacted or are contained in secondary legislation due to be brought forward.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: It is for the level-crossing operator—Network Rail in the majority of cases—to apply such measures as are necessary to reduce risks at individual level crossings. To assist in the discharge of these duties, the Office of Rail Regulation is reviewing and revising its guidance on level crossings to identify and link legal provisions with roles, responsibilities and required action.
There are currently no further proposals for legislative change, though the Government will be keeping the existing policy under review.
Railways: Points
Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many sets of facing points there are on the high speed rail network; what plans there are to replace them with trailing points; and how frequently facing points are inspected.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: These are operational matters for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network.
The noble Lord should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his question: John Armitt, Chief Executive, Network Rail, 40 Melton Street, London, NW1 2EE
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is continuing its investigation into the cause of the Grayrigg derailment, which is concentrating on a set of facing points. The RAIB will produce a full report with recommendations on preventing a similar accident.
Railways: Service Disruption
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What obligations there are on passenger train operating companies to provide information, including timetables, about bus substitutions at stations where services are affected.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Franchise agreements do not specifically require train operators to provide this information. It is nevertheless in their own interests to ensure that passengers are kept informed of both planned and unplanned service disruptions and of any arrangements that have been made to help them continue their journeys. The passengers' charters issued by individual operators generally include a commitment to ensure passengers are provided with information of this sort.
Schools: Learning Outside the Classroom
Baroness Knight of Collingtree: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assistance with travel costs they propose following the publication of the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto in November 2006.
Lord Adonis: The Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto brings together more than 450 signatories, including Government, in support of its key aim: that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development whatever their age, ability or circumstances. Many signatories have also pledged specific action. The department has pledged to work with partners to improve the quality of visits and activities, as well as helping schools through guidance and training for teachers. We are not proposing to assist with travel costs.
Sudan: Darfur
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the number of refugees in Darfur who may now be reached by humanitarian aid workers compared with July 2005.
Baroness Amos: In July 2005, 86 per cent of the nearly 3 million conflict-affected and aid-reliant population were accessible to UN humanitarian aid. The latest figures available indicate that by the beginning of March 2007, the number in need of aid has reached 3,897,352 while the proportion accessible by the UN has dropped to 77 per cent.
Sudan: Darfur
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What reports they have received concerning (a) Salaam camp, in north Darfur, which cannot take any more displaced people due to water shortages; (b) Abu Shouk camp, which has been closed to newcomers; and (c) Zam Zam, which is close to maximum capacity.
Baroness Amos: We are gravely concerned for the 2.1 million people displaced in Sudan. The numbers continue to rise with 267,000 newly displaced people over the past six months. The sheer scale of need is putting a great strain on the local environment and infrastructure as well as the capacity to deliver services.
Given the constraints in and around the three camps near El-Fasher, the UN is planning to open a new site nearby. Security and environmental issues make finding a suitable site difficult and UN negotiations are continuing with the Government.
DfID is contributing £40 million to the UN-administered common humanitarian fund in 2007 which allows the humanitarian co-ordinator to direct funding at the most pressing and emerging needs. DfID is also exploring ways to support the UN environment programme in Sudan, focusing on issues such as water and resource management in Darfur.
Sudan: Darfur
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the number of people (a) who were displaced across Darfur in February 2007, and (b) who have fled violence in the region since January 2007; and what is their assessment of the International Committee of the Red Cross report of 22 March 2007 that the plight of the most needy rural communities in Sudan's strife-torn region of Darfur is worsening.
Baroness Amos: The UN estimate that 30,000 people were displaced in Darfur during February 2007. These constitute part of the 107,405 people displaced between 1 January and 1 April; the majority (79,000) were in south Darfur.
We share the concerns of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) about the vulnerability of rural communities in Darfur. The pervasive insecurity and the growing number of attacks and car-jackings targeting humanitarian agencies, has made consistent access to rural areas very difficult in most areas and impossible in some others. We are supporting the ICRC and other humanitarian agencies with substantial and flexible funding to assist in reaching those in need while maintaining the safety of their staff.
The UK utterly condemns the continuing violence targeting civilians and humanitarian workers in Darfur and calls on all sides to cease the violence immediately, renew the ceasefire and political process, and accept the AU/UN peacekeeping force for Darfur.
Tourism: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has for genealogy as a tourism attraction.
Lord Rooker: A major project to make the catalogues of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) available and searchable online will be available before the end of 2007 that will open up PRONI's archives to a worldwide audience and particularly for genealogical research. All of PRONI's holdings of ordnance survey maps that will help the overseas visitor to locate where their family came from will shortly be made available online.
In addition, PRONI is currently redesigning its website, which will include specific pages on genealogy that will guide the overseas visitor to the archives available in PRONI for genealogical research. Genealogy will also feature at the Smithsonian festival in Washington in June and July this year, which will be a unique opportunity to promote genealogy.
Both PRONI as a division of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Centre for Migration Studies, partially funded by the department, as well as the Ulster Historical Foundation, will be taking part.
Ulster Historical Foundation
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much the "futuresearch" genealogy conference held in Londonderry in March 2004 cost; who organised the event; how the delegates were selected; what role the Ulster Historical Foundation had in the event; and what benefit has accrued from this conference to date.
Lord Rooker: The "futuresearch" genealogy conference held in Londonderry in March 2004 was organised by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure with the assistance of a stakeholders planning group drawn from the public, private and voluntary sectors from across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The stakeholders planning group helped to design the conference, agree the list of stakeholders to be invited and the main issues to be considered.
Selection of delegates was made through nominations listed by the stakeholders planning group from its knowledge of the sector.
The cost of the conference was £13,575.66.
The Ulster Historical Foundation was represented on the planning group and was an invitee to the conference.
The conference identified the need for a greater co-ordinated approach to genealogy in Northern Ireland and also for more quality products for both the local and overseas markets. Digitisation and the creation of a family records centre to act as a central signposting facility for anyone doing genealogical research are key to meeting these needs, both of which are being actively progressed.
UN: Human Rights Council
Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the performance of the United Nations Human Rights Council over the first nine months since it was set up; and whether they have sought an explanation of why thus far it has criticised only one state for human rights violations.
Lord Triesman: We continue to have ambitious goals for the new UN Human Rights Council. It has taken some encouraging steps. For example, it has begun to address the situation in Darfur, most recently through a consensus resolution adopted on 30 March to follow up on recommendations made by the council's high-level assessment mission for Darfur. We were, however, disappointed by a disproportionate and unbalanced focus in the council's early months on the situation in the Middle East, while other situations were comparatively neglected. Negotiations on the council's future tools and mechanisms are due to be completed in June 2007. Their results will be key to the council's long-term potential.
Over the past nine months, the council has held four special sessions devoted to country situations: three on the Middle East and one on Sudan. In addition to resolutions passed on the Middle East, it has also adopted three resolutions on Darfur and two decisions on Nepal and Afghanistan.
Vehicles: Licensing
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Northern Ireland vehicle licensing section requires a date of birth on any of its forms; and, if so, why.
Lord Rooker: When making an application to register a vehicle for the first time, an applicant is required to furnish such particulars as may be required by the Secretary of State. In order to enable checks to be carried out, where necessary, to confirm the name and address given by an applicant to register a vehicle, forms used throughout the UK require the completion of the applicant's date of birth.
In addition, applicants for other services, such as the renewal of a tax disc, are also asked to provide their date of birth, but it is pointed out that the provision of the information is entirely voluntary. Having the date of birth enables cross-checks to be made with the driver licensing database, where date of birth is one of the indexes used. This cross-referencing means that changes of address notified on vehicle licensing forms can be used to update the driver licensing record.
Waste Management
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of the 1970 pollution summary by Monsanto in St Louis, now in the public domain, in which Monsanto stated that they were jointly responsible with Monsanto Chemicals Limited for the United Kingdom problem.
Lord Rooker: No assessment of the pollution summary referred to has been undertaken by Defra.
The question of responsibility or liability for pollution concerning individual companies or locations are, in the first instance, matters for the relevant regulatory body.
Waste Management: Landfill
Lord Whitty: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of London's waste was sent to landfill sites in each of the past three years; and to which sites.
Lord Rooker: The information requested is not held by Defra or the Environment Agency (EA). However, the EA does hold some information on the tonnage of London waste sent to landfill, detailed in the following tables:
London waste to Landfill—tonnes
Landfill Site 2003 2004 2005
Appleford, Oxfordshire 273,142 485,732 523,477
Arlesley, Bedfordshire 177,814 172,558 173,839
Brogborough Extension, Bedford - 2,050,246 2,245,817
Brogborough Landfill, Bedford 1,876,880 2,166,649 -
Brookhurstwood Warnharm, West Sussex 360,000 400,896 259,490
Calvert Pit 4 Bucks 834,594 841,775 843,259
Mucking Landfill, Thurrock 655,928 669,416 714,043
Pitsea, Essex 867,720 925,106 1,304,114
Rainham Landfill 792,266 1,673,675 1,510,191
Stewartby (L Field), Bedford 428,459 453,324 106,308
Total 6,266,803 9,839,377 7,680,538
London municipal waste sent to landfill (thousand tonnes)
2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06
Landfill 3,207 3,244 3,163 3,021 2,856 2,692
(percentage) 72% 73% 71% 70% 65% 64%
Whilst the total amount of waste produced by London has remained fairly stable between 2000 and 2005, the proportion recycled has almost doubled.
Waste Management: WEEE Directive
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have made for the implementation of individual producer responsibility for electrical and electronic products placed on the market later than 13 August 2005, as required by article 8.2 of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.
Lord Truscott: The Government are committed to the principles of individual producer responsibility and will continue to work with producers of electrical and electronic equipment to establish a workable and cost-effective process for IPR in the UK.
The Government will also be considering how IPR is being addressed by other member states as part of the review of the WEEE directive by the European Commission due to begin in 2008.
Waste Management: WEEE Directive
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration they have given to the effect that implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive in the United Kingdom will have upon product design.
Lord Truscott: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive encourage producers of electrical and electronic equipment to consider the design of new products to facilitate environmentally sound treatment and reprocessing when the equipment reaches its end of life.
The UK has addressed this issue through Regulation 59 of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006 (SI 3289).
Waste Management: WEEE Directive
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What actions they have taken to encourage the design and production of electrical and electronic equipment which take into account and facilitate dismantling and recovery, as required by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.
Lord Truscott: Article 4 of the directive is implemented through Regulation 59 of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006 (SI 3289).
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Department for Transport
Trains: Diesel Engines
lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made, or plan to make, of Class 150 diesel multiple units in relation to their suitability for modern rail travel, taking into consideration (1) speed, (2) acceleration, (3) reliability, (4) emissions, and (5) convenience, comfort and noise for passengers; what kind of services and distances travelledsuch units are now suitable for; and what is their estimate of the useful future life of such units.
baroness sugg: There has been no assessment of the suitability of Class 150s. This will be a decision for the operators of Class 150s taking into account the needs of their passengers.
Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Vacancies
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the Senior Traffic Commissioner for Great Britain's report that there is a shortage of about 45,000 heavy goods vehicle drivers in the UK haulage industry, and (2) the impact of the June 2016 referendum result on the number of EU nationals wishing to work in the UK haulage industry.
baroness sugg: The figure of a shortage of 45,000 heavy goods vehicle drivers is derived from one of a number of industry estimates. The Department for Transport’s assessment is that this is the approximate scale of the issue. Research indicates that there are many causes, including rates of pay, the industry’s image, lack of take-up of vocational training and the availability of driver facilities. We are assisting the industry in addressing this through Government support for a new apprenticeship standard and other actions. We have not made an assessment of the number of EU nationals wishing to work in the UK haulage industry.
Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Training
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to address the skills challenge faced by the UK haulage industry, identified in the Traffic Commissioner's Annual Reports 2016–17; and what assistance they are giving to the UK haulage industry in this regard.
baroness sugg: The Government is taking action on the skills challenge faced by the UK haulage industry and providing assistance in several ways. These include the Trailblazer apprenticeship standard for lorry driving, developed by the industry, for which there is Government funding available of up to £5,000 per apprentice. Jobcentre Plus, with support from the sector, launched a national spotlight on logistics and passenger transport on 22nd January (#JobsThatMove) to highlight careers for jobseekers. The Government is also supporting the sector in other areas, including the industry led “Think Logistics” initiative to raise the profile of logistics in schools and colleges, and the rehabilitation of offenders and military service leavers through better access to training and employment opportunities.
Cycleways
lord rowe-beddoe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Sugg on 15 January, whether the use of cycle lanes can be limited to peak commuting times of the day.
baroness sugg: The provision of cycling infrastructure, including cycle lanes, is a matter for local traffic authorities. Mandatory cycle lanes, indicated by a solid white line, can operate at all times or at specific times of day. It is for the local authority to decide on hours of operation.
Carillion: Insolvency
lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Carillion’s financial collapseon HS2.
baroness sugg: There is no operational impact on HS2. HS2 was awarded as a joint venture, comprising of Carillion, Eiffage and Kier. In the event of one of these parties not being able to fulfil their commitments, there is a guarantee that the other companies jointly involved in the bids will step in and ensure the successful delivery of the work.
Monarch Airlines: Insolvency
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Suggon 13 November 2017 (HL2729), whether Greybull Capital made a profit from its investment in Monarch airlines.
baroness sugg: Greybull Capital is not itself a shareholder in Monarch Airlines but they do perform an advisory and management role for the principal shareholder, Petrol Jersey Limited. The extent of any profit or loss resulting from Petrol Jersey Limited’s investment in Monarch Airlines has not yet been determined as it will depend on the outcome of the administration process and any asset realisations and distributions that may result from that process. The administration is still ongoing, and the timeline and process for concluding it is being determined by KPMG as administrator.
Monarch Airlines: Insolvency
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 5 December 2017 (HL3455), whether they have now established a more refined figure for the costs of repatriation to the UK of customers of Monarch airlines.
baroness sugg: We are not yet able to give a final figure for the costs of the repatriation operation as we are awaiting invoices from third parties. In line with the usual transparency guidelines on government expenditure and financial reporting the absolute full and final position will be made clear in the annual accounts for the department, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Air Travel Trust (ATT), which should be published in June 2018.At this stage, the current forecasts suggest that the total cost of the repatriation operation remain broadly in line with the original estimate of around £60m. As explained in my written answer on 5 December 2017 (HL3455), we are focused on making sure that there is clear burden sharing of the repatriation operation, and are seeking to recover costs of the operation from third parties. We will in due course be able to report back with more detail.
Railways: Safety
lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what comparative safety data is available in respect of trains with guards, however designated, as against those without.
baroness sugg: Driver Controlled Operation (DCO) has been in safe operation for over 30 years on many of our commuter networks. It is also in safe operation across the whole of London Underground. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is responsible for the enforcement of Health and Safety law on the railways and this organisation has examined thoroughly the safety of DCO. A report on its findings in relation to Govia Thameslink Railways’ implementation of this form of dispatch as well as its guidance to train operators on DCO Principles has been produced and is available on its website. Its inspectors are satisfied that with suitable equipment, proper procedures and competent staff in place, it is a safe method of operation.
Electric Vehicles
lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what policiesthey are pursuing to encourage the public provision of charging points for electric vehicles.
baroness sugg: We want the UK to continue to have one of the best electric vehicle charging networks in the world. To help achieve that aim we have put in place a range of grant schemes to support the installation of charging infrastructure - on-street, off-street and at workplaces. Under the Government’s Go Ultra Low City Scheme £22.9m has been allocated to support the installation of infrastructure in several UK cities. Highways England also has a commitment of £15m to ensure there are charge points (rapid where possible) every 20 miles on 95% of the Strategic Road Network. At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor announced £400 million for a new Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (£200m new Government investment to be matched by private investors). This funding is supported by a range of policy measures including the Automated and Electric Vehicle Bill, currently in Parliament, which will help ensure that there are sufficient electric vehicle charge points throughout the UK, and that they are convenient and easy to access for all drivers.
East Coast Rail Franchise
lord radice: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 13 December 2017 (HL3776),what compensation arrangementsthey have entered into in respect of the early surrender of the Virgin-Stagecoach east coast rail franchise.
baroness sugg: As the Secretary of State announced in his statement to the House on 11 January 2018, we are not agreeing to early termination of a contract in 2020 but the franchise is not delivering the profits the operator expected. The Department is preparing contingency plans as we do not believe the franchise will be financially viable through to 2020. The Secretary of State will report back to the House when a decision is made on contingency planning. It is important to understand that all premiums due to date under the contract have been paid and we currently receive premiums in line with their contractual obligations. From 2020 we intend to commence the East Coast Partnership, one of the first of a new generation of integrated regional rail operations. This will also include appropriate contributions from the new private partner under a long-term competitively procured contract.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Radioactive Materials: Safety
lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to ensure that the UK regulations for radiation protection and the control of radioactive substances willremain(1) effective, and (2) in line with internationally accepted standards facilitating international trade and cooperation, when the UK withdraws from the Euratom Treaty.
lord henley: This Government remains absolutely committed to high standards of radiation protection for workers, the public and the environment after the UK’s withdrawal from the Euratom Treaty. International standards for radiation protection and the control of radioactive substances are issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Irrespective of our future relationship with Euratom, we will continue to apply the international standards on nuclear safety and will remain accountable on nuclear safety matters through our membership of the IAEA. These standards are reflected in Euratom’s nuclear safety legislation. A programme to update UK legislation to transpose the revised Euratom Basic Safety Standards Directive, which sets out standards for radiation protection, is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
International Atomic Energy Agency
lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to enhance and further develop the UK's relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency prior to, and following, withdrawal from the Euratom Treaty; whether a UK department has been clearly identified to lead this relationship and secure suitable outcomes across nuclear, non-nuclear and the wider radiation protection interests; and what process has been put in place to ensure that all relevant departments, in both the UK and the devolved administrations, work together to ensure that a suitable outcome is reached.
lord henley: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is the lead UK Department for the relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UK plays a central role in the IAEA as a major contributor of financial and technical assistance, and is influential in shaping the Agency’s governance and policy as a permanent member of the Board of Governors.The Department coordinates across government, with the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Devolved Administrations and other interested stakeholders, as well as with the UK Mission in Vienna, to build on our existing influence within the IAEA in support of the UK’s nuclear, non-nuclear and wider radiation protection priorities. We will continue to do this alongside shaping the UK’s future relationship with the EU and Euratom. The UK will continue to take a leading role in shaping the global nuclear safety and security regimes through its influence in the IAEA. We remain absolutely committed to maintaining high standards of radiation protection for workers, the public and the environment.
Radioactive Materials: Safety
lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to ensure that the UK maintains its position and reputation as a leader in radiation protection standards following withdrawal from the Euratom Treaty; whether those steps include the strengthening of the relationship with the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP);and whether Government funding will be provided to support participation in ICRP committees and working groups.
lord henley: Maintaining nuclear and radiation safety remains our top priority and this Government remains absolutely committed to the highest standards of nuclear and radiation safety and protection, and to support the industries that use radioactive substances. Radiation protection standards are already well established in existing UK legislation, which – like Euratom legislation – is and continues to be informed by and based on the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the safety standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This commitment is demonstrated by the fact that the UK is currently implementing the Euratom Basic Safety Standards Directive, which updates our radiation protection standards. Public Health England (PHE) does not make any financial contributions to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) but provides contribution ‘in kind’ through the participation of its staff members to ICRP meetings, workshops and symposia, and by carrying out specific work at its Centre for Radiation Chemical and Environmental Hazards.
Radioactive Materials: Safety
lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a reciprocal notification system will be established to ensure that the UK is informed of any dangerous experiments, as defined in the Euratom Treaty, undertaken by Euratom member states following withdrawal from the Euratom Treaty.
lord henley: Protecting the public and ensuring the highest standards of nuclear safety will always be top priorities for the Government, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and industry. The UK has a robust and well established domestic civil nuclear safety regime, and this will remain in place as we leave Euratom. We will continue to apply the international standards on nuclear safety as agreed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and will remain part of the IAEA’s nuclear emergency notification and response system, which includes Euratom member states. As stated in the Government’s Written Ministerial Statement on Euratom on 11 January 2018, the UK will be seeking a close association with Euratom. In negotiating such an association the Government will seek to maintain close and effective cooperation with Euratom on nuclear safety.
Radioactivity: Monitoring
lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to ensure that the UK maintains its monitoring programmes of the levels of radioactivity in the environment following withdrawal from the Euratom Treaty; whether a reciprocal notification system will be established to ensure that the UK and the Euratom member states can share such information;and what assessment they have made of whether this will be sufficient to provideconfidence internationally that the UK is meeting its environmental obligations, and to ensure that the UK is able to understand and provide timely responses to the potential implications of unplanned activities in other countries.
lord henley: Our arrangements for protection of the environment from nuclear activities and discharges of radiation will not change as a result of leaving the EU and Euratom. We remain committed to ensuring proper protection of people and the environment. These expectations and requirements are already enshrined in UK legislation, in particular the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001, Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 (in England and Wales, and the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 in Scotland). We will retain our radiation monitoring capability (RIMNET) which enables the UK to detect abnormal levels of radiation in the environment affecting the UK, including those originating from overseas incidents. Whilst the Euratom Treaty does establish some specific arrangements for reporting and sharing of information, the same principles of engagement and co-operation are embedded within the conventions of the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA), notably the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident. Given that we and other members of Euratom will remain members of the IAEA, the UK will continue to have suitable arrangements in place.
Environment Protection
lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether planning and consenting legislation, such as the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/1154), will be amended to ensure that a favourable assessment from the European Commission is no longer required following withdrawal from the Euratom Treaty, prior to granting a permitor consent; and if so, how.
lord henley: The UK’s future relationship with Euratom is subject to negotiation with the European Commission. Our aim is to seek a close and effective association with Euratom in future which aims to maintain as much continuity as possible. Any potential amendments that may be required to legislation as a result of the negotiations are under consideration.
Consumer Goods: Safety
lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take steps to introduce a publicly accessible national register of product recalls to help ensure that faulty and dangerous goods are removed from people’s homes; how many product recalls Electrical Safety First has received since 2007; and what assessment they have made of the level of such recalls.
lord henley: The Government is taking action to improve the safety of white goods and the recalls system. Last year, the Government upgraded its central product recalls website on gov.uk to make it easier for consumers to identify which products have been subject to recall or other corrective action. A new Office for Product Safety and Standards was announced on 21st January and it has commissioned a project to further upgrade and improve the recalls website. I understand that Electrical Safety First have identified 518 electrical products that have been subject to recall or corrective action in the ten years since 2007. Our system of product safety aims to ensure products are safe before they are placed on the market, but it also recognises that sometimes safety issues are identified at a later stage and it is important that where there is a risk to safety, those products are recalled or corrected.
UK Trade with EU
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to address reported concerns of businesses that after Brexit the UK may need sign up to future EU rules over whichthe UKwould have no influence.
lord henley: The UK Government is proposing a unique and ambitious partnership based on our rules and regulation as being the same as the European Union’s at the start, maintaining our commitment to free trade and high standards – while allowing for us both to make changes where we want to, in a stable and orderly way. In part this is because we recognise that an alternative approach, such as a Norway-style agreement, would mean the UK having to adopt at home, automatically and in their entirety, new EU rules, over which in future we would have little influence and no vote.
Small Businesses: Loans
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the impact of Brexit on those small businesses that are trying to secure finance.
lord henley: The most recent figures from the SME Finance Monitor[1] (September 2017) show that 78% of applications for finance made in the 18 months to Q2 2017 resulted in a loan and overdraft. Established businesses are more likely to be funded, with 96% of applications for a loan or overdraft renewal being successful as against 63% of new applications. There is no evidence of any adverse direct effect on these figures arising from the decision to exit the European Union. It is worth noting that the proportion of SMEs planning to grow in the next 12 months has remained largely consistent over the last two years, with 45% reporting an intention to grow in Q2 2017, compared with 43% in the previous quarter. Larger SMEs (with 50-249 employees) report greater ambition to grow in the coming year, at 72%. [1] An independent report by BDRC Continental, September 2017https://www.bdrc-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/BDRC_SME_Finance_Monitor_Q2_2017.pdf
SME Finance Monitor
(PDF Document, 2.85 MB)
Radioisotopes
lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord O'Shaughnessy on 18 January (HL4659), which body or bodies in the UK will be responsible for setting and enforcing the standards for the safe use, disposal and transportation of medical isotopes after exit from the EU; and how will that body, or those bodies, ensure that the necessary upgrades in standards in those areas currently secured through EU directives are maintained in the UK after exit day.
lord henley: The safety and security of radioactive materials is a top priority for the Government. The UK already has robust domestic legislation in place to ensure that the keeping, movement and use of radioactive sources is tightly regulated, whether on nuclear sites or in hospitals. The UK’s regulatory regime is based on international regulatory requirements for sources informed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Following our withdrawal from the EU and Euratom, the UK will continue to meet its international obligations in full and ensure that UK law and regulatory oversight continues to deliver the highest standards of safety, in line with the relevant international frameworks.
Radioisotopes
lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord O'Shaughnessy on 18 January (HL4659), which body will discharge the framework-setting role currently performed by Euratom with regard to the safe manufacture, transport, use and disposal of medical isotopes.
lord henley: The safety and security of radioactive materials is a top priority for the Government. The UK already has robust domestic legislation in place to ensure that the keeping, movement and use of radioactive sources is tightly regulated, whether on nuclear sites or in hospitals. The UK’s regulatory regime is based on international regulatory requirements for sources informed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UK will continue to meet its international obligations in full and ensure that UK law and regulatory oversight continues to deliver the highest standards of safety, in line with the relevant international frameworks.Medical radioisotopes are also subject to European medicines regulation which establishes a licensing regime and controls on the quality of materials, as well as manufacturing and distribution processes within Europe. In the UK human medicines are subject to national human medicines legislation which transposes the requirements of the European regulatory regime. This regime is enforced by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and will continue to do so after our withdrawal from the EU.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Donald Trump
the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) when they were informed that President Trump would not be visiting London in February as planned, (2) whether they were aware that this decision would be announced on President Trump’s Twitter account and, if so, whether the reasons given in the President’s tweet were the same as those communicated directly to Her Majesty’s Government, and (3) whether there are any plans for a US Presidential visit to the UK this year.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: An invitation for a visit by President Trump has been extended and accepted. No date was confirmed for a visit. Details of dates and programme arrangements will be confirmed in due course.The opening of the US Embassy is a matter for the United States and the use of President Trump's twitter account is a matter for the President.
Syria: Peace Negotiations
the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the attendance of the UN special envoy for Syria at the Russian-backed Syrian Congress of National Dialogue expected to be held in Sochi early in 2018; and whether they believe this meeting will contribute to and support the UN-led Geneva peace talks on Syria.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: Attendance by the UN Special Envoy for Syria at the Russian-backed Syrian Congress of National Dialogue is a decision for the UN. We are concerned that refusal of the Asad regime to engage constructively in Vienna, despite Russian efforts, has damaged opposition confidence that Sochi can contribute to a political settlement. We look to the Sochi conference to support the UN's efforts to find a sustainable political settlement to the Syrian conflict, and we welcome Russia's stated commitment to support the Geneva process. We urge Russia to use all the influence it can to persuade the Asad Regime to cease its destructive and counterproductive behaviour.
Iran: Nuclear Power
the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking (1) to support the strict application of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran, the five permanent Members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, and the EU, and (2) to emphasise the importance of upholding the JCPOA, following indications by the President of the US that he will not continue to certify the waiver of key sanctions unless a “follow on” deal is agreed.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) is a UK security priority. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have continued to make this clear to their US counterparts. The Iran nuclear deal is a crucial agreement that makes the world a safer place by neutralising the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. We continue to work closely with all parties to the deal to ensure its full implementation, including through the Joint Commission and regular working groups.
Turkey: Antiaircraft Missiles
the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Turkey’s decision to acquire and deploy the Russian-made S-400 long-range air and anti-missile defence system was discussed with NATO; and to what extent they consider this decision to be in conflict with Turkey’s commitments as a NATO member.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: Defence procurement decisions are a sovereign issue, and there was no requirement for Turkey to discuss its purchase of the S-400 system with NATO Allies. The Government agrees with the NATO Secretary General that Turkey's decision does not harm the interests of NATO. Turkey remains a strong and committed NATO Ally.
China: Taiwan
lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for cross-straits harmony and stability of the announcement by China on 4 January of four air routes in the Taiwan Straits without prior communication with Taiwan and of Taiwan's belief that this violates the negotiation results reached between the Taipei Airlines Association and China Air Transport Association in March 2015; and what representations they intend to make to the government of China in this regard.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: We understand that the opening of the four new air routes in the Taiwan Strait on 4 January is a cause of concern for the authorities in Taiwan.Her Majesty's Government is assessing whether the introduction of these new northbound flights in the Straits will have any impact on aviation safety in the region.In line with our longstanding position, we encourage China and Taiwan to engage in dialogue to resolve this issue.
Gaza: Politics and Government
baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contact they have made with the new administration in Gaza; and with what results.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not had any contact with the administration in Gaza. The UK retains a policy of no contact with Hamas in its entirety. We encourage the Palestinian Authority to fully resume its government functions in Gaza, and ensure that the reconciliation process is compliant with the Quartet Principles.
Israel: Palestinians
baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel following reports of the multiple shooting of a three-year-old Palestinian with live bullets during an Israeli military training session in the West Bank city of Tubas.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: There are a number of conflicting reports on this incident. It is not clear who is responsible for the shooting. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv engaged a number of independent human rights non-governmental organisations to seek further details, and was advised that there was no evidence that the Israeli Defense Forces were involved in this incident. As such, we have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities.
Israel: Palestinians
baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel concerning the lasting effects of tear gas inhalation, and its reported use on Palestinians, especially in the Aida refugee camp.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities. We recognise the Israeli authorities' legitimate need to deploy security measures in some circumstances, but we have encouraged them to avoid excessive use of force and to act in a way which minimises tensions. When there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have urged the Israeli authorities to conduct swift and transparent investigations.
Israel: War on Want
baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel concerning reports that War on Want, a non-violent human rights group, has been banned from entering Israel.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is strongly opposed to the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions Movement against Israel. We believe the best way to combat this movement is through discussion rather than proscription.British Government officials raised the recent Israeli publication of a list of organisations that may be subject to Israeli proscription with the Israeli Ambassador on 8 January and made clear our position. Officials from the British Embassy in Tel Aviv have also raised the matter with the Israeli authorities.
Balfour Declaration
viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of which of the aspirations contained in the Balfour Declaration have been fulfilled; and if not all, which ones they consider not to have been fulfilled, and why.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we are proud that the UK played a role in helping to make a Jewish homeland a reality, the Balfour Declaration remains unfinished business. That is why we are committed to ensuring that the whole of Balfour is fulfilled, through a two-state solution which provides security and justice for both Israelis and Palestinians. Our focus now is on encouraging the parties to take steps which bring them closer to peace.
Palestinians: Recognition of States
viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for (1) recognition of a Palestinian state, and (2) Jerusalem to be a shared capital, within a defined period of time, following the announcement by President Trump that the United States will recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; and if they do not consider that there is a case to be made, why not.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government wishes to see the creation of a sovereign, independent, contiguous, and viable Palestinian state living in peace and security, side by side with Israel, and with Jerusalem as a shared capital. We disagree with the US' decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final status agreement. We believe it is unhelpful to prospects for peace in the region. The UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a time when it best serves the objective of peace. Recognition cannot end the occupation; only a negotiated agreement can. We regularly press both parties to engage in negotiations.
Palestinians: Recognition of States
viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for imposing a fixed timetable for the achievement of an agreed settlement for a Palestinian state on both the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority; and, in the absence of any such timetable or agreement, whether they intend to unilaterally recognise the state of Palestine.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: A resolution of the conflict that leads to peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians is long overdue. But the imposition of fixed timescales without agreement from the parties, and given the present absence of direct talks, is unlikely to be productive. The UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a time when it best serves the objective of peace. Bilateral recognition in itself cannot end the occupation. Without a negotiated settlement the occupation, and the problems that come with it, will continue.
Israel: USA
viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any recent representations to the government of the United States concerning the application of the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act 1995; and if so, what response they received.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not discussed the specific application of the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act 1995 with the Government of the United States, the Prime Minister made clear in her statement of 6 December 2017 that the UK disagrees with the United States' plans to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final status agreement. The Prime Minister reiterated our position when she spoke to President Trump in December 2017.
Burma: Human Rights
lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in securing full access to the Burmese districts of Rathedaung and southern Maungdaw to enable the UN fact-finding mission to assess reports from the Burma Human Rights Network of significant and lethal human rights violations.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council resolution of March 2017 that established the Fact-Finding Mission. We regret that the Burmese authorities have so far refused to grant the Mission access to Burma. We are maintaining international pressure, including through the UN Human Rights Council and UN General Assembly resolutions we co-sponsored in December 2017.The UK has repeatedly lobbied the Burmese authorities to cooperate with the Fact-Finding Mission. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific pressed the Minister for the Office of State Counsellor on this in their meeting of 21 November in Burma.
Israel: Palestinians
baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action, if any, they are taking through their international partners to protect Palestinian children in the Occupied Territories from being killed, injured or imprisoned by Israeli forces.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The issue of children in military detention remains a human rights priority for the UK. British Embassy officials in Tel Aviv most recently raised the issue with the Israeli authorities on 16 January, and senior British Government officials raised this issue with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 8 January. The Minister for the Middle East raised our concerns with the Israeli Government during his visit to Israel in August 2017. We have recently raised this as part of the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review into Israel.We recognise that in some circumstances the Israelis have a legitimate need to deploy security measures to address instances of violence. We encourage that such measures are deployed in a way which minimises tension and using only appropriate force. When there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we advocate swift and transparent investigations.
Palestinians: Refugees
baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for applying relevant provisions of international law to persuade Palestinians back to the negotiating table in order to resolve the Palestinian refugee crisis.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not made a specific assessment of this issue the British Government remains clear that there needs to be a just, fair, agreed and realistic solution to the Palestinian refugee question, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1515. In practice, this means that any such agreement must be demographically compatible with two states for two peoples and a generous package of international compensation should be made available. We continue to press both the Israelis and Palestinians to return to direct negotiations.
Cabinet Office
Carillion: Insolvency
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their definition of the term “public sector contracts” which they are using in connection with employees of Carillion; and whether that definition includes (1) Private Finance Initiative contracts, (2) other types of public-private partnerships,and (3) work for non-departmental public bodies.
lord young of cookham: The relevant Carillion contracts are those drawn up under the Public Contracts regulations 2015. These are set out in the Regulations to ensure consistency of understanding and interpretation and be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/102/contents/made
Public procurement contracts regulations 2015
(PDF Document, 705.07 KB)
Carillion
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many contracts they awarded to Carillion over each of the last three years without open book processes; and what was the value of those contracts.
lord young of cookham: Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search Information on whether or not open book processes were used is not held centrally.
Carillion
lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government by whose authority the Crown Representative was removed from Carillion in August 2017; and what assessment they have made ofwhether there were negative consequences in terms of insight or influence as a result of not having a designated Crown Representative.
lord young of cookham: This Government recognises the importance of managing relationships with Strategic Suppliers and their performance on a cross-Government basis, and has developed a range of strategies to do this, including the use of Crown Representatives.The role of Crown Representative for Carillion was vacant for three months between August and November 2017 following the retirement of the previous post holder. During this period, the Crown representative responsibilities were covered by the Government’s Chief Commercial officer and the Cabinet Office Director of Markets and Suppliers.
Department of Health and Social Care
NHS: Finance
lord clark of windermere: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much additional funding, in real terms, they have committed to the NHS for the year 2017–18; and what are the comparable figures for each of the previous 20 years.
baroness chisholm of owlpen: The Government has committed an additional 2.1% funding in real terms to the National Health Service for the year 2017-18. This is the extra money being given through the NHS England Mandate to front-line services. The following table sets out the comparable figures back to 2013-14, when NHS England was created. YearNHS England Mandate (cash) £ billionReal terms increase % (2017-18 prices)2017-18109.92.12016-17106.03.22015-16100.52.62014-1597.31.32013-1494.7 Prior to 2013-14, NHS funding was measured only through the Department’s departmental expenditure limit. A series of tables showing the Department’s total departmental expenditure limit from 1997-98 to 2013-14 is attached, due to the size of the data. During this period, the Government method of accounting changed from cash to a resource budgeting basis. The figures in different stages of the accounting change are not comparable.
Departmental Expenditure Limits 1997-2014
(Word Document, 17.23 KB)
NHS: Reorganisation
lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what sanctions are available to deal with NHS organisations that do not fully engage with staff in accordance with the NHS constitution when considering major changes in the way services are provided.
baroness chisholm of owlpen: The NHS Constitution pledges to engage staff in decisions that affect them and the services they provide. All National Health Service organisations are expected to adhere to this expectation, but are not legally obliged to do so. A failure to engage with staff may lead to investigation and the imposition of mandated support or enforcement action. Foundation trusts have a council of governors, which includes staff representatives, which can hold the board to account.
Patients: Females
lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will put policies and procedures in place to ensure that female patients who want to be treated by female NHS staff are not treated by males who have self defined as female; and if so, what are those policies and procedures.
baroness chisholm of owlpen: The Department does not have a policy on patients’ ability to specify the gender of the staff treating them. Individual National Health Service organisations set their own policies on this matter. As stated in the NHS Constitution, patients have the right to express a preference for using a particular doctor within their general practitioner practice, and the practice must try to meet this request. In addition, the General Medical Council guidance to doctors states that, when proposing to carry out an intimate examination, doctors should offer the patient the option of having an impartial observer (a chaperone) present wherever possible. This applies whether or not the doctor is the same gender as the patient.
Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater Manchester
lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average waiting time at A&E departments in each hospital in Greater Manchester in each of the last five years.
baroness chisholm of owlpen: Data is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is provided in the attached table due to the size of the data. This shows the mean and median duration to treatment and duration to departure for all accident and emergency providers within the Greater Manchester area, for the financial years between 2012-13 and 2016-17. NHS Digital collect and publish this data at trust level, not at individual hospital site level.
Treatment Data tables
(Word Document, 22.46 KB)
Agency Nurses
lord clark of windermere: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 10 January (HL Deb, col 182), how many of the 10,000 extra nurses on wards are agency nurses.
lord clark of windermere: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byLord O'Shaughnessy on 10 January (HL Deb, col 182), how many of the 10,000 extra nurses on wards are qualified, registered nurses.
baroness chisholm of owlpen: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics for substantive staff employed by the National Health Service trusts and clinical commissioning groups. Nurses on our wards are coded on the Electronic Staff Record as Acute, Elderly and General Nurses and are a subset of all nurses and health visitors. As at September, NHS Digital data shows there were 14,185 full time equivalent more nurses on our wards than in May 2010. All of these nurses are professionally qualified clinical nurses. As such, none are agency nurses.Figures are provided as full time equivalent as this is the most accurate measure of service capacity.
Prescription Drugs: Misuse
lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey intend to establish a national helpline for people affected by dependence on prescribed drugs.
baroness chisholm of owlpen: The Government has no plans to introduce a national helpline specifically to support people affected by prescribed drug dependence. People who feel that they might be dependent on either prescribed or over the counter medicines should seek help from a health professional in the first instance, such as a general practitioner (GP) or pharmacist. Help and advice is also available from the 111 helpline or the online NHS Choices service. People who have developed problems with benzodiazepines, antidepressants, painkillers and other medicines should seek help from their GP in the first instance. Specialist advice for GPs and support for patients with complex and severe problems is available from substance misuse services which are available in each local authority across the country. The Department has commissioned Public Health England to undertake an evidence review to better understand the scope of the problem of prescribed drug dependence. The review will bring together the best available evidence on prevalence and prescribing, the nature and likely causes of dependence or withdrawal among some people who continue to take these medicines and effective prevention and treatment responses for each indication.
Hospital Beds
baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many beds there were in English hospitals in each of the last five years.
baroness chisholm of owlpen: Information is not available in the format requested. Data is not collected on total number of beds. NHS England collects quarterly data from all National Health Service organisations on available overnight and day only beds and the total number of occupied bed days by consultant led specialty, excluding critical care beds. There has been a long-term reduction in the number of general and acute beds open overnight because hospitals are dealing with patients more efficiently. The NHS now performs more day cases, length of stay is decreasing and more people are treated in community settings. A table showing the numbers of these NHS hospital beds is attached owing to the size of the data. NHS England statistics show that the bed occupancy rate has remained stable, between 84% and 89% (all beds) since 2000. Bed availability does fluctuate but the NHS has practice and experience in managing capacity to cope with both routine and emergency care.The majority of patients are discharged quickly, with average lengths of stay falling from just over six days in 2006-07 to just under five days in 2016-17.
NHS Hospital beds data
(Word Document, 51.1 KB)
Hospitals: Admissions
baroness pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of emergency admissions to hospitals in England are for pre-existing conditions that could have been treated by a primary, community, or social care unit.
baroness pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average cost per day of preventable emergency admissions to hospitals in England for adults with pre-existing health conditions.
baroness chisholm of owlpen: The information requested is not centrally collected.
Social Services: Per Capita Costs
baroness pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average cost per day peradult of providing social care in England.
baroness chisholm of owlpen: This information is not held centrally.
Department for International Development
Occupied Territories: Economic Situation
baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of economic progress in the Occupied Territories of Palestine following decades of aid dependency.
lord bates: According to the World Bank (August 2017), growth in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) is forecast at around 3% for the next three years years. This level of growth is not sufficient to create the necessary jobs for a growing labour force or to improve living standards. International bodies (the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations) conclude that Israeli constraints on movement, access and trade remain a key impediment to economic progress in the OPTs and that full potential will not be reached without a final political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Donor support has been crucial in creating the enabling environment for economic progress including by improving the competiveness of the private sector and investing in infrastructure.
Overseas Aid
baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they have provided to (1) the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and (2) Marie Stopes International, in (a) 2016–17, and (b) 2017–18 to date.
lord bates: In 2016/17 DFID channelled funding of £6.5 million and £40.5 million via the International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International respectively. Data for 2017/18 is not yet available.
Global Financing Facility
baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what annual financial contributions they have provided to the Global Financing Facility since its inception.
lord bates: To date we have not made any financial contribution to the Global Financing Facility.Ministers have recently approved spend of £30m over 3 years to enable the Global Financing Facility to pilot innovative financing mechanisms. These will increase domestic and private sector resources for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Our investment will save lives and will enable women and girls to thrive and help transform their countries, our trading partners of tomorrow. It is the right thing to do and it is in our national interest.
Department for Education
Primary Education: Admissions
lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of future demand for primary school places in England; and whether additional resources will be provided to those local education authorities with the greatest need for increased school places provision.
lord agnew of oulton: Forecasts of pupil place demand are provided by local authorities to the department through the annual School Capacity Survey and published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-capacity.Local authority level forecasts for primary and secondary age pupils are given in Table A5 and Table A6 (attached) respectively. The department also estimates the number of additional places needed to meet demand in each local authority by comparing pupil forecasts with existing and planned school place provision. These are published in the School Places scorecards here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-school-places-scorecards-2016. Details of the calculations are contained in the technical notes for that publication. The department allocates basic need funding to local authorities to provide the school places required in their local area. The number of places we have funded by local authority can be found in Table 3, which is attached and available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations. This funding is based on local authorities’ own data, which means funding is provided for all the places councils say they need to create. The department has allocated £5.8 billion between 2015 and 2020 to deliver new schools places, which is on top of investment through the free schools programme.
Table 3
(Excel SpreadSheet, 86.83 KB)
Table A5 and A6
(Excel SpreadSheet, 92.74 KB)
Social Mobility: Stoke on Trent
baroness royall of blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the opportunity area delivery plan for Stoke-on-Trent.
lord agnew of oulton: The Opportunity Area delivery plan for Stoke-on-Trent was published on 19 January 2018, copy attached. It has been published on GOV.UK, alongside the other eleven Opportunity Area delivery plans: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-mobility-and-opportunity-areas.
Stoke-on-Trent Social Mobility delivery plan
(PDF Document, 7 MB)
Apprentices: Taxation
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address reported concerns by businesses that the current apprenticeship levy is not working; and what plans they have to address this issue.
lord agnew of oulton: In response to employer feedback, the department is keen to provide greater flexibility to levy-paying employers. From April 2018, we will allow eligible employers to transfer up to 10% of the annual value of funds entering their digital accounts to other employers, including smaller employers in their supply chain. The government will continue to work with employers and providers to determine how the apprenticeship levy is spent. This is to make sure that the funding system works effectively and flexibly for industry, meets employers’ skills needs, supports productivity across the country and supports our commitment to delivering three million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020.
Ministry of Justice
Commercial Law
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK remains competitive as a provider of international commercial law services following Brexit.
lord keen of elie: The UK is a world leading centre for legal services. To reflect this, we launched our international ‘Legal Services are GREAT’ campaign overseas last year. This campaign showcases the expertise of our legal services, the integrity and experience of our judiciary and the benefits of using English Common Law to a global audience that will help us build stronger links with both emerging and established markets. We intend to provide continuity and certainty for businesses, families and individuals by seeking continued civil judicial cooperation between the EU and UK. Such cooperation underpins the resolution of international commercial disputes. In publishing our position on future civil judicial cooperation in August 2017, we made clear our desire to continue this cooperation.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Flood Control: Finance
baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of in-year Government cuts to flood defence budgets.
lord gardiner of kimble: There have not been any cuts in maintaining and improving flood defences. The Environment Agency (EA) has all the necessary resources it requires to undertake its flood risk management duties. This Government is investing £2.6 billion between 2015 and 2021 to protect the country better from flooding. This includes an additional £76 million, announced in the Budget in November. Our funding will support over 1,500 flood defence schemes, which will better protect more than 300,000 homes by 2021. This is a real terms increase in capital investment, from £1.7 billion in the 2010-2015 Parliament and £1.5 billion in 2005-2010. In addition, between 2015 and 2020 we will be spending over £1 billion on the maintenance of flood defences. This is a real terms increase in spending compared to the £812 million spent in the previous five years. When flooding does occur we are better prepared than ever before. EA now has an improved arsenal of kit with 500,000 sandbags, 25 miles of mobile flood barriers and 250 mobile pumps available at depots and ready to be moved where needed. The EA is also training the military, first responders and contractors to help with flooding.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the effectiveness of the expansion of the badger cull across parts of England.
lord gardiner of kimble: In 2017, licensed badger control operations were completed by local farmers and landowners in eleven new areas and eight existing areas. The Chief Veterinary Officer has stated that the outcome of 2017’s culls indicates that industry led culling can deliver the level of effectiveness required to be confident of achieving disease control benefits. Results of the 2017 badger control operations can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-summary-of-badger-control-monitoring-during-2017 and: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-chief-veterinary-officers-advice-on-the-outcome-of-the-2017-badger-culls
Home Office
Immigration
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff were employed on immigration matters on 1 April in (1) 2005, (2) 2010, and (3) 2015.
baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office deploys officials on a range of work that could, directly and indirectly, be considered immigration matters. Operational immigration activity includes work undertaken by UK Border Agency in 2010 and more recently by UK Visas and Immigration, Border Force and Immigration Enforcement in 2015.UK Border Agency figures are published in the Resource Accounts 2009-10 at Table 6 on page 14 of Annex A on gov.uk at - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/247694/0193.pdfFrom June 2014 Immigration Enforcement and UK Visas & Immigration figures are published quarterly on gov.uk - https://www.gov.uk/search?q=Border+and+immigration+cross+cutting+data
Asylum: Calais
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to co-operate with the government of France in establishing an asylum processing centre in Calais.
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to President Macron's new initiatives to tackle the refugee crisis.
baroness williams of trafford: This Government is fully committed to helping and supporting the most vulnerable refugees affected by the migration crisis. We continue to work closely with Greece and other EU Member States in respect of immigration matters. We have frequent contact with the Greek authorities, at official and ministerial level, to discuss the situation for migrants. The UK is providing support to help the Greek authorities, the European Asylum Support Office and the European Commission deal with flows of migrants, including by deploying experts and interpreters to the Greek islands as well as specialists to the EU Commission team in Athens. The UK is also working very closely with EU Member States to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children. However, the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children lies with the authorities of the Member State in which they are present; the UK Government does not have the authority to operate on the territory of another sovereign state without permission.We share a special relationship with France and have a strong track record of cooperating with France to manage migration and to protect our shared border. As part of the Sandhurst Treaty, signed between the UK and France on 18 January 2018, both parties agreed to further enhance cooperation in a number of areas, including migration. This includes a number of further measures in respect of unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children, and a commitment to support France in its provision of accommodation facilities located outside the Calais and Dunkirk areas, such as Reception and Assessment Centres. Further information on the treaty can be found here: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-01-19/HCWS415/.
Refugees: Children
baroness stroud: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children were resettled in the UK in each quarter of (1) 2016, and (2) 2017; and what were (a) the countries of origin, (b) the age, and (c) the gender of those children.
baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office publishes a regular breakdown of the nationality of refugees resettled to the UK each quarter as part of the Immigration Statistics release available on the GOV.UK website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release. The most recent publication contains information on the number of resettlements up to 31 September 2017 inclusiveIn the period 1 January 2016 to 31 September 2017, the UK welcomed 9,897 refugees under its schemes, approximately half of which were female and half were children.
Asylum: Humanism
baroness bakewell: To ask Her Majesty's Government what protection is afforded to humanists seeking asylum in the UK on the grounds of religious persecution.
baroness williams of trafford: All claims for asylum are considered on their individual merits, and where people establish a genuine need for protection, or a well founded fear of persecution, refugee status will be granted.
Immigrants: Detainees
lord ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to introduce a robust screening process so that immigrants and asylum seekers who are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and others who are recognised as vulnerable under their adults at risk policy, are identified before they are detained.
baroness williams of trafford: In response to the Stephen Shaw review the Government has introduced a range of measures to identify and safeguard vulnerable people liable to be detained for immigration purposesThe adults at risk in immigration detention policy, which came into force on 12 September 2016 has introduced a case-by-case evidence-based assessment of the appropriateness of detention for any individual, including victims of sexual or gender based violence, who is considered vulnerable, balanced against the immigration control considerations that apply in their case. The policy is supported by the cross-cutting Detention Gatekeeper, which assesses vulnerability and provides challenge to decisions about who enters immigration detention, and scrutinises prospects and speed of removal. The Detention Centre Rules 2001 (Statutory Instrument) and published Home Office guidance provide additional safeguards including individuals being offered a physical and mental examination within 24 hours of admission to detention, a requirement for immigration removal centre doctors to report to the Home Office any special illness or conditions (including torture) that might affect an individual remaining in detention and processes for staff to follow when there has been a change to the physical or mental health of a detainee, or a change in the nature or severity of their identified vulnerability, that may impact on the decision to detain.
UK Border Force: Training
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much training is given to UK border staff.
baroness williams of trafford: Border Force has a workforce model clearly setting out roles and skills coupled with a workforce planning process enabling effective training and deployment.Staff can be deployed to areas of greatest need at short notice and have expertise in modern slavery and trafficking, deep rummage of commercial vessels and forgery detection.
Immigration Officers
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what qualities are required of UK immigration personnel so that claimants interviewed, including any who are very nervous, can respond with confidence and accuracy.
baroness williams of trafford: We are committed to delivering an asylum process that is sensitive to the needs of the claimants so that sufficient information can be obtained to facilitate fair and sustainable decisions on asylum claimsAll interviewing personnel receive extensive training on interviewing and considering asylum claims, and must follow published Home Office policy guidance when conducting screening and substantive asylum interviews and considering asylum claims.
Immigration Officers
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many immigration staff are needed to meet present requirements.
baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2016 – 17 shows the average number of full-time equivalent persons employed during the year across the operational directorates (Border Force, Her Majesty’s Passport Office, Immigration Enforcement and UK Visas and Immigration) of the Border, Immigration and Citizenship System (BICS).We actively monitor workflows across the BICS to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand.
Asylum: Children
baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of France about the timeframe in which the UK will accept unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who qualify under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 from France and other parts of Europe.
baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of France about the timeframe in which the UK will accept unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who qualify under family reunification rules from France and other parts of Europe.
baroness williams of trafford: The UK is committed to close cooperation and collaboration with EU partners, including France, to ensure the efficient and timely operation of the Dublin Regulation and national relocation schemes, namely to relocate and support unaccompanied children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.As part of the Sandhurst Treaty, signed between the UK and France on 18 January 2018, both parties agreed to further enhance cooperation in a number of areas, including migration. In respect of transferring the asylum claim of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children under Article 8(1) and Article 8(2) of the Dublin Regulation, we have committed to provide a decision on to France within 10 working days of the conclusion of engagement with the relevant UK local authority; and, if applicable, France will aim to transfer the child to the UK within 15 working days.In addition, we announced the allocation of a £3.6M development fund, as part of the UK’s overall £45.5M funding commitment, which the UK intends to use to work with France to identify projects which support genuine claims through the Dublin process and ensure that those with no prospect of transferring to the UK are informed of their options.The UK is fully committed to transferring the specified number of 480 unaccompanied children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 as soon as possible. Over 220 children are already here and transfers are ongoing. After extensive discussion with France, Greece and Italy, we have agreed to amend the eligibility date on an exceptional basis to ensure we can transfer the circa. 260 remaining unaccompanied children and meet our obligation under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. The Government had previously insisted on the previous eligibility date of 20 March 2016 to avoid establishing an open-ended relocation scheme from Europe, as this would increase the pull factor that puts children’s lives at risk.In addition, we will deploy a UK Liaison Officer to France by 1 April 2018 to facilitate cooperation on unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
Refugees: Children
baroness stroud: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children were resettled in the UK under the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme in each quarter of (1) 2016, and (2) 2017, for which figures are available; and what were countries of origin for those children.
baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office publishes a regular breakdown of the nationality of refugees resettled to the UK each quarter as part of the Immigration Statistics release available on the GOV.UK website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.The most recent publication contains information on the number of resettlements up to 31 September 2017 inclusive. Between July 2016, the start of the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme, up to 31 September 2017, the UK welcomed 412 refugees under the scheme. There is no published breakdown of the number of children.
Productivity
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reported concerns regarding the effect of lower inward migration on future productivity gains.
baroness williams of trafford: The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to gather evidence on patterns of EU migration and the role of migration in the wider economy, ahead of our exit from the EU – and to review how the UK’s immigration system should be aligned with a modern industrial strategy. The Government will carefully consider any recommendations made to it by the MAC before finalising the details of the future immigration system.
Extradition
lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the bars to extradition, including the extraneous conditions set out in the Extradition Act 2003 as amended, for protecting individuals against unsafe extradition.
baroness williams of trafford: The Government believes that UK extradition law provides a fair balance between the rights of an individual and the interests of justice. A number of reviews into the law and practice relating to extradition in the UK have informed this view, including the House of Lords Select Committee report on Extradition Law and practice, an independent review of the UK’s extradition arrangements by Sir Scott Baker, and reports from the Home Affairs Committee and the Joint Committee on Human Rights, amongst othersThe Extradition Act 2003 contains a number of statutory bars to extradition which the judge must consider in each case. If a judge decides that any of the statutory bars against extradition applies, he or she must order the person’s discharge. In addition, for requests made to the UK from outside the EU, there are further statutory bars to extradition which the Secretary of State must consider in each case.
Overseas Students
the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the figures for the economic value of overseas students to the UK published by the Higher Education Policy Institute in its reportThe Cost and Benefits of International Studentson 11 January, and whether they plan to take these figures into account when determining net migration targets.
baroness williams of trafford: The Government welcomes the contribution that international students make to the UK economy. We recognise that international students enhance our educational institutions both financially and culturally; enrich the experience of domestic students; and become important ambassadors for the United Kingdom in later life. The independent Office for National Statistics is responsible for the production of the net migration statistics. In line with the internationally agreed UN definition, these statistics define a migrant as someone changing their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants. There is no limit on the number of international students who can come to the UK and there are no plans to change this. So long as students are compliant with immigration rules they should make a very limited contribution to net migration numbers.The Government has recently commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to undertake a study into the costs and benefits of international students.
Asylum: Children
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether and if so when, and under what authority, the specified number of young asylum seekers to be received into the UK was fixed at 480.
baroness williams of trafford: In accordance with section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, the Government conducted a comprehensive consultation with local authorities across the UK in 2016 on the number of children they would be able to accommodate and support in addition to the more than 4,500 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children already being looked after by local authorities across the country. Following the consultation, in April 2017, the Government set the specified number of children to be transferred under section 67 at 480. This is a one-off commitment.The Government maintains a continual dialogue with local authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships. Any further places offered by local authorities will be gratefully received, and we will use them to fulfil our existing commitments, including ensuring a fairer distribution of unaccompanied asylum seeking children between local authorities through the National Transfer Scheme.
Passports: Interviews
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many centres exist for personal interviews for those seeking passports for the first time.
baroness williams of trafford: Her Majesty’s Passport Offices has 12 offices at which it conducts personal interviews for those seeking passports for the first time. OfficeAddressTownPost CodeBelfastLaw Society HouseBelfastBT1 3GNBirminghamKensington House 6F, Suffolk Street, QueenswayBirminghamB1 1LNDurhamFreemans ReachDurhamDH97 1PAGlasgowNorthgateGlasgowG4 0DXLeedsPart GF, 33 Park PlaceLeedsLS1 2RYLiverpoolPassport Office, 101 Old Hall StreetLiverpoolL3 9BDLondonGlobe HouseLondonSW1V 1PNNewportNexus House, Usk WayNewportNP20 2DWPeterboroughAragon CourtPeterboroughPE1 1QGPlymouthMayflower HousePlymouthPL1 1LDPortsmouthBuilding 1000 GF, Lakeside North Harbour, Western RoadPortsmouthPO6 3EZSalford QuaysDallas CourtSalford QuaysM50 2GF
Asylum: Mental Illness
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers have required treatment for mental breakdown in each of the last five years.
baroness williams of trafford: The Department does not hold data on the number of asylum seekers who have required treatment for mental breakdown in each of the last five years in a reportable formatHowever, UKVI has an Adult and Children Safeguarding Strategies in place to make sure vulnerable people, regardless of age, are protected. This includes identifying children and adults at risk and sensitively signposting them to appropriate support services.
Asylum: Finance
lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish a typical list of foodstuffs and other items that can be purchased for the £35.95 weekly Azure Card.
baroness williams of trafford: There are no plans to publish such a list.The Azure card is no longer provided to failed asylum seekers supported under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.People receiving this support are instead issued with an “Aspen card”, which they can use to buy food and other essentials to the value of £35.39 per week. The Aspen card is a pre-paid debit card bearing the visa logo and can be used at any retail outlets that accept visa payments.There are no restrictions on the types of food that can be purchased with the card.
Refugees: Children
baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what extra funding and human resources they are providing to ensure that children eligible under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 are transferred to the UK without delay.
baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will send additional UK Liaison Officers to Greece and Italy to help process the transfer of children eligible under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 to the UK.
baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Home Secretary on 19 January (HCWS415), whetherthey sought and were given guarantees that no excessive force would be used against refugees and migrants by authorities inFrance as part of their supplementary agreement.
baroness williams of trafford: The UK is fully committed to transferring the specified number of 480 unaccompanied children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 as soon as possibleAs part of the Sandhurst Treaty, signed between the UK and France on 18 January 2018, we committed to deploying a UK Liaison Officer to France by 1 April 2018 to facilitate cooperation on unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. We already have secondees based in Italy and Greece working on transfers of unaccompanied children to the UK under both the Dublin Regulation and section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.However, as set out in our published policy statement, it is for France, Greece and Italy to refer potentially eligible children under section 67 of the Immigration Act as the children are on their territory. The UK must operate within the national laws of our partner countries.In addition, after extensive discussion with France, Greece and Italy, we have agreed to amend the eligibility date on an exceptional basis to ensure we can transfer the circa. 260 remaining unaccompanied children and meet our obligation under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. The Government had previously insisted on the previous eligibility date of 20 March 2016 to avoid establishing an open-ended relocation scheme from Europe, as this would increase the pull factor that puts children’s lives at risk.The UK and France share a special relationship and have a strong track record of cooperating with France to manage migration and to protect our shared border. The primary responsibility for refugees and migrants lies with the authorities of the country in which they are present. France has many of the same international obligations towards those on its territory as the UK, and President Macron has made clear that French authorities should behave in an exemplary manner.
HM Treasury
Bank Cards: Fees and Charges
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to address concerns highlighted by the Federation of Small Businesses regarding the impact of new rules makingitunlawful to levy extra charges on customers who pay with credit or debit cards, on small businesses
lord bates: The Government recognises the pressures that small businesses are facing and that the new rules banning surcharging may have an impact on them.The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published guidance on the ban, including on how retailers could manage an increase in their costs to accommodate the ban:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664065/payment-surcharges-guidance.pdf The surcharging ban should help to ensure prices are transparent and consumers will not face a hidden fee just for wanting to pay in a particular way. This should help consumers to pick the most competitive deals.
payment surcharges guidance
(PDF Document, 135.39 KB)
Department for Exiting the European Union
EU Law
baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend that EU regulations that are agreed before the UK leaves the EU, but which do not come into effect until after the UK leaves the EU, will have direct effect in UK law; and if not, what is their intention regarding the applicability of such regulations in UK law.
lord callanan: Clause 3 of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill will convert direct EU legislation, including EU regulations, into domestic law so far as they are “operative” in the UK immediately before exit day. EU regulations which are in force before the UK’s departure, but are stated to apply after exit day, will not be converted by clause 3. The government has announced its intention to negotiate an implementation period with the EU. The framework for this period would be the existing structure of EU rules and regulations. We will need to discuss with the EU the details of how the implementation period will work in practice during the next phase of negotiations. The implementation period will be given effect in domestic law through the Withdrawal Agreement & Implementation Bill. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2018-01-29 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2018",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Karen Refugees: Humanitarian Aid
The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assistance they have given to Karen refugees in Thailand in the last two years through the United Nations and other channels; and which other donors assist those refugees on a similar scale.
Baroness Amos: The Department for International Development has given £537,500 over the last two years to the Burma Border Consortium, a group of NGOs which are the main providers of humanitarian assistance to the Karen refugees in Thailand. Other donors that have provided substantial assistance to these refugees include the Australian, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian Governments and the European Union.
Poverty in Developing Countries
The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they define the poorest group in a developing country to be targeted by international aid; what guidelines they give to the Department for International Development staff overseas on such target groups; and how often these are updated.
Baroness Amos: The Department for International Development (DFID) recognises the multidimensional nature of poverty. These dimensions include income levels and assets, health, educational status and opportunity, political empowerment, and security. The International Development Targets (IDTs) set out in the 1997 White Paper on International Development go some way toward capturing all these aspects, and form the centrepiece of this Government's policy towards poverty elimination.
While the IDTs provide a useful focus, country level interventions need to be based on a detailed undertstanding of the particular situation facing the poor in each country. For DFID these interventions are outlined in its Country Strategy Papers. However, even with the best analysis and targeting, reaching the poorest in any community is always a major challenge.
DFID is developing and strengthening the existing guidance and training for all their staff--in the UK and overseas--to help ensure that poverty elimination remains at the centre of all the department's activities. In particular the guidance and training will:
introduce staff to the dimensions of poverty in developing countries;
assist staff to understand and diagnose the key factors influencing poverty;
help staff use the diagnosis to develop appropriate targeted country strategies.
We are planning to make enhanced guidance and training available to DFID staff this year. This will be updated on an ongoing basis.
Bonded Labourers
The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In which developing countries bonded labourers are listed by the Department for International Development among the poorest groups, and to what extent they are being targeted by development assistance such as micro-credit and income generation schemes.
Baroness Amos: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not keep lists of the poorest groups or lists of developing countries in which bonded labourers are amongst the poorest groups. Bonded labour exists, in many guises, in many countries, despite international conventions and national laws which clearly identify bonded labour as a contravention of human rights. Marginalisation and poverty are key factors which help to maintain this practice.
The elimination of poverty and fulfilment of human rights for all are comprehensively linked. We are supporting many activities which encourage governments actively to uphold human rights and to develop policies for trade and economic investment which encourage wide based growth and reduce social marginalisation and inequality. We are also supporting advocacy and action by civil society organisations and encouraging socially responsible business practices within the private sector.
In some instances, the availability of micro-credit and other income generating schemes can offer poor people a viable alternative to bonded labour. DFID supports micro-finance and income-generation projects for poor groups all over the developing world, particularly in East, Central and Southern Africa, and South Asia. Services such as savings and micro-credit for income generation are delivered through some form of private, community-based institution, which is itself typically supported by a larger organisation such as a bank, a credit co-operative or an NGO. For these support institutions to develop and to be effective, a minimum level of social organisation is required amongst the savers and borrowers. However, where bonded labour relations exist, vested interests that control that labour will usually obstruct any form of social organisation, especially by external institutions. This situation can severely inhibit the successful extension of effective micro-credit institutions to bonded labourers.
To date, no DFID micro-finance projects have explicitly targeted bonded labourers. However, DFID has delivered credit services to very poor communities that include bonded labourers. For example, in India, the DFID/CARE International Credit and Savings for Household Enterprises (CASHE) project in Andrha Pradesh includes many bonded labourers. In Western and Southern Orissa, where bonded labour is prevalent amongst tribal people, micro-finance is one among several interventions DFID is supporting to increase the security and range of livelihoods available to poor rural people.
Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland: Review
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to publish the report of the Review of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland.
Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: I can confirm that the Government intend to publish the report of the Review of the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland.
Marine Environmental High Risk Areas: Report
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to issue for consultation the report commissioned from Dovre Safetec on Marine Environmental High Risk Areas; and which bodies they will consult.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: We will publish the report very shortly. We will consult anybody who has an interest, including maritime, environmental and coastal interests.
RAF Personnel Premature Voluntary Retirement
Lord Swinfen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many members of the Royal Air Force had applied for Premature Voluntary Retirement at 1 January or the nearest convenient date.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: On 1 January 2000 there were 1,561 members of the Royal Air Force who had applied for Premature Voluntary Retirement.
Depleted Uranium Anti-tank Ammunition
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have considered withdrawing depleted uranium anti-tank ammunition.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We have no plans to remove depleted uranium based anti-tank ammunition from service.
Depleted Uranium and Gulf War Illnesses
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the absence of clinical indications, they will test a sample of Gulf veterans for presence of depleted uranium (DU) in order to eliminate it as a cause of Gulf War illness and to restore confidence in DU ammunition.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Ministry of Defence is well aware of the suggested link between exposure to DU and the illnesses being experienced by some Gulf veterans. However, this is only one of a number of factors which have been suggested as causes of Gulf veterans' illnesses and, pending further medical and scientific evidence, the Ministry of Defence is keeping an open mind.
The Ministry of Defence is aware of DU testing work involving UK Gulf veterans that has been undertaken in Canada which has led to some veterans being told that they are excreting unusually high levels of DU. The Ministry of Defence still has not seen any robust scientific data justifying this claim. Recognising that this has caused veterans some concern, however, the MoD has offered to arrange independent DU testing for those UK veterans who had their urine tested for DU in Canada. A draft protocol under which this would take place is currently being considered by veterans' representatives. I should add that this new initiative must not be taken as an indication that the Ministry of Defence believes veterans do have high levels of DU in their bodies. Rather it is something the Ministry of Defence would like to do so that we can move forward from a firm scientific basis. This initiative is in addition to our policy which has been in place since March 1999 whereby Gulf veterans referred to the Ministry of Defence's Medical Assessment Programme will be tested for uranium where clinically appropriate.
New Millennium Experience Company: Chief Executive
Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there has been a change of Chief Executive at the New Millennium Experience Company.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Yes. Jennie Page has resigned as Chief Executive of NMEC. The NMEC Board have appointed Pierre-Yves Gerbeau to succeed her. He took up his post yesterday. A copy of the Press Notice has been placed in the Libraries. Jennie Page has done a sterling job seeing the Millennium Dome through from its inception to opening, on time and on budget, on 31 December. The scale of this achievement should not be underestimated. However, it is the view of the NMEC Board, supported by the Shareholder on behalf of the Government, that a different approach and different skills are now needed to manage the project successfully during its year of operation.
Crusoe Microchip
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
To what extent their information technology procurement strategies are taking account of the recent release of the Crusoe microchip.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We are aware of the Crusoe microchip, and we are monitoring how it fares in the market place.
10 Downing Street: Staff Costs
Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 13 December 1999 (WA 6), what is the cost of the Prime Minister's official staff; what was the figure at 1 April 1997; and how these costs in each case divide between public funds, party funds and the Prime Minister's private funds.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The total cost to date for staff at 10 Downing Street is £3.9 million. This compares to £3.4 million for the year 1996-97. These costs are met from public funds. The Government are not accountable for the costs of any staff working in No. 10 who are paid for by the Labour Party or from the personal funds of the Prime Minister or his wife. I am sorry for not writing to the noble Earl, as promised, on this issue.
Parliament: Eligibility for Membership
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jay of Paddington on 12 January (WA122), whether they will give an assurance that there will be no discriminatory bar to service in either House of Parliament, including an age bar.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: There are existing rules which limit eligibility for both Houses of Parliament, including the requirement to have attained the age of 21. The Government have no present plans to change that rule.
House of Lords Appointment Commission
Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the House of Lords Appointments Commission will be statutory, as recommended by the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Government have consistently made clear that the Appointments Commission for the transitional House will be non-statutory. The recommendation of the Royal Commission for a rather different Appointments Commission with significantly more powers in relation to political members of the second Chamber makes no difference to our assessment of the situation in the context of the transitional House. The Government will make clear their views on the proposals of the Royal Commission in due course.
House of Lords Appointment Commission
Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish: asked the Leader of the House:
What role she envisages for the House of Lords in decisions on the establishment of the House of Lords Appointments Commission and the conduct of its duties.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: None. The functions which the Appointments Commission will be taking over from the Prime Minister are functions in which the House of Lords has no locus.
House of Lords: Membership Arrangements
Lord Dean of Harptree: asked the Leader of the House:
Why no statement was made to the House of Lords about future arrangements for determining members of the House before the Cabinet Office issued Press Release CAB 18/00; and when she intends to make a statement on the Government's plans for an Appointments Commission.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Government's plans for future arrangements in determining members of the House of Lords were set out fully in the White Paper Modernising Parliament Reforming the House of Lords (Cm 4183) which was published on 20 January 1999. They were also set out in detail, and extensively discussed, during the debates in the last Session on the House of Lords Act 1999. CAB 18/00 merely announced a stage in a process which had been set out fully on many occasions.
House of Lords Appointments Commission
Lord Dean of Harptree: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether members of the House of Lords will be eligible to be the Chairman or members of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: Yes.
House of Lords Appointments Commission
Lord Dean of Harptree: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Chairman and members of the House of Lords Appointments Commission will be paid; and if so, how much.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Chairman will receive an honorarium of £5,000 a year and the members £3,000 a year.
House of Lords Reform
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the statement by the Leader of the House that "detailed provisions may be reached in conjunction with other political parties and procedures for achieving the next stage of change" (H.L. Deb., 24 January, col. 1318), what mechanisms they intend to put in place to implement this form of consultation about Stage Two of House of Lords reform with other political parties.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: We shall need to look at the most suitable mechanisms in the light of the overall responses to the Royal Commission's report. The House will of course have an opportunity to debate it.
House of Lords Reform
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the statement by the Leader of the House that "detailed provisions may be reached in conjunction with other political parties and procedures for achieving the next stage of change" (H.L. Deb., 24 January, col. 1318), whether the term "other political parties" is intended to include the Cross-Bench Lords in the House of Lords.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: Yes.
House of Lords Reform
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in relation to House of Lords reform, the statement by the Leader of the House of Lords that "the Joint Committee would be established in order to consider the parliamentary aspects of any reform" (H.L. Deb., 24 January, cols. 1318-1322) is consistent with the commitment in the Labour Party's general election manifesto that "A committee of both Houses of Parliament will be appointed to undertake a wide-ranging review of possible further change and then bring forward proposals for reform".
Baroness Jay of Paddington: We made clear in our White Paper Modernising Parliament Reforming the House of Lords (Cm. 4183) that the Royal Commission built on the proposal in the Manifesto. Both were aimed at ensuring that there was a wide-ranging debate before any proposals for further reform were formulated.
House of Lords Reform
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the replies by the Leader of the House on 24 January (H.L. Debs. 1318-1322), whether the Labour Party's general election manifesto has now been superseded by the White Paper on House of Lords Reform.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: The White Paper Modernising Parliament Reforming the House of Lords (Cm. 4183) built on the Labour Party's Manifesto. It made clear that the reasons for the decision to appoint a Royal Commission were twofold. First, it would allow an open and transparent deliberative process involving full and wide debate of all the issues. Second, it could begin work immediately, without having to wait for the completion of the first stage of reform. In those circumstances, the precise role of the proposed Joint Committee has also been refined.
House of Lords Appointments: Scrutiny
Lord Mancroft: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the House of Lords Appointments Commission will have powers to vet the suitability of appointments made by the Prime Minister to the House of Lords.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Government made clear in their White Paper Modernising Parliament Reforming the House of Lords (Cm. 4183) that the Appointments Commission would take over the present function of the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee in vetting the suitability of all recommendations for peerages.
House of Lords Appointments: Scrutiny
Lord Mancroft: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the House of Lords Appointments Commission will have any responsibilities with regard to political appointments to the House.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Government made clear in their White Paper Modernising Parliament Reforming the House of Lords (Cm 4183) that the Appointments Commission would take over the present function of the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee in vetting the suitability of all recommendations for peerages.
House of Lords Appointments: Number
Lord Mancroft: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the House of Lords Appointments Commission will decide the overall number of Cross-Bench Peers in the House of Lords.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: No. We set out in our White Paper Modernising Parliament Reforming the House of Lords (Cm 4183) that the Prime Minister would continue to be responsible for deciding how many nominations to invite from the Appointments Commission. We also made it clear that we would maintain a significant independent Cross-Bench element in the transitional House.
Overstayers: Suspensive Right of Appeal
Baroness Howells of St Davids: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to ensure that current overstayers will not lose the right to a suspensive appeal against a decision to remove them after 1 October 2000.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Section 9 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 provides for a minimum three-month period during which overstayers can apply to regularise their immigration status. If they do so, and the application is refused after the new removal procedures are implemented, then the old procedures will apply to their case after 1 October and a suspensive right of appeal will be retained.
The Immigration (Regularisation Period for Overstayers) Regulations 2000 came into force today. The period runs from now until the 1 October 2000, which is the day before the Human Rights Act 1998 is expected to come into force, and thus lasts for a minimum of almost eight months.
My honourable Friend the Minister of State at the Home Office (Mrs Roche) will shortly write to all members in another place giving details of the scheme and how an application should be made under it. Copies of the information leaflet we have produced will be placed in the Library. My honourable Friend the Minister of State at the Home Office (Mrs Roche) will be discussing further publicity with relevant interest groups, but as a first step the leaflets are being distributed to local community groups through Citizens Advice Bureaux and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.
The scheme is solely intended to retain a suspensive right of appeal to the Immigration Appellate Authority for those overstayers who make a specific application to us during the period. It is by no means an amnesty: the same considerations apply whether an application under the scheme is made or not. All overstayers should be aware that a decision to remove them from the United Kingdom is, and will remain, the normal response to their unlawful behaviour. Only when the compassionate circumstances outweigh the public interest in maintaining an effective immigration control will we allow them to remain.
Human Rights: Outstanding Obligations and Commitments
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list:
(a) their outstanding human rights obligations, such as judgments of the European Court of Human Rights which await implementation;
(b) their outstanding commitments to legislate on human rights; and
(c) those manifesto commitments on human rights which are still outstanding;
and, in respect of each, why it is still outstanding, and when and how appropriate measures will be introduced.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: There are 28 cases outstanding where the Court has found a violation and where the execution of the judgment is being supervised by the Committee of Ministers. They are A; Bowman; Cable, Hood and Others; Chahal; Gaskin; Gordon; Halford; Johnson, Denson and Poole; Johnson S; Lustig Prean and Beckett; Matthews; McLeod; John Murray; Perks and Others; Saunders; Scarth; Smith and Ford; Smith and Grady; Steel and Others; T and V; and Tinnelly and McElduff. In several of these cases the necessary payments have been made and remedial measures, where appropriate, have been taken; they await merely the closing resolution of the committee. In others, the measures are in the process of implementation or under consideration. To list the situation for each judgment would be too detailed for the Official Report and provide only a snapshot of a constantly changing situation. I shall write to the noble Lord with further details.
Since the enactment of the Human Rights Act 1998, the only outstanding legislative commitment is to amend three rules of family law to allow the United Kingdom to ratify the 7 Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights; and there are no outstanding manifesto commitments on human rights.
Human Rights: Outstanding Obligations and Commitments
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What time and priority have been given by the Home Secretary, the Lord Chancellor and the Law Officers since May 1997 to those wishing to meet them to discuss human rights issues, including implementation of outstanding judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the Government's approach to human rights litigation; and what requests for such meetings have been made and are still to be dealt with.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government place great emphasis on human rights and to discussing human rights issues with interested parties. Information on the number of requests for meetings, on requests still to be dealt with, and on time given to such meetings, and an assessment of priority given to such meetings, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Human Rights: Outstanding Obligations and Commitments
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How and through whom they conduct overall supervision of human rights matters so as to ensure that their European Convention on Human Rights obligations are implemented, whether in the case of outstanding judgments of the European Court of Human Rights or in anticipation of findings of incompatibility and likely adverse court judgments.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: For implementation of judgments of the European Court, the agent (one of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Legal Advisers) communicates the judgment and explains its requirements to the lead department. It is for that department to pay any sums awarded by the Court and formulate any general measures which may be required, including proposals for legislation, but the agent ensures that the proposals would give proper effect to the judgment.
The Cabinet Office helps to co-ordinate issues which affect more than one department, working through a committee of officials from the key departments, which meets regularly. It is envisaged that consideration and implementation of decisions of domestic courts under the Human Rights Act 1998 will be co-ordinated in this way. The Home Office is also involved in making recommendations about preparations for implementation of the Act and passing on good practice to departments.
It is, however, the responsibility of each department to ensure that its proposals, legislation, procedures and practices are compatible with the Convention and the Human Rights Act 1998. This involves a continuous review of legislation and procedures for Convention points. Making compatibility a matter for the centre could dilute our efforts to mainstream human rights awareness throughout Whitehall.
Public Trust Office
Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will announce how they intend to take forward reform of the Public Trust Office following the Quinquennial Review of its executive agency status, published on 18 November 1999.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: When I published the Quinquennial Review of the Public Trust Office, I indicated that I would explore the Review's recommendations in a programme of reform and would make a further announcement on the way forward in February 2000. It remains my view that radical reforms are needed but I am also determined to ensure, in an area where we are trying to protect the interests of some of the most vulnerable in society, that we consider very carefully the full implications of any changes we make. Several organisations and professional groups commenting on the Quinquennial Review have asked for an extension of my timetable in order to put forward their views. In order to ensure that all have sufficient time to give their views, I now intend to allow comments to be submitted up until 3 March. I will consider these and make an announcement on the way forward for the Public Trust Office by this Easter.
Government Use of Private Sector Lawyers
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What use they have made of private sector lawyers since May 1997 (or for the part of that period for which figures are available) for assistance in (a) drafting legislation, and (b) litigation; on what basis such lawyers are remunerated; and whether such remuneration is set at a rate below what would be regarded by the courts as reasonable for solicitors undertaking publicly funded civil legal aid work.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: (a) The Government's primary legislation is mainly drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. Exceptions are the consolidation and law reform Bills drafted by the Law Commission and the work on rewriting tax legislation being done by the Inland Revenue's Tax Law Rewrite project. In these cases, the drafting is done by Counsel on secondment from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. The legislation for Scotland relating to reserved matters (including such elements of consolidation and law reform Bills for the Scottish Law Commission) is drafted by Counsel on secondment from the Office of the Scottish Parliamentary Counsel in Edinburgh. Some Government Bills extending only to Northern Ireland are drafted by the Office of the Legislative Counsel in Belfast by arrangement with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.
Since May 1997, a total of four private sector lawyers have been employed at various times to assist with the drafting of legislation being prepared by the OPC or by the Inland Revenue Rewrite project. All four had acquired the necessary skills when they were members of the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, before moving into private practice. Their remuneration has varied depending on the amount and difficulty of the work they were contracted to do, but generally speaking has been commensurate with the cost to Government of similar work being done by Parliamentary Counsel. Meaningful comparisons between the remuneration of drafting and for civil legal aid work are not possible because of their different natures.
Some departments employ private sector lawyers from time to time to draft secondary legislation. However, no central records are kept of the volume of work involved, of the number of private sector lawyers who have been employed nor of their remuneration. This information could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.
(b) Litigation for the Government is handled, almost entirely, by Treasury Solicitor or, where departments supply their own legal services, by the in-house litigation teams within those departments. For geographical or other reasons, however, private sector lawyers frequently become involved in government litigation (including public inquiries) as agents. Generally speaking, solicitors from the private sector instructed in this way as agents are remunerated in a manner broadly comparable to the manner in which they would be remunerated for private client work. Rates will vary accordingly to the location and type of litigation work involved. No statistics are available as to the number of litigation cases in which private sector lawyers have been instructed or of the fees paid, and it would not be practicable to provide such information without examining many thousands of individual files.
Government Litigation
Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what occasions since May 1997 they have proceeded with litigation in spite of legal advice that they had no reasonable prospects of success; whether it is government policy to pursue litigation in such circumstances; and whether their policy is consistent with the policy of the Legal Aid Board in respect of litigation by private persons which is judged to have no reasonable prospects of success.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Consultation has taken place between the various departments handling government litigation, and it was found, in view of the volume of such litigation, that it was not possible to give any definitive figures of the type requested: this would involve examining many thousands of files. Moreover, the information requested is almost certainly covered by legal professional privilege, and it would be necessary to approach each client for their agreement that the privilege might be waived in each case where legal advice to settle had not been followed. The time and effort that would necessarily be involved in such an exercise is thought to be disproportionate. (Also, it is worth noting that, in the majority of litigation cases, it is not possible to be categorical about e.g. prospect of winning or losing.)
EU Veto: Taxation
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, following recent proposals from the European Commission to abolish the veto for all forms of taxation that impinge on "the proper functioning of the internal market", they intend to retain their commitment, as stated in the Labour Party general election manifesto, "to retention of the national veto over key matters of public interest, such as taxation.".
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Yes.
EU Veto: Taxation
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the statement from Richard Corbett, the Labour spokesman on reform in the European Parliament, that "there is no danger of Britain losing the veto" is consistent with their policy towards the European dimension on tax matters.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: As the Government have repeatedly made clear, the United Kingdom considers that tax decisions should continue to be taken by unanimity.
Parliamentary Data and Video Network
Lord Marlesford: asked the Chairman of Committees:
Why the Parliamentary Data and Video Network (PDVN) is subject to interruptions to the main electricity supply in the Palace of Westminster; and whether he will take steps to see that standby power supplies are made available to the PDVN.
Lord Boston of Faversham: All data service centres and major distribution points are already protected by battery back-up and the Palace of Westminster already has a standby power supply. There is no specific generation equipment allocated to the PDVN.
Parliamentary Data and Video Network
Lord Marlesford: asked the Chairman of Committees:
On what occasions during the last six months there have been interruptions to the e-mail service offered by the Parliamentary Data and Video Network (PDVN), indicating the date, duration and cause of interruption in each case.
Lord Boston of Faversham: Since the replacement of the network infrastructure in August 1999, there have been six interruptions to the e-mail service to multiple users across all or part of the Parliamentary estate, totalling 6.1 hours. The Director of Communications will write to the noble Lord with full details. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2000-02-08a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2000",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Armed Forces: Healthcare
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What system is in place within the National Health Service to track veterans.
Lord Darzi of Denham: All veterans are now entitled to priority treatment in the National Health Service on the same basis that veterans with war pensions have enjoyed since the 1950s.
There is, as yet, no system for automatically tracking veterans. The Government have received the report of the Defence Select Committee (Medical Care for the Armed Forces, HC 327, February 2008) and will be responding to the recommendations, including that there should be a system for automatically tracking veterans, in due course.
Armed Forces: Oil Prices
Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assumptions they are making about the world oil price in budgeting for the Armed Forces for the coming financial year.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Our fuel price projections for the financial year 2008-09 currently assume an average price of $83 per barrel for Brent crude. This is kept under regular review.
Armed Forces: Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many vessels of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are currently laid up.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The following Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels are no longer in fleet's operational cycle:
RFA Brambleleaf—awaiting disposal;RFA Grey Rover—awaiting disposal;RFA Oakleaf—awaiting disposal;RFA Sir Percivale—awaiting disposal; and RFA Sir Tristram—training platform.
Armenia: Genocide
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they recognise the existence of genocide in Armenia in 1915.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The position of the Government on this issue is long-standing. The Government acknowledge the strength of feeling about this terrible episode of history and recognise the massacres of 1915-16 as a tragedy. However, neither this Government nor previous Governments have judged that the evidence is sufficiently unequivocal to persuade us that these events should be categorised as genocide as defined by the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide.
As my right honourable friend the then Minister for Europe (Geoffrey Hoon) said in a debate in Westminster Hall on 7 June 2006 (Official Report, col. 137WH), the work of establishing the truth must be conducted as a joint exercise by the parties directly involved if it is to help towards reconciliation. There needs to be a truth and reconciliation process owned by the people of Armenia and Turkey. Outsiders can commend the idea to the parties, but they should not try to do the work for them—undertaking this is an important part of the confidence-building and reconciliation process for the parties themselves. The Government will continue to encourage the parties to embark on such a process. In the mean time, we should resist the temptation to pre-empt its conclusions.
Cyprus
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What investigations they are undertaking into the purchase by British nationals of property, the title of which is disputed, in the Turkish-occupied sector of Cyprus; and what representations they have made to the Turkish Cypriot authorities on these matters.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government are not undertaking any investigations into potentially disputed property bought by British citizens in northern Cyprus. However, in response to inquires from members of the public, and through our travel advice on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gove. uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountry Advice&aid=1013618387279), we strongly advise anyone thinking of purchasing property in the northern part of Cyprus to seek independent legal advice before buying any land or property. We also highlight the risks associated with buying property in the northern part of Cyprus.
In our contacts with the leaders of the Turkish Cypriot community, we recognise the Turkish Cypriots' need for economic development in support of reunification. But we urge them to ensure that any property development that takes place does so in a manner that is both environmentally sustainable and does not complicate an eventual solution. Ultimately we believe that the difficult issue of property is likely to be fully resolved only in the context of a comprehensive settlement. We continue to urge both sides to engage constructively with the United Nations and to show the political will necessary to make decisive progress towards a comprehensive settlement in 2008.
Former Yugoslavia: International Criminal Tribunal
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking to ensure that Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic are transferred to face trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for genocide and crimes against humanity.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The UK has given full and consistent support, both practical and political, to the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). We remain committed to seeing all four outstanding ICTY indictees, including Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, arrested and brought to trial before the tribunal. This is a message that we constantly deliver in the region, particularly to the authorities in Serbia which have a key role to play in this regard.
Former Yugoslavia: International Criminal Tribunal
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will join the Governments of the Netherlands and Belgium in making the transfer of Ratko Mladic to face trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia a condition of the European Union signing a stabilisation and association agreement with Serbia.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The UK is committed to seeing all four outstanding International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indictees, including Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, arrested and brought to trial before the tribunal. The UK has given full and consistent support, both practical and political, to ICTY's work.
The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council conclusions of June 2007 recalled that the pace and conclusion of the negotiations on the stabilisation and association agreement (SAA) would depend on Serbia's full co-operation with ICTY. There is currently no consensus within the EU that the necessary conditions have been met for SAA signature.
The Government's position is that the political process must move forward in a way that upholds ICTY conditionality and ensures that this remains embedded in the accession process. The Government would be ready—in the interest of sending a clear signal of EU commitment to Serbia's European future—to contemplate signature of an SAA if there were clear agreement that ICTY conditionality were to remain clearly embedded in the accession process and to apply at the next relevant stage. A further relevant consideration is Serbia's response to developments in Kosovo. Violence against international personnel in Kosovo or against diplomatic premises in Belgrade, and statements by Serbian Ministers that condone this, clearly create an unpromising background for progress in the EU's relations with Serbia.
Health: Cardiac Rehabilitation
Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of patients with myocardial infarction or revascularisation or both are not offered a place on a cardiac rehabilitation programme; and
What percentage of cardiac rehabilitation programmes have closed in the last two years.
Lord Darzi of Denham: Chapter 7 of the Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework, published in March 2000, issued appropriate guidance to the National Health Service about the provision of cardiac rehabilitation services. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline 48, MI:Secondary Prevention, was subsequently issued in May 2007. This provided updated guidance to the NHS on secondary prevention in primary and secondary care for patients following heart attack and emphasised the importance of rehabilitation for these patients.
Implementation of guidance is a matter for the local NHS, working in partnership with stakeholders and the local community. It is for NHS organisations to plan and develop services based on their specific local knowledge and expertise.
The department does not collect information centrally about the numbers of cardiac rehabilitation programmes within the NHS or numbers of eligible patients to whom services are offered. However, the British Heart Foundation and the British Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation maintain a voluntary register of cardiac rehabilitation programmes, which holds details of around 340 programmes. Further details can be found on their website at www.cardiac-rehabilitation.net/
Health: Macular Degeneration
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will review the decision of Torbay District General Hospital to deny former serviceman Mr Jack Tagg, who has been diagnosed with "wet" macular degeneration, a course of Lucentis on the ground of cost.
Lord Darzi of Denham: This is a matter for Torbay Care Trust. Decisions to fund treatments are made by primary care trusts (PCTs) in consultation with the healthcare professionals who are best placed to decide on the most appropriate treatments for their patients.
I am sorry to hear that Mr Tagg has been diagnosed with "wet" macular degeneration. South West Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has advised that Torbay Care Trust is satisfied that Mr Tagg has been properly assessed and treated throughout. I understand that the trust has written to Mr Tagg to invite him to meet to discuss a way forward and I hope that Mr Tagg accepts this offer.
The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising ranibizumab (Lucentis) and expects to publish final guidance later in 2008. The department has made it clear that it is not acceptable for funding for licensed treatments to be withheld from patients simply because NICE has not issued final guidance on them. In these circumstances, PCTs are expected to take full account of the available evidence when reaching funding decisions.
South West SHA has advised that Torbay Care Trust has established local clinical criteria for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration. These have been produced by a team from across Devon, including consultant ophthalmologists from three hospitals, together with local expertise.
Health: Workforce Planning
Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether workforce planning is sufficiently robust to plan properly for the future needs of the National Health Service and the independent health sector.
Lord Darzi of Denham: The National Health Service next stage review, led by Lord Darzi, includes a workforce planning, education and training work stream. The programme of work, which is due to be completed in the spring of 2008 is tackling the question of how workforce planning should be done in the future to deliver a supply of trainees and a workforce of the right size and structure.
The review will make recommendations about the future roles and responsibilities in workforce planning of the department, strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and service providers, which will include both NHS and non-NHS providers.
Immigration: Georgia
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many United Kingdom entry clearance officers there are in Georgia; what are their grades; where they are located; and for how long each has been in post.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The complement of staff at our embassy in Tbilisi includes three UK entry clearance officers: the deputy head of mission, a third secretary and a member of the UK support staff. Respectively, they have spent five months, three years and six months at post. The embassy in Tbilisi is our only representation in Georgia.
Immigration: Georgia
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many staff there are in support of entry clearance officers in Georgia; and what are their nationalities.
Lord Malloch-Brown: There are two members of local staff working in support of UK entry clearance officers at our embassy in Tbilisi. Both have Georgian nationality.
Immigration: Georgia
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many applications have been received from applicants within Georgia by nationality for visas for access to the United Kingdom within each of the last three years.
Lord Malloch-Brown: In the three years from January 2005 to December 2007, a total of 13,982 visa applications were received by our embassy in Tbilisi. The breakdown by year is as follows:
2005—4,164 applications, of which 4,055 were received from Georgian nationals and 109 from other nationalities;2006—4,610 applications, of which 4,467 were received from Georgian nationals and 143 from other nationalities; and 2007—5,208 applications, of which 5,059 were received from Georgian nationals and 149 from other nationalities.
Of the non-Georgians, applications were received from nationals of some 38 other countries. The largest number of applications, though small in comparison with many of those to our other embassies, came from nationals of Armenia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey.
Immigration: Georgia
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many visas for entry into the United Kingdom have been granted without appeal to an asylum and immigration tribunal to Georgian nationals in the last three years.
Lord Malloch-Brown: In the three years from January 2005 to December 2007, a total of 12,550 visas were issued to Georgian nationals without appeal to an asylum and immigration tribunal. The annual figures are as follows:
2005—3,620;
2006—4,249; and
2007—4,681.
These figures include, of course, applications made at our missions other than our embassy in Tbilisi.
Immigration: Vietnamese Children
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any Vietnamese children in the United Kingdom have been convicted of drug or immigration offences.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Details relating to the nationality of the defendants are not required for criminal cases in England and Wales unless they involve an immigration offence. Therefore, nationality information is not routinely collected by the courts or reported to the Ministry of Justice; detailed information is held by the courts only on individual case files.
Iraq: Military Deployments
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many United Kingdom military fatalities there have been in Iraq since hostilities began in March 2003.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: As at 2 March 2008, a total of 175 UK Armed Forces personnel or MoD civilians have died serving on Operation TELIC since the start of the campaign in March 2003. This information is published and updated regularly on the Ministry of Defence website at www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets/OperationsInIraqBritishFatalities.htm.
Israel and Lebanon: Cluster Munitions
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown of 4 December 2007 (WA 178), whether since October 2007 Israel has provided the necessary details for safe clearance of cluster munitions fired into south Lebanon in 2006; and, if not, whether they will raise this matter directly with Israel and at the United Nations.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government understand that the Government of Israel have now provided some data on their use of cluster munitions in south Lebanon to the UN. The UN is currently assessing this information. Continued dialogue between the UN and the Government of Israel on this issue is essential. In addition, Israel must co-operate fully with the UN to ensure that the data that it provides are fully understood and made as useful as possible to those planning and undertaking clearance of munitions in south Lebanon.
The UK continues to support the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. In this context we continue to call on the Government of Israel to make available all data that the UN requires regarding their cluster munition strikes in south Lebanon.
Israel and Palestine: Tony Blair
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What will be the total cost in the current financial year of Mr Blair and his staff, as the quartet's representative in the Middle East; how much of this will be borne by the United Kingdom; and what is the estimated full cost for 2008-09.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The UK has so far provided £400,000 to a UN development programme trust fund that provides support to the right honourable Tony Blair's office in Jerusalem. The UK has also seconded four staff to his team. Other international donors are also supporting his work. Mr Blair has been appointed by, and reports to, the quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia). We do not have figures available for the total cost of Mr Blair and his staff. It is a matter for the quartet to determine whether to publish details of Mr Blair's team, costs and funding.
We strongly support the work of Mr Blair. He is well placed to drive forward Palestinian capacity building, which is a clear priority.
Kenya: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Lord Sheikh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assistance they are providing with regard to the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission and to the proposed work to be undertaken by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Kenya.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government welcome the announcement by Kofi Annan on 15 February that the parties have agreed to establish a truth, justice and reconciliation commission. We, with our international partners, await further details on how the parties intend to take this forward and stand ready to provide assistance as necessary.
We welcome the fact-finding mission to Kenya of the team from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and from the office of the United Nations Special Adviser for Genocide to investigate potential human rights abuses. We will seek to ensure that their findings and recommendations are acted on. It is important that the causes of violence are addressed and allegations of human rights abuses are investigated thoroughly. Along with our international partners, we continue to provide support for those displaced and harmed by post-election violence in Kenya.
Nuclear Weapons
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their position regarding the model nuclear weapons convention submitted by Costa Rica and Malaysia in 1997; and what preparations they have made for the implementation and verification that would be necessary for a worldwide convention.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government consider the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to be the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and the framework for nuclear disarmament. The UK has an excellent record in implementing its disarmament obligations under Article VI of the NPT and is committed to working towards a safer world in which there is no requirement for nuclear weapons. The Government do not support any new process, including a nuclear weapons convention, that could risk cutting across the existing NPT regime and therefore have not been involved with any preparation for the verification or implementation of such a convention.
Official Meetings: Rupert Murdoch
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what dates from 1 January 2006 to June 2007 the then Prime Minister either (a) met Mr Rupert Murdoch, or (b) spoke to him on the telephone; and
Why the Written Question by Lord Avebury of 7 November 2007 (HL143) has yet to be answered, when a similar Question was answered by correspondence to Lord Avebury in the summer of 2007.
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: During the period 1 January 2006 to June 2007, the then Prime Minister spoke to Mr Rupert Murdoch on the telephone on 9 February, 7 May and 31 August 2006. In addition, he spoke at a News Corporation event in the United States on 30 July 2006.
Railways: Speed Limit
Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any government department or agency was responsible for the imposition of a general 4 mph speed limit on all trains operating within possessions; if so, what were the reasons for this change; and what will be the consequences in terms of outputs and timings of possessions.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: This is an operational matter for Network Railas the owner and operator of the national rail network. My noble friend should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his Question: Iain Coucher, Chief Executive, Network Rail, 40 Melton Street, London, NW1 2EE.
Railways: Station Car Parks
Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they propose to take in response to the report for Passenger Focus regarding the adequacy of station car parks in the Greater Anglia area.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Car parking at stations is a commercial matter for train operating companies. It is not in their interests to limit the amount of car parking available, as this is likely to suppress demand for rail travel.
Skilled Workers
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will take steps to reverse the net outflow of scientists, technicians and other skilled workers from the United Kingdom, as highlighted in the recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development study.
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: This country operates in an increasingly global economy in which there is a greater international exchange of skilled workers than ever before and our world-class university system makes our graduates and skilled people highly attractive to international companies and employers. It is important that we go on equipping people of all backgrounds and talents with the skills that they need to be properly qualified to work wherever they wish. However, the vast majority (90 per cent) of those highly skilled workers are being employed by UK-based employers using the higher-level skills that they have acquired to make us a highly competitive and productive economy on the world stage. Many of the 10 per cent who seek opportunities overseas return at a later date.
Sudan: Peace Agreement
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the report of January 2008 by the Associate Parliamentary Group on the Sudan, Comprehensive Peace, Three Years On: Towards Elections.
Lord Malloch-Brown: We agree with the associate parliamentary group's report that more effort is needed to implement the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) in the run-up to the 2009 elections. The CPA is the bedrock of stability and democratic transformation in Sudan and 2008 is a critical year in the agreement's implementation. The census, preparation for elections, continued installation of the joint integrated units and demarcation of the north-south boundary are important milestones ahead and we will support both parties in helping to achieve them. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2008-03-04a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2008",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Abdul Baset Al Megrahi
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 1 March (WA 287), in which category of document described in the Cabinet Secretary's report fall (a) the letter from the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) regarding the medical tests which revealed Al Megrahi had terminal cancer, and (b) the commitment to a full read-out from the United Kingdom; and whether either document will be released in a redacted form.
Baroness Verma: The review of HMG papers was rigorous and comprehensive. No class of information was excluded from scrutiny. For the reasons set out in the Cabinet Secretary's report, the information referred to by the noble Lord is not being released.
Aviation: Regulations
Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they propose to alter the flight time limitation regulations set by the Civil Aviation Authority.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether proposals recently published by the European Aviation Safety Agency will supersede the flight time limitation regulations made by the Civil Aviation Authority in the United Kingdom.
Earl Attlee: The European Aviation Safety Agency is currently consulting on draft implementing rules establishing flight time limitations for EU airlines. The final implementing rules will come into force in 2012. Once in force, the implementing rules will be directly applicable and will supersede the Civil Aviation Authority's existing requirements.
Banking: Bank of Scotland (Ireland)
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the vetting of senior bank officials at the Bank of Scotland (Ireland).
Lord Sassoon: Bank of Scotland (Ireland) is a subsidiary of Halifax Bank of Scotland plc (HBOS). The acquisition of HBOS in early 2009 by Lloyds TSB Group plc created Lloyds Banking Group (LBG).
As part of the approvals process, the Financial Services Authority assesses the fitness and propriety of senior management exercising significant influence within the firms that it regulates. In the case of subsidiaries, it is the responsibility of the home state regulator (in this case, Ireland) to ensure that the firm's senior management is fit and proper in line with directive requirements. Bank of Scotland (Ireland) is an Irish business regulated primarily by the Irish financial regulator. The regulator publishes information on its supervisory processes, which is accessible at www. financialregulator.ie.
BBC: Local Radio
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assurances they are seeking from the BBC about the future of the BBC's local radio network; what information they have received about plans to merge stations and broadcasting output; and what role they see for local radio in their localism policy.
Baroness Rawlings: The Government have received no formal information from the BBC about plans to merge radio stations or make significant changes to their output, neither are we seeking assurances on speculation about the BBC's plans for its local radio services.
In The Coalition: Our Programme for Government, we set out our intention to promote a strong and secure local media industry. Clearly local radio will have an important role in a strong and sustainable local media sector and will be considered in detail in the forthcoming communications review.
The BBC is considering a number of options for savings. However, we understand that no decisions have yet been made and we are therefore unable to comment at this stage.
Benefits
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost last year of child benefit for those aged 16 and older; what was the cost of education maintenance allowances for those aged 16 and older; what are the eligibility rules for both payments; and in respect of how many people aged 16 and over the payments are made.
Lord Hill of Oareford: The cost in 2009-10 of child benefit for those aged 16 and older was around £2 billion, covering around 2 million children aged 16 and over.
Child benefit is a universal benefit paid to most families with children who are ordinarily resident and present in the UK. Once awarded, entitlement to the benefit continues for as long as the claimant continues to be responsible for the child or young person for whom they are claiming. However, additional conditions of entitlement apply once a young person attains age 16: the young person must be following a course of full-time, non-advanced education or approved training. Entitlement normally ceases before a young person attains age 19, but payment may continue in order to allow a young person to complete a course of non-advanced education or approved training that they started before reaching age 19. Entitlement to child benefit ceases in all cases when a young person attains age 20.
The cost in 2009-10 of the education maintenance allowance (EMA) learner payments was £533.6 million. EMA take-up is given by academic year: 646,633 young people received one or more EMA payments in 2009-10.
The eligibility criteria for EMA were that a young person must:
be aged between 16 and 18 at the start of the academic year;be enrolled on and attending a valid learning programme at a valid learning provider for at least 12 hours' guided study per week, for a minimum of 10 weeks;live in a household where the previous year's income was below £30,810, andmeet the residency criteria.
Once assessed as eligible, the learner must continue to meet attendance, behaviour and attainment criteria that are agreed with the learning provider in order to receive their EMA payments.
Economy: Quantitative Easing
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will instruct the Bank of England to publish a paper on how they intend to reverse quantitative easing.
Lord Sassoon: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for the monetary policy tool of quantitative easing through the asset purchase facility. It is the outlook for inflation that will guide decisions on the pace and timing of a withdrawal of monetary stimulus. The MPC has publicly made it clear that, when appropriate, it would reverse quantitative easing through a programme for pre-announced sales over a period of time. The sale of assets would be conducted in a manner consistent with maintaining orderly markets.
Energy: Biofuels
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will make an announcement about the 20 pence tax differential between sustainable biodiesel, particularly that produced from reclaimed cooking oil, and regular diesel.
Lord Sassoon: As confirmed in Budget 2011, the duty differential for used cooking oil biofuel will end as intended on 31 March 2012.
Homelessness: Rough Sleepers
Lord Shipley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that individuals and voluntary organisations giving hot drinks and food to rough sleepers are not prevented from doing so by local councils.
Baroness Hanham: We look to local authorities to work with voluntary organisations and those who are trying to help the homeless to find the best local solutions to tackle rough sleeping.
We understand that Westminster City Council is considering carefully the response to its recent consultation on by-law proposals intended to stop outdoor soup runs in the Victoria area. By-laws are considered a measure of last resort.
Volunteers play a key role in tackling rough sleeping across the country whether as charity trustees, as mentors or in helping to provide services. Providing food, particularly indoors, can be helpful if this links people into services that can support them off the streets and to rebuild their lives.
Inflation
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions the Bank of England is taking to exert downward pressure on inflation.
Lord Sassoon: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England sets policy based on its judgment of the balance of risks to inflation in the medium term. The MPC's latest assessment of the balance of both upside and downside risks to inflation in the medium term can be found in the published minutes of its meeting in March on the Bank of England website.
Libya
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planes were hired from the private airline sector for the recent removal of British citizens from Libya; at what cost; which planes had any technical problems; and for what duration.
Lord Howell of Guildford: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) organised 10 chartered flights between 21 February and 28 February to evacuate British nationals from Libya, including four to provide onward travel to the UK. In addition, one charter flight that had been chartered by BP was also used to evacuate British nationals. This corrects the reply my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave to the right honourable Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Mr Douglas Alexander) on 7 March 2011 (Official Report, House of Commons, 7 March 2011, col. 840W), which stated that nine flights were organised, including three for onward travel to the UK.
The provisional total cost of these flights was over £1 million. However, this figure will not he confirmed until we receive final invoices from the airlines. The first FCO chartered flight, a Boeing 757-200 was scheduled to depart from Gatwick Airport on Wednesday 23 February at 09.00 GMT but could not depart until 21.45 GMT on that day. This was due to a technical fault. The third FCO chartered flight, also a Boeing 757-200, suffered a technical fault. It was scheduled to depart from Stansted on 24 February at 13.15 GMT but actually departed at 16.50 GMT.
The following chartered aircraft were used:
three Boeing 757-200;
two Boeing 737-300;
two Airbus 320;
one Boeing 737-800;
one Boeing 737-700; and
one Boeing 767.
Railways: Service Quality
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports they have received from independent passenger groups concerning the quality of train services; what were the findings of those reports; whether any differences were found between standard and first-class passengers; and whether they will take any such reports into account when awarding new franchises.
Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport receives the National Passenger Survey (NPS), which includes specific questions about the quality of train services from Passenger Focus twice a year. In addition, Passenger Focus conducts franchise-specific passenger surveys, which are used to inform the development of new specifications for rail franchises. The department does not currently use passenger satisfaction metrics from former or existing franchises when considering bidders' proposals for future franchises.
The NPS along with other research undertaken by Passenger Focus is available on the Passenger Focus website at www.passengerfocus.org.uk.
Schools: Academies
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools, by type, have converted to academy status since the Academies Act 2010 was passed; and how many schools are forecast to convert by the end of the 2010-11 academic year.
Lord Hill of Oareford: Since the Academies Act 2010 was passed, 195 schools have converted to academy status. Of these, 142 are secondary, 49 are primary and four are middle deemed secondary schools. More schools are due to convert on 1 April 2011 and an updated list will be available soon after on the DfE website at http://www.education.qov.uktacademies/a0069811 /schools-submitting-applications-and-academies-that -have-opened-in-201011. This is a demand-driven programme that responds to school applications to convert and therefore we do not make forecasts.
Severe Winter Weather: Salt
Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to put in place a strategic stockpile of 250,000 tons of salt before winter 2011-12 as recommended by the Quarmby Winter Resilience Review.
Earl Attlee: As the Secretary of State for Transport informed the House of Commons Transport Select Committee when giving evidence on 14 March 2011, the Government already have a strategic stockpile of road salt in excess of 250,000 tonnes and this will remain in place for winter 2011-12.
It is, however, important that local highway authorities continue to take action to implement the recommendations from David Quarmby's reports, including his audit published in December 2010, to ensure that they are better prepared to cope with any future severe winters.
Sport: Sports Clubs
Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans the Department for Communities and Local Government has to promote the benefits of the Community Amateur Sports Club scheme to local authorities.
Baroness Hanham: The Department for Communities and Local Government currently has no specific plans to promote the community amateur sports club scheme to local authorities, although we recognise this as an excellent opportunity for community-based amateur clubs to benefit from a range of tax reliefs, including gift aid.
Unemployment
Lord Shipley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the impact of Budget 2011 on youth unemployment levels over the next 12 months; and in particular (a) for those aged 16-18, and (b) for those over 18 but under 25.
Lord Sassoon: Youth unemployment rose by 100,000 between 2004 and 2008 and has risen by a further 250,000 since the start of 2008. Budget 2011 announced an extra 80,000 work experience places for young people and £180 million for up to 40,000 extra apprenticeship places for young people over the next four years, particularly through progression from the work experience programme.
On 23 March 2011, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) released the official forecast for total employment and unemployment, updated for the Budget 2011 announcements.
As the OBR sets out in paragraph 3.99 on page 72 of its March 2011 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (Cm 8036), it expects the International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment rate to peak at 8.3 per cent in the second quarter of this year. Table 3.7 of the OBR's publication shows that the ILO unemployment rate is expected to fall next year and in each of the following three years. The OBR has not published a forecast for unemployment broken down by age group. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2011-04-01a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2011",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Botswana
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the latest developments in the case of the Bushmen of the Kalahari; and whether they are in contact with the government of Botswana about recent developments.
Baroness Warsi: On 29 August a ruling by the High Court of Botswana dismissed an application for increased access to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), but granted the applicants leave to submit a fresh application to the courts. We continue to believe that dialogue offers the best hope of resolving this issue and encourages both the Government of Botswana and the applicants to renew efforts to achieve a negotiated and sustainable solution.
British Government representatives meet their Botswana counterparts on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues including CKGR, most recently in October.
Brunei
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of the introduction in Brunei of a strict code of Islamic law; and whether they have made representations to the government of that country about that matter.
Baroness Warsi: An announcement was made on 22 October that a new sharia criminal code would be progressively introduced in Brunei from April 2014. On 30 October, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised the issue with his Bruneian counterpart Pehin Lim, and sought clarification of its implications. We will continue to assess the new code and urge the Brunei authorities to consider carefully the impact of this decision.
Dominican Republic and Haiti
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had or propose to have with the governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic about the
ruling of the Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic on 23 September regarding the human rights of Haitians in that country.
Baroness Warsi: Our Ambassador to the Dominican Republic has discussed the Dominican Constitutional Court ruling 168/13 with relevant Dominican authorities, including the President and the Director General of Migration. Our new Chargé d'Affaires in Port au Prince will soon take part in discussions on the same subject with Haitian authorities.
EU: Common Agricultural Policy
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 22 October (WA 155), where the information requested can be sourced.
Baroness Warsi: Payments made under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are the responsibility of the national governments concerned. The British Government is not aware of this information being available in the form requested.
EU: Organised Crime
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the Italian Member of the European Parliament Ms Sonia Alfano, chairman of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Organised Crime, that the mafia have relations with people within all European Union institutions.
Baroness Warsi: We regard any kind of links with organised criminal groups as unacceptable. The British Government has not assessed the statement made by Ms Sonia Alfano. However we appreciate the important work that the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Organised Crime has undertaken to counter the threats posed by organised criminal groups to Europe as a whole.
Government Departments: Special Collections
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the inventory of the contents of the special collection of Foreign and Commonwealth Office files that have not been transferred to the National Archive.
Baroness Warsi: A high-level inventory of the special collection files (around 600,000 files outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) corporate file plan) was published on the FCO website last year. These records relate to the work of the FCO and were either created by the FCO or its predecessors (such as the Colonial Office) or by other organisations. A more detailed inventory was published on 1 November on the gov.uk website (www.gov.uk/archive-records). This inventory also provides a list of record series created by FCO departments and overseas posts which are held in the FCO archive.
Government Departments: Special Collections
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who decides whether and when Foreign and Commonwealth Office files in the special collection are transferred to the National Archive; and what are the criteria used in taking such decisions.
Baroness Warsi: The special collections are public records as defined in the Public Records Acts (PRA). No decisions have yet been taken on transferring these records to The National Archives (TNA). Under the PRA, Section 3, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is responsible for selecting, appraising and releasing its records under the guidance and supervision of TNA. Currently, the special collections are retained by the FCO under a legal instrument granted by the Lord Chancellor. The current period of retention (which expires in December 2013) has been granted in order to provide the FCO with time to prepare the detailed inventory and a prioritised plan for the preparation of special collection record series for transfer to The National Archives (TNA). The FCO will present this draft plan to the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Council on National Records and Archives at the Council’s meeting on 14 November.
Houses of Parliament: Scrutiny Override
Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times the scrutiny reserve on European Union legislative proposals has been over-ridden in each House of Parliament since November 2010.
Baroness Warsi: The Government will always seek to avoid breaching the scrutiny reserve resolutions of either House of Parliament and will continue to account for their actions in writing to the chairmen of the scrutiny committees in each House when this happens.
Published figures up to 31 December 2012 show 144 parliamentary scrutiny overrides in the House of Lords and 165 in the House of Commons. These figures are recorded as responses to twice-yearly Written Parliamentary Questions from the Chairman of the House of Lords European Union Committee and are available online:
July-Dec 12: http:// www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/130521w0001.htm#13052174000483
Jan-June 12: http:// www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldhansrd/text/121120w0001.htm#12112051000609
Jul-Dec 11: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldhansrd/text/120625w0001.htm#12062546000777
Jan-June 11: http:// www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/text/120110w0002.htm#12011062001575
Jul-Dec 10: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/110426w0002.htm#1104267001720
International Criminal Court
The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the resolution of the African Union that no African head of state should attend the International Criminal Court; and what assessment they have made of the effect that resolution will have on the integrity and reputation of the Court.
Baroness Warsi: The UK is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Rome Statute of the ICC states that the Statute shall apply equally to all persons without any distinction based on official capacity. The UK believes this is a fundamental principle that supports the Court’s work to end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. African support and expertise continues to be important to enable the Court to deliver its mandate of delivering justice for victims and tackling impunity. It is important that all relevant parties engage with the concerns raised in the recent African Union decision on the ICC. The UK will continue to engage with partners on issues of concern, including at the ICC Assembly of States Party starting on 20 November.
Iran
Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that Iran has recently installed an additional 7,000 centrifuges.
Baroness Warsi: As the International Atomic Energy Agency’s quarterly reports on the Iranian nuclear programme make clear, Iran continues to install centrifuges at an alarming rate, in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Iran has installed more than 7,000 new centrifuges in the last year alone, bringing its total number of centrifuges to in excess of 19,000. This includes 1,000 more advanced centrifuges, capable of enriching at a significantly faster rate. Iran currently has no credible civilian use for the large quantities of enriched material that it already has, let alone what it might be able to produce in the near future should it decide to do so. We hope that the negotiations between the E3+3 (made up of the UK, along with France, Germany, Russia, China and the US) and Iran will soon lead to Iran taking concrete steps to address international concerns regarding its nuclear programme.
Iran
Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that 50 people were hanged in Iran in September; and whether they will make representations to the government of Iran in the light of the reported rise in the number of executions carried out in recent months.
Baroness Warsi: Iran has one of the highest rates of execution in the world, with over 270 executions announced officially to date in 2013 alone. The true figure is likely to be far higher. On 23 October, the UK made a statement in the UN General Assembly supporting the recommendation of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, Dr Shaheed, that Iran should declare a moratorium on all executions. On 28 October, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Mr Robertson) made a statement urging Iran to place a moratorium on the death penalty and ensure that all individuals are afforded the right to a fair trial. The UK opposes the use of the death penalty as a matter of principle.
Northern Ireland Parades Commission
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 25 October (WA 218) describing the process of appointments to the Northern Ireland Parades
Commission as “fair and open recruitment”, by which criteria that process is assessed; and who makes that assessment.
Baroness Randerson: As previously stated in the answer on 25 October (Official Report, col. WA 218), appointments to the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The appointments process will be run in accordance with the Commissioner’s Code of Practice. All stages of the process will be undertaken by a selection panel that will be chaired by Dame Anne Pringle, who is the Public Appointments Assessor allocated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The panel will include a senior official from the NIO and independent membership. The panel will assess candidates against the person specification and skills requirements set out in the information pack that is available on the Cabinet Office’s public appointments website:
http://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/.
Sri Lanka
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have conducted with Commonwealth counterparts regarding the human rights situation in Sri Lanka; and whether they intend to call on the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group to place Sri Lanka formally on their agenda.
Baroness Warsi: The UK discussed the human rights situation in Sri Lanka with all Commonwealth counterparts attending the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New York on 26 September.
The UK is not a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). We have been disappointed that CMAG has not addressed Sri Lanka more substantively in their recent meetings. We have made clear to CMAG members that we consider it is of paramount importance that the Commonwealth addresses publically areas of concern, especially when Commonwealth members are failing to meet domestic, as well as international, agreements.
Turkey
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 22 October (WA 190), what further action they intend to take bilaterally with the government of Turkey, rather than through European Union mechanisms, to encourage the re-opening of the Greek Orthodox seminary on Halki Island.
Baroness Warsi: The UK has not made specific bilateral representations to the Government of Turkey over the future of Halki seminary.
We do discuss wider issues concerning Freedom of Religion and Belief with our Turkish interlocutors and are encouraged by recent steps taken by the Turkish government to improve protections for religious minorities. However, we share the EU’s assessment that more needs to be done, including training of clergy and legal “foundation status” for religious minority organisations.
Turkey
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 22 October (WA 170), what assessment they have made of the freedom of worship by Anglicans and Catholics in coastal holiday areas of Turkey.
Baroness Warsi: The Government has not made a specific assessment of the freedom of worship by Anglicans and Catholics in coastal holiday areas of Turkey.
However, our embassy in Ankara regularly raises the issue of respect for all religious minorities in its wider discussions on human rights with the Turkish Government. Together with our EU partners we will continue to encourage the ongoing reform agenda in Turkey, including further progress across all fundamental freedoms, as part of the EU accession process.
Young Offender Institutions: Staff
Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the procedures for protecting whistleblowers employed in young offender institutions and secure training centres; how those procedures have been communicated to the staff; and when.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is committed to ensuring that staff working in the under-18 secure estate maintain the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. Managers within under-18 Young Offenders Institutions (YOI) and Secure Training Centres (STC) have a responsibility to create a culture in which staff feel confident to report wrongdoing and also to ensure they receive adequate protection from any form of discrimination or victimisation arising from an allegation.
Within under-18 YOIs, Prison Service Order 1215 “Professional Standards: Preventing and Handling Staff Wrongdoing” sets out the mandatory requirements and guidance on preventing wrongdoing, supporting staff who are vulnerable to wrongdoing and reporting suspicions of wrongdoing. The policy makes clear that staff who report wrongdoing should be supported and must be protected.
All new members of staff within under-18 YOIs sign a ‘Professional Standards Statement” and are also directed to the Staff handbook, both of which includes details of reporting wrongdoing. In addition, line managers have a responsibility to ensure all staff are aware of these processes.
In order to comply with the terms of their contracts, Secure Training Centre operators are required to have in place an operating procedure that describes the process for reporting wrongdoing. This procedure covers the mechanisms for protecting staff through the use of confidential telephone lines or mail boxes and ability to make contact with the organisation outside of their particular business area. The procedure is communicated to all new staff as part of the Initial Training Course and also forms part of the regular refresher training. All forms of victimisation against any person using the policy is regarded as a serious disciplinary offence.
Young Offender Institutions: Staff
Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of staff employed in each young offender institution and secure training centre (1) are qualified social workers, and (2) are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Young people in custody require a range of support to ensure their safety and help prevent them reoffending on release. Information on staff qualifications in under-18 Young Offender Institutions is not collated centrally. This information could only be collected at disproportionate cost.
The table below shows the proportion and number of staff employed in each Secure Training Centre who are qualified social workers and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Hassockfield Medway Oakhill Rainsbrook
Qualified social workers* 4% 4% 2% 3%
6 social workers 9 social workers 6 social workers 9 social workers
Qualified social workers registered with the Health and Care Professions Council 4% 4% 2% 3%
6 social workers 9 social workers 4 social workers 9 social workers
*
Oakhill has two newly qualified social workers in the process of registering.
Young Offender Institutions: Staff
Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of staff employed in each young offender institution and secure training centre (1) are qualified arts psychologists, and (2) are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Young people in custody require a range of support to ensure their safety and help prevent them re-offending on release.
Information on staff qualifications in under-18 Young Offender Institutions is not collated centrally. This information could only be collected at disproportionate cost. There are no qualified arts psychologists in Secure Training Centres.
Youth Justice Board: Performance Monitors
Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of Youth Justice Board Performance Monitors (1) have a social work qualification, (2) are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, and (3) have
previously worked with children in institutional settings.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are committed to ensuring the safety of young people in custody through robust monitoring.
The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 provides for the appointment of a ‘Monitor’ to every contracted out Secure Training Centre (STC). The Monitor’s responsibilities include reviewing and reporting on the running of an STC and investigating allegations made against STC staff.
There are four Monitors, one for each STC. Two of the Monitors have a social work qualification, although none are registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council. All of the STC Monitors have previously worked with children in institutional settings. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2013-11-08a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2013",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Department for Transport
Roads: Accidents
lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate, if any, they have made of the number of deaths in England and Wales involving personnel deployed to provide roadside assistance and repairs services on A-roads and motorways in each year since 2010.
baroness vere of norbiton: The Department does not hold specific data on deaths involving personnel deployed to provide roadside assistance and repair services, as this information is not required when road accidents are reported to the police through the Stats19 accident reporting form. The Department periodically reviews the data collection on personal injury road accidents reported to the police, in a process called Stats19 reviews. A Stats19 review started in autumn 2018 and is currently considering what amendments need to be made to the collection. In making recommendations for change, the review considers evidence on the burden this would impose on the police to collect it for every accident, the practicality and likely quality of the data collected and potential benefits in building the road safety evidence base to save lives. We aim to consult on potential changes to the collection in 2020 following detailed engagement with the police and road safety organisations in 2019.
Roads: Safety
lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide further hazard warning and safety assurance for personnel providing roadside assistance and repair services.
baroness vere of norbiton: Highways England recently worked with the SURVIVE group, a partnership between the National Police Chiefs' Council, the breakdown/recovery industry, Highways England and other service providers, to introduce ten ‘Overarching Rules’ for recovery operators providing roadside assistance and repair services. These have been welcomed by all SURVIVE members. Highways England has also worked with REACT, the national training arm for tyre fitters across England, who regularly operate on the strategic road network. Highways England would not expect or encourage a recovery operator to work in a live lane without the appropriate support from Highways England staff, a police officer or other appropriate traffic management. Highways England’s traffic officers are trained to protect all vulnerable road users and work to the principle that they only leave a scene once it is clear, or suitable control measures are in place. In 2017 Highways England worked with the roadside recovery industry and the emergency services to consider four different recovery scenarios for smart motorways. These scenarios were tested live on a full-scale mock-up of an emergency area. As a result of this collaborative exercise, SURVIVE’s best practice guidelines were updated, covering communications and procedures for recovery on a smart motorway. An information film with supporting materials was also produced, and became a core part of an improved training package shared across the recovery industry.
Trains: Lincolnshire
lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any implications arising from replacing single car class 153 diesel trains with two car class 156 unitson services in Lincolnshire which currently usesingle units.
baroness vere of norbiton: The next East Midlands franchise begins on 18 August 2019. The new operator, Abellio East Midlands, will be replacing the current rolling stock on regional and local services with modern refurbished trains, delivering improved customer facilities including passenger information systems, free on-board wi-fi and air conditioning. The details of the procurement and deployment of rolling stock will be a matter for Abellio.
British Transport Police
lord palmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is (1) the role, and (2) the total complement, of the British Transport Police.
baroness vere of norbiton: The British Transport Police (BTP) is responsible for policing the rail network across England, Scotland and Wales, providing a service to rail operators, their staff and passengers. It also polices the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, the Midland Metro tram system, Croydon Tramlink, Tyne and Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway and Emirates AirLine. The BTP has 3107 police officers, 303 police community support officers, 311 special officers and 1567 police staff (as at 31 March 2019).
Aviation: Prosecutions
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases the Civil Aviation Authority referred for criminal prosecution for illegal flights since the Piper PA-46 Malibu crash on 21 January.
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases the Civil Aviation Authority referred for criminal prosecution for illegal flightsbetween 1 January 2015and21 January 2019.
baroness vere of norbiton: The CAA will prosecute people where there is sufficient evidence, and where it is in the public interest to do so, but enforcement action will vary depending on the circumstances of the incident. It may include educating individuals or organisations on the regulations to avoid breaches, a formal warning, the revocation of licences, approvals or certificates, and/ or criminal investigations and prosecutions. The CAA has not referred any such cases for criminal prosecution since 1 January 2015, however earlier this year, they assisted with the prosecution of an individual in the Manchester Crown Court for, among other things, illegal public transport.
Aviation: Regulation
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherexisting legislation in relation to illegal flights has been the subject of a review since the Piper PA-46 Malibu crash on 21 January; and what further steps are being taken to ensure that such legislation is fit for purpose.
baroness vere of norbiton: The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority keep all existing legislation under constant review, in order to maintain the UK’s high standards of Aviation Safety. This includes legislation relating to illegal flights. Additionally, the Civil Aviation Authority’s Internal Safety Assurance Review of Illegal Public Transport will consider whether there are any gaps in the current regulatory regime, with this review due to conclude by August 2019.
Aviation: Regulation
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to counter the prevalence of illegal flights.
baroness vere of norbiton: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regularly conduct campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal public transport operations, and to guide consumers on what to look for when chartering an aircraft to ensure the flight is legal. The CAA is currently planning further work to educate consumers about the rules, and the potential risks of illegal charter flights. The CAA will prosecute people where there is sufficient evidence, and where it is in the public interest to do so, but enforcement action will vary depending on the circumstances of the incident. It includes educating individuals or organisations on the regulations to avoid breaches, a formal warning, the revocation of licences, approvals or certificates, or criminal investigations and prosecutions. The CAA publishes the detail and outcome of all successful prosecutions since 2005 on its website at https://www.caa.co.uk/Our-work/About-us/Enforcement-and-prosecutions/. These include successful prosecutions for illegal public transport. Earlier this year, the CAA assisted with the prosecution of an individual in the Manchester Crown Court for, among other things, illegal public transport.Both the CAA and the police encourage the reporting of potential illegal activity at airfields and provide a number of channels, including confidential reporting, for concerns to be reported.
Aviation: Regulation
baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment ofany potential conflict of interest arising from the Civil Aviation Authority conductingits own review into illegal flights and the Authority being responsible for implementing any recommendations resulting from that review.
baroness vere of norbiton: The review is being led by the CAA’s Safety & Business Assurance team, whose role is to provide assurance to the CAA Board about the effectiveness of the CAA’s safety regulatory activities. The CAA’s Safety & Business Assurance team works independently of its regulatory teams and its role is to provide assurance to the CAA Board about the effectiveness of the CAA’s safety regulatory activities. Where Safety Assurance activities result in recommendations, appropriate owners, related actions and closure timescales are agreed with the CAA team responsible. The Safety & Business Assurance team then monitors the completion of those actions.
Driving: Licensing
baroness hodgson of abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 26 June (HL16465),whatwas the (1) shortest, and (2) longest, time taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in 2018 to send a questionnaire to a doctor after having received a request for a driving licence to be reinstated.
baroness hodgson of abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 26 June (HL16465), how long, on average, it takes theDriver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to reach a decision on whether to reinstate a driving licence to someone who had been deemed previously to be medically unfit to drive once it has received the necessary completed questionnaire from a doctor; and what was the (1) shortest, and (2) longest, time taken by the DVLA to reach such a decision after receiving such a questionnaire in 2018.
baroness vere of norbiton: The Department is unable to provide the information requested as it would require the interrogation of each medical driving licence case and would therefore result in a disproportionate cost to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The DVLA dealt with around 750,000 medical cases in 2017/18. It took an average of 32 working days after the receipt of an application to make a licensing decision.
Leader of the House of Lords
Select Committee Reports (Government Responses)
lord norton of louth: To ask the Leader of the House how many, and which, reports from House of Lords select committees published since January 2018 have not received a substantive Government response within two months of publication.
baroness evans of bowes park: Since 1 January 2018, there have been 25 reports which did not receive Government responses within two months of publication. There are currently five reports that have yet to receive a substantive Government response within two months of publication. These are: Brexit: The Customs Challenge (EU External Affairs Sub-Committee); Brexit: The Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration (EU Committee); Measuring Inflation (Economic Affairs Committee); Beyond Brexit: How to win friends and influence people (EU Committee); and Forensic science and the criminal justice system: a blueprint for change (Science and Technology Committee).
Government Bills
lord norton of louth: To ask the Leader of the House how many Government Bills since May 2015 have been published in draft and referred for pre-legislative scrutiny by a joint committee or committee of either House; and what proportion these constitute of all Government Bills introduced in that period.
baroness evans of bowes park: Since May 2015, 13 Government Bills have been published in draft and referred for pre-legislative scrutiny by a joint committee or committee of either House; this constitutes 14.43% of all Government Bills introduced in that period.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries
lord livermore: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 20 May (HL15847), what recent assessment they have made of (1) the impact of Honda's decision to close its Swindon plant in 2021, and (2) other recent announcements by car manufacturers on (a) the regional economy, (b) the national economy, (c) regional GDP, and (d) national GDP.
lord henley: We have not made an assessment at this time. We have, however, set up the Honda Swindon Taskforce, chaired by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, which will look to support those affected and to continue Swindon’s record of attracting investment to create highly-skilled jobs that offer fulfilling careers for years to come.Automotive manufacturing is a critical industry for the UK, contributing £16.6bn gross value added in 2018 (0.9% of the economy) and 165,000 jobs (0.5% of the UK Workforce).Honda took the decision to close its Swindon plant in 2021 with the potential loss of 3,500 jobs. The automotive manufacturing sector was last estimated to account for around 0.8% of the economy of the South West Region and around 8,000 jobs (0.3% of its total employment). The Secretary of State has been working closely with local partners, Honda and the Trade Unions to fully understand and mitigate the impact of this decision on the workforce, the local area and the supply chain. The Honda Taskforce last met for a third time on 19 June.We are doing everything to support businesses, their workforce and communities affected by the announcements. We continue the strive to attract investment, creating highly-skilled jobs that offer fulfilling careers for years to come.
Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries
lord livermore: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 20 May (HL15847), what recent estimate they have made of the number of job lossesthat will resultfrom (1) Honda's decision to close its Swindon plant in 2021,and (2) other recent announcements by car manufacturers.
lord henley: We have not made an assessment at this time. We have, however, set up the Honda Swindon Taskforce, chaired by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, which will look to support those affected and to continue Swindon’s record of attracting investment to create highly-skilled jobs that offer fulfilling careers for years to come. We are doing everything possible to support businesses, their workforce and communities affected by the announcements. We continue the strive to attract investment, creating highly-skilled jobs that offer fulfilling careers for years to come.
Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries
lord livermore: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 20 May (HL15847),what recent assessment they have made of the impact of (1) Honda's decision to close its Swindon plant in 2021, and (2) other recent announcements by car manufacturers, on the wider supply chain.
lord henley: The Government is working with the car manufacturers and key industry groups to identify and assess supply chain risks in all cases where car manufacturing operations are expected to cease or reduce. It is a complex picture and it is difficult to project the number of potential job losses. Every effort is being made to minimise job losses by supporting affected suppliers to identify new opportunities to sustain and potentially grow their businesses before the impact of these announcements comes to pass.My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy convened the latest meeting of the Honda Swindon Task Force on 19 June bringing together civic leaders, local partners and MPs, Honda, Unite the Union, sector representatives and leading government officials. I am pleased to confirm that the Government announced this April that Swindon will be one of twelve new Institutes of Technology to be set up across the country to boost the nation's skills and set more young people on a clear path to high quality and well-paid jobs. I strongly support this announcement, with Swindon being selected from a highly competitive field, which is testament to the hard work of Swindon College and the consortia involved in the bid. This will build on Swindon's reputation and heritage for world beating manufacturing and engineering, putting Swindon at the heart of the industries and jobs of tomorrow.The Government has recently launched the £16m National Manufacturing Competitiveness Levels (NMCL) supply chain programme, which is designed to improve competitiveness, raise workforce capability, and increase the productivity of automotive suppliers. The programme is open to Honda suppliers. The Task Force is expected to continue to meet on a regular basis to assess and mitigate impacts stemming from closure of Honda operations in Swindon.We are doing everything possible to support businesses, their workforce and communities affected by the announcements. We continue the strive to attract investment, creating highly-skilled jobs that offer fulfilling careers for years to come.
Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries
lord livermore: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 20 May (HL15847),what recent estimate they have made of the number of job losses in the wider supply chainthat will result from (1) Honda's decision to close its Swindon plant in 2021, and (2) other recent announcements by car manufacturers.
lord henley: The Government is working with the car manufacturers and key industry groups to identify and assess supply chain risks in all cases where car manufacturing operations are expected to cease or reduce. It is a complex picture and it is difficult to project the number of potential job losses. Every effort is being made to minimise job losses by supporting affected suppliers to identify new opportunities to sustain and potentially grow their businesses before the impact of these announcements comes to pass.The Government has recently launched the £16m National Manufacturing Competitiveness Levels (NMCL) supply chain programme, which is designed to improve competitiveness, raise workforce capability, and increase the productivity of automotive suppliers. The programme is open to Honda suppliers.The Government will continue to assess UK wide supply chain risks have so far identified over 60 supply chain companies directly impacted by the Honda decision. We are working across all LEP areas and with the Devolved Nations to protect and support Honda supply chain businesses across the UK. As well as work across Government to measure the potential short and long-term economic shock from Honda and any supply chain closures on the UK economy (including within other sectors).There are more than 2500 automotive supply chain companies in the UK, including 18 of the world's 20 biggest automotive suppliers, producing approximately £12.7bn worth of parts.I am pleased to confirm that the Government announced this April that Swindon will be one of twelve new Institutes of Technology to be set up across the country to boost the nation's skills and set more young people on a clear path to high quality and well-paid jobs.We are doing everything possible to support businesses, their workforce and communities affected by the announcements. We continue the strive to attract investment, creating highly-skilled jobs that offer fulfilling careers for years to come.
Construction: Migrant Workers
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the impact on the ability of the construction industry to recruit skilled workers from the EU of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
lord henley: The Government has set up a cross Whitehall skills group to review the construction skills shortage and the effect of a reduction in migrant workers in a no deal outcome. The analysis highlighted the effects of the government’s current training efforts and improved uptake on digital and offsite construction and the impact it would have on the construction skills shortage. CITB’s Construction Skills Network forecasts that the construction industry will need to fill 168,500 jobs between now and 2023. If construction continued to grow at the current rate of 1.1% – the average growth rate for the last five years – to 2030 this would increase to just over 250,000 jobs to fill by 2025, and 410,000 by 2030. Government will focus on high skills to prioritise those migrant workers who bring in the most benefit to the UK, including the 7% of EU nationals working in UK construction to maximise the benefits of immigration through a single skills-based system. Government is therefore committed to engaging with industry on the Immigration White Paper over the coming year to shape the details of the final policy and processes; and we are introducing measures to increase skills and apprenticeships through the Construction Sector Deal which aims to transform the productivity of the sector. The deal sets an industry-led target of increasing the number of apprenticeships starts to 25,000 per annum by 2020. Other measures include £34m investment in the Construction Skills Fund, to establish 20 onsite training hubs by 2020; an improved careers portal for the sector (through CITB’s GoConstruct), to help improve diversity of recruitment; work with industry to ensure sufficient high-quality work placements are available for the introduction of construction T Levels in 2020; and using public procurement to help drive investment in construction skills.
Business: Billing
baroness bakewell of hardington mandeville: To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanisms are, or will be, in place to enforce their proposed new powers for the Small Business Commissioner to tackle late payments through fines, announced on 19 June.
lord henley: We will be consulting on the provision of new powers, given the Commissioner’s powers are underpinned by Primary Legislation. Following the consultation, we will consider representations made to Government carefully – any new powers will require further work post-consultation on the best way to implement.
Business: Billing
baroness bakewell of hardington mandeville: To ask Her Majesty's Government how companies which are too small to have boards will be held accountable for supply chain payment practices under the proposed new powers for the Small Business Commissioner, announced on 19 June.
lord henley: Under current legislation the Commissioner can consider complaints about payment issues, including payment issues within the supply chain, between small businesses (with fewer than 50 staff) and their larger private sector customers (with more than 50 staff), and make non-binding recommendations.We must first consult on the provision of any new powers, given the Commissioner’s powers are underpinned by Primary Legislation. Following the consultation, we will consider representations made to Government carefully – any new powers will require further work post-consultation on the best way to implement.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Egypt: Human Rights
lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt about the imprisonment and treatment of former President Morsi before his death in court; and what is their current assessment of the state of human rights in Egypt.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have been following recent developments in Egypt carefully and have been receiving regular updates. We await the results of the independent forensic report ordered by the Egyptian Prosecutor General into the causes and circumstances of former President Morsi's death.Egypt is a human rights priority country for the UK, and we monitor the situation closely. We continue to voice our concerns, including in our recent statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 12 March and in our Human Rights Report, released on 5 June. In particular, prison conditions are one of our three human rights priorities in Egypt. We raise access to medical care and solitary confinement regularly with the Egyptian Government.
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government which programmes they are funding to support the actions agreed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 broken down by (1) the budgeted amount, (2) the current level of actual expenditure, and (3) the expected timeline fordisbursingthatfunding.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: At the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Leaders agreed a range of actions to deliver a future that is fairer, more prosperous, more sustainable, and more secure. The Government has allocated approximately £526.7 million to programmes and projects to support delivery of these ambitious commitments. As of 31 March, £187.1 million had been disbursed. The remaining funds are expected to be disbursed over varying timeframes with completion dates ranging from March 2020 to March 2025.A list of UK-funded programmes and projects has been placed in the Library of the House. Furthermore, the Foreign Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) on 15 May to provide an update on delivery of CHOGM commitments. This report can be accessed via the FAC's website.
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanismswill be used to evaluate the UKfunding used to support the actions agreed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: All UK-funded programmes and projects to support actions agreed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2018 are subject to thorough monitoring and evaluation. The majority of such programmes and projects are subject to the standard monitoring and evaluation processes of either the Department for International Development (DFID) or the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund. Annual Reviews of those projects are published online on gov.uk and DFID's Development Tracker.Mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation of other UK-funded programmes and projects to support actions agreed at CHOGM 2018 vary, but common elements include annual reviews, site visits, log frame reporting, and regular progress meetings.
Cabinet Office
Departmental Records: Archives
lord rodgers of quarry bank: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the arrangements for preserving departmental archives; and when the Cabinet Secretary last reviewed record management practices.
lord young of cookham: The National Archives monitors departments’ compliance with the Public Records Act 1958 and progress towards transition to the 20 year rule. The Chief Executive and Keeper updates the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport annually on the 20 year rule transition and engages with the Cabinet Secretary and Permanent Secretaries where necessary.John Manzoni wrote to all other Permanent Secretaries in January 2019 to brief them about digital records management.
Children
baroness d'souza: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for appointing a minister for children at Cabinet level.
lord young of cookham: My Honourable Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families at the Department for Education has a wide range of responsibilities for children's interests and that work is represented at Cabinet by the Secretary of State for Education.
Freedom of Information
lord shipley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to include housing associations and tenant management organisations.
lord young of cookham: The Government agrees that landlords, including housing associations, should be accountable and transparent in their dealings with tenants and be responsive to their needs. However, we do not believe the extension of the FOI to housing associations is the best means of achieving that.Housing Associations are already required to make a significant amount of information public. They are required to publish their accounts annually, including a strategic report covering issues such as the remunerations of key personnel.The Regulator of Social Housing, which regulates the sector, also publishes information supplied by Housing Association at individual provider level, including details of their stock holdings, rent levels and evictions.
Department of Health and Social Care
Abscesses
baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many peoplehad venous leg ulcers in each of the last three years in England.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: The information is not available in the format requested.
Abscesses
baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent by NHS England to treat venous leg ulcers in each of the last three years.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that there are no data routinely collected and centrally held on the cost of treating venous leg ulcers.
Abscesses
baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people had surgery to treat venous leg ulcers in England in each of the last three years.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: The information is not available in the format requested.
Abscesses
baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance is issued to (1) hospitals, and (2) GPs, in England about treating venous leg ulcers.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: There is a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Knowledge Summary regarding venous leg ulcers available online only, which includes details on venous leg ulcer management. NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that whilst this provides some guidance, it is not a full guideline.NHS England and NHS Improvement have also advised that hospitals and community services have, in some cases, developed their own guidance based on research findings and expert opinion.
Abscesses
baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government why NHS England promotes compression dressings as the treatment for venous leg ulcers.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that compression therapy is an evidencebased venous leg ulcer treatment. A Cochrane systematic review summarised all the available evidence for compression as a treatment for venous leg ulcers, which shows that people with venous leg ulcers are more likely to heal if they receive compression than if they do not.Further research funded by the National Institute for Health Research has shown that compression stockings are as effective as compression bandages for healing venous leg ulcers and are more cost-effective, and that a particular type of compression bandage (the four layer bandage) is more effective at healing ulcers than another type (the short-stretch bandage).
Abscesses
baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent (1) representations they have received, and (2) discussions they have had, about the treatment of venous leg ulcers in the last 12 months.
baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Department has responded to four Written Questions about the treatment of leg ulcers in the last 12 months.There have been no specific discussions about the treatment of venous leg ulcers.
Department for Education
English Language: Education
lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills on 18 March (232096), when they expect to publish plans for the additional funding they will make available to support their English language strategy beyond the current EnglishLanguage Coordination Fund.
lord agnew of oulton: The department is currently in the process of developing the strategy for English for speakers of other languages and we are carefully considering the available evidence on resources and funding for English language provision. The department plans to publish the strategy in Autumn 2019.
Pupil Premium: Adoption
lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many adopted children currently receive pupil premium plus.
lord agnew of oulton: Local authorities receive funding for post-looked after children (post-LAC) pupils through the pupil premium plus grant. This covers pupils that are no longer in the local authorities’ care having been adopted or placed through a special guardianship order, a child arrangements order or a residence order. In 2019-20 funding was allocated to local authorities for 52,492 such pupils. This information is provided in the document titled Pupil premium allocations 2019 to 2020: national, local authority, parliamentary constituency level (attached), which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-allocations-and-conditions-of-grant-2019-to-2020.
HL16625_Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 263 KB)
Further Education: Teachers
lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ahead of the spending review of the effect of trends in the level of (1) pay, and (2) workload, on the recruitment and retention of teachers in the further education sector.
lord agnew of oulton: Further Education (FE) providers are private sector institutions, independent from the government, and so are responsible for setting their own staff pay and conditions. However, we acknowledge that FE faces cost pressures, and that this can impact on teacher pay and workload. The department will be making a strong case for increased FE funding, including for investment in FE teacher recruitment and retention ahead of the Spending Review.We value our FE teachers and all the excellent work they do, which is why, since 2013-14, we have invested over £140 million in FE teachers and leaders. This includes workforce development through the independent Education and Training Foundation.The department has worked closely with the FE sector, including providers and representative bodies, to understand the challenges for teacher recruitment and retention, and see where we can provide appropriate support. We have also commissioned research on the impact of previous incentives which is attached and available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/incentive-programmes-for-the-recruitment-and-retention-of-teachers-in-further-education-fe.Research has also been conducted looking at comparable professions which is attached and available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/identifying-fe-teacher-comparators. These research projects have been commissioned to inform our planning for the upcoming Spending Review.Ultimately, we know that lower teacher pay makes recruitment and retention more difficult in FE when compared to school teaching and relevant industries. We also know that workload is often one of the main reasons given for leaving the profession. Our Workload Reduction Toolkit, developed by system leaders, teachers and other experts (though aimed primarily at school teachers and leaders) can also be used by FE providers. The Toolkit is attached and available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reducing-workload-in-your-school.More widely, we know that ensuring teacher wellbeing is essential, which is why my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced earlier this year the establishment of an expert advisory group on wellbeing. This group brings together experts from the wellbeing, schools and FE fields who are providing expert advice and working with us to look at what government, FE colleges and others can do to promote staff wellbeing.
HL16626_Research_Brief
(PDF Document, 479.69 KB)
HL16626_Literature_review
(PDF Document, 972.48 KB)
HL16626_Toolkit
(PDF Document, 121.09 KB)
Further Education
lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to mitigate the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on the economic sustainability of the further education sector.
lord agnew of oulton: The department is considering all aspects of how exiting the EU might affect education and training in England. This includes consideration of participation in EU funded programmes, future arrangements for migration, and access to student finance support. Earlier this year, the department published a number of no deal notices to advise education organisations on how to prepare, including one for further education (FE) and apprenticeship providers.Our initial assessment is that, overall, there would be limited direct financial or economic impact on the FE sector of a no deal exit. However, the department will continue to keep this under review, alongside our normal monitoring of the financial health of the college sector.
Children's Centres
lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to receive the Early Intervention Foundation's reviewChildren's centres and beyond: understanding the changing face of integrated local early years support.
lord agnew of oulton: We have commissioned the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) to review research and practice evidence with the aim of developing tools to help local authorities make informed choices about their children’s centre provision.EIF funding runs to March 2020, as part of the Department for Education’s wider local government programme, and we expect EIF’s work to conclude by then or shortly after.
Overseas Students
lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the impact on overseas student numbers wishing to study in the UK of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
viscount younger of leckie: The recently published International Education Strategy stated the government’s ambition to increase the number of international students hosted by UK universities to 600,000 by 2030, from 458,000 currently. The government is committed to this ambition regardless of the outcome of negotiations with the EU. We have made no estimate of the number of overseas students that will attend UK higher education institutions (HEIs) in the future.The department recognises that prospective students and providers are concerned about what EU exit means for study and collaboration opportunities. To help give certainty, on May 28 2019, we announced guarantees on student finance for EU nationals. These guarantees are not altered if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. EU nationals (and their family members) who start a course in England in the 2020/21 academic year or before will continue to be eligible for ‘home fee’ status and student finance support from Student Finance England for the duration of their course provided they meet the residency requirement. We will provide sufficient notice for prospective EU students on fee arrangements ahead of the 2021/22 academic year and subsequent years in future.We have also provided certainty for EU nationals wanting to come to the UK after Brexit. In the event that a deal is not agreed with the EU, arrangements for European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss citizens arriving for 3 months or less after free movement ends will not look any different. To stay longer than 3 months during the transitional period, newly arrived EEA and Swiss citizens will need to apply for permission. Subject to identity and criminality checks, they will be given European Temporary Leave to Remain for a further 36 months. If EEA or Swiss citizens want to stay in the UK for longer than 36 months, for example to complete a 4-year course, they will need to apply and qualify for an immigration status under the main study routes of the UK’s new skills-based immigration system. Alternatively, EEA and Swiss citizens will be able to apply under Tier 4 of the Points Based System for a student visa to cover the full length of their course.
Pupil Exclusions
lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they ensure that nochildren are off-rolled by schools.
lord agnew of oulton: The department is clear that off-rolling, as defined by Ofsted, is unacceptable, and whilst the department believes this practice is relatively rare, the government is committed to continue working with Ofsted to tackle the practice of off-rolling.Pupils leave school rolls for many reasons including: permanent exclusion, moving to another school, or changes of circumstances (such as when a pupil moves to a new area). All schools must notify the local authority when a pupil’s name is to be deleted from the admission register. There is no legal definition of ‘off-rolling’. However, the law is clear that a pupil’s name can only be deleted from the admission register on the grounds prescribed in regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended.Following media coverage of off-rolling in 2017, the department wrote to all secondary schools, reminding them of the rules surrounding exclusion.Ofsted already considers records of children taken off roll and has recently consulted on proposals that will see a strengthened focus on this issue. From September 2019, where inspectors find evidence of off-rolling, this will be addressed in the inspection report, and where appropriate will lead to a school’s leadership being judged inadequate.In March 2018, the government launched an externally-led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review explored how head teachers use exclusion, and why pupils with particular characteristics are more likely to be excluded from school. It also considered the differences in exclusion rates across primary and secondary schools in England.The Timpson Review and government’s response were published on 7 May. The review makes 30 recommendations and highlights variation in exclusions practice across different schools, local authorities and certain groups of children. The government has accepted all 30 recommendations in principle, and the department has committed to working with education leaders over the summer to design a consultation on making schools accountable for the outcomes for permanently excluded children, to be launched in the autumn. As part of this, the department will seek views on how to mitigate the potential unintended consequences Edward Timpson has identified in his review, including the practice of off-rolling.
Ministry of Justice
Parole
lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the target times for (1) approving, and (2) completing, applications for Release on Temporary Licence for each prison in England and Wales.
lord keen of elie: We recently made changes so that Governors can consider release on temporary licence (ROTL) earlier and in more cases, and prisoners can enter the workplace sooner. By providing opportunities to work, learn and build family ties, temporary release from prison helps ensure offenders do not return to crime when they leave prison. ROTL must be a standing item in sentence planning meetings, starting with the one immediately before the offender becomes eligible to be considered for day release or after arriving in open conditions. An outline ROTL plan for the remainder of the sentence should be in place as soon as possible and no later than 8 weeks after arrival in open conditions, which is where we expect the majority of ROTL. Governors must ensure that all necessary risk assessments and security arrangements are actioned before ROTL is approved and takes place. This includes consultation with probation services and external agencies and allowing victims the opportunity to make representations about conditions to be attached to any release. Guidance to practitioners allows four weeks for this consultation.
Offenders: Homelessness
lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the number of people being released homeless from prisons in England
lord keen of elie: The Ministry of Justice understands that It is vital that everyone leaving prison has somewhere safe, stable and secure to live.Through the Government’s Rough Sleeping Strategy, we will invest up to £6.4 milion in a pilot scheme to support individuals released from three prisons, namely Bristol, Leeds and Pentonville. Following a mobilisation period, we expect services to commence later this summer. This is a concrete step in our commitment to tackling rough sleeping.Since the commencement on 1 October of the duty to refer service users who may be homeless, or threatened with homelessness, to the local authority, there has been a steady flow of referrals from prisons and probation providers. We will continue to promote this duty, and to support prisons and probation providers to ensure it is carried out effectively.
Department for International Trade
Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia
viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they approve export licences for the supply of arms to Saudi Arabia.
viscount younger of leckie: The Department for International Trade is responsible for licensing the export of arms and military equipment. All export licence applications for arms exports to Saudi Arabia are approved where they are assessed to be consistent with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria which were announced to Parliament by the then Business Secretary on 25 March 2014. All relevant information, from a wide range of sources, is taken into account when assessing export licence applications, including the capability of the equipment to be exported, the end-user and stated end-use, and the risk of misuse or diversion to undesirable end-users.
Overseas Trade: India
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to advance UK trading relations with India post-Brexit.
viscount younger of leckie: India and the UK already enjoy a strong bilateral trading relationship. Last year overall trade grew by 14% to £20.5bn in comparison to 2017. The UK-India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) allows for Ministerial discussion on our trade interests with the Indian Government. In 2016, both sides agreed to set up a Joint Working Group on Trade reporting to the JETCO with a specific aim of addressing non-tariff trade barriers. Excellent progress is being made in unlocking barriers in specific sectors. We are exploring the expansion of this work, laying the groundwork for an ambitious trading relationship with India in the future.
Department for Work and Pensions
Pension Credit
baroness blackstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of those eligible for Pension Credit are taking up that benefit.
baroness blackstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to increase the take-up of Pension Credit.
baroness buscombe: Latest National Statistics estimate that 60 per cent of those eligible for Pension Credit are in receipt of it. The Government is committed to ensuring that older people receive the support they are entitled to and the DWP targets activity on engaging with people who may be eligible to benefits at pivotal stages, such as when they claim State Pension or report a change in their circumstances. The DWP uses a wide range of channels to communicate information about benefits to potential customers; including information on GOV.UK, in leaflets and by telephone. DWP staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres including visiting officers are able to provide help and advice about entitlement to benefits, as are staff in Local Authorities who administer Housing Benefit. Potential claimants can use the Pension Credit toolkit to check if they are likely to be eligible and get an estimate of what they may receive. People wishing to claim Pension Credit can do so by calling 0800 99 1234. One of the best ways to reach eligible customers is through trusted stakeholder working in the community and we have developed the Pension Credit toolkit, as an on-line tool for agencies and welfare rights organisations to use in order to encourage Pension Credit take-up. It can be found on Gov.UK The toolkit contains resources for anyone working with pensioners and includes guides to Pension Credit. It also contains publicity material and guidance designed to help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit and help organisations support someone applying for Pension Credit as well as ideas for encouraging take-up. The toolkit also provides links to information about disability and carers benefits. Most recently we have provided to relevant organisations a fact sheet about Pension Credit and the recent changes for mixed age couples to ensure that accurate information is available in the places where people are most likely to seek information.
Health
lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any lessons to be learnt for improving the environmental, social, economic and cultural well-being of people in all regions of the UK from the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
baroness buscombe: The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 relates to devolved matters therefore it is for the Welsh Government to consider any lessons learnt in respect of Wales.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Trees: Diseases
lord framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken in the last 12 months to pursue the possibility of a quarantine system for all imported trees.
lord gardiner of kimble: In May 2018 the Secretary Of State published the Tree Health Resilience Strategy and a National Action Plan which included a commitment to consult on the potential for quarantine for high risk plant species. We have recently completed an informal phase of engagement with the Tree Health Policy Group on this issue, and are now conducting research to help shape a formal consultation phase. The research aims to increase the evidence base for the volume and type of plants which enter the UK and identify what specific pest/host combinations pose the highest risk and may be suitable for quarantine measures.
Trees: Diseases
lord framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase public awareness at all points of entry into the UK of the dangers of introducing tree disease on plants of any kind brought into the UK.
lord gardiner of kimble: Last year, the Government launched the Don’t Risk It communications campaign to encourage the travelling public not to risk bringing plant pests and disease into the UK. This summer, advertising space has been secured at the departure lounges of two of the UK’s busiest airports, Gatwick and Manchester, in addition to the plant health messaging at the Border Force arrivals channels. The Don’t Risk It campaign has featured in the Brittany Ferries passenger magazine which has an estimated reach of over 300,000 travellers, and is also being highlighted in the July edition of the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) The Garden magazine. This will be accompanied by a social media campaign and a visible public presence that includes all RHS shows as well as important regional events such as the Royal Welsh Show.
Home Office
Oppression
the lord bishop of coventry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of what constitutes persecution of groups of people.
baroness williams of trafford: The Government defines persecution as an act that is sufficient serious in nature and repetition as to constitute a severe violation of basic human rights. Such acts could be perpetrated against individuals or groups of people.The definition is contained in the Refugee or Person in Need of International Protection (Qualification) Regulations 2006, which reflect the Refugee Convention and EU law.We support those who have suffered persecution by providing a place of safety for refugees through our resettlement schemes and the in-country asylum process.
Home Office: Offenders
lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their personnel policies and procedures would allow ex-offenders to be employed in the Home Office for duties involving immigration or border control.
baroness williams of trafford: Home Office staff are held to the highest standards of honesty and integrity and all candidates who are considered for appointment undergo stringent pre-employment and security checks before taking up post.We recognise the contribution that former offenders can make to our workforce, however, in deciding whether to make an appointment we would consider a range of factors, including the nature of the position and the circumstances of the offence.
Offences against Children
lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of victims of grooming gangs in England and Wales; what proportion of the perpetrators involved in such gangs they estimate to have been Muslim; and what assistance they provide to victims of such gangs.
baroness williams of trafford: The Government has estimated that there were approximately 6,850 victims of organised child sexual exploitation in the UK in 2015. This estimate includes organised child sexual exploitation committed by groups and gangs within a range of contexts. There is no data that delineates crimes which might be described as “grooming gang” offending from other forms of child sexual exploitation.Government does not hold data on the religious beliefs of offenders.The Government attaches the highest priority to tackling all forms of sexual exploitation and to ensuring that all victims and survivors get the protection and support they need.The Government provides funding for support services across the country to help victims and survivors cope and recover. Funding for specialised rape and sexual abuse support services has increased this year by 10%, totalling £24m over the next three years. In 2019/20, the Government will also provide around £68m to PCCs to commission emotional and practical support services for victims of crime in their area. £4.7m of this funding is ring-fenced for supporting victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Offences against Children
lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 7 August 2018 (HL9879 and HL9880), what discussions they have had, and with whom, about the investigation of whether any police officers and council officials failed to fulfil their statutory duty to protect victims of grooming gangs; and whether there have been any prosecutions of any such officers and officials.
baroness williams of trafford: The extent to which statutory authorities have failed to protect children from sexual exploitation is being investigated by bodies that are rightly independent of Government.The Government established the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to consider the extent to which institutions in England and Wales have failed in their duty to protect children from sexual abuse. The Inquiry has announced that it is investigating child sexual exploitation by organised networks and will examine the extent to which the relevant authorities effectively identified the risk and took action to prevent it. The Inquiry operates independently of Government and, within its terms of reference, decides for itself what it investigates and how.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigates the most serious and sensitive incidents and allegations involving the police. The IOPC is independent of Government and the police, and is responsible for the investigations it carries out.Government does not hold information on prosecutions specifically relating to different types of misconduct in a public office.
Northern Ireland Office
Counter-terrorism: Northern Ireland
lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they have provided to date to address terrorism in Northern Ireland under the Defence and Security Review of 2015.
lord duncan of springbank: Policing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and the PSNI’s main budget is allocated by the Department of Justice from the Northern Ireland block grant, through the Policing Board. The UK Government has provided the PSNI with the additional security funding it has asked for and needs to ensure that they have the resource (including officers) to tackle the SEVERE threat from Northern Ireland related terrorism. This additional security funding boosts PSNI’s ability to tackle the terrorist threat while ensuring day-to-day policing isn’t compromised. PSNI received £230m additional security funding in the last parliament, and £160m in this one. They have also received the £16.5m requested for this financial year to help manage pressures and contingencies arising from EU exit preparations.
Treasury
Gambling: Taxation
lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what gambling activities are subject to (1) value-added tax, and (2) gross profits tax; and how much value-added tax was collected from adult gaming centres in England and Wales in (a) 2017, and (b) 2018.
lord young of cookham: (1) Almost all gambling activities are exempt from value added tax (VAT). However, VAT does apply to prize machines that offer non-cash prizes only. Such machines are not typically located in adult gaming centres. (2) There are seven Gambling Duties. Of these, six are based broadly on a gross profits tax model. The seventh, Lottery Duty is based on a percentage of the value of ticket sales. Total receipts from Betting and Gaming are published on the UK Trade Information website. A separate breakdown for value added tax collected from adult gaming centres in England and Wales is not available.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Broadband
lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Digital Economy and Society Index 2019, published by the European Commission in June, in particular its finding that the UK (1) has fallen from 7th to 10th on the measure of Digital Connectivity, and (2) ranks 26th out of 28 countries for full fibre (FTTP) coverage.
lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of UK customers have access to 100Mbps broadband; and whether they intend to ensure that the UK meets the European Commission’s target for 50per cent of all broadband customers to have 100Mbps by 2020.
lord ashton of hyde: The UK compares well on superfast connectivity and it is currently available to over 96% of UK premises, following over £1bn of public investment. This is above European counterparts like Spain, France and Germany. Demand for these services is also increasing with 45% of households now opting for a superfast service. This deployment is also supported by competition from ultrafast services of at least 100Mbps, currently available to 53% of UK premises. We are now focussing on full fibre. Published last year, the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review set out our national strategy for ensuring 15m premises are able to connect to full fibre by 2025, with a nationwide network by 2033. Coverage is increasing quickly, and is now approaching 8% with around half of this coverage achieved in the last 12 months.
Broadband: Universal Service Obligation
lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in the implementation of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband; what recent assessment they have made of whether a 10Mbpsminimum is fit for purpose for the modern economy; and when they plan to review the USO.
lord ashton of hyde: On 6 June 2019, the telecoms regulator Ofcom, responsible for implementing the USO, announced that customers will be able to request Universal Service Obligation (USO) connections from March 2020, in line with the Government’s commitment. The USO will give customers the right to request a broadband connection with a download speed of at least 10Mbps. This download speed and the other quality parameters of the USO are in line with Ofcom’s advice on the needs of a typical household at present. However, recognising that take-up and use of broadband changes, the Government legislated to enable it to direct Ofcom to carry out reviews of the USO. Any review would look not just at the minimum download speed but all aspects of the USO specification. There is also a formal requirement for the Government to direct Ofcom to undertake a review when superfast broadband has been taken up by 75% of UK premises. The USO is designed to act as a safety net to ensure everyone can access a minimum level of connectivity but the Government is also committed to investing to deliver faster speeds across the UK. Our Superfast programme has ensured superfast broadband (24mbps) coverage for over 96% of UK premises. Further, in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, the Government committed to an “outside-in” approach to the deployment of gigabit capable broadband, which will ensure that the least commercial areas of the country get this type of connectivity at the same time as the market deploys to more commercial areas. The first step in this approach is the £200 million Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) Programme, which will test a model of connecting public sector buildings with gigabit capable connections, starting with primary schools. The RGC programme also has a rural gigabit broadband voucher component, offering up to £3,500 for small businesses and up to £1,500 for residents to encourage the take-up of gigabit-capable connectivity by residents and businesses in rural areas.
Telecommunications: Compensation
lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much automatic compensation has been paid to broadband and home phone customers by members of Ofcom’s voluntary code of practice sincethat code came into force in April.
lord ashton of hyde: In March 2017, Ofcom consulted on an automatic compensation scheme for fixed broadband and landline consumers. Following the consultation, providers serving 90% of these consumers agreed to introduce a voluntary automatic compensation scheme, which came into effect from 1 April 2019. The scheme compensates consumers for delayed repairs following a loss of service, missed repairs or appointments, and delays to the start of a new service. Ofcom plans to review the scheme, including the amount of compensation paid out by providers, next year.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Departmental Records
lord rodgers of quarry bank: To ask Her Majesty's Government where the historic records of the Department forDigital, Culture, Media and Sportand its predecessor departments are stored and kept other than in the National Archives.
lord ashton of hyde: The Department maintains its archive records at Iron Mountain, whilst transferring those considered historically important to The National Archives in perpetuity.
Disinformation
viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they aretaking to combat advances in digital technology to counter difficult-to-detect digital manipulations of audio or video recordings.
lord ashton of hyde: The Government recognises the challenges and potential dangers of digitally manipulated content. We are considering these issues carefully as part of the Government’s plan to tackle wider forms of online manipulation and disinformation. Our Online Harms White Paper sets out the actions we expect companies to take to limit the spread of disinformation on their platforms. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2019-07-03 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2019",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Dr Oscar Elias Biscet
Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make representations to the Government of Cuba regarding Dr Oscar Elias Biscet, who was imprisoned by the Cuban authorities for three years following his condemnation of Cuba's high abortion rate.
Baroness Amos: We and EU partners regularly raise concerns about human rights with the Cuban Government. I discussed human rights with the Vice-Foreign Minister during my visit to Havana last June. We are following the case and will continue to draw attention to UK concerns with the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
Drugs Possession Cases: Analysis Times
Baroness Harris of Richmond: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the average waiting time for the analysis of suspicious substances in each police forensic laboratory in England and Wales.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: In answering the noble Baroness, Lady Harris, the analysis of supicious substances has been taken to mean the analysis of small amounts of all types of drugs, including controlled drugs, in drugs possession cases.
The average turnaround times for the analysis of all types of drugs in drugs possession cases are set out below for the period 1 November 2002 to 31 January 2003.
Complex cases, which require a more detailed level of analysis, may take longer to deliver.
Turnaround times for drugs possession cases:
Birmingham—11.7 days
Chepstow—9.3 days
Chorley—10.5 days
Huntingdon—9.5 days
Wetherby—10.1 days
London—12.2 days
The Forensic Science Service does not deal with the identification or analysis of supicious substances in potential terrorism cases.
Wrongful Conviction: Compensation
Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In how many cases in the past five years of people wrongly imprisoned and released from prison there are payments of compensation due which have not yet been paid; what the sums of money claimed or agreed are; and for how long the payments have been outstanding.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Ninety-one claims for compensation for wrongful conviction or charge authorised for payment by the Secretary of State for the Home Department since 1 March 1998 have yet to be finalised. Seventy-eight of these are waiting for information to be supplied by the claimants or their representatives. Of the 91 claims outstanding, 32 are less than a year old, 23 are one to two years old, 28 are two to three years old, seven are three to four years old and one is more than four years old.
It is not possible to provide any estimate of the total sums of money involved in these outstanding claims as this information is not available until the claimants or their representatives have submitted full details of their final claims. Once the assessor has calculated the quantum of an award and the claimant agrees to accept this, payment is normally made within two weeks.
Wrongful Conviction: Compensation
Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On how many occasions in the past five years compensation has been paid to people who have been wrongfully imprisoned; and what is the total value of the compensation that has been paid.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Payment of compensation for those wrongfully convicted or charged is as follows:
Year Amount £ millions
1997–98 6.652
1998–99 5.302
1999–2000 5.647
2000–01 8.051
2001–02 6.172
These figures include payment for interim and final awards. (The latter includes the claimants' legal fees).
Reliable statistics on the breakdown of payments are available only for the past two years. Since 1 March 2001, the Secretary of State for the Home Department has authorised the payment of compensation for wrongful conviction or charge to 76 applicants. In 24 of these cases the claims have been settled in full in the sum of £1.5 million (including legal fees). In a further 30 cases interim payments have been made to the claimants in the sum of £2 million. These, together with the remaining 22 cases, await the submission of their final claims.
Sex Offenders: Travel Abroad
Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to prevent convicted sex offenders from travelling overseas.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government are committed to tackling the sexual exploitation of children wherever it occurs in the world. This includes where UK citizens go abroad with the intention of abusing children. We have already put in place a number of measures to deal with this problem, but the Sexual Offences Bill, currently before Parliament, provides us with an opportunity to ensure that we are doing everything we can to deal with those who commit sexual offences overseas.
Under the current legislation the courts do not have the power to stop an offender who has been convicted of sexual offences against children from travelling overseas. We believe this is wrong and that it should be addressed. We therefore intend to bring forward a government amendment to the Sexual Offences Bill that will introduce a new foreign travel banning order that will enable courts, in certain circumstances, to prohibit those convicted of a sexual offence against a child from travelling to specified countries. We hope to introduce this amendment by the end of March.
The new order would be a civil preventive order made following an application from a chief officer of police. It would apply to those convicted of a sexual offence against a child under 16 either in the UK or overseas. The order would be available where the court was satisfied that it was necessary to protect children overseas from serious sexual harm by the offender and that there are no other equally effective means to prevent such harm. The orders would last for up to six months, renewable on further application from the police.
In addition to introducing the proposed foreign travel banning order, we will be consulting with interested parties on the arrangements for the notification of foreign travel by registered sex offenders. We are aware that this issue has generated considerable interest. We will consult quickly on the issue with a view to making the Government's intentions clear by the end of March. This will enable our intentions to be considered and debated fully during the passage of the Sexual Offences Bill through Parliament.
A paper with further details on the Government's proposals has been placed in the Library.
Baby Bonus
Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider a baby bonus direct payment scheme similar to that in Australia in order to counteract Britain's declining fertility rate.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government have no plans to introduce such a scheme.
Defence Medical Services Officers: Pay Recommendations
Lord Archer of Sandwell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What pay increase the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body has recommended for all regular and reserve Defence Medical Services medical and dental officers.
Lord Bach: In line with the main Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB) recommendations for Armed Forces pay announced on 7 February, the review body has recommended an interim pay increase of 3.2 per cent for all regular and reserve Defence Medical Services medical and dental officers. The review body also recommends an interim 3.2 per cent increase to the sustained quality payments, general medical and general dental practitioner trainer pay and to the value of distinction awards. The AFPRB will submit its final recommendations following the announcement of the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body report later this year and further written and oral evidence from the Ministry of Defence, the British Medical Association and the British Dental Association.
The additional cost to the defence budget will be some £5 million. This will be met within existing departmental expenditure limits.
The review body's interim recommendations are to be accepted in full, with implementation effective from 1 April 2003.
European Union: Forthcoming Council Business
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for March; and what are the major European events for the period between 1 April and 30 September 2003.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union March—September 2003: March 1–2—Athens—Informal Education 3—Brussels—Competitiveness Council 4—Brussels—Environment Council 6—Brussels—Meeting of the Presidium 6—Luxembourg—Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs 6—Brussels—EUROGROUP (Evening) 7—Brussels—ECOFIN 7—Luxembourg—Transport, Telecom & Energy Council 13—Brussels—Meeting of the Presidium 14–15—Athens—(Informal Defence Meeting) 17–18—Brussels—Convention Plenary 17–18—Luxembourg—Agriculture & Fisheries Council 18–19—Brussels—General Affairs & External Relations Council (GAERC) 21—Brussels—EUROPEAN COUNCIL 27—Brussels—Meeting of the Presidium 27–28—Luxembourg—Transport, Telecom & Energy Council 27–28—Brussels—EU-RIO Group, EU MERCOSUR 28–29—Veria—Informal Justice & Home Affairs 31—Brussels—Agriculture & Fisheries Council (to be confirmed)
Date Location Event
April
2 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium
3–4 Brussels Convention Plenary
4 Brussels Justice & Home Affairs
4–6 Hania (Crete) Informal ECOFIN (Ministerial)
5 Lisbon Europe—Africa Summit
10 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium
14–15 Luxembourg General Affairs & External Relations
14 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries
16 Athens Signature of the Accession Treaty
17 Athens European Conference
23 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium
24–25 Brussels Convention Plenary
May
2–4 Olympia Gymnich (Informal Foreign Ministers)
3–4 Athens Informal Environment (Ministerial Informal)
5–6 Brussels Education, Youth & Culture Council (To be confirmed)
8 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium
Corfu Agriculture (Ministerial Informal)
12–13 Brussels Competitiveness
12 Brussels EUROGRUP
13 Brussels ECOFIN
14 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium
14 Brussels Transport, Telecom & Energy Council
15–16 Brussels Convention Plenary
16 Brussels EU—ACP Ministerial
16–17 Halkidiki Informal Regional Policy (Ministerial)
16–18 Cruise off Greece Informal Transport & Merchant Marine (Ministerial)
17 Brussels EU—W. Balkans (Zagreb Process)
19 Brussels General Affairs & External Relations (+ Defence)
20 Brussels General Affairs & External Relations
22 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium
24 Thessaloniki Informal Culture (Ministerial)
26–27 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council
26–27 Crete EUROMED Conference (Mid Term Ministerial)
27 Brussels Environment Council
28 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium
30–31 Brussels Convention Plenary
31 St. Petersburg EU—Russia Summit June
2 Brussels EUROGROUP
12–13 Alexandroupoli Development Co-operation (Ministerial Informal)
2–3 Brussels Transport, Telecom & Energy Council
3 Brussels ECOFIN
4 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium
5–6 Brussels Convention Plenary
5–6 Brussels Justice & Home Affairs Council
5–6 Brussels Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs Council
6 Rhodes Public Administration (Ministerial Informal)
11 Brussels Meeting of the Presidium
11–12 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council
12–13 Brussels Convention Plenary
17–18 Luxembourg General Affairs & External Relations
20 Halkidiki EUROPEAN COUNCIL
21 Halkidiki Zagreb II Summit
22 Brussels General Affairs & External Relations
24 Brussels Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs Council
July
2–3 Rome Research (Ministerial Informal)
4–5 Naples Transport infrastructure (Ministerial Informal)
6 Brussels Trade (Ministerial Informal)
10 Varese Informal Council/Troika
11–12 Varese Informal Council of Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs
15–16 Brussels ECOFIN
17–18 Treviso EU Employment Committee (Informal)
18–20 Montecatini Energy & Environment (Ministerial Informal)
22–23 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council
22 Brussels General Affairs & External Relations
24–25 Milan European Conference on Discrimination
25–26 Verona Education (Ministerial Informal)
August No Meetings Planned
September
3–5 Viterbo Telecommunications (Ministerial Informal)
12–14 Stresa ECOFIN (Informal Council)
19–20 Rome Justice & Internal Affairs (Informal Council)
22–23 Brussels Competition (Internal Market, Industry & Research)
29–30 Brussels General Affairs & External Relations
29–30 Brussels Agriculture & Fisheries Council
e-business
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will reach their policy objective of the United Kingdom being the best place among the G7 for e-business given recent reports indicating the United Kingdom's low standing on a number of criteria in the international league tables.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Yes. Good progress is already being made. The international benchmarking study, The World's Most Effective Policies For The e-Economy, prepared in 2002 by Booz Allen Hamilton for the Office of the e-Envoy and the DTI ranks the UK as having the second best environment in the world for e-commerce, second only to the USA.
The study attributes this achievement to strong venture capital markets, competitive internet access costs on broadband and dial-up, strong leadership of the e-agenda and a very supportive regulatory environment. UK broadband prices have reduced from among the most expensive in the G7 to among the cheapest.
More remains to be done, particularly to improve UK performance in uptake and use of information and communications technologies. Government policies are being developed to address these areas.
Broadband
The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they justify the case for the forthcoming auction of 15 regional licences to use the 3.4GHz spectrum when the auction of licences for the 28GHz spectrum has been going on since 2000; and whether the structure of the auction will hinder rather than enhance the roll-out of broadband in rural areas.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: We are awarding the licences through an auction process as this is the best way to deliver them into the hands of those who value them most and who we expect to deliver services to consumers. The 28GHz and 3.4GHz bands have different characteristics and the business cases for their development are different. Our market analysis and industry feedback for 3.4GHz indicates that there is demand for the licences we are offering.
The 3.4GHz licence packaging was designed to increase competition and availability of broadband services across the UK. The licence regions were drawn up following market and economic studies to be as economically viable and inclusive as possible, maximising the potential development of sustainable wireless services and broadband market throughout the UK.
To meet the Government's objectives for extensiveness and competition, networks must be deployed based on sound market principles and this is the basis for the licence regions specified. A number of business cases, including some for rural and sparsely populated regions of the UK, have recognised this and will make use of the spectrum of 2.4GHz, 5GHz and at 28GHz as well as 3.4GHz to broaden the business base. This is also why constraints that have appeared in earlier licensing processes have been removed in this instance. Recent analysis of the markets indicates that broadband in the 3.4GHz waveband is not the single panacea for rural services. Current technology at 3.4GHz does not easily lend itself to the mass market or for thinly populated regions.
Glucose Meters
Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider supplying glucose meters on prescription.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Items of equipment such as blood glucometers are not available on National Health Service prescription from general practitioners. It has been a long-standing policy that it would be most appropriate for them to remain as NHS property to monitor their usage. The meters can be loaned to patients if the clinician managing a patient's diabetes feels they are appropriate. There are several testing strips which are available on prescription on the NHS.
Public Services: Competition
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which provisions in any treaty of the European Community or in directives or regulations arising therefrom which require public services provided directly by national or local government, or delivered by other bodies which are wholly owned by them, to be open to competition from private firms; and whether there are any judicial decisions enforcing, or exempting them from, any such requirement.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Neither the treaty nor the EC Procurement Directives and implementing regulations that arise from them require public services to be open to competition from private firms.
Irish and Ulster Scots
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the terms of the Belfast Agreement of 1998 require that any support for the Irish language (as provided for in the Communications Bill now before Parliament) must be matched by equal support for the Ulster Scots language.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The agreement does not contain provision in the terms outlined.
Northern Ireland Civil Service
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to encourage civil servants in Northern Ireland to continue working until 65.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Since 4 October 2002, all staff employed in the Northern Ireland Civil Service have the option of remaining in post up to age 65. Staff were made aware of the change of policy by means of a general circular issued on that date.
Broadcasting: Invitations forMinisterial Interviews
Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many official invitations they have received since 1 January from the British Broadcasting Corporation and other national broadcasting bodies respectively for Ministers of the Crown to be interviewed on current political topics or issues for which they were responsible; how many of these invitations were declined; and on how many occasions an official spokesperson was, or was not, offered in lieu.
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: Individual communication directorates within departments are responsible for processing and managing invitations for ministerial interviews from the BBC, other broadcasters and the wider media. The information requested is therefore not held centrally. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2003-03-06a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2003",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
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Home Office
Prostitution
lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 5 January (HL4302) concerning offences relating to prostitution, (1) whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the terms of reference for the research that has been commissioned by the Home Office; and (2) who has been commissioned to conduct that research.
baroness williams of trafford: The Government will place a copy of the tender document which sets out the terms of reference for this research in the Library of the House. The research tender process will close on 15 January, after which time bids will be assessed and the successful applicant announced by the end of March 2018.
Lead: Theft
lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents of the theft of lead from church roofs were reported in each of the past five years; whatwas the weight of the lead stolen in each of those years; and how many successful prosecutionsfor such theft therewere in each of those years.
baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office collects data on police recorded metal thefts, but it is not possible from these data to identify whether the metal was taken from a church, nor the weight of the stolen metalThe Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes police recorded crime data on metal theft annually within their property crime tables. The latest figures, for the year ending March 2017, can be accessed here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/focusonpropertycrimeappendixtablesProsecutions data are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
Antisocial Behaviour: Public Transport
baroness stowell of beeston: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many public transport operators have (1) applied, and (2) been granted, powers by the police to tackle anti-social behaviour since 2012.
baroness williams of trafford: Under section 5 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, Transport for London are able to apply to the court to grant an injunction to prevent individuals from engaging in anti-social behaviour and the Mayor of Greater Manchester wrote to the Home Office recently to request similar powers for Transport for Greater Manchester. In addition, the West Midlands Combined Authority (Functions and Amendment) Order 2017 allows the West Midlands Combined Authority to apply for an injunction against individuals in respect of anti-social behaviour on the bus and tram network in the Combined Authority Area.
Litter
baroness stowell of beeston: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of the use and effectiveness of Community Protection Notices in reducing litter around restaurants and shops.
baroness williams of trafford: The Community Protection Notice is one of the powers available to the police and local authorities through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to help them to prevent and respond to different forms of anti-social behaviour. We do not require these agencies to report to the Government on their use of the powers and we have made no assessment of their effectiveness in reducing litter around restaurants and shops.
Road Traffic Offences: Mobile Phones
lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that police forces adopt and implement a consistent definition of what constitutes use of a mobile phone whilst driving; and whether they intend to introduce legislation to clarify the law in this regard.
baroness williams of trafford: The enforcement of the offence of driving whilst using a mobile phone is an operational matter for Chief Officers of police. This Government supports any action taken by the police to deter and reduce the number of mobile phone offences.
Offences against Children
lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 December 2017 (HL4228), whether they have made any assessment of the finding of the report by Quilliam, Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation – Dissecting Grooming Gangs, published in December 2017, that 84 per cent of child sexual exploitation offenders who operate in gangs or groups are Asian, most of whom are men “of Pakistani (Muslim) origin”; what is their estimate of that percentage; and, if different, on what statistics and records they have based their estimate.
baroness williams of trafford: Child sexual exploitation is not exclusive to any single culture, community, race or religion. It happens in all areas of the country and can take many forms.The Government has made significant progress in tackling child sexual exploitation as set out in its ‘Tackling CSE: Progress Report’ published in February 2017. This announced a £40m package of measures to protect children and young people from sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking, and to crack down on offenders. This includes our new £7.5 million centre of expertise on child abuse which is conducting research into offender motivations, so that we can better understand and target different forms of offending.
The Senior Deputy Speaker
Parliament: Correspondence
lord norton of louth: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many items of correspondence were received in the Palace of Westminster in 2017; and of those, what proportion was received in the House of Lords.
lord laming: The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chairman of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.In total, 1,633,770 items of mail were received in the Palace of Westminster in 2017. The Administration does not count which House each item goes to but estimates that approximately 30 per cent of these items were destined for the House of Lords. These figures do not include parcels, courier items or internal mail.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Small Businesses
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the results of the survey conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses that one in seven small business owners plan to downsize, close or sell their companies during the next three months.
lord henley: The Government has been clear in its commitment to making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business. The UK has a record 5.7 million private sector businesses at the start of 2017, an increase of 197,000 compared with the start of 2016 and just over 2 million more than in 2010. Through our Industrial Strategy we will create a business environment that helps small businesses thrive.
Small Businesses: Billing
lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address concerns about late payments to small to medium sized businesses.
lord henley: In April 2017, the Government introduced a duty on large businesses to report on their payment practices, policies and performance. This statutory requirement increases transparency, providing suppliers with better information about the payment practices of large businesses they intend to trade with.In October 2017 BEIS published two consultations on payment practices within the construction sector. The consultations run in parallel, with a response period of just over 12 weeks, closing on the 19 January 2018. Both consultations and supporting documentation will be used to assess the extent of the issues; and what further intervention is needed.In December 2017 the Government launched the Small Business Commissioner to help small businesses struggling with late payments. Paul Uppal, the Small Business Commissioner, will play an important role in supporting small businesses to resolve their payment disputes with larger businesses, providing advice, and help bring about a culture change in payment practices and how businesses deal with each other.In the public sector, the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, mandate that public sector buyers must include 30-day payment terms in new public sector contracts, and requires that this payment term be passed down the supply chain. The Mystery Shopper service will investigate reports of poor procurement practice and late payment, including late payment through the supply chain.The Government also continues to support the voluntary, industry-led Prompt Payment Code, which remains the gold standard of payment practices. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2018-01-15 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2018",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Alcohol
Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) prosecutions, and (b) convictions, there have been in each of the last five years of persons for persistently selling alcohol to children, in the (a) on-trade, and (b) off-trade.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) prosecutions, and (b) convictions, there have been in each of the last five years against people under 18 for attempting to purchase alcohol in the (a) on-trade, and (b) off-trade.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) prosecutions, and (b) convictions, there have been in each of the past five years of people selling alcohol to customers who were drunk.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) prosecutions, and (b) convictions, there have been in each of the past five years of people for making or attempting to purchase alcohol on behalf of a child.
Baroness Neville-Jones: Data showing the number of cautions, prosecutions and convictions for various alcohol offences from 2005-08 are provided in the attached table. Data for persistent sales of alcohol to children are shown under offence code 14398, for purchasing alcohol underage under offence codes 14382 and 14316, for alcohol sales to a drunk under offence codes 14374 and 14375 and for making/attempting to purchase alcohol on behalf of a child under offence codes 14383 and 14317. The data for the persistent sales offence came into effect in 2008. Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned for publication in October 2010.
The court proceedings database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences, the statutes under which proceedings are brought or the circumstances of each case. It is not possible to identify from this centrally available information whether the offence proceeded against involving selling alcohol was on-trade or off-trade.
Additionally, penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) are also available for these offences and the information is provided in the attached table 2.1.
Copies of these tables will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
The number of offenders cautioned and defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for selected offences, England and Wales,2005 to 2008(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)
CautionedProceeded againstFound guilty
Offence code / description 2005 2006 2007 2008 2005 2006 2007 2008 2005 2006 2007 2008
Underage Sales
14384 Individual aged under 18 knowingly consuming alcohol - 2 1 1 - 1 3 - - 1 1 -
14379 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 1 36 33 28 29 440 620 401 21 317 479 320
14398 Persistently selling alcohol to children - - - - - - - 8 - - - 7
14203 Selling etc intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises. 97 22 7 1 1,044 741 63 31 742 526 40 23
14380 Allowing sale of alcohol to person under 18. - - 2 1 - 17 10 19 - 11 6 16
14352 Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18. 4 3 - - 11 1 - - 9 - - -
Other Underage Offences
14382 Purchase of alcohol by an individual under 18 3 9 23 15 - 3 6 6 - 3 5 4
14383 Buying or attempting to buy alcohol on behalf of an individual under 18 2 13 14 19 - 18 16 42 - 14 14 28
14317 Buying, attempting to buy, intoxicating liquor for consumption by person under 18 12 11 3 5 29 14 5 1 24 12 4 -
14385 Knowingly allowing consumption of alcohol by individual aged under 18 - 2 1 - - - 1 - - - 1 -
14316 Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor in licensed premises. 21 3 8 7 21 12 4 3 15 10 2 1
Sales to a drunken person
14374 Sale of alcohol to a person who is drunk 1 - 5 - - 2 7 17 - 1 1 7
14375 Obtaining alcohol for a person who is drunk - - - - - - - 1 - - - -
Drunk and Disorderly
14001 Being found drunk in a highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or a licensed premises 591 495 402 515 1,392 1,170 1,126 1,076 1,261 1,056 1,026 984
14101 Being guilty while drunk of disorderly behaviour 7,672 4,982 5,306 6,904 16,342 16,143 17,911 19,447 14,138 13,939 15,741 17,245
Habitual Drunk Offences
14306 Purchasing or obtaining intoxicating liquor at licensed premises or registered club within three years after conviction for habitual drunkenness - - - - 1 1 1 - 1 1 - -
14202 Licence holder selling or supplying intoxicating liquor to a habitual drunkard within three years after conviction for habitual drunkenness - - - - 1 - 2 - 1 - 1 -
14318 Officer of a registered club selling or supplying liquor to a habitual drunkard within three years after conviction for habitual drunkenness - - - - - 1 - - - 1 - -
Public Place/other
19508 Failure to stop a vehicle when required to do so by a constable in the exercise of his powers under this section of the Act [Criminal Justice & Public Order Act 1994, S.60] 1 2 - - 8 3 3 4 4 3 - 3
14011 Alcohol consumption in designated public places 12 13 15 18 101 101 113 153 76 73 98 123
19615 Contravention of a direction given by a constable under Section 30(4) [dispersal of groups and removal of persons under 16 to their place of residence] 280 137 209 108 620 538 522 433 406 303 329 299
14102 Being drunk while in charge on any highway or other public place of any carriage, horse, cattle, steam engine or pedal cycle 12 12 30 28 65 67 40 64 60 51 31 51
14376 Failure to leave licensed premises etc. - 6 5 1 1 11 20 9 1 6 13 7
10433 Resisting or obstructing a constable in execution of duty 1,228 1,674 1,984 2,011 7,689 7,358 7,982 7,258 5,712 5,541 6,243 5,749
Licensable activity
14371 Carrying on or attempting to carry on or knowingly allowing a licensable activity on or from any premises otherwise than under and in accordance with an authorisation 1 33 12 17 - 159 300 346 - 87 229 257
14291 Allowing disorderly conduct on licensed premises 2 - - - - - 1 2 - - - 1
14391 Knowingly keeping premises open in contravention of closure order (identified relevant premises - 24 hrs max) - - - - - 1 - - - 1 - -
Total 9,928 7,444 8,057 9,675 27,325 26,790 28,753 29,321 22,447 21,945 24,262 25,125
Key totals
Sales to underage 102 61 42 30 1,084 1,199 693 459 772 854 525 366
Sales to a drunken person 1 0 5 0 0 2 7 18 0 1 1 7
Purchase by underage 24 12 31 22 21 15 10 9 15 13 7 5
Drunk and Disorderly 8,263 5,477 5,708 7,419 17,734 17,313 19,037 20,523 15,399 14,995 16,767 18,229
(1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence.
(2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals.
(3) The court proceedings statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
(4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
(5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008
Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice
[Ref: IOS 359-10]
Table 2.1-Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and above by offence, 2004-08
England and Wales
All Ages Aged 16-17 Aged 18+
Offence 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Wasting police time 1,171 2,525 3,933 3,966 3,443 69 215 353 327 254 1,102 2,310 3,580 3,639 3,189
Misuse of public telecommunications system 117 405 909 1,193 888 6 24 79 106 88 111 381 830 1,087 800
Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 44 92 106 96 77 8 6 15 15 7 36 86 91 81 70
Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 28,790 64,007 82,235 77,827 57,773 1,968 5,846 8,122 7,068 4,673 26,822 58,161 74,113 70,759 53,100
Throwing fireworks(1) 177 642 682 649 531 20 90 101 102 82 157 552 581 547 449
Drunk and disorderly(2) 26,609 37,038 43,556 46,996 44,411 1,328 2,354 3,009 2,941 2,538 25,281 34,684 40,547 44,055 41,873
Criminal Damage (under £500)(3) 1,190 12,168 20,620 19,946 13,427 103 1,408 2,866 2,796 1,815 1,087 10,760 17,754 17,150 11,612
Theft (retail under £200)(3) 2,072 21,997 38,772 45,146 45,616 167 1,806 3,861 4,474 4,040 1,905 20,191 34,911 40,672 41,576
Breach of fireworks curfew(4) 12 33 53 39 23 - 4 7 3 3 12 29 46 36 20
Possession of category 4 firework(4) 12 13 28 22 23 3 2 6 5 6 9 11 22 17 17
Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework(4) 20 47 76 106 67 18 42 69 106 57 2 5 7 - 10
Sale of alcohol to drunken person(5) * 32 47 81 66 - 2 1 1 2 - 30 46 80 64
Supply of alcohol to a person under 18 - 3 60 54 83 - - 5 1 2 - 3 55 53 81
Sale of alcohol to a person under 18(3) 113 2,058 3,195 3,583 2,824 6 79 91 77 42 107 1,979 3,104 3,506 2,782
Purchasing alcohol for a person under 18(3) 84 170 407 555 524 7 20 45 51 33 77 150 362 504 491
Purchasing alcohol for a person under 18 for consumption on the premises - 83 60 64 50 - 21 17 13 10 - 62 43 51 40
Delivery of alcohol to a person under 18 or allowing such delivery(3) 20 209 297 431 286 1 20 24 36 23 19 189 273 395 263
Lower Tier Offences (£50)
Trespassing on a railway 96 220 1,042 1,527 1,468 17 73 256 291 257 79 147 786 1,236 1,211
Throwing stones at a train / railway 66 20 15 25 27 2 5 4 10 8 64 15 11 15 19
Drunk in a highway 2,497 3,138 2,712 2,066 1,438 31 103 149 106 57 2,466 3,035 2,563 1,960 1,381
Consumption of alcohol in a designated public place 485 712 1,061 1,544 1,761 20 56 136 172 126 465 656 925 1,372 1,635
Depositing and leaving litter(3) 51 737 1,169 1,374 1,202 11 185 253 301 241 40 552 916 1,073 961
Consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises(3) 7 84 75 85 36 7 74 67 85 31 - 10 8 - 5
Allowing consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises(3) 6 27 14 11 6 1 2 - 1 2 5 25 14 10 4
Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by a person under 18(5) * 21 73 158 114 - 17 62 158 100 4 11 - 14
Totals
Total Higher Tier Offences 60,431 141,522 195,036 200,754 170,112 3,704 11,939 18,671 18,122 13,675 56,727 129,583 176,365 182,632 156,437
Total Lower Tier Offences 3,208 4,959 6,161 6,790 6,052 89 515 927 1,124 822 3,119 4,444 5,234 5,666 5,230
Total all offences 63,639 146,481 201,197 207,544 176,164 3,793 12,454 19,598 19,246 14,497 59,846 134,027 181,599 188,298 161,667
(1) Offence moved from the lower tier (£50) to the upper tier (£80) on 5 March 2004.
(2) Offence moved from the lower tier (£50) to the upper tier (£80) on 1 November 2004.
(3) Offence added with effect from 1 November 2004.
(4) Offence added with effect from 11 October 2004.
(5) Offence added with effect from 4 April 2005.
Anti-Semitism
Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made, or intend to make, an assessment of the incidence of anti-Semitism in the United Kingdom.
Baroness Neville-Jones: The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) National Community Tension Team (NCTT) monitors anti-Semitic incidents and provides information to local police forces if there is anything that they need to be aware of. In addition, the Community Security Trust (CST) runs its own reporting centre for victims of anti-Semitism who are not comfortable with reporting to the police. The CST has a good relationship with the NCTT and other police forces.
The combined work of the NCTT and the CST provides a comprehensive breakdown of the anti-Semitic incidents that have taken place across the country.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Lord Krebs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have received from the Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir John Beddington, on the proposal to cull badgers as a means of controlling tuberculosis in cattle.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have received from the Chief Scientific Adviser in Defra, Professor Robert Watson, on the proposal to cull badgers as a means of controlling tuberculosis in cattle.
Lord Henley: Professor Watson, Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser, and officials from his office have regular meetings with officials from Defra's bovine TB programme and have provided input on the scientific advice including at meetings with the Secretary of State and the Minister of State during the development of proposals and the consultation. Professor Watson discussed the evidence and requested views from Defra's TB Science Advisory Body on a scientific paper by Jenkins et al. (2010), which presents results of the monitoring activity that has continued in proactively culled and survey-only areas since the end of the Randomised Badger Control Trial (RBCT). Professor Watson's suggestions and comments were included in developing the consultation and associated documents. Professor Watson continues to be involved in consideration of the proposal outlined in the consultation and has also asked a joint group of representatives from the TB Science Advisory Body and Defra's Science Advisory Council to provide advice on the proposal in the consultation.
Sir John Beddington, the government Chief Scientific Adviser, and his officials discussed the evidence around bovine TB and badgers with Professor Watson and Defra officials when the proposals were in development. Sir John's advice was discussed with Ministers in preparing the consultation and associated documents. Defra officials continue to be in regular contact with colleagues from Sir John's office.
Coastal Access
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in the development of the coastal access pathway.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether finance for the development of the coastal access pathway has been reduced or withdrawn as a result of cutbacks in public funding.
Lord Henley: We are aiming to open the first stretch of new coastal access at Weymouth, where the Olympic sailing events are being staged, in time for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Natural England has been asked to identify five additional lead areas where the coastal path can be rolled out, taking into account the views of local people and the tourism and economic benefits that improvements to access to the coast are expected to bring. Rollout in those areas will begin in 2011 following initial discussions that Natural England will need to have with the relevant local authorities in the areas.
The availability of future funding for a wider rollout of coastal access, in addition to Weymouth and the five lead areas, is being considered as part of the comprehensive spending review.
Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they withdrew funding for the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners.
Baroness Neville-Jones: The original ministerial announcement of funding to the Council for the Regulation of Forensic Practitioners (CRFP) in 1999 was expressly subject to the CRFP's performance, particularly the condition that it became self-financing through registrants' fees and there should not be a long-term reliance on grant.
By the time the CRFP closed, this goal of a self-funding independent accreditation body had not been achieved and the company was facing a long-term shortfall of funding, because the registration income did not match the expenditure and would not have matched it, irrespective of whether the government grant had been continued or not. This was likely to become considerably worse because of the withdrawal of support for the registration process by police forces and the long planned ending of grant in aid in 2010.
The grant was latterly provided by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), which in 2008 jointly commissioned with the CRFP an independent analysis of the CRFP's finances. Following this, the CRFP's financial situation, as detailed above, was clear and further commitment of public money to the CRFP would have amounted to a long-term commitment to funding the company without full public control, which would not have been a justifiable or sustainable approach. The NPIA decision to cease grant in aid in 2009 was agreed with Ministers.
Crime: Fraud
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they take account of fraudulent insurance claims in their crime statistics.
Baroness Neville-Jones: The police recorded crime statistics are based on an aggregate count of offences. Those crimes relating to fraudulent insurance claims would be recorded under the offence of "other fraud" and cannot be separately identified from the offences recorded within that classification.
Energy: Electricity
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate that the 2 GW capacity of the electricity interconnector between the United Kingdom and France will be adequate to meet the expected shortfall of domestic power supply.
Lord Marland: The interconnector helps us meet peak demand greenly and cost-effectively. Our mix of electricity generation technologies ensures security of supply and we do not envisage a shortfall in the domestic power supply.
Energy: Electricity
Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much electric power has been (a) exported and (b) imported through the electricity interconnector with France in each of the past 10 years.
Lord Marland: The table below shows electricity imported from, and exported, to France, by the United Kingdom in each of the past 10 years.
Imports from France (GWh) Exports to France (GWh)
2000 14,267 1
2001 10,563 193
2002 9,042 621
2003 5,000 2,873
2004 10,027 728
2005 11,159 765
2006 10,592 861
2007 8,562 2,016
2008 12,142 898
2009 6,524 3,296
Energy: Electricity
Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the forecast retail price of electricity for each of the next 10 years.
Lord Marland: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not publish retail energy price forecasts. It publishes oil, gas and coal price assumptions for the period till 2030, which are used in the department's analytical work. Wholesale electricity prices are an important driver of retail prices, and as part of DECC's updated energy and emissions projections, DECC produces wholesale electricity price projections which arise from the fossil fuel price assumptions.
Health: Dentistry
Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients acquired transmissible diseases from dental treatment during the past 10 years.
Earl Howe: The main risks of cross-infection in primary dental care arise from transmission from patient to patient by reusable instruments of blood-borne viruses (BBV), particularly hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The Spongiform Encephalitis Advisory Committee (SEAC) has also raised concerns about the potential for the creation of more cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease related to primary dental care. We do not collect data on these risks because the incubation periods of BBV diseases are so long, and the number of dental treatments so frequent, that it would be impossible to relate an individual infection to a specific course of treatment. However, it is estimated that in the United Kingdom there are about 83,000 people with HIV, over a quarter of whom are unaware of their infection, 180,000 with chronic hepatitis B (the level of undiagnosed infections is unknown), and 250,000 people with chronic hepatitis C infection, about a half of whom are unaware that they are infected.
Health: Dentistry
Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what forecast they have made of the cost per dental surgery of compliance with the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices.
Earl Howe: Currently we are only requiring compliance with the essential quality requirements in the health technical memorandum. These add little to the advice sheet on infection control in dentistry issued by the British Dental Association with the support of the department in 2002.
Health: Needs Assessments
Baroness Cumberlege: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect all primary care trusts to complete and update all pharmaceutical needs assessments prior to their abolition.
Earl Howe: Yes. Under Regulation 3C(1) of the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1995 (as amended), which came into force in May 2010, primary care trusts have a statutory duty to complete and publish their pharmaceutical needs assessments by 1 February 2011.
Health: Needs Assessments
Baroness Cumberlege: To ask Her Majesty's Government where responsibility for completing and maintaining pharmaceutical needs assessments will sit following the abolition of primary care trusts.
Earl Howe: We expect the requirement to complete and publish pharmaceutical needs assessments to continue in the new architecture and are considering where best responsibility will sit. Responses to the consultation on the White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS and supporting consultations will help inform our thinking.
Health: Ophthalmology
Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they estimate the costs to the National Health Service to be of failures to diagnose giant cell arteritis sufficiently early to prevent loss of vision for those afflicted.
Earl Howe: The department has made no estimate of the cost to the National Health Service of treating vision loss in those whose giant cell arteritis was not diagnosed early.
Health: Rheumatology
Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to promote among general practitioners knowledge and understanding of the guidelines issued by the British Society for Rheumatology, British Health Professionals in Rheumatology and the Royal College of Physicians for the management of giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.
Earl Howe: All healthcare professionals are accountable, through their professional regulator, for keeping up to date with the professional guidance relevant to their area of clinical practice. The guidelines published by the British Society for Rheumatology and partner organisations on the management of giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica are available on the society's website, and I understand that the society is sending copies of the quick reference guide relating to the guideline on giant cell arteritis to all primary medical care practices.
Houses of Parliament: Works of Art
Lord Sheldon: To ask the Chairman of Committees how many paintings and sculptures of Members of Parliament there are in the parliamentary buildings.
Lord Brabazon of Tara: The works of art inventory is not categorised in this way, so it is not possible to provide the figures requested. The Curator of Works of Art may be able to answer any more specific queries.
People Trafficking
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken since May 2010 to prevent trafficking of persons into and within the United Kingdom for sexual or labour exploitation, in particular in relation to the eight prevention points in the October 2009 "Update to UK Action Plan" and to better cooperation within the European Union.
Baroness Neville-Jones: Work to prevent trafficking of persons into the United Kingdom is ongoing. Since May 2010 a new estimate of trafficking for sexual exploitation has been published by the Association of Chief Police Officers. The report will improve our understanding of the nature and scale of trafficking in England and Wales. Also, the Government have designated 18 October as Anti-Slavery Day. This will provide a focus for the efforts of non-governmental organisations to raise awareness.
Police: Crime Statistics
Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will investigate the crime figures in each of the past three years by South Wales Police which fall into the categories of "cuffing", "stitching", "skewing", and "nodding", as outlined in the PhD thesis of Detective Chief Inspector Roger Patrick of West Midlands Police and reported in the Sunday Times on 6 December 2009.
Baroness Neville-Jones: The Audit Commission and the Wales Audit Office published a report in 2007 on police data quality in England and Wales. The report noted that there had been a sustained improvement in crime data quality since the introduction of the national crime recording standard in 2002. South Wales Police was rated as "fair" for crime data quality.
Policing and Crime
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cost of electing police and crime commissioners in each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales; and whether those costs will be met directly by the Home Office.
Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government will publish estimates of the cost of the elections and other aspects of the police and crime commissioners policy in due course.
Schools: Standard Assessment Tests
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the standard assessment tests.
Lord Hill of Oareford: We will review how the key stage 2 national curriculum tests should operate in future. We want to improve and strengthen the tests and ensure they are working in the best interests of schools, children, parents and the public. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2010-10-06a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2010",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for Transport
Heathrow Airport
lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what property compensation estimate has been prepared for the proposed Heathrow third runway extension; and what is its scope and total value.
baroness sugg: Residential property costs for Heathrow Airport Ltd’s publicly committed property compensation scheme for those affected by expansion have been estimated at £550m, to be financed by Heathrow and not the taxpayer. This estimate covers both the compulsory purchase zone and the wider property zone and for eligible properties this includes a 25% home loss payment, as well as the Stamp Duty Land Tax, moving costs and legal fees associated with buying a new home.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Syria: Military Intervention
lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byBaroness Goldie on 23 May (HL Deb, cols 1028–30), what are the practical consequences of our "close dialogue with Turkey" for military operations and civil administration in northern Syria, including Idlib province; and whether Turkey's "commitment to respect international law" includes compliance with allUnited Nations mandated ceasefires.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: During their meeting in the UK in May, President Erdogan and the Prime Minister reaffirmed their commitment to a political settlement to end the war and provide stability for all of Syria, Turkey and the wider region. The Prime Minister emphasised the need to ensure humanitarian access to Syria and compliance with International Humanitarian Law and the protection of civilians. We will continue to pursue these points actively in discussion with the Turkish Government. The UK fully supports UN Security Council Resolution 2401 and has convened emergency briefings of the UN Security Council to press for implementation of the ceasefire. While recognising Turkey's legitimate security concerns, we have, in line with the resolution, urged de-escalation in Afrin, the protection of civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid.
Palestinians: Self-determination of States
lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the Balfour Declaration and of the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, what assessment they have made of their responsibility to ensure that the Palestinian nation is able to exercise its right to self-determination.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK supports the Palestinian people in realising self-determination through an independent, sovereign, and unified Palestinian state, in the West Bank and Gaza. To this end, we are long-standing supporters of the Palestinian Authority in its state-building efforts, and we remain committed to making progress towards a two-state solution. We believe that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, supported by the international community.
Nabeel Rajab
lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whetherthere has been any breach of international human rights standards on fair trials and due process in the five-year sentence handed to Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab for his Twitter activity.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have raised the case of Nabeel Rajab at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain. In his statement on 21 February the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa made clear his concerns at the five-year sentence handed to Mr Rajab, in addition to the two-year sentence he received in 2017. I understand that Mr Rajab has a right of appeal in this case and we will continue to monitor proceedings closely. It would not be proper to comment further whilst the case is still in progress.We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.
Najah Ahmed Yousif
lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the torture allegations presented by Bahraini political activist Najah Ahmed Yousif; and whether representatives from theBritish Embassy in Manama will attendMs Yousif's final sentencing.
lord ahmad of wimbledon: We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the appropriate oversight body. We also encourage these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claim.Officials from the British Embassy in Bahrain have been present at court hearings for Najah Ahmed Yousif. We will continue to monitor this case closely.
Ministry of Justice
Female Genital Mutilation Protection Orders
baroness smith of basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Female Genital Mutilation Orders have been (1) sought, and (2) issued, since they were introduced under the Serious Crime Act 2015.
baroness smith of basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any Female Genital Mutilation Protection Orders have been breached in each year since 2015; and, in each case, whether they were dealt with (1) by criminal prosecution, or (2) in the Family Court.
lord keen of elie: Following their introduction in July 2015, there have been 222 applications and 205 orders made for Female Genital Mutilation Protection Orders, up to 31 December 2017. In this period no breaches of an FGM Protection order have been dealt with in the criminal courts. In the Family Courts, proceedings for breach would be dealt with as a contempt of court matter and are not recorded separately. The information could therefore only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Statistics on FGM Protection Orders are publicly available as part of the Family Courts Statistics Quarterly series at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly. The next publication of Family Court Statistics Quarterly is due on 28 June 2018. This will provide data up to the end of March 2018.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
the duke of montrose: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 May (HL Deb, col 973),whether the three devolved administrations have agreed how the UK’s £3 billion of agricultural support will be divided up; and if not, what plans they have to reach an agreement.
lord gardiner of kimble: We have made a commitment that the amount we allocate to farming support - in cash terms - will be protected until the end of this Parliament. Allocations from the current Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) budget were set by the government in 2014. No decisions have yet been taken on allocations once we have left the EU.
Home Office
Visas: Russia
lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of Russian citizens who have been denied visas to enter the UK to circumvent this restriction by taking citizenship of another EU country.
baroness williams of trafford: Citizens of EEA countries may enter or remain in the UK by virtue of the provisions of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016, which sets out the right of admission for EEA nationals. This right is not absolute and in certain cases admission can be refused or the individual can be excluded.
Immigration: Personal Records
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government from which countries citizens are required to complete landing cards on arrival in the UK.
baroness williams of trafford: Nationals of all non-EEA countries are required to fill out a landing card on arrival to the UK.
Immigration: Personal Records
lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data are collected through landing cards; and how such data are used.
baroness williams of trafford: Passengers are required to complete fourteen pieces of data on landing cards. These are first name(s); date of birth; sex; nationality; town and country of birth; occupation; contact address in the UK; passport number; place of issue; length of stay in the UK; port of last departure; arrival flight/train number/ship name; and signature.Landing cards are predominantly used to produce National Statistics on purpose of journey by category and nationality.
Visas: Russia
lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of Russian citizens who have been denied visas to enter the UK to circumvent this restriction by taking citizenship of Israel.
baroness williams of trafford: As a non-visa national, citizens of Israel do not require a visa prior to arrival in the UK, if the purpose of travel is to visit for a duration not exceeding six months.However, a non-visa national would still require leave to enter the UK, which would be assessed against the Immigration Rules at the border by a Border Force Officer. Where a person has previously been refused a visa, this would be identified and considered as part of the assessment on whether to refuse or grant leave to enter.
Immigrants: Detainees
baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people died in UK immigration detention centres from suicide or self-inflicted wounds between 1 March 2017 and 1 March 2018.
baroness williams of trafford: Any death in immigration detention is subject to investigation by the police, the coroner (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland) and the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.In the period 1 March 2017 to 1 March 2018 there have been 8 deaths of individuals while detained in an immigration removal centre under immigration powers or shortly after release. Of these deaths none has yet been determined by a coroner to be a self-inflicted death.Staff at all immigration removal centres are trained to identify those at risk of self harm so that action can be taken to minimise the risk. All incidents of self harm are treated very seriously and every step is taken to prevent incidents of this nature. Formal risk assessments on initial detention and systems for raising concerns at any subsequent point feed into established self harm procedures in every IRC, which are in turn underpinned by the Home Office Operating Standard on the prevention of self-harm and Detention Services Order 06/2008 Assessment Care in Detention Teamwork (ACDT).
Northern Ireland Office
Historical Enquiries Team
lord hain: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with authorities in Northern Ireland about the number of people who have been prosecuted and convicted as a result of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Historical Enquiries Team.
lord duncan of springbank: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and officials meet and discuss regularly with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on a variety of issues of mutual concern and interest.Operational matters relating to the Historical Enquiries Team are the responsibility of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2018-06-08 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2018",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Africa: Road Transport
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking, in addition to investment in African road transport infrastructure, to improve investment in road transport knowledge and skills in Africa.
Baroness Amos: DfID is working with the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa, development banks and national Governments to ensure that design and implementation of infrastructure programmes follow best practice. The department has invested substantial funds in developing guidelines in infrastructure provision, road safety, use of local materials and private sector involvement. An example is DfID's support to the global Transport Knowledge Partnership (gTKP) between donors and developing country partners to support and promote improved access to existing knowledge on transport for developing countries. The aim is to empower decision-makers to invest in transport towards a more sustainable future and help achieve the millennium development goals. The initial focus is on roads and road transport, principally in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Further information on the gTKP can be obtained at www.gtkp.com.
Through gTKP and our membership of other institutions such as the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) we are working with other donors and development banks to strengthen transport programmes so they can deliver affordable and sustainable improvements to road infrastructure and transport in sub-Saharan Africa.
Africa: Road Transport
Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to encourage developing nations in Africa to establish recognised standards for professional driver training or licensing.
Baroness Amos: DfID recognises the important contribution that improving standards for professional driver training and licensing in Africa can make to reducing road-related death or injury. We address this through wider support to a range of road safety and transport initiatives. This includes our support to the Global Road Safety Partnership, which, among other activities, provides support to driver training and licensing programmes. DfID has also established a global Transport Knowledge Partnership, which will help develop sustainable and efficient transport in developing and transition countries. The partnership will disseminate good practice to transport practitioners and policymakers in these countries.
DfID also funds a number of multilateral initiatives in this area, including the World Bank's guide to good practice in road safety and road safety modules in the World Bank's road maintenance programme.
At the country level, DfID activity has included support for Ghana's National Commission on Road Safety and Bangladesh's Roads and Highways Department's road safety cell.
Arms Trade
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have evidence that licensed British exports of weapons and ammunition have been reaching both sides in the current internal fighting in Sri Lanka, or criminal organisations in Bangladesh; and, if so, what remedies they propose.
Lord Triesman: We monitor the supply of arms and weaponry through export controls. Criterion 7 of the consolidated criteria requires the Government to,
"pay particular attention for the need to avoid diversion of UK exports to terrorist organisations".
We consider carefully the end users of any such equipment. We would not approve any licence where the end user was a proscribed organisation.
We know of no British exports of military equipment being used in the Sri Lanka conflict other than those licensed and exported under export control procedures for the security forces. Similarly, we are not aware that weapons or ammunition exported from the United Kingdom are reaching criminal organisations in Bangladesh.
Belarus: President Lukashenko
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether asset or travel restrictions are in place in the United Kingdom in respect of President Lukashenko of Belarus and his close associates; and whether they have made an assessment of recent action by the United States Treasury Department in this connection.
Lord Triesman: Following the assessment of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights international election observation mission that the Belarus election failed to meet the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's standards for democratic elections, EU Foreign Ministers agreed on 10 April 2006 to impose a travel ban against 31 individuals deemed responsible for the fraudulent presidential election in March and the subsequent crackdown on the opposition. On 18 May, EU Foreign Ministers agreed to impose further restrictive measures in the form of assets freezes on 36 individuals, including five people subject to earlier travel bans as a result of their involvement in the disappearance of opponents of the regime in 1999 to 2000 and the fraudulent parliamentary elections of 2004. Both the travel ban and assets freeze lists include Lukashenko.
Throughout the period leading up to and following the 19 March presidential election, the EU has worked in close partnership with the US to ensure that a strong and joined-up message is sent to the Belarusian regime. The US declared at the recent EU-US summit on 22 June that this unified approach is a,
"good example of our broad co-operation and co-ordination".
The EU and the US will continue to synchronise our measures and policies towards Belarus.
Biodiversity: Acoustic Porpoise Deterrent Devices
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether acoustic porpoise deterrent devices are an important tool in protecting biodiversity; and
Whether they have taken steps to promote the use of acoustic porpoise deterrent devices by fisherman; and, if so, what trade measures are in place, or being considered, to promote fishing practice that protects biodiversity in British waters.
Lord Rooker: The UK Government have identified the potential benefits of acoustic devices such as pingers in reducing bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries and have argued successfully for these devices to be required in certain fisheries by EU legislation. Prior to enforcing the use of pingers under Council Regulation EC 812/2004, the UK Government want to ensure that those we recommend to be used are safe and cost-effective for the industry and offer the maximum protection to porpoises.
We are awaiting a report from the Commission on the outcome of a technical meeting recently held in Brussels to consider trials of available pingers by the UK and other member states. Any further action will be informed by this.
Biodiversity: Sandeels
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, since 2000, they have updated an environmental impact assessment of the impact of catching species low in the food chain, such as sandeels, on marine life in general.
Lord Rooker: Fish stocks in EU waters are assessed by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The ecosystem effects of industrial fisheries were considered by the ICES Advisory Committee on Ecosystems in 2003 and 2004.
The effects of variation in the stocks of species low in the food chain on other marine life are poorly understood. However, much of the variation in mortality and recruitment that occurs is believed to be determined by natural causes rather than by fishing.
There remains relatively little information on the effects of fisheries targeting these stocks such as sandeel, Norway pout, and sprat, and further analysis of the ecological impacts is needed. Defra is continuing to fund research in this area. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science is carrying out a major impact assessment of the sandeels fishery off the coast of eastern England. This is due to be completed in March 2007.
Birds: Imports
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What extra resources have been required in the United Kingdom to enforce the ban on the import of captive wild birds into the European Union from third countries since October 2005; and
Whether any costs have been incurred in the detection and prevention of smuggling of captive wild birds into the United Kingdom since October 2005; and, if so, what those costs have been; and
Whether, in order to implement and monitor the ban on imports of captive wild birds, it has been necessary to recruit more wildlife enforcement officers, customs officers and state veterinarians or to extend the working hours of current employees.
Lord Rooker: The introduction of the ban on the import of captive wild birds has had no significant effect on resources, costs or employment.
Birds: Sale
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions they have held with the Governments of Denmark and Sweden about legislation in those countries banning the holding or sale of certain species of wild birds.
Lord Rooker: No such discussions have been held. Issues such as these are primarily discussed at the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) through representatives from all European member states.
Bulgaria: Religious Freedom
Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 15 June (WA 36), whether they intend to make representations to the Government of Bulgaria over the treatment of the Alternate Synod of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria.
Lord Triesman: As I stated in my reply to the noble Lord on 15 June (Official Report, col. WA 36), we have no plans to raise this issue with the Government of Bulgaria.
Contaminated Blood Products: Hepatitis C
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the answers by the Lord Warner on 24 May (Official Report, cols. 824–26) on contaminated blood products: hepatitis C, whether they will arrange for access by the Haemophilia Society to the official documents about contaminated National Health Service blood products reported to have been destroyed in the Department of Health, copies of which have recently been made available to the department by Blackett, Hart and Pratt Solicitors.
Lord Warner: The Department of Health has commissioned an independent analysis of the documents to which my noble friend refers. Once this has been carried out, we will consider which of the documents can be released.
Environmental Protection: Marine Species
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will support new proposals on the future protection of the worldwide marine environment and ecosystems following the recent United Nations-sponsored meeting in New York.
Lord Triesman: The UK, along with other EU member states, played a leading role at the recent meeting of the UN's consultative process on oceans in promoting an ecosystem approach to oceans management. We will also be working with EU colleagues to ensure that the outcome of the meeting and actions on associated issues are developed further and incorporated into the UN General Assembly's oceans and fisheries resolutions in the autumn. These will include issues such as conservation of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction: sustainable fisheries (including targeted action on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) and destructive fisheries practices.
The United Kingdom is committed to carrying forward an ecosystem approach in our own waters and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is consulting on proposals for a Marine Bill.
EU: Council of Ministers
Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will launch a new initiative to coincide with the start of the Finnish European Union presidency on 1 July to promote open public hearings of the Council of Ministers in its legislative mode, coupled with briefings for the public on these procedures.
Lord Triesman: An overall policy on transparency was agreed at the June European Council. The Government will want to consider any further initiatives in the light of how the Finnish presidency implements this policy in practice, and taking full account of the review in six months which will assess the impact of the policy on the effectiveness of the Council.
EU: Legislation
Lord Stevens of Ludgate: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much of all United Kingdom legislation has its origins in European Union legislation.
Lord Triesman: The UK welcomes the European Commission's continued commitment to the better regulation agenda in particular its rolling programme to simplify existing legislation and the withdrawal so far of around 70 pending proposals. The Government also welcome the European Council invitation to the Commission to make proposals by 2007 on how to reduce administrative burdens on business by 25 per cent.
We estimate that around half of all UK legislation with an impact on business, charities and the voluntary sector stems from legislation agreed by Ministers in Brussels. Parliamentary analysis of UK statutory instruments implemented annually under the European Communities Act suggests that on average around 9 per cent of all statutory instruments originate in Brussels.
Fuel Duty
Baroness Miller of Hendon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the reply by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 15 June (Official Report, col. 321) stating that "fuel duty has remained frozen since 1 October 2003", what was the amount of VAT paid or payable on the retail price of (a) petrol; (b) oil (including domestic fuel oil); and (c) gas and electricity in the first quarter of 2005 and 2006 respectively.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Historical fuel prices can be found in Quarterly Energy Prices, published by the Department for Trade and Industry and available on the DTI website at www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/energy–prices/index.shtml. The DTI does not publish quarterly domestic gas and electricity prices but publishes annual figures and quarterly indexed values. The VAT on petrol is 17.5 per cent, whereas for domestic-burning oil, gas and electricity it is set at 5 per cent.
Health: Zoonoses
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 5 June (WA 151–52), what other sorts of zoonotic disease besides infectious intestinal disease they consider to be commonly under-ascertained.
Lord Rooker: Rates of under-ascertainment vary considerably for different infectious diseases. These rates depend on a range of factors, including the severity and duration of symptoms and their precise nature. Diseases with non-specific symptoms that are resolved without the need for treatment or before a definitive diagnosis is achieved may go unreported.
With regard to zoonotic diseases in animals, we would expect no under-ascertainment in livestock of exotic notifiable diseases, such as avian influenza, rabies or brucellosis, due to the severity of the illness that follows infection. We would expect very little under-ascertainment in livestock of endemic diseases, such as anthrax, bovine tuberculosis and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, because of ongoing surveillance. There is likely to be considerable under-ascertainment of other endemic diseases in animals.
Toxoplasmosis is among the zoonotic diseases commonly under-ascertained in the United Kingdom because typical symptoms resemble a mild to moderate flu-like or glandular fever-like illness that usually resolves without treatment within a few weeks from first onset. Lyme disease is also likely to be under-ascertained because infection commonly results in either no symptoms or mild symptoms which resolve without the need for treatment.
Health: Zoonoses
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of diagnosed cases of salmonella and campylobacter were contracted from animals; and what they estimate to be the true proportion of cases attributable to zoonotic disease.
Lord Rooker: These data are not available. Most cases of campylobacter and salmonella infection in humans are sporadic and it is not therefore possible to identify the route of transmission.
Several case control studies of sporadic cases of campylobacter carried out by different groups and in different countries have shown that, in children, the risk of campylobacter infection was increased in those who had contact with a puppy or kitten who had diarrhoea.
Outbreaks of gastrointestinal infection are investigated to identify the cause and implement control measures therefore the most likely route of transmission is often known.
Between 2001 and 2005, there were 227 outbreaks of salmonellosis. However, none of these was due to direct contact with animals. Outbreaks of campylobacter are uncommon, and one of the 36 outbreaks in the same period was due to direct contact with animals.
Health: Zoonoses
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 5 June (WA 151–52) about the under-ascertainment of infectious intestinal disease, whether (a) a study of exotic pet animals in the community and potential related zoonoses; and (b) a study of the zoonotic microbiology of imported animals would be of benefit to public health.
Lord Rooker: Veterinary surveillance systems for pet cats and dogs have been enhanced through the Dog and Cat Travel and Risk Information (DACTARI) scheme, which looks at the risk of exotic diseases being imported into the UK through these animals. Existing controls, including rabies quarantine arrangements, provide information on exotic diseases imported via mammals, including some mammals destined for zoos, subjected to such controls. Part of the reappraisal of rabies import controls involves looking at the risk of exotic diseases in addition to those parasites for which we have current controls under the pet travel scheme. Defra also takes account of the information collected by private vets and reported in journals.
Defra works closely with the Department of Health and the Health Protection Agency in assessing the risks and sources of zoonotic agents. This helps to inform where the resources are best used. There are no current proposals for further studies of zoonotic agents in imported animals and exotic pets.
Ireland: Human Rights
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Government of the Republic of Ireland about their record in the field of human rights.
Lord Triesman: No recent representations have been made to the Government of Ireland about their record in the field of human rights.
Malawi: Malnutrition
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking (a) bilaterally, and (b) with international partners to tackle malnutrition in Malawi.
Baroness Amos: The Department for International Development (DfID) has provided both emergency and longer-term support to tackle malnutrition in Malawi. In 2005, DfID was the largest contributor (over £20 million) to a humanitarian food-aid operation that fed 5 million people affected by a severe drought. DfID worked closely with the EU, the US and the World Food Programme, and through UNICEF supported malnutrition rehabilitation units.
DfID supports ongoing programmes for orphans and vulnerable children to support families and institutions caring for and feeding orphans. These programmes are managed by Malawi's National AIDS Commission operations and are supported financially by a number of donors through a pooled fund. To address the underlying problems of hunger and poverty, DfID is promoting new approaches to agriculture and social protection in Malawi.
Mountains: Deaths
Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people lost their lives on United Kingdom mountains in each of the past five years.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Figures are not held centrally by Her Majesty's Government, but, according to the charity Mountain Rescue England and Wales, the figures are:
Year Fatalities
2004 25
2003 33
2002 23
2001 18
2000 19
Figures are not held centrally for Scotland or Northern Ireland and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
NHS: Dentistry
Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of (a) new general dental services contracts; and (b) new personal dental services agreements signed (i) are currently the subject of primary care trust internal dispute resolution procedures; or (ii) have been referred to the National Health Service Litigation Authority.
Lord Warner: Management information collected in April 2006 from primary care trusts showed that 2,884 contracts and agreements had been initially signed in dispute. This represented 33 per cent of all signed contracts. The National Health Service Litigation Authority advises that by 19 June 2006, 631, or 22 per cent, of disputed contracts had been referred to the authority. The authority had accepted 116 of these, or just over 4 per cent, for national resolution. The remainder are on hold pending the outcome of local dispute resolution procedures.
Dentists continue to provide NHS services where a contract has been signed, whether or not it was signed in dispute. Only if the dentist eventually rejects the resolution would the service cease and the primary care trust re-commission the service from another dentist. The facility to sign contracts in dispute was specifically designed to ensure that service to patients continues uninterrupted while disputes are resolved.
NHS: Urgent Appointments
Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to improve the system of urgent appointments operated by National Health Service hospitals, including foundation trusts, to make it easier for patients to change appointments which they are unable to attend; and
What plans they have to improve the telephone system operated by National Health Service hospitals, including foundation trusts, to make it easier for patients to change appointments which they are unable to attend.
Lord Warner: A national appointments line service has been put in place, operated by NHS Direct, to enable patients whose appointments are being made through the "Choose and Book" system to make or amend hospital appointments. As "Choose and Book" utilisation continues to grow, more and more patients will be able to access the service.
Individual providers remain responsible for making appropriate arrangements for patients to change appointments, including telephone arrangements.
Northern Ireland Events Company
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In each of the past five financial years, how much funding has been provided to the Northern Ireland Events Company; on what date; for what purpose; and after what process.
Lord Rooker: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has provided the NIEC with funding as shown in the tables below for the years 2001–02 to 2005–06.
Exchequer Funding
2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06
£1.6 million £1.6 million £2,453,503 £1.8 million £2.9 million
Executive Programme Funds (EPF) for Events Growth Fund
2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06
— £422,455 — — —
Festivals Funding
2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06
— — — £90,000 —
The purpose of this funding was to enable the NIEC to support the promotion of events in Northern Ireland which impact positively on its image, create opportunities for social cohesion and bring direct or indirect benefits to Northern Ireland.
Decisions taken by Ministers as part of the normal budgeting process include in-year monitoring rounds for additional funding.
Northern Ireland: Economic Development Forum
Baroness Harris of Richmond: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much the Economic Development Forum (EDF) for Northern Ireland has cost (a) since its formation; and (b) in the past financial year; what the EDF has achieved since its formation; what steps are being taken to encourage the further engagement of the private sector; and whether they will consider the appointment of an independent chairman.
Lord Rooker: The cost of supporting the Economic Development Forum from the financial year 2002–03 to the present is £82,577. The cost in the past financial year, 2005–06, was £15,621. In addition, the ongoing work of the EDF secretariat requires two-thirds of a staff officer's time.
Forum members represent a broad range of interests and have discussed and reached a consensus on a wide variety of key issues and challenges facing the Northern Ireland economy. In particular, members of the forum were fully involved in the development of the economic vision for Northern Ireland and play a key role in challenging all partners to contribute to its delivery. To assist in identifying and prioritising the key issues to be addressed the forum established four sub-groups aligned to the vision's four productivity drivers: innovation, enterprise, skills and infrastructure. These sub-groups have met 32 times.
Minutes of forum meetings are available on the forum's website at www.edfni.com.
Private-sector views on the forum are represented by the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors, the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, the North West Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Northern Ireland Centre for Competitiveness. In addition, forum members have co-opted representatives from the private sector to the four vision sub-groups. Outside the EDF the department engages with a wide range of private sector stakeholders on an ongoing basis.
The chair of the forum is the Minister with responsibility for enterprise, trade and investment. Members of the forum have not raised the need for an independent chair and this is not under consideration.
Official Travel: Carbon Emission Offsets
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the scheme to enable government departments to offset the carbon impacts of their air travel operates across all departments; and whether all departments have implemented and commenced use of the scheme.
Lord Rooker: All central government departments are meeting the commitment to offset all ministerial and official air travel from 1 April 2006. Most departments are participating in the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund. One exception is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which has established its own departmental offsetting fund using the same method of offsetting. The other exception is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which has recently declared its intention to establish its own scheme with partner organisations and cultural institutions.
Palestine: Funding
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made in establishing a temporary financial mechanism to help external donors to meet the needs of Palestinian civilians; when they expect this system to be fully functioning; who will be the direct beneficiaries of it; and whether bank transfers of funds to Palestine remain blocked.
Baroness Amos: The quartet agreed to the idea of a temporary international mechanism on 9 May. On 16 June, the European Council announced an internationally agreed temporary mechanism for Palestinians' basic needs. The European Commission is urgently taking this forward and expects payments to front-line health workers to begin by mid-July.
The mechanism will provide support in three areas: essential supplies and basic allowances to healthcare service providers; support for the uninterrupted supply of utilities, including fuel; and basic needs allowances to meet the essential needs of the poorest segments of the population.
The Palestinian Authority's single treasury account, currently held with commercial banks operating in the Palestinian territories, remains frozen. This is a result of US anti-terrorism legislation. However, business between commercial banks and the Palestinian private sector continues.
Palestine: Funding
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 22 June (WA 108), when they expect the European Commission to implement the technical steps required to ensure that the financial mechanism can operate to relieve Palestinian basic needs; and whether a bridging financial provision will be provided in the event of delay.
Baroness Amos: The European Commission has already started implementing the technical steps required so that emergency assistance for Palestinian basic needs can begin through the temporary international mechanism. DfID is contributing expertise to a team working urgently on these preparations in the Occupied Territories. Ensuring that this mechanism delivers as soon as possible is the main focus of current work. There is a risk that diverting effort away from this work to create a bridging mechanism would introduce delays.
Palestine: Humanitarian Supplies
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the existing World Bank Trust Fund for Palestine is not being used for urgent humanitarian supplies and for the salaries of education and health workers.
Baroness Amos: Until Hamas meets the three principles set out in the quartet statement of 30 January (recognition of Israel, renunciation of violence and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations) direct financial and technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority cannot be resumed. As the World Bank Trust Fund made payments directly into the Palestinian Authority's single treasury account, it is not possible to use this instrument at present. However, development assistance continues outside the Palestinian Authority. The EU is working with the World Bank urgently to set up a temporary international mechanism to meet Palestinian basic needs. This will include payment of allowances to front-line health workers. Many donors, including the UK, are planning to channel money through this mechanism.
Revenue and Customs: Travellers' Allowances
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many individuals were (a) charged with, and (b) successfully prosecuted for failing to declare and pay the necessary tax and duty on goods brought into the United Kingdom over the normal travellers' allowance in each of the past 10 years; and what is the maximum penalty for committing an offence of this nature.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: In 2005 there were 224 prosecutions and 163 convictions for failing to declare and pay the necessary tax and duty. For the year to 21 June 2006 the numbers for prosecutions and convictions are 107 and 58 respectively. Complete data from previous years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It should be noted that, due to the timescale of bringing cases to court, the figures for convictions in any one year cannot be related to the figure for prosecutions in the same year.
The maximum penalty for the fraudulent evasion or attempted evasion of duty chargeable on goods is seven years' imprisonment.
Rally Ireland
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What public funds have been offered to Rally Ireland to date; from what sources; whether a business case for funding has been submitted; and, if so, by whom it was assessed.
Lord Rooker: Rally Ireland received a funding offer of a capped shortfall of up to £377,000 for the October 2005 pilot event. The Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) commissioned a feasibility study followed by an economic appraisal. NIEC sought and obtained approval from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) for this expenditure. An internal assessment of the case for funding was conducted by DCAL before approval was given.
The subsequent trial event in March 2006 received a funding offer of a capped shortfall of up to £700,000. A business case in support of this funding was approved by both DCAL and the Department of Finance and Personnel.
Rally Ireland
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the Northern Ireland representation on the board of Rally Ireland.
Lord Rooker: Northern Ireland has no representation on the board of Rally Ireland.
Rally Ireland
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether funding was provided to Rally Ireland on the basis of matching private sector sponsorship.
Lord Rooker: Both the October 2005 and March 2006 events were funded on a 50/50 basis by the Northern Ireland Events Company and Failte Ireland. There was no private sector sponsorship and limited non-public-sector income; that is to say, ticket sales, programme sales, et cetera.
Taxation: Inheritance Tax
Lord Goodlad: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in view of their decision to amend the provisions of Schedule 20 to the Finance (No. 2) Bill so as to reinstate inheritance tax exemption for widows and widowers who receive property in trusts established under their spouses' wills or on intestacy, they will now consider granting parallel exemption for widows and widowers who succeed on their spouses' death to property in trusts established prior to the budget under which the deceased spouse has at all times between 22 March and his or her death held an interest in possession.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Finance Bill amendments tabled by the Government ensure that the legislation accurately reflects their intentions on how the new rules for trusts will operate. Further details on government amendments are provided in the accompanying notes, available at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consultations–and–legislation/leg–finance–2006/finance–bill–index2006.cfm.
Taxation: VAT
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the cost in 2005-06 of refunding VAT under Section 33 of the Value Added Tax Act 1994 to (a) the BBC; (b) ITN; and (c) Sky News.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 does not permit HM Revenue and Customs to disclose information relating to the tax affairs of individual taxpayers.
Transport: Environmentally Friendly Fuels
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage and what number of vehicles purchased by them and other statutory agencies in the current year will be propelled by (a) dual-fuels; (b) electricity; (c) liquid petroleum gas; (d) bio-diesel; and (e) other non-polluting systems; and whether they expect the proportion to rise in subsequent years.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) planned vehicle purchase for the current year, subject to any new requirements, is as follows:
Fuel Number Percentage of GCDA Fleet
(a) Dual fuel 4 2.09
(b) Electricity 0 0.00
(c) LPG 0 0.00
(d) Biodiesel 30 15.71
(e) Other (including hybrids)* 26 13.61
* 13 light commercial vehicles and 17 saloon cars.
For subsequent years a similar pattern is expected, subject to new technology and availability.
Data on vehicle purchases by individual departments are not collected centrally.
Ulster-Scots Agency
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much funding has been given to (a) the Irish Language Agency; and (b) the Ulster-Scots Agency in each of the past five years; and, if the level of funding is different, why.
Lord Rooker: The budgets allocated to Foras na Gaeilge (the Irish Language Agency) and the Ulster-Scots Agency by DCAL in each of the past five years are detailed in the following table.
£ million £ million
Year Foras na Gaeilge(Irish Language Agency) Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch (Ulster-Scots Agency)
2002 2.64 1.07
2003 2.850 1.155
2004 3.225 1.338
2005 3.242 1.357
2006 3.485 1.610
These figures are based on the calendar year.
The funding provided to each reflects their differing ranges of projects, programmes and supported organisations, and is determined on the basis of the approved actions in their respective annual business plans.
Water Supply: Abstraction
Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What information farmers are required to gather to enable the completion of abstraction licence application forms in respect of the Water Act 2003 and the Water Resources (Abstraction and Impounding) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/641).
Lord Rooker: The information required to support an abstraction licence application will vary on a site-specific basis, since the likely effect of a proposed abstraction on water resources and the environment will depend on its location. The Environment Agency will provide guidance on the information required to support an application prior to an application being made.
Water Supply: Consumption
Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much water in total and per occupant in cubic metres was consumed in the headquarters of the Department for Education and Skills in each of the past 10 years.
Lord Adonis: A complete answer cannot be provided, as records have been kept only since 2002, when the sustainable development in government annual report was introduced. Information for 2005–06 is not yet available but the following information is available.
Water consumed in total
2002–03 66,947 m3
2003–04 59,150 m3
2004–05 59,475 m3
Water consumed per occupant (1)
2002–03 10.1 m3
2003–04 10.07 m3
2004–05 10.19 m3
(1) Based on estimated average number of occupants per year.
Zimbabwe: AIDS
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will provide significant assistance to help deal with the issue of AIDS awareness and education in Zimbabwe; and
What steps they have taken, or intend to take, regarding programmes to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission and to provide assistance in the treatment of paediatric AIDS in Zimbabwe; and
What is their response to UNICEF figures on the number of children who die of AIDS-related illness each week in Zimbabwe; and what plans they have to provide assistance.
Baroness Amos: AIDS is the biggest killer in Zimbabwe, causing an estimated 3,200 deaths per week. UNICEF estimates that every 20 minutes a child dies of AIDS. Three infants become infected with HIV every hour.
DfID has provided considerable support to AIDS prevention activities in Zimbabwe for over a decade, including funding for condoms and behaviour change programmes, much of which has been implemented through NGOs. This has contributed to a significant drop in HIV prevalence, from 26 to 20.1 per cent. DfID also recently approved a £25 million contribution to a UNICEF programme providing economic and social support to orphans and other vulnerable children in Zimbabwe, delivered through NGOs. This will include HIV prevention work with young people.
In addition, DfID is working closely with the UN and other donors, including the EC, to expand the response to HIV and AIDS. Zimbabwe has one of the lowest levels of antiretroviral treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. The new programme, currently in design, aims to expand access to HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment for Zimbabweans, including for mothers and children who are infected. This should both reduce both the number of orphaned children and the appalling death toll of children. No funding will be provided directly to the Government of Zimbabwe. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2006-06-29d | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2006",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for Transport
High Speed 2 Railway Line: Greater Manchester
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what commitment they have received from Manchester Airport to fund the proposed HS2 station for that city.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government remains supportive of a HS2 station at Manchester Airport, however the construction of this station and its inclusion in the final scheme remains subject to agreeing an appropriate local funding contribution. The Department have been, and continues to, work positively with Greater Manchester Local Authorities and Manchester Airport Group (MAG) on this matter.
Cycleways: Greater London
Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 4 November (HL Deb, col 1340), what funding they have provided for cycle lanes to each local authority in each of the last five years.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: On 7 February 2020, the Department published a detailed breakdown of annual investment in cycling and walking from 2016/17 to 2018/19 alongside the first report on progress made towards delivering the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS). This includes information on how much funding each local authority received over that period. Copies of the report and other associated information are available on GOV.UK. An update including a detailed breakdown of annual investment in 2019/20 and 2020/21 will be published in due course. In the meantime, local authority allocations under the Active Travel Fund in 2020/21 are published on the Department for Transport’s website.
High Speed 2 Railway Line: Rolling Stock
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the HS2 contract awarded to a Hitachi and Alstom joint-venture, (1) what estimate they have made of the number passenger seats that will be provided in each train, and (2) what provision there will be for passengers travelling with bicycles.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The number of seats and other interior provisions were described in the Invitation to Tender documentation published in April 2017. The exact details will be refined over the next year before the detailed design commences in conjunction with the West Coast Partner.
High Speed 2 Railway Line: Rolling Stock
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the HS2 contract awarded to a Hitachi and Alstom joint-venture, whether there will be two separate types of train, (a) classic compatible trains, and (b) trains dedicated to high-speed lines.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The 54 trains contracted from the Joint venture are conventional compatible trains only.
High Speed 2 Railway Line: Railway Stations
Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the HS2 contract awarded to a Hitachi and Alstom joint-venture, which stations the trains delivered by that contract will serve; which platforms within these stations will also be served by trains operating on Network Rail tracks; and what station platform heights will be used for trains delivered from the contract.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The 54 trains contracted will be able to operate on the HS2 infrastructure as well as the conventional network primarily to serve the routes on the West Coast.The exact train service will be defined at a later date by the West Coast Partner.The stations on the HS2 infrastructure will offer street to train seat step free, with a platform height of 1115mm.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Energy
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will introduce support for community energy schemes.
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of community energy schemes being used to increase public involvement in the drive towards Net Zero.
Lord Callanan: The Government recognises that community energy projects can play a role in raising awareness of both the energy system and wider environmental issues, and in the promotion of behaviour change. In order to support community energy projects, the Government’s £10m Rural Community Energy Fund supports rural communities in England to develop renewable energy projects.
Business: Carbon Emissions
Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks of omitting Scope 3 emissions from Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures reporting; and what plans they have to mandate Scope 3 emissions reporting for UK businesses.
Lord Callanan: In October 2021, the Government laid regulations to require climate-related financial disclosures from certain UK-registered companies. The regulations do not duplicate pre-existing greenhouse gas emission disclosure requirements under Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR), which require large or quoted UK companies and large Limited Liability Partnerships to make disclosures on energy use and emissions in their Annual Reports. Scope 3 emissions reporting is not currently required by either set of regulations. The discussion around better alignment between SECR and the TCFD recommendations, and the potential to require Scope 3 disclosures formed a part of our UK Government consultation on mandatory climate-related financial disclosures, which concluded in May 2021. Any changes to the SECR regime to require scope 3 disclosures will require a separate consultation process, and would need to take into account the costs and benefits to business of mandatory scope 3 reporting. Any changes would also need to take account of the introduction of the proposed UK Sustainability Disclosures Requirements (SDR) Regime, as set out in Greening Finance: A Roadmap to Sustainable Investment published on 18th October 2021; and the requirements introduced in the June 2021 Procurement Policy Note that require mandatory disclosures of scope 1, scope 2 and a subset of Scope 3 emissions in carbon reduction plans when bidding for major government contracts. Following COP26, our main ask of business is to join the UN’s Race to Zero. Companies with this kitemark commit to cutting emissions across all three scopes in line with a 1.5C pathway, with clear reporting and transparency mechanisms.
Job Creation and Job Security: Yorkshire and the Humber
Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe impact of the development of Drax into the world’s first carbon neutral industrial cluster on (1) safeguarding existing jobs, and (2) creating new green skilled jobs, in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Lord Callanan: In November 2020, the Government published the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, which set out the government’s ambition to have two operational industrial clusters by the mid-2020s and a further two clusters operational by 2030. The CCUS programme will contribute to the creation of high skilled, high wage and sustainable jobs in every part of the UK, with the expectation of supporting up to 50,000 jobs in 2030[1]. The Net Zero Strategy outlined an ambition to deploy at least 5MtCO₂/yr of engineered removals by 2030, in line with CCC and National Infrastructure Commission assessments. Our long-term approach to engineered GGR technologies, which includes technologies used by Drax, is to have a market-driven and technology-neutral competitive framework. We intend to assess jobs, the type scale and CO2 emission reduction potential, as part of the evaluation and selection process of GGR projects. [1] Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener; Green Jobs Taskforce
Offshore Structures: Assets
Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of stranded assets in relation to the further development of fossil fuel extraction infrastructure.
Lord Callanan: The UK regulators, the Oil and Gas Authority and the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning have a role in the licensing of future offshore oil and gas developments, but whether to proceed with them is a commercial decision for the operators concerned. The risk of ‘stranded assets’ will be among the many risks operators consider when making investment decisions.
Offshore Industry
Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs of decommissioning (1) existing oil and gas infrastructure, and (2) extant oil and gas licences which have not yet been granted planning approval.
Lord Callanan: According to the Oil and Gas Authority’s ‘UKCS Decommissioning Cost Estimate 2021’ report (copy attached), the total cost of decommissioning UK Continental Shelf offshore oil and gas infrastructure has reduced to £46bn[1] equating to a projected saving of nearly £14bn (23%) since the 2017 cost reduction target[2] was first established. With extant oil and gas licences which have not yet been granted planning approval, we do not know which will be developed, so it is not possible to say how much they will cost to decommission, although the Oil and Gas Authority’s UK Continental Shelf full portfolio estimate referenced in the report attached includes £2bn for planned but as yet unsanctioned/not-built projects. [1] Costs shown in 2016 prices, for expenditure in 2017 and after[2] Basis of 2017 estimate, 2016 Annual OGA Stewardship surveyUKCS Decommissioning Cost Estimate 2021 (pdf, 2450.8KB)
Tree Felling
Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the impact of tree felling to provide fuel for UK power stations (1) in the UK, and (2) overseas.
Lord Callanan: The Government only supports the use of biomass for energy generation where it complies with our strict sustainability criteria. The sustainability criteria require, among other things, that where biomass is sourced from forests, irrespective of its location, it needs to be sourced from forest areas which are managed in a way that is consistent with sustainable forest management practices.
Biofuels: Timber
Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the extent of energy production in the UK through burning wood pellets; the supply chain carbon cost of this approach; and the difference in supply chain carbon costs between wood pellets and coal.
Lord Callanan: The use of sustainable biomass for power generation has been shown to have significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels. Statistics on energy generation from renewable sources including biomass is publicly available on the GOV.UK website. In 2020, around 9% of total electricity generated in the UK was from plant biomass, the majority of which is wood pellets. Supply chain greenhouse gas emissions data reported as part of compliance with the UK’s stringent sustainability criteria under existing renewable energy schemes are available on Ofgem's website.
Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the projected sale of the Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre at Harwell; and when they will publish any such assessment.
Lord Callanan: The Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) UK is a private company, limited by guarantee, and as such the UK Government does not exercise any ownership rights. Grant funding has been provided initially to support vaccine manufacturing innovation in the UK and latterly in response to Covid-19. We are working closely with VMIC and other third parties to ensure the UK retains a strong domestic vaccine manufacturing capability to contribute to the UK’s resilience against COVID-19 and other future health emergencies. At present, these discussions are commercially sensitive.
Energy Supply: North of England
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect people who have lost power due to Storm Arwen to be reconnected; and whether a review has been undertaken of communication between (1) Government, (2) power distribution companies, and (3) members of the public about energy supply issues.
Lord Callanan: The impacts of Storm Arwen were very unusual. All customers that lost their electricity supply were restored by the 8th December. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has commissioned a post-incident review into Storm Arwen to identify lessons and best practice for communications, resourcing and system resilience. This will include a review of communications between Government, power distribution companies and the public. As the independent regulator for energy, Ofgem has also announced it will undertake a review into the impact of Storm Arwen. This will focus on the role of the network companies in maintaining the resilience of the system and their emergency response, including their communications with customers.
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government which manufacturers are supplying COVID-19 vaccines for the current booster campaign in the UK; and what proportion of the campaign total has been supplied by each provider.
Lord Callanan: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises that the Pfizer vaccine and a half dose of the Moderna vaccine can be offered as the third booster dose, irrespective of which vaccine someone has received as their primary course. Where mRNA vaccines cannot be offered e.g. due to contraindication, vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine may be considered for those who received AstraZeneca vaccine in their primary course. Individual developers are responsible for organising supply from different supply chains to customers. In line with existing MHRA approved production procedures we expect these doses to come from various manufacturers based in different European countries. The overall number of vaccinations is publicly available and updated weekly, however the proportion supplied by each provider is commercially sensitive.
Newport Wafer Fab: China
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Callanan on 6 December (HL Deb, cols 1634–35), whether the purchase of Newport Wafer Fab will be considered under the terms of the National Security and Investment Act 2021 when it comes into force on 1 January 2022.
Lord Callanan: The Government is still considering the case. The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely and will not hesitate to take further action if needed.
Slavery: Xinjiang
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce kite marking to products, indicating their origins, when (1) manufactured by slave labour in Xinjiang, or (2) believed to have been produced as part of a supply chain originating in Xinjiang, and exported to the UK.
Lord Callanan: Since leaving the EU, we have introduced the new UKCA marking to indicate that products comply with UK product regulations and are fit to be placed on the market in Great Britain. It is mandatory for most products currently covered by the ‘CE marking’ from 1 January 2023. The kitemarking is different to this and is owned and operated by the British Standards Institution. On 12 January 2021, the UK Government announced a series of robust measures in respect of UK supply chains to help ensure that no British organisations – government or private sector, deliberately or inadvertently – are profiting from or contributing to human rights violations against the Uyghurs or other minorities in Xinjiang. The measures announced include a review of export controls as they apply to Xinjiang, the introduction of financial penalties for organisations that fail to comply with their obligations under the Modern Slavery Act, increasing support for UK government bodies to exclude suppliers complicit in violations, and new, robust guidance to UK businesses on the specific risks faced by companies with links to the region. We will keep our policy response under close review.
Newport Wafer Fab: China
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply ofLord Callanan on 6 December (HL Deb, col 1635), whether the purchase of Newport Wafer Fab has been referred to the Competition and Merger Authority; and if so, what was the outcome.
Lord Callanan: My Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State has powers under the Enterprise Act 2002 to intervene in mergers and takeovers on specified public interest grounds, including national security. Such an intervention would involve an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority.
Audit: Standards
Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the White Paper Restoring Trust in Audit and Corporate Governance, published in March relies at paragraph 2.2.2 on the Brydon Review of 2019, while (1) the Companies Act 2006 sets out that a company's undistributable reserves include its accumulated unrealised profits, and (2) paragraph 43 of the Financial Reporting Council Bulletin published in March 2020 states that an auditor must undertake "an examination of the relationship between the company’s net assets and it’s called up share capital and undistributable reserves as stated in the audited balance sheet".
Lord Callanan: There are currently no specific requirements under company law or accounting standards for financial statements to disclose the total amount of profits that are distributable. Some companies do provide these figures, but they are provided on a voluntary basis. The text quoted in the question relates to the statement an auditor is required to make to a company under section 92 of the Companies Act 2006 when a private company re-registers as a public company. It does not establish a requirement for the company to disclose its undistributable reserves. The Government White Paper, Restoring Trust in Audit and Corporate Governance, set out proposals to require companies, within an agreed scope, to disclose the total amount of reserves that are distributable. The Government will respond to the White Paper consultation in due course.
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of calls by the President of the United States and NGOs to waiveintellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines.
Lord Callanan: Intellectual Property rights have been critical in underpinning innovators’ confidence to form over 300 partnerships - an unprecedented number - which have made real, positive impacts on vaccine delivery; examples include AstraZeneca and the Serum Institute of India, and Pfizer-BioNTech and BIOVAC in South Africa. These examples show what is possible when the right partners work together and share technology. While we must continue to ensure vaccine production needs are met globally, the WHO news release of 7 October made it clear that, “With global vaccine production now at nearly 1.5 billion doses per month, there is sufficient vaccine from a supply perspective to achieve global vaccination targets”. We must therefore also focus on issues of distribution and delivery to successfully vaccinate the globe.
Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme
Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the (1) number, and (2) value, of loans issued under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme that were made to (a) companies formed within seven days before the loan application, and (b) companies which were dormant and never traded.
Lord Callanan: The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme is a delegated scheme and lending decisions were made by the accredited lenders.
Hospitality Industry: Vacancies
Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are takingto help the hospitality sector fill job vacancies in that sector.
Lord Callanan: The Department has launched the first-ever hospitality strategy to support the reopening, recovery and resilience of England’s pubs, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs. As part of this, we have set up the Hospitality Sector Council to oversee the delivery of the strategy, including working with the sector to make hospitality a career option of choice and looking at the labour and skills shortages. In order to help address the immediate challenges of labour shortages in the hospitality sector, the Department for Work and Pensions is working hard to fill ongoing vacancies by using work coaches to help find local talent, and Plans for Jobs programmes, such as Kickstart and Sector-based Work Academy Programmes. The Department for Education has also added hospitality and catering qualifications to the Free Courses for Jobs, as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee. Additionally, we are increasing employer-led apprenticeship funding to £2.7 billion by 2024-25, extending the £3,000 incentive payment for every apprentice a business hires up until 31 January 2022, and improving the apprenticeship system for employers.
Department of Health and Social Care
Radiology
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many fully registered (1) radiographers, and (2) medical physicists, wereworking in the NHS ineach year from 2016 to 2021; and what steps are they taking to increase the number of such professionals over the next five years.
Lord Kamall: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care or in general practice surgeries, local authorities or other providers. The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) professionally qualified HCHS radiographers and medical physicists working in National Health Service trusts as at September each year and the latest available data in August 2021.Radiographers Medical PhysicistsSeptember2016 16,307 2,819September2017 16,884 2,809September2018 17,398 2,928September2019 17,965 2,975September2020 18,555 3,153August 2021 18,573 3,212 Diagnostic radiography and therapeutic radiography are two of the seven priority professions identified in Health Educations England’s (HEE) Cancer Workforce Plan. HEE has trained morethan 560 radiographers in image interpretation and reporting and is now targeting an additional 150 for 2021/22. Since September 2020 all eligible radiography students can access a new, non-repayable training grant of at least £5,000 per academic year plus a specialist subject payment of £1,000 per academic year.HEE’s National School of Healthcare Science commissions the Scientist Training Programme (STP) and the Higher Specialist Scientific Training (HSST) programmes for clinical scientists and consultant clinical scientists who will work in the domain of medical physics. Since 2016, 596 medical physicists have been trained via the STP and HSST programmes.
Coronavirus: Crime
Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what facts would influence whether a charge of assault would be brought against a person working in a healthcare environment who knowingly was carrying COVID-19, with or without intention to transmit the virus to another person.
Lord Kamall: National Health Service organisations should consider the specific facts in a case-by-case basis and in accordance with their local disciplinary policy and procedures. Any investigation should establish whether the staff member intentionally, recklessly, carelessly, or negligently put patients and/or other members of staff at risk of infection. This may result in dismissal as the ultimate sanction. If any internal investigation identifies a criminal offence has been committed, the employing organisation will need to make a referral to the relevant police force. Any charges of assault would be a matter for the police and Civil Court.
Coronavirus: Vaccination
The Earl of Leicester: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatdiscussions they have had with the Scottish Government to ensure that people who have had one COVID-19 vaccine administered in England and one in Scotland are recognised in Scotland as being fully vaccinated; and what plans they have to ensure that people who have had one COVID-19 vaccine administered in England and one in Scotland are recognised in England as being fully vaccinated.
Lord Kamall: Discussions at official and ministerial level have taken place with the Scottish Government. Following these discussions, NHS Digital has established live bi-directional data flows between England and Scotland which updates both the general practitioner (GP) record and NHS COVID Pass status. Before a NHS COVID Pass can be issued, both doses must be recorded.Interoperable digital and non-digital solutions are now available in each United Kingdom nation. The service an individual accesses depends on where their GP is registered.
Coronavirus: Protective Clothing
Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what scientific and medical assessments informed their decision to make the wearing of face masks in public faces voluntary.
Lord Kamall: Before moving to Step 4 of the Roadmap on 19 July, which changed the requirement to wear face coverings in certain settings from mandatory to voluntary, the Government assessed the evidence of progress against four tests:- The deployment of the vaccine programme;- The effectiveness of vaccines in reducing hospitalisations and deaths among those vaccinated;- The level of infection rates in relation to the pressure on the National Health Service; and- The risks presented by new variants of concern. The Joint Biosecurity Centre assessed the data and evidence from a variety of sources against these four tests. COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan, which is available in an online only format, set out a ‘plan B’ for England, which includes the reintroduction of the legally mandated wearing of face coverings in certain settings.
Social Services: Qualifications
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they recognise the need for a (1) nationally recognised, and (2) mandatory, care qualification; and what steps they have taken, if any, towards establishing this.
Lord Kamall: There are a number of nationally recognised qualifications available for those working in the adult social care sector. We are also investing in the social care workforce to support those working in care to access training and qualifications and increase their skills.In addition, the Care Certificate provides nationally recognised training standards for non-registered roles. The standards equip workers with the fundamental skills they need to provide quality care and care workers complete the Care Certificate as part of their induction training. We have also committed to the creation of a delivery standard recognised across the sector. This will improve the portability of the Care Certificate, to avoid care workers repeating training when moving roles. We are exploring options to establish a requirement for all care workers to have reached this baseline standard.
Health Professions: Migrant Workers
Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Kamall on 13 December (HL Deb, col 8), which countries have a surplus of medical professionals.
Lord Kamall: The information requested is not held centrally. However, we are aware of a number of countries with unemployed nurses and countries that train excess numbers of nurses for their domestic requirements in order to give employment opportunities. We are in discussions with the Governments of some of these countries regarding supporting their health systems and giving opportunities to trained staff in the United Kingdom. We have established Government to Government health worker migration agreements with Kenya, Malaysia and the Philippines this year and a Health Workforce Taskforce with the Government of India as part of the Enhanced Trade Partnership, signed earlier in 2021.
Social Services: Inspections
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training is available to care inspectors in relation to diet and its impact on overall wellbeing.
Lord Kamall: As the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors, inspects and regulates services to ensure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. The CQC’s inspectors consider Regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, to assess whether people who use services have adequate nutrition and hydration to sustain life and good health.The CQC can prosecute for a breach of this regulation or a breach of part of the regulation if a failure to meet the regulation results in avoidable harm to a person using the service or a person using the service is exposed to significant risk of harm.While the CQC’s inspectors are not required to undertake specific mandatory training in relation to diet and Regulation 14, the CQC refers its inspectors to both learning resources produced by Skills for Care and internal resources on nutrition and hydration.
Radiotherapy: Medical Equipment
Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to replace aging radiotherapy treatment machines to enable cancer patients to benefit from technological advances in equipment; and what is their timetable for any such plans.
Lord Kamall: As part of the 2020 Spending Review, £32 million was made available to support the replacement of 17 linear accelerators (LINACs) over 10 years old, which will be delivered by 31 March 2022. This is in addition to £160 million invested from 2016 to 2018 which enabled the replacement or upgrade of over 80 LINACs.As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, changes will be made to the current radiotherapy payment system to incentivise the adoption of evidence-based best practice care and enable the appropriate replacement of equipment.
Social Services: Catering
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the standard training given to chefs in care settings.
Lord Kamall: No specific assessment has been made.
Disease Control
The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they have updated their future pandemic preparedness strategy, in view of the experiences of theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Lord Kamall: The Department’s pandemic preparedness plans are kept under constant review and regularly evolve with new scientific information. We integrate learning from previous outbreaks, including COVID-19, and from rigorous testing and exercises. We continue to prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios and aim to have robust, flexible and deployable capabilities that can be adapted to outbreaks of different scales and characteristics. We are committed to learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and will commence a full public inquiry in spring 2022. This will be considered by the Government and a range of stakeholders, including expert advisory groups and local emergency planners, to inform our planning for potential future pandemics. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) was established on 1 October 2021 and incorporates the new Centre for Pandemic Preparedness (CPP). Working with the CPP, the UKHSA will ensure that we are protected from future health threats, including pandemics, by building on the enhanced capabilities deployed to tackle COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks.
Immunotherapy: Shortages
Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what communications have been issued by the NHS in England about the immunoglobulin shortage to patient groups supporting people with immunodeficiency; and whether the NHS in England has communicated directly with patients to explain the situation and how it will affect them.
Lord Kamall: With the input of clinicians, professional bodies and patient groups, NHS England and NHS Improvement and the UK Primary Immunodeficiency Network have developed a patient information leaflet which was issued to National Health Service trusts on 8 November 2021, with a request to discuss and share with patients as part of individual clinical conversations. NHS England and NHS Improvement have also shared the leaflet with patient groups to circulate to affected members.The patient information leaflet highlights that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer people have been able to donate blood, which has impacted the availability of immunoglobulin products both globally and in the United Kingdom. The patient information leaflet also explains what the impact of the global shortage of immunoglobulin products may mean for UK patients and how they can access support. A copy of the patient leaflet, Immunoglobulin replacement therapy: Information for patients from the NHS and the UK Primary Immunodeficiency Network is attached.Immunoglobulin replacement therapy: Information fo (docx, 145.9KB)
Department for Education
Schools: Ventilation
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure school classrooms are properly ventilated; and what plans they have, if any, to introduce a requirement to keep CO2 in classrooms below 800 parts per million.
Baroness Barran: The department has provided CO2 monitors to state-funded nurseries, schools and further education colleges, backed by £25 million in government funding. Over 99% of eligible maintained schools, further education colleges, and the majority of nurseries have now received a CO2 monitor with over 300,000 now delivered. Final deliveries will be made before the end of term. Feedback suggests that the monitors are acting as a helpful tool to manage ventilation, sitting alongside the other protective measures in place to manage transmission, such as regular testing, vaccinations and increased hygiene.While CO2 measurements are a useful proxy for ventilation, they do not give direct information about infection risk. For these reasons, the values given in guidance should not be seen as absolute safe versus unsafe thresholds, but as a broad guide to the quality of ventilation in a space. This approach is recommended by both the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in their guidance. As stated in our guidance, it is the responsibility of schools, colleges and nurseries to decide on the use of poorly ventilated rooms in accordance with their own risk assessment procedures and obligations under health and safety law. 1,500 parts per million (ppm) is well below the workplace exposure limit set by HSE, set at 5,000ppm (averaged over the course of 8 hours).If used properly, air cleaning units can help reduce airborne contaminants in a poorly ventilated space while remedial work is undertaken to permanently improve ventilation. It is important to note that air cleaning units cannot improve ventilation, and they should never be used as a reason to reduce ventilation or not to remediate poor ventilation in a space.The department is providing additional, exceptional funding for air cleaning units for poorly ventilated spaces in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) providers, including SEND units in mainstream schools, where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible. These institutions are being prioritised given the higher-than-average number of vulnerable pupils in attendance. The purchase of 1,000 air cleaning units reflects our assessment of need in the sector based on recent feedback from SEND and AP providers.Institutions which are not eligible for a department funded unit have access to an online ‘marketplace’, which provides a route to purchasing air cleaning units of a suitable specification and competitive price. We expect that in most classrooms existing ventilation will be sufficient.Maintaining adequate ventilation ultimately remains the responsibility of individual schools, colleges and nurseries. It is for institutions to decide on the use of affected rooms in accordance with their risk assessment procedures and obligations under health and safety law.The case for additional support for institutions to maintain good ventilation will be kept under review as the programme continues and schools, colleges and nurseries use the monitors to further assess their ventilation needs.
Secondary Education: Teachers
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of secondary school teachers in England.
Baroness Barran: The number of teachers remains high, with over 461,000 (FTE) working in schools across the country, 20,000 more than in 2010. The department aims to continue to attract and then retain the highly skilled teachers that every child needs. We are taking action to improve teacher recruitment and retention by transforming the training and support we provide to not only attract more people into teaching, but to help teachers stay and thrive in the profession.The department is creating an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers to bring teaching in line with other prestigious professions such as law, accountancy and medicine. Underpinning this is the new Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework (ECF). Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence-based training, across ITT and into their induction.To support recruitment and retention of specialist secondary teachers in subjects that are harder to recruit, we have put in place a range of measures, including bursaries worth £24,000 tax-free and prestigious scholarships worth £26,000 tax-free. This will encourage talented trainees into key subjects, such as chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics. Additionally, we have announced a levelling up premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free for teachers in these subjects in years 1 to 5 of their careers.Furthermore, the department offers bespoke programmes to attract people who may not otherwise have considered teaching. These include the High Potential Initial Teacher Training and Leadership Development Programme and a dedicated programme to attract, support and retain those with career and industry experience into teaching.The department recognises the importance of increasing the consideration of teaching as a career of choice amongst undergraduates, and therefore we continue to support schools to deliver our teaching internship programme in mathematics, physics and computing. Our expert teacher training advisers offer bespoke, personalised support for candidates across all subjects who are looking to apply for ITT.We also remain committed to increasing teacher starting salaries to £30,000 to make teaching an attractive graduate option. We are continuing our efforts to support teacher wellbeing, including by launching the education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter, and by driving down unnecessary burdens and reducing teacher workload though the use of our Workload Reduction Toolkit, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit.
Ministry of Justice
Judiciary: Domestic Abuse
Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many meetings ministers have had with (1) the President of the Family Division, and (2) the Chair of the Judicial College, since April; and in how many of those meetings judicial training on domestic abuse was discussed.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Since April 2021, ministers have met with the senior judiciary regularly to discuss a range of issues related to the administration of the justice system and the courts and tribunals. To preserve the independence of the judiciary, the Lord Chief Justice (LCJ), the Senior President of the Tribunals, and the Chief Coroner have statutory responsibility for judicial training, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, and Coroners and Justice Act 2009 respectively. These responsibilities are exercised through the Judicial College. The judiciary and professional staff in the Judicial College are responsible for the design, content, and delivery of judicial training.
Judicial Review and Courts Bill
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the Judicial Review and Courts Bill meets their aspirations in this policy area.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Judicial Review and Courts Bill delivers on the Government’s Manifesto commitment to ensure that Judicial Review is available to protect the rights of individuals against an overbearing state, without being abused to conduct politics by another means or to create needless delays.The Bill reduces inefficiency by overturning the Cart judgment and creates new powers for the courts to modify quashing orders, allowing them to tailor their decisions more closely to the circumstances of individual casesThe courts elements of the Bill contains measures to streamline procedures across the justice system. It gives the criminal courts powers to progress cases more quickly, avoid unnecessary hearings, and ensure cases are heard in the most appropriate court at the earliest opportunity. This will save court time so that resources can be focused on trials and on reducing the backlog.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Israel: Palestinians
Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of comments made by UN Mideast envoy, Tor Wennesland, on 18 November to the UN Security Council concerning (1) the need to reduce the activities of the government of Israel in and around Jerusalem and the West Bank, (2) the importance of financial stability for the Palestinian Authority so it can pay salaries, and (3) the need to halt to settlement activities.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to urge the Government of Israel to permanently end its settlement expansion and settlement activity in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Minister Cleverly raised UK opposition to settlement expansion with the Government of Israel on 9 November. We share the concerns of the UN Middle East Envoy over the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s fiscal crisis and are actively working to help mitigate it. The UK has a substantial technical assistance programme within the Palestinian Ministry of Finance, strengthening public financial management. This programme is credited by the Palestinian Minister of Finance with helping to increase domestic revenues. We are also actively working with the PA and Government of Israel to resolve a number of long-standing issues that have the potential to substantially increase the clearance revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Iraq: Turkey
Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of allegations that the government of Turkey is deploying chemical weapons in northern Iraq; and what plans they have to support an independent inquiry into their deployment by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom opposes the use of chemical weapons in all circumstances. We take any credible evidence of the use of chemical weapons very seriously. We have been monitoring the recent allegations of chemical weapons use in northern Iraq but the allegations remain unsubstantiated. Any evidence should be shared with States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention and provided through appropriate channels to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Technical Secretariat.
Gaza: Coronavirus
Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that residents in Gaza receive their fair share of COVID-19 vaccinations.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Tackling COVID-19 remains a priority for the Government. We welcome the steps that the parties have taken so far to coordinate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including ensuring that essential medical supplies and staff can access Gaza, and encourage further dialogue in this regard. The UK is committed to global equitable access to effective vaccines as demonstrated by our £548 million contribution to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment - the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines. The Occupied Palestinian Territories was one of the first to receive vaccines from this scheme. The UK has raised the need for equitable access to vaccines in discussions with both the Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel.
Palestinians: Water Supply
Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the confiscation of a water pipe for Palestinian farmers in the Jordan Valley.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has raised the issue of access to water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank. The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The UK regularly raises the issue of demolitions, confiscations and forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes with the Government of Israel, most recently with Israel's Ministry of Defence on 19 October.
Ministry of Defence
Diversity and Inclusion Directorate: Staff
Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are serving in the Ministry of Defence's diversity and inclusion directorate; what are their (1) grades, and (2) salaries; what is their reporting chain; and who is the responsible Secretary of State for their work.
Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Directorate brings together a number of teams who deliver work related to the creation of an inclusive culture; the Service Discipline, Conduct, Complaints, and Legislation team (DCCL), Service Justice Complaints and Behaviours Transformation team (CJBT), the Defence Serious Crime Capability team (DSCC) and the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) team. This Directorate is part of the wider Defence People Transformation team, led by a 2-star Senior Civil Servant reporting to the Chief of Defence People, and was announced in the Defence Command Paper as a public statement of the MOD’s commitment to change. The D&I Directorate brings together the existing Service Justice and Complaints process with the teams charged with transforming these processes. This allows a coordinated, consistent, and cross-cutting approach to tackle fairness, equality, and justice across Defence and make real change to the experiences of our people. The grades and salary bands of the Directorate’s staff can be found in the separate Excel workbook accompanying this answer. The Directorate is part of the MOD and is, therefore, responsible to and the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Defence HL4922 - Diversity and Inclusion Grades and Salary (xlsx, 19.9KB)
Department for Work and Pensions
Sick Pay: Living Wage and Minimum Wage
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise the rate of statutory sick pay to equate to either the (1) national minimum, or (2) living, wage.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Government currently has no plans to increase the rate of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). SSP provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider Government offer to support people in times of need. Where an individual’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support, they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on their personal circumstances. As part of the Government’s response to coronavirus, we have extended SSP to those who are sick or self-isolating due to coronavirus; for example, where they or a member of their household has tested positive. SSP is also payable from the first day of absence, rather than the fourth, where an employee is sick or self-isolating due to coronavirus. Some employers may also decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support youngpeople into jobs in (1) England, and (2) other European countries.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: We have announced our Plan for Jobs expansion which will see another £500 million invested in supporting people into jobs. Specific support for young people is available through Kickstart and the DWP Youth Offer. The Kickstart scheme is dedicated to helping 16-24-year olds at risk of long-term unemployment develop their skills and experience through 6-month work placements. Over 112,000 Kickstart jobs have been started, and the scheme will continue until March 2022, offering jobs and experience to many thousands more young people. We are extending the DWP Youth Offer to 2025 and have expanded eligibility to include 16 and 17-year olds, in addition to 18 to 24-year olds, who are claiming Universal Credit and searching for work. The Youth Offer currently provides intensive work search support through the Youth Employment Programme, specialised Youth Employment Coaches for young people with additional barriers to work, and over 150 Youth Hubs across England, Scotland and Wales. DWP is working in collaboration with the Department for Education, National Careers Service, devolved administrations, and other partners to deliver a comprehensive package of support for young people. The Government’s primary focus is the recovery of the labour market in the UK.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
UN Convention on Biological Diversity
Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the representatives from the business and finance sector on the business advisory group set up under the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework; and what is the group's remit.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: In pursuit of high ambition outcomes for CBD COP15, Defra engages with a range of UK stakeholders including representatives from academia, the private sector, NGOs, and other interested parties, to gain valuable input from a wide range of sources. As part of this engagement, a business advisory group has met several times to consider the draft global biodiversity framework, its implementation across the private sector, and the role of business in mainstreaming biodiversity. Representatives of the business advisory group are: The Biodiversity ConsultancyBP (independently but also on behalf of the UK Business and Biodiversity Forum, UKBBF)Business for Nature coalitionDanone (independently but also on behalf of the One Planet Business for Biodiversity coalition, OP2B)The Environment BankFirmenich (independently but also on behalf of the One Planet Business for Biodiversity coalition, OP2B)FNZ UKJP MorganNational Hair and Beauty Federation (NHBF)Scottish and Southern ElectricitySound and FairStandard CharterTengriUnileverWorld Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)World Ocean CouncilWSP
Home Office
Police: Road Traffic Control
Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to include roads policing within the national Strategic Policing Requirement.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR) will set clear direction to policing on the contribution they need to make to respond to national threats including terrorism, serious and organised crime and child sexual abuse. It will highlight where police forces need to work together, using local and/or regional capabilities, to protect the public. Following the SPR review that we concluded earlier this year, we are considering the national threats and policing capabilities, such as roads policing, that are included in the SPR. The revised SPR will be published in due course.
Euro 2020: Arrests
Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many arrests were made by the Metropolitan Police Service at each England Euro 2020 match played at Wembley for offences relating to football disorder.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many charges were made for offences relating to football disorder for each England Euro 2020 match.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many convictions related to (1) disorder, and (2) racist offences, at football matches there were in each of the last five years.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many football banning orders were made under the Football (Disorder) Act 2000 in each of the last five years.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Data on arrests made by the Metropolitan Police Service for offences relating to football disorder relevant for the purposes of Schedule 1 of the Football Spectators Act 1989 at each England match during the Euro2020 tournament is shown in the table below: - DateOpponentArrests13 June 2021Croatia218 June 2021Scotland2822 June 2021Czech Republic129 June 2021Germany23 July 2021Ukraine07 July 2021Denmark1811 July 2021Italy39 Police investigations into football disorder offences committed in connection with Euro 2020 matches and the resultant legal proceedings are ongoing. The Home Office does not hold data on the charging of these offences.Data on convictions related to disorder, and racist offences, at football matches in each of the last five years is not held centrally.The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the number of football banning orders issued each year. These can be found on gov.uk.
Taxis: Complaints
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to review how common law police disclosure operates regarding licensed taxi drivers, and (2) to ensure that allegations against such taxi drivers are promptly reported by the police to the relevant local licensing authority.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Common Law Police Disclosure (CLPD) provisions are an operational matter for policing. The provisions allow forces to proactively provide (sensitive) personal data to a third party using common law powers, where appropriate. This includes – in certain circumstances - sharing information with a licensing authority where the individual in question is a taxi or private hire vehicle licence holder. Chief officers should determine the implementation of CLPD provisions locally, in accordance with guidance published by the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council. They should also ensure close engagement with licensing authorities to allow for the exchange of information. The Home Office and Department for Transport continue to facilitate join-up at the national level between policing and licensing bodies, in order to ensure these processes are understood and work as smoothly as possible at the local level.
Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to create a national register ofall individuals who (1) have been refused, or (2) had revoked, a license issued under the Licensing Act 2003.
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to create a national registerof all individuals who (1) have been refused, or (2) had revoked, a license issued under Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government has no current plans to create a national register of individuals who have been refused or had a licence revoked under the Licensing Act 2003 or the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.
Refugees: Afghanistan
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the number of individuals and families eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals have been processed by the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme to date; how many spaces are available for new referrals in 2022; and which organisations can make referrals to thescheme.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: We are working across government and with partners such as UNHCR to design and open the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme amidst a complex and changing picture. We are committed to working in step with the international community to get this right, and we will set out more details soon.The first to be resettled through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will be some of those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk.Information on the eligibility, prioritisation and referral of people for the ACRS is set out in the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September, available at gov.uk.All figures for operational UK resettlement schemes are published quarterly on gov.uk.
Crime: Drugs
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they will take to stop the criminal drug trade within the UK.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: Drugs devastate lives, ruin families and damage communities. This Government is determined to tackle this threat and that is why we published a ten-year Strategy to combat illicit drugs. This Strategy sets out a whole system approach of how the Government is doing more than ever to cut off the supply of drugs by criminal gangs and give people with a drug addiction a route to a productive and drug-free life reducing the recreational use of drugs Underpinned by significant investment, we will reduce drug-related crimes, deaths, harms and overall drug use. This includes £300m of dedicated investment from the Home Office over the next three years to drive work on tackling drug supply The strategy is on the gov.uk page.
Refugees: Afghanistan
Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to update (1) Parliament, and (2) the public, on the implementation of (a) the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, and (b) the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, including the (i) number of applicants identified or referred, and (ii) number of visas issued.
Lord Greenhalgh: We intend to publish an update on the progress of Operation Warm Welcome in due course.Statistical updates will be published in the Immigration statistics quarterly release from 2022, which can be found on gov.uk.
Roads: Accidents
Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what obligation, if any, there is upon emergency services to alert a local authority where the condition of a road could be considered a causal factor in an incident they are called to attend.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: There are no requirements to share information but it is the Government’s expectation is that information should be shared – as appropriate - between emergency services and others in the public sector should an issue be identified that may cause a risk to the public.
Repossession Orders: Fraud
Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the National Crime Agency and the Financial Conduct Authority received the first complaints alleging that banks had forged customer signatures to repossess homes, businesses and other property.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government expects all companies to obey the law and relevant regulations. Anyone with evidence of such forgery taking place should report it to their bank in the first instance. If their concerns remain, or they do not have a direct relationship with the lender, they should report it to the relevant authorities.Although the Treasury sets the legal framework for the regulation of financial services it does not have investigative or prosecuting powers of its own and is not able to intervene in individual cases. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires all authorised firms to have systems and controls in place to mitigate the risk that they be used to commit financial crime. Whilst the police have primary responsibility for investigating fraud the FCA also has powers to take a variety of enforcement action against firms that carry out fraudulent activity.The chair of the Treasury Select Committee wrote to NCA Director General Lynne Owens on the issue of bank signature forgery in July 2019. The matter was assigned to the National Economic Crime Centre for consideration in September 2019.
Terrorism: Victims
Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to standardise the definition of a victim of terrorism across the UK.
Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office recognises a victim of terrorism as anyone who has suffered harm, including physical, mental and emotional harm, as a consequence of a terrorist attack. This includes those who are injured, bereaved families, and witnesses. We recognise that many people can be affected by terrorist attacks in many ways and are committed to ensuring that all victims receive comprehensive support. To strengthen the support available the Home Secretary publicly committed to conducting an internal review of the support provided to victims of terrorism. Whilst this review will not consider changing the definition of a victim it will consider the support provided to victims of terrorism. Support for victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and there is separate legislation for the provision of this support under The Victims and Survivors (NI) Order 2006.
Treasury
Business: Coronavirus
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to extend VAT relief, and (2) to reduce business rates, to support businesses implementing the new COVID-19 restrictions.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government has provided over £400 billion of direct support to the economy during this financial year and last which has helped to safeguard jobs, businesses, and public services in every region and nation of the UK through the pandemic. The reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism has cost over £8 billion and will continue to support businesses until 31 March 2022. There are no plans to extend the length of this relief. Eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors in England will benefit from business rates relief worth over £6 billion in the year 2021-22. All taxes are kept under review, but it is appropriate that the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, in order to strengthen and rebuild the public finances.
Events Industry: Non-domestic Rates
The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide 100 per cent business rate relief to the end of 2022/23 for all music venues, given the COVID-19 Plan B restrictions.
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the introduction of Plan B COVID-19 restrictions, what plans they have, if any, to provide 100 percent Business Rate Relief to the end of 2022/23 for all music venues.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: Our support for the music industry through the £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund throughout the pandemic has been unwavering. The Government has provided unprecedented business rates support, worth £16 billion, for the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors since the start of the pandemic. Eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure properties paid no business rates for 15 months from 1 April 2020, and thanks to the current 66 per cent capped relief which took effect on 1 July 2021, over 90 per cent of eligible businesses will see a 75 per cent reduction in their business rates bill across this entire financial year to April 2022. In recognition of longer-term challenges facing the high street, eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses will receive a new temporary relief worth almost £1.7 billion in the year 2022-23.
Culture: Tickets
The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will (1) cancel, or (2) delay, the planned VAT rise on culture tickets, given the COVID-19 Plan B restrictions.
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the introduction of Plan B COVID-19 restrictions, whether they will cancel the planned VAT rise on cultural exhibition and event tickets.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of around 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors. As announced at Spring Budget 2021, the Government extended the 5 per cent temporary reduced rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors until the end of September. On 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help ease affected businesses back to the standard rate. This new rate will end on 31 March 2022. All taxes are kept under review, but there are no plans to extend the 12.5 per cent reduced rate of VAT. This relief has cost over £8 billion. Applying a reduced rate of VAT for a longer period would impose additional pressure on the public finances, to which VAT makes a significant contribution.
Financial Services: Carbon Emissions
Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to implement net-zero carbon emissions transition plans on a mandatory basis to avoid (1) regulatory uncertainty, and (2) delays, in transitioning London to a net-zero financial centre, as part of theGreening Finance: A Roadmap to Sustainable Investing,published in October.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: At COP26 Finance Day the Chancellor announced that the UK will move towards making transition plans mandatory. Initially, asset managers, regulated asset owners and listed companies will need to publish a transition plan or provide an explanation if they have not done so. Recognising that there is not yet an agreed standard for transition plans, the Chancellor also announced that the Government will set up a Transition Plan Taskforce. This will bring together the best of British industry and academia with regulators and the third sector to develop recommendations on transition plan disclosures in the UK. As standards for transition plans emerge, the Government and regulators will take steps to incorporate these into the UK’s Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and strengthen requirements to encourage consistency in published plans and increased adoption by 2023.
Trader Support Service: Staff
Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are employed (1) directly, and (2) indirectly, by the Trader Support Service.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Trader Support Service (TSS) contract was awarded to a consortium of Fujitsu, who was the majority member, McKinsey and Company, Customs Clearance Consortium, Institute for Export and International Trade, and Hinduja Global Solutions Limited. There are 759 staff employed across Fujitsu and other consortium members supporting TSS as of the week ending 17 December 2021. Trader Support Service (TSS) has handled just under 1.4 million Supplementary Declarations since 1 January 2021, with approximately 44,000 traders registered to use the service. Just over 16,800 of our traders are registered in Northern Ireland, with just over 11,500 of those traders actively using the service.
Children: Day Care
Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 19 November (75071), what proportion of the £2.4 billion underspend on tax-free childcare since 2017 has been reinvested in other childcare and early education services.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: We have spent over £3.5 billion in each of the past three years on our early education entitlements and the government continues to support families with their childcare costs. The universal 15 hours entitlement, available for every three and four year old, can save parents up to £2,500 per year, and eligible working parents can apply for an additional 15 hours free childcare which can save them up to £5,000 if they use the full 30 hours. 30 hours free childcare was introduced in England in September 2017 and is an entitlement for working parents of three and four year olds, benefitting nearly 330,000 children in January 2021. In addition to the free early education entitlements, the government offers Tax-Free Childcare for children from 0-11 years old, or up to 16 if disabled. This scheme means that for every £8 parents pay their provider via an online account, the government will pay £2 – up to a maximum contribution of £2,000 per child each year, or £4,000 if disabled. 308,000 families used Tax-Free Childcare for 364,000 children in June 2021. Parents may also benefit from Universal Credit. Working parents on a low income can get up to 85% of their childcare costs for children under 16 reimbursed through Universal Credit Childcare. This is subject to a monthly limit of £646 for one child or £1,108 for two or more children, payable in arrears. At SR21, the Government announced a £160 million investment for 2022-23, for local authorities to increase the hourly rate to be paid to early years providers.
Offshore Industry: Tax Yields
Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the net amount received in tax from North Sea oil and gas operations in each of the past six financial years, accounting for rebates and subsidies.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: Government revenues received from North Sea oil and gas operations, net of allowable deductions and tax reliefs, are presented in HM Revenue & Custom’s (HMRC) “Statistics of government revenues from UK oil and gas production” publication which is available on Gov.uk.
Trader Support Service
Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government for how long they intend the Trader Support Service to operate.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The current contract with the Trader Support Service (TSS) is due to end in December 2022. We continue to work up options for the end of the TSS’s initial two-year contract period to December 2022 and await the outcome of the negotiations currently underway for the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Trader Support Service
Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what is the projected annual expenditure on the Trader Support Servicefor each of the next three years.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The total estimated spend for the Trader Support Service (TSS) in the year 2022-23 is £99 million. There is currently no projected spend in the subsequent two years. We continue to work up options for the end of the TSS’s initial two-year contract period to December 2022 and await the outcome of the negotiations currently underway for the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Income Tax
Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in order to estimate the revenue yield of a one per cent increase on all income tax rates payable on property income, they can draw on the data in Table 3.7 from the Survey of Personal Incomes, which compiles numbers of taxpayers and associated estimates of property income.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: While the Survey of Personal Incomes offers information on the amounts of property income received by Income Tax payers, additional analysis would be required to assess the revenue raised by increasing the rates of Income Tax on property income. This would need to include an assessment of interactions with other aspects of Income Tax, such as the application of allowances and thresholds and the behavioural response to the policy change. The Government has not made an assessment of the revenue that would be raised by increasing income tax rates applicable to property income by one per cent.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Telecommunications Cables: Seas and Oceans
Lord Richards of Herstmonceux: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to protect international underwater telecommunication cables; and what would be the consequences of a failure to do so.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Sub-sea cables are a critical part of the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure connecting the UK to the rest of the world. Working with operators, DCMS ensures their security and resilience. We support industry efforts to enhance the cable networks’ resilience to loss or damage and provide advice and guidance to mitigate the risks posed by physical and cyber threats.
Artificial Intelligence: China
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the China State Council'sA Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan, published on 20 July 2017, in permitting the export of Artificial Intelligence driven devices to the UK.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: HM Government has a comprehensive set of artificial intelligence policies, including our recent National AI Strategy. This strategy will ensure that the UK’s AI ecosystem continues to flourish, so that the UK has the continued domestic capability to be a world leader in AI across all sectors.In the development of our own approach to sectors and technologies, we keep abreast of other international plans and strategies for artificial intelligence, and their implications for the UK. We are committed to getting the national and international governance of AI technologies right in order to encourage innovation and investment, and to protect the public and our fundamental values. Given the UK’s strength in AI research, innovation, and governance, we are in a position to make a unique and important contribution to the development of global standards for AI, and to lead thinking in this arena.We are familiar with China’s Artificial Intelligence Development Plan, issued in 2017, but recognise that it does not in isolation represent the entirety of China’s AI strategy. We note that China last year imposed its own export restrictions on its domestically generated AI technology. On 8 December 2021 the Secretary of State for International Trade informed Parliament in a written statement about a package of measures to update the export control regime. The recent review concluded that there were anomalies and inconsistencies within the UK's export control regime, and, as a result, China has been added to the list of those destinations subject to military end-use controls. The updated licensing criteria for strategic export controls apply to all goods, software, and technology which are subject to control for strategic reasons.
Artificial Intelligence: Toys and Games
Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of authoritarian regimes using Artificial Intelligence driven smart toys to collect children's data.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Government monitors the scale and nature of data security risks, and will continue to do so. The Government takes its responsibility seriously to ensure that data and their supporting infrastructure are secure and resilient in the face of established, new, and emerging risks, including where artificial intelligence plays a role in data collection.The Government has supported the building of strong safeguards and enforcement regimes to ensure that personal data are collected and handled responsibly and securely.Organisations which process the personal data of individuals in the UK must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Organisations which fail to comply may be investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office and, where appropriate, subject to enforcement action including fines.
Gambling: Licensing
Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have tocreate a national register of all individuals who (1) have been refused, or (2) had revoked, a license issued under the Gambling Act 2005.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Gambling Commission does not publish a register of individuals or operators which have been refused a licence. However, it does publish a register of companies and individuals who hold, or have applied for, operating licences in Great Britain. It also publishes the names of companies or individuals whose licences have lapsed, expired, or have been revoked, forfeited, suspended, or surrendered in the last three years. The register is available here.
Pornography: Internet
Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to introduce age verification for commercial pornography websites.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The strongest protections in the draft Online Safety Bill are for children. Companies in scope of the legislation will need to take steps to prevent children from accessing content which poses the highest risk of harm, including online pornography. Ofcom will set out in its codes of practice the steps companies need to take to comply with their duties under the Bill which we expect will include recommending the use of age verification technologies.The Government recognises the concerns that have been raised about protecting children from online pornography on services which do not currently fall within the scope of the Bill. The Government is exploring ways to provide wider protections for children from online pornography.The Joint Committee scrutinising the Bill reported with their recommendations on 14 December. We will consider the Committee’s recommendations and are committed to introducing the Bill as soon as possible.
Gambling: Money Laundering
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Parkinson of Whitley Bay on 17 November (HL3696), whatis their estimate of the total number of stolen funds that are used for gambling purposes each year.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Written Answer of 17 November set out amounts divested by licensed operators in cases where there was both identified anti-money laundering failings and criminal spending and an individual was criminally convicted. The Gambling Commission does not hold further data on stolen funds used for gambling purposes.All gambling operators have a responsibility to keep financial crime out of gambling. The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 places an obligation on operators to be alert to attempts by customers to gamble money acquired unlawfully, either to obtain legitimate money in return or simply using criminal proceeds to fund gambling. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2021-12-20 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2021",
"language": "en",
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London Passport Office
Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what date the London Passport Office changed its location from Petty France; why post offices are still handing out passport application forms showing the Petty France address; and what steps they intend to take to end the consequent inconvenience to those who wish to visit the London Passport Office.
Lord Rooker: The London Passport Office began issuing passports from Globe House in Eccleston Square, London SW1, on Monday 4 June 2001. After a phased transfer of all passport business, Clive House, Petty France, closed to the public on Friday 26 October.
Post Office Ltd was informed of the change of address at an early stage, the application form pack was reprinted and a leaflet was included to show the change of address. On cost grounds, all existing stock held by Post Office branches was not scrapped and it is possible that not all old stock has yet been exhausted. An option might have been to withdraw all application stock containing the Petty France address. But this would have been expensive and of little value in most of the United Kingdom as those in receipt of such forms would have had no intention of attending the London Passport Office.
However, all application form packs should contain a leaflet showing current fees and advising that personal attendance at a passport office is by appointment only. Customers telephoning the United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) 24-hour adviceline for an appointment are given directions to the office and advice on what they need to take.
In addition to the application form package and the adviceline, information on the relocation was available from the UKPS website and through UKPS publicity placed in local media such as the Evening Standard and London Metro. Post Office Ltd was briefed by UKPS on the response for its counter staff to give customers wishing to visit the London Passport Office—namely, that customers should contact the UKPS adviceline for an appointment and information.
Racial Profiling
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, and if so by what means, racial profiling is forbidden in the police service in the exercise of powers of arrest, stop and search and other law enforcement action.
Lord Rooker: The Government are opposed to "racial profiling", which can generally be described as the practice of police and other law enforcement officers relying on race, colour or ethnic origin as the basis for subjecting persons to investigatory activities or for determining whether an individual is engaged in criminal activity.
The Code of Practice (A) under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which relates to stop and search, makes clear that a person's race, age or appearance cannot be used alone as a reason for searching that person. It also makes clear that reasonable suspicion cannot be based on generalisations or stereotypical images of certain groups or categories of people as more likely to be involved in criminal activity.
In addition, a police force in performing its public functions, including its enforcement functions, would need to be mindful of its obligations under the Race Relations Act 1976. These would include obligations resulting from the amendments made to the Race Relations Act 1976 by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.
Mr Colin May
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what basis the Police Complaints Authority can justify a six-month inquiry period in relation to a case where the act of violence against the person complained of by Mr Colin May of Erith was captured on a video in its entirety and provided to the police at the commencement of the inquiry.
Lord Rooker: The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police informs me that a total of 15 officers are to be interviewed for this investigation, many of whom were present at the incident. To date, 12 have been interviewed. Interviews with the other three have been arranged for the beginning of April. The Police Complaints Authority expects the investigation to be concluded by the end of April.
Police Complaints Authority: Audit
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What audit arrangements exist, to which the public have access, in the case of the investigation costs of the Police Complaints Authority.
Lord Rooker: The Police Complaints Authority is audited internally by the Home Office Audit and Assurance Unit and externally by the National Audit Office every year. Its accounts and audit certificate are published in full within its annual report, which is laid before Parliament prior to the Summer Recess each year. Copies of the annual report and accounts can be obtained by the public from The Stationery Office.
The PCA supervises police investigations of the more serious complaints. However, the costs of the actual investigation are borne by the forces themselves and therefore would be submitted in the accounts of the relevant police authorities.
Yarl's Wood
Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people who were in detention in Yarl's Wood at the time of the recent fire there have since been deported; how many have been or are still detained in prison elsewhere without charge; what are the reasons in each of these categories; and what has been the Government's response to representations on these matters by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
Lord Rooker: The immigration and asylum cases of those held at Yarl's Wood removal centre have continued to be processed in the normal way. If the conclusion is reached in such cases that the persons concerned have no basis of stay in this country, they will be removed. This point will already have been reached in some of the cases and the individuals concerned will have been removed from the United Kingdom. This will continue to be the case.
Detainees who are assessed to pose a control and security risk will be transferred from immigration removal centres to prison accommodation in line with established policy. This will include detainees held at Yarl's Wood at the time of the incident and individuals held at other removal centres.
Exact figures for the number of former Yarl's Wood detainees removed from the United Kingdom or held in prison accommodation could be obtained only by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
UNHCR met with the Home Secretary on 7 March and raised a number of issues regarding detention including Yarl's Wood and the points raised will be considered.
Immigration Service Operational Enforcement Manual
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 19 March 2001 (WA 127), whether they will now publish the operational enforcement manual containing instructions for members of the Immigration Service.
Lord Rooker: It remains our intention to make the operational enforcement manual available on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website (www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk) in due course. However, I regret that other priorities have resulted in the work on this project being seriously delayed since the reply given by my noble friend Lord Bassam last year.
Terrorist Extradition Proceedings
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many terrorist extradition proceedings have been initiated since 1970; how many have been successful; and what nations they were being extradited from.
Lord Rooker: Reliable statistical information on extradition requests to other countries, with the exception of the Republic of Ireland, has been kept only since 1997. Details of requests made to the Republic of Ireland under the backing of warrants arrangements between our two countries are not held centrally. Extradition requests are based on specific offences, such as murder, which do not necessarily disclose whether an offence is of a terrorist nature. Statistics since 1970, therefore, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The available information in relation to extradition requests for terrorist offences is as follows.
Two fugitives were requested from the Netherlands, and surrendered, in 1999. Three fugitives were requested from Slovakia, and surrendered, in 2001.
Asylum Seekers: Utility Bills
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What provision has been made for asylum seekers who are in receipt of vouchers to pay their utility bills; and what is the mechanism for payment.
Lord Rooker: Asylum seekers in the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) accommodation do not pay utility bills. The costs of their accommodation and any utilities are met centrally. Asylum seekers in receipt of subsistence only support (vouchers) from NASS do not receive any additional help to meet the costs of their accommodation or any associated bills.
Criminal Justice System Annual Report
Lord Davies of Coity: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to publish the criminal justice system annual report for 2000–01.
Lord Irvine of Lairg: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary, my noble and learned friend the Attorney-General and I will today be publishing jointly an annual report on the criminal justice system for England and Wales.
The document follows on the Criminal Justice System Strategic and Business Plan, published in May 2000.
Copies of the report will be placed in the Library of the House.
Government Departments: Assets of Cultural Significance
Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh on 18 March (WA 124), whether they will give a full breakdown of all the assets of cultural significance held by each government department listed in the National Asset Register; and
Whether they will list and provide valuations for the "250 items of furniture; fittings and artefacts classified as antiques" described in the entry for the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments in the National Asset Register.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Government departments hold various assets of cultural significance which are summarised in the National Asset Register. Each department is required separately to identify heritage assets in the National Asset Register and provide a summary of them.
A full list of individual heritage assets is not held centrally. It would be impractical to do so. Further information on departmental assets is available from resource accounts.
Government Departments: Assets of Cultural Significance
Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Treasury consulted independent expert advice before drawing up the inventory of 250 antiques which was given to W & FC Bonham & Sons for valuation.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Independent expert advice on the preparation of the Treasury's inventory was provided by Bonhams. However, on the question of auction I refer the noble Lord to an Answer in the House on 29 October (Official Report, col. 1175).
Government Departments: Assets of Cultural Significance
Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider that objects which are of small monetary value can be of great historical and heritage significance; and, if so, whether it is appropriate for the Government to evaluate the heritage assets they hold in financial terms.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether government departments are required to seek independent, expert advice before identifying the heritage assets that are subsequently recorded in the National Asset Register.
Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Treasury's policy on non-operational heritage assets differs from that of the Lord Chancellor's Department, which does not "capitalise non-operational antiques such as painting and works of art" (HC Deb, 9 November 2001, 487W).
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: All government departments decide what to capitalise on the basis of accounting policies set out in the Resource Accounting Manual (RAM). These policies follow advice from an independent statutory body, the Financial Reporting Advisory Board (FRAB). A copy of the Resource Accounting Manual is available in the Library of the House and on the Internet.
The Government agree that certain assets can be of considerable cultural and heritage significance. That is why the Government's accounting framework gives detailed guidance on how heritage assets should be accounted for. This makes it clear that heritage assets should generally appear in departments' balance sheets, both for transparency reasons and to encourage good stewardship of assets by the owner entity.
However, departments are permitted not to capitalise or value non-operational heritage assets where, because of their special characteristics, valuing them may not be practicable or appropriate. This would apply where the cost of obtaining a valuation outweighs the benefits or where it is impossible to establish a sufficiently reliable valuation. Consequently, departments need not value paintings and works of art within heritage collections.
It is typically the entity holding the assets which is solely competent to decide which are heritage assets. Departments are therefore required to attest annually to the ongoing heritage credentials of their heritage assets. In doing so they are free, but not obliged, to seek expert independent advice. The balance sheet treatment of all assets is subject to validation independently through the audit process.
Government Departments: Assets of Cultural Significance
Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will review valuations policy in light of the two lots of silver that were auctioned by W & FC Bonham & Sons on 30 October 2001, which sold for well over twice their highest pre-sale estimates.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Divergence between a valuer's estimate of the value of a particular item and its actual sale price is not unusual, especially in a case where the interest of buyers has been enhanced by media attention.
Government Departments: Assets of Cultural Significance
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the "small number of antiques to the value of £3,000" that were disposed of by the National Investment and Loans Office during 2000–01, as mentioned on page 645 of the National Asset Register.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: NILO initiated the disposals following an office move: £3,000 of surplus antique furniture—chairs, tables and a document cabinet—were sold by Hamptons Fine Art Auctioneers in 2000–01.
Government Departments: Assets of Cultural Significance
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Bank of England holds no assets which could be considered as items of national heritage.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Bank of England operates independently of government. Her Majesty's Government do not hold any information on its asset holdings beyond that listed in the National Asset Register (page 616) which was itself computed from book values entered in the published accounts of the Bank.
Government Departments: Assets of Cultural Significance
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 25 October 2001 (Official Report col. 1102) that "it has been decided not to sell items valued at over £1 million with the greatest historical and heritage significance", whether they own any items of heritage significance valued at over £1 million; and, if so, whether they will list them.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Treasury owns no single item valued at over £1 million. My previous Answer referred to several separate items whose total estimated value is £1.05 million. These items were a set of 12 silver candlesticks (value £600,000) and three James II Treasury inkstands (£450,000).
Government Departments: Assets of Cultural Significance
Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the policy of the Inland Revenue on reducing its heritage assets following the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting; and
Whether the Inland Revenue and Valuation Office Agency have changed their policy on reducing the heritage assets following the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting and the transfer of land and buildings to the private sector under a public private partnership project.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The heritage assets of the Inland Revenue and Valuation Office Agency have not been transferred to the private sector. No land and buildings held by the Inland Revenue either before or after the transfer of the estate to the private sector were held as heritage assets.
The Inland Revenue and Valuation Office Agency do not have a policy to reduce the level of heritage assets held.
Organic and Non-fossil Fuels: Duty
The Earl of Mar and Kellie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether duty other than VAT can be charged on organic and non-fossil fuels; whether such duty is charged in other European Union member states such as Germany; and whether they would consider it appropriate to charge such duty in the United Kingdom.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The European Directive on mineral oils duties structures requires organic and non-fossil fuels used as road fuels to be taxed at the same rate as the mineral oil for which they are substituting. The UK already charges excise duty on organic and non-fossil fuels for use as a road fuel but, where it judges there are sound environmental reasons for doing so, it takes advantage of the option of derogation to introduce duty incentives to promote the development and use of alternative fuels. For example, in Budget 2001 the Government announced a new lower rate of duty for biodiesel, to be set at 20p per litre lower than mineral diesel from later this year. In Pre-Budget Report 2001, the Government announced excise duty exemptions for pilot projects involving biogas, hydrogen and methanol.
Other member states are also subject to the same requirements as the UK but similarly are free to seek derogations from the European directive on mineral oils duties structures to apply lower rates of duty or exemptions for organic and non-fossil fuels.
Voluntary Sporting Clubs: Taxation
Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to reduce the burden of taxation and other regulations on voluntary sporting clubs.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Charity Commission announced in November 2001 that it would recognise as charitable "the promotion of community participation in healthy recreation by the provision of facilities for particular sports"—conferring the full range of charity tax relief. The Promoting Sport in the Community consultation document launched in November 2001 outlined a possible additional tax package and sought views on the best way to support community amateur sports clubs. Decisions will be made as part of the normal Budget process.
Voluntary Sporting Clubs: Taxation
Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many community amateur sports clubs responded to the consultation document Promoting Sport in the Community; how many of those respondents answered the question posed as to whether they agreed with the Government's assessment that the Charity Commission's proposals which now include "healthy recreation" as a charitable activity meant that the Inland Revenue tax breaks were no longer needed; and how many of those clubs which gave an answer replied "No".
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Over 2,400 responses have been received to the Promoting Sport in the Community consultation document. Decisions will be made as part of the normal Budget process, with regard to the range of responses received. A summary of responses will be made publicly available at the time of any announcement.
Defence Budget: VAT
Lord Freeman: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any VAT is paid on procuring defence equipment by the Defence Procurement Agency; and, if so, whether it is refunded to the defence budget.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: VAT is payable on procuring some defence equipment. In common with other government departments, the Ministry of Defence can recover some of the VAT it incurs under Section 41(3) of the VAT Act 1994. VAT which cannot be so recovered is taken into account when the budget for the Ministry of Defence is agreed.
Parliamentary Questions
Baroness Gale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to raise the advisory cost limit of £550 for answering Parliamentary Questions for Written Answer.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The advisory cost limit was last increased on 20 May 2000 and is to be further increased to £600 from today.
The purpose and application of the advisory cost limit remains unchanged. It is intended to act as a threshold for disproportionate cost Parliamentary Questions (PQs). Any written PQ where the marginal cost of preparing the Answer is considered likely to exceed the threshold may be refused in whole or in part on the grounds of disproportionate cost. Alternatively, the Minister may decide that the PQ is to be answered irrespective of cost. There is no advisory limit for oral PQs.
The advisory limit continues to be based on eight times the average marginal cost for written PQs, which is now £75, rounded down to the nearest £50 for convenience of application.
Parliamentary Questions
Baroness Billingham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their current estimate of the average cost of answering (a) a Parliamentary Question for Written Answer; and (b) an oral Parliamentary Question.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: As at April 2001, the average cost of answering a written Parliamentary Question and an oral Parliamentary Question was £129 and £299 respectively.
Register of Friendly Societies
Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the policy of the Registry of Friendly Societies on reducing its heritage assets following the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Registry of Friendly Societies (RFS) ceased to exist on 1 April 2002.
European Union: Forthcoming Council Business
Baroness Billingham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for April, and what are the major European Union events for the period between 30 April and September 2002.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: See the following list. April 2002 5–6—Brussels—Luxembourg—Migrations Council (ASEM Informal) 8—Luxembourg—Fisheries Council 13–14—Luxembourg—ECOFIN (Ministerial Informal) 15–16—Luxembourg—General Affairs Council 22–23—Valencia—Euromed Conference 22–23—Luxembourg—Agriculture Council 25–26—Luxembourg—Justice and Home Affairs Council 27–30—Luxembourg—Agriculture Council (Ministerial Informal)
The following are the principal events in the EU between 1 May and September 2002 (certain relevant events are also included: the list is based on the information available at the date of issue.)
Date Location Event
May 2002
2 Washington EU/US Summit
3–4 Brussels Tourism Council (Ministerial Informal)
6 Brussels Eurogroup (Evening)
7 Brussels ECOFIN
8 Madrid EU/Canada Summit
9 Europe Day
13 Brussels General Affairs Council and Defence Ministers meeting
17–18 Madrid EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit
21 Brussels Internal Market, Consumers and Tourism Council
23 Brussels Culture and Audio-visual Council
24–26 Brussels Environment Council (Ministerial Informal)
27–28 Brussels Agriculture Council
30 Brussels Development Council
30 Brussels Education and Youth Council
31–1 Brussels Transport Council (Ministerial Informal)
June 2002
3 Brussels Employment and Social Affairs Council
3 Brussels Eurogroup (Evening)
4 Luxembourg ECOFIN
6–8 Brussels Foreign Affairs Council (ASEM Ministers)
6–7 Brussels Industry and Energy Council
10–11 Brussels General Affairs Council
10–11 Brussels Agriculture Council
11 Brussels Fisheries Council
13–14 Brussels Justice and Home Affairs Council
17–18 Brussels Transport and Telecoms Council
17–18 Brussels General Affairs Council
21–22 Seville European Council
24 Brussels General Affairs Council (Evening)
24–25 Brussels Environment Council
25 Luxembourg ECOFIN
26 Brussels Health Council
July 2002
6 Copenhagen ASEM Ministers for Finance
12 Brussels ECOFIN
12–13 Kolding Meeting of Employment and Social Policy Ministers (Informal)
15–16 Brussels Agriculture Council
19 Brussels Budget Meeting
19–21 Arhus Environment Ministers meeting (Informal)
22–23 Brussels General Affairs Council
August 2002
31–1 Elsinore Gymnich (Ministerial Informal)
September 2002
6 Brussels ASEM Economic Ministers Meetings
6–8 Copenhagen ECOFIN (Ministerial Informal)
8–10 Nyborg Agriculture Council (Ministerial Informal)
12–13 Copenhagen Justice and Home Affairs Council (Ministerial Informal)
22–23 Copenhagen ASEM Meeting
23–24 Brussels Agriculture Council
26 Brussels Internal Market, Consumer Affairs and Tourism Council
27 Tent ACP-EU Ministers Meeting
30 Brussels General Affairs Council
30 Brussels Research Council
International Criminal Court
Baroness Billingham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court will enter into force.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: This is an historic day for international justice and for the human rights of every citizen of the world. Today, at the United Nations in New York, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ireland, Mongolia, Romania and Slovakia deposited their instruments of ratification to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. These ratifications bring to 63 the number of states to have committed themselves to this landmark convention, and therefore activates the statute, which will enter into force on 1 July 2002.
The ICC will try those individuals accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, irrespective of their rank or position. In future, tyrants will know that their actions are not beyond the reach of international justice. The victims of their crimes will, for the first time, be able to look forward to the prospect of real justice. The culture of impunity, which has shrouded human rights violations for too long, will be over.
This Government have always been enthusiastic supporters of the court. It is our belief that the global rule of law is stronger than the local rule of tyrants. We played a major part in drafting the statute and worked hard to secure the passage of the International Criminal Court Act through this Parliament and the Scottish Parliament to enable us to be among the first 60 states to ratify.
The ICC will be a permanent court acting as a permanent deterrent for all potential tyrants. In time, this will be the law which transcends borders and embodies global values. As ever with all institutions of the law, its practice will be as important as its founding principles. We are committed to ensuring that it does its job fairly and impartially. We hope shortly to nominate a British candidate to be one of the judges of the court.
Cefn Croes
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What calculations they have made of the likely loss of income from tourism in mid-Wales if the proposed wind turbine power station at Cefn Croes were to be built.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: None. There is no concrete evidence that wind turbine power stations discourage tourism; on the contrary, in some cases, they become an attraction in their own right.
BSE Monitoring Scheme
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the total number of cattle slaughtered under the BSE monitoring scheme found to be suffering from tumours of the brain.
Lord Whitty: Testing of cattle for BSE involves sampling of brain stem tissue, which is then subjected to a rapid test for BSE. Brains are not examined for tumours in the course of testing for BSE. As at the end of March 2002, over 175,000 cattle have been tested, of which just over 500 tested positive for BSE.
Of the 1,218 animals reported as suspect cases for of BSE in 2001, 371 were not found to have the disease. Among these would have been animals suffering from other neurological diseases, including possibly tumours.
Kyoto Protocol
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
In implementing Kyoto Protocol commitments, whether they are seeking to minimise the burden of regulation on productive businesses and to maximise the effectiveness of existing schemes on which consumers can rely.
Lord Whitty: The UK's climate change programme provides full details of how the Government intend to meet their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. In developing the programme, the Government sought to minimise the level of regulation and put together a flexible, cost-effective package of policies to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Each policy was also subject to normal government procedures for producing regulatory impact assessments and one was published for the programme as a whole.
The final mix of policies in the programme covers all sectors of the economy and includes:
regulations, for example, the Renewables Obligation and amendments to the building regulations, where it was felt after consultation that these would be the most effective way of achieving the desired results within specific areas;
economic instruments, for example, the climate change levy and changes to vehicle excise duty and company car tax. These are designed to stimulate better energy efficiency and to encourage the purchase and use of low carbon technologies;
flexible, innovative measures, like the UK's emissions trading scheme, which will allow companies to make cost-effective emissions reductions;
voluntary-based agreements like the climate change agreements and EU-level agreements with car manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars;
grant based schemes, like the New Home Energy Efficiency Scheme, and those administered by the Carbon Trust and the Energy Savings Trust; and
measures to raise consumers' awareness of the issues including the use of energy labels on domestic appliances and the provision of information and advice.
EU Ecolabel
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 11 March (WA 53), how the United Kingdom compares with (a) France, (b) Denmark and (c) Italy on the amount spent per year per head of population on the promotion of the EU ecolabelling scheme.
Lord Whitty: There is no reliable information available on a comparable basis for expenditure on promoting the EU ecolabel by the competent bodies in different member states. The European Commission has started to collect more standardised data about the administration and financing of the scheme across the EU. There is also some relevant research on the marketing of the scheme (which can be accessed via the Commission website at www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ecolabel/background/marketingstudies.htm) but no comprehensive information about levels of promotional spending in different countries.
Timber Imports
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much timber is imported into the UK from Brazil; how much of it is illegally sourced; and how this compares with similar figures in other countries of the European Union.
Lord Whitty: International trade in some woods is controlled under the terms of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Those species of wood listed in Appendix I and II of CITES require import permits from the UK before import. These are issued only where the UK management authority (Defra) is satisfied that the wood has been legally obtained in the country of origin and has the necessary permit for export from that country. Other species listed in Appendix III of CITES do not require import permits. For these species, a self-completed import notification form must be presented to HM Customs prior to the arrival of the specimens, together with the relevant export permit(s) or certificate(s) of origin issued by the management authority in the exporting country. Both of these provide controls against illegal imports of wood, but it is for the management authority in the country of origin to decide whether the import has been legally logged.
In 2001, a total of 1,044.716 cubic metres of Appendix III timber was imported into the UK from Brazil, all of which had a valid export permit. There were no imports of Appendix I or II timber.
According to the most recent trade figures collated by the United Nations Environment Programme, in 1999 the UK imported 51 per cent of the total of timber imported to the EU from Brazil and in 2000, 56 per cent. The figures for total EU imports in 2001 have yet to be collated.
Timber Imports
Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make it illegal to import timber which has been illegally sourced.
Lord Whitty: Combating illegal logging requires effort from both timber producing and consuming countries. Timber producing countries are responsible for defining and enforcing the national legislative and regulatory frameworks that define legality.
The Department for International Development (DfID) is working with a number of timber producing countries to help them improve governance and strengthen forest law enforcement. We are also working to develop capacity for the implementation of timber certification schemes in some producing countries.
Domestically, the UK is working to ensure that the import of endangered timber species is in full compliance with CITES, the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species. We are also implementing a new government timber procurement policy which seeks to ensure that we procure forest products only from legal and sustainable sources.
The UK has shown leadership under the G8 Action Programme on Forests in promoting bilateral voluntary agreements with timber producing countries whereby countries work together to tackle illegal logging and associated trade. We are currently negotiating the first of these with Indonesia. We hope that bilateral agreements will lead to regional and, eventually, an international agreement that will have a big impact on illegal trade.
Any changes in legislation that may be necessary would best be applied at the European Union level. UK legislation alone would probably be ineffective, as shipment of illegally logged timber could easily be re-routed via other European ports before entering the UK. Any additional legislation would also need to be enforceable, which would require co-ordinated action between timber producing and importing countries. The UK will, however, take advantage of the next European meeting on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade on April 22 to 24 to discuss EU policy on this issue. This process may result in a review of EU policy and legislation.
Scrapie
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How ovine genotypes susceptible to scrapie can be identified with accuracy.
Lord Whitty: Susceptibility to scrapie is known to be linked to variations in the amino acids encoded at three sites (codons)—136, 154 and 171—on the sheep PrP gene. The available testing technologies use DNA sequencing to identify those variations. In connection with the national scrapie plan, the Government have awarded contracts to two laboratories to install and operate automated genotyping facilities. A blood sample is taken from the sheep, which is identified by an electronic transponder linked by barcode to the blood sample tube. Internal and external quality controls operate at the laboratories.
Scrapie
The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What scientific advice they have received about alternative methods for eliminating scrapie other than widespread slaughter such as the identification of high-immune response animals for breeding programmes.
Lord Whitty: In line with scientific advice, the Government last year launched the national scrapie plan for Great Britain, whose objective is to eradicate scrapie by breeding genetic resistance to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies into the sheep flock. Participation in the plan is voluntary and it does not involve the widespread slaughter of sheep. The plan only requires participants to remove from the breeding flock (either by slaughter or castration) those rams with the genotypes that are the most susceptible to scrapie. So far the proportion of rams falling into this category has been relatively small (about 8 per cent). Where the requirement to remove from the breeding flock causes problems, veterinary advice is available and in exceptional situations appeals can be considered. Experience in other countries indicates that a policy based solely on widespread slaughter is unlikely to be effective in the long term in eradicating scrapie. The available scientific information suggests that scrapie does not promote a detectable immune response in the host. Development of laboratory tests which can identify animals incubating the disease is in progress but a practical technique is not yet available.
Building Regulations Approved Documents
Lord Howie of Troon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what evidence they have concluded that Building Regulations approved documents have inhibited designers and developers from pursuing innovation in constuction, as stated in the document Regulatory Reform-the Government's Action Plan.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: My department consulted on amending Section of 7 of the Building Act 1984 in April 2000. This consultation arose from the Deregulation Task Force report for 1995–96 which said:
"Anyone who wants to comply with the Building Regulations by a route other than that set out in the Approved Documents must prove to the Building Inspector that their alternative is compliant. We think that this burden of proof should be reversed. The current legal status of approved documents should be changed so that businesses can develop innovative ways of complying with the regulations without having to prove that they are not breaking the law. They should provide a safe haven, not a straitjacket".
To test this assertion, the consultation proposed that the status of the approved documents should be changed to alter the burden of proof from developers to building control bodies. However, the results of this were inconclusive. While some respondents considered that the current legal status of the documents did inhibit designers and developers, others argued that they did not and that there would be a loss of necessary protection if their status were changed. As a result of this, we are considering how the approved documents could be changed to meet the concerns of all parties.
Airline Passengers
Baroness Wilcox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the main findings of the recent Civil Aviation Authority and Joint Aviation Authorities research into the minimum seat space required for each airline passenger; and whether those findings will, as recommended by the Science and Technology Committee in the 5th Report for Session 1999–2000 on Air Travel and Health, be used to develop an unambiguous set of definitions of aircraft seat sizes so that intending passengers can make an informed decision about the space they are purchasing.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: This research was carried out by ICE Ergonomics Ltd on behalf of the Joint Aviation Authorities under funding from the UK Civil Aviation Authority and was aimed principally at harmonising European standards on the safety issues associated with seating. The main finding suggested that a minimum seat spacing of 29.4 inches is needed to accommodate the 99th percentile of passenger by body size, allowing 1 inch of knee clearance to the back of the seat in front. The report also recommended that in order to guarantee sufficient seated space a minimum foot clearance envelope is needed. These results were based on software modelling using anthropometric data and the research recommends passenger trials to validate the findings.
In parallel with this, the UK's Aviation Health Working Group has prepared definitions of aircraft seat dimensions covering leg, elbow and hip room. It is intended that these will shortly be agreed with representatives from industy and consumer groups before being circulated to airlines and other interested parties.
Airline Passengers
Baroness Wilcox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they have taken (a) to promulgate their November 2001 advice to intending air travellers on action to help prevent deep vein thrombosis; and (b) to monitor ways that others further promulgate that advice; and, in particular, what arrangements they have made with airlines about active publicity to passengers in both economy and other classes at the time of booking, at check-in, on take-off and in flight.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The advice produced by the Government in November 2001 has been made available to the public through NHS Direct, the Internet, the airlines and health services. Advice on deep vein thrombosis and travel is also widely available to the public in the Department of Health's Health advice for Travellers booklet.
The Government have not been prescriptive about how the airlines should present this material to passengers. We have however continued to monitor the use the airlines have made of this advice and are satisfied that they are providing good quality information in a variety of formats, including leaflets, in flight magazines, announcements and videos. The British Air Transport Association has stated that all UK long haul carriers, both charter and scheduled, provide passengers with advice on health before and during the flight.
Airline Passengers
Baroness Wilcox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many passengers they estimate are carried annually on United Kingdom-registered aircraft that have re-circulatory ventilation systems incorporating less than the highest available standard of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration; and what action they propose to take to reduce this number to zero.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: All UK registered long haul aircraft have HEPA standard filters fitted. On short haul routes some aircraft types cannot be fitted with HEPA filters or do not re-circulate air and therefore do not require filters. Nevertheless we understand that the majority of UK registered aircraft operating international short haul flights are fitted with HEPA filters.
It would be difficult to produce reliable estimates in terms of passengers carried.
Building (Amendment) Regulations
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will withdraw the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/440) until there has been full consultation with all affected parties, in particular the Federation of Master Builders and the Federation of Small Businesses.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: No. Officials in my department have replied to correspondence from the two federations setting out the full extent of the consultation which took place.
Local Authority Bus Controls
Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in view of the uncertain timescales involved in seeking primary legislation, they will consider using the Regulatory Reform Order procedure to extend the maximum length of local authority bus contracts to 10 years; and when this is likely to be effected.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Use of Regulatory Reform Order procedures in this regard will certainly be considered, but we will of course need to take account of other calls on use of these procedures before a final decision is taken.
Dual Mandate: Proposed Changes
Baroness Scott of Needham Market: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the proposed changes of dual mandate will preclude Members of the House of Lords serving as members of a local authority.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: No. This proposal, if assented to by the European Parliament and agreed by the Council of the European Union, would make membership of the European Parliament incompatible with membership of a national parliament from 2004, though the UK has obtained a derogation for serving members of the UK Parliament until 2009. It has no implications for the membership of local authorities.
London Underground
Baroness Gale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will provide the normal notification period in which to consider the proposed comfort letters laid before this House on 20 March in respect of the London Underground public private partnership.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We have decided to extend the consultation period for the comfort letters laid before this House on 20 March. This will provide the customary notification period.
Pain Control Clinics
Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many specialist pain control clinics were operational within each region of the National Health Service on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many were operational three years before that.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Health does not collect this information.
We are aware of the Clinical Standards Advisory Group report on Services for Patients with Pain published in April 2000, which showed that chronic pain services exist in 220 National Health Service trusts in the United Kingdom.
Pain Control Clinics
Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many specialist pain control clinics have closed during the past three years in Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The information requested is not available centrally.
Pain Control Clinics
Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the average waiting time for each region of the National Health Service for patients referred for consultation at specialist pain control clinics on the latest date for which figures are available.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The average median waiting time for 2000–01, from the date of a decision to admit a patient for treatment for pain management to the admission date, are as follows:
Regional office Median waiting time in days
Northern and Yorkshire 46
Trent 50
West Midlands 50
North West 33
Eastern 64
London 32
South East 55
South West 38
England 48
The figures reflect all National Health Service trusts treating patients with a specialty code for pain management and are based on elective waiting list and booked hospital in-patient admissions.
Primary Care Trusts
Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to delegate functions to primary care trusts under the terms of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Bill, once it is enacted, at a date other than the beginning of a financial year; if so, how they will make allocations at that time to primary care trusts to enable them to carry out those delegated functions; and how they will provide for the sharing of the financial responsibility for that financial year between primary care trusts and health authorities (or strategic health authorities).
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Primary care trusts (PCTs) currently provide or secure the provision of a limited range of services (including primary, community care and secondary care services). Subject to the successful passage of the Bill, more functions will be delegated from health authorities to PCTs from 1 October 2002.
We currently allocate funding to health authorities, and they in turn allocate funding to PCTs on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each health authority and PCTs' fair share of available resources to enable them to commission similar levels of services for populations in equal need.
We announced allocations to health authorities for 2002–03 on 6 December 2001. Health authorities are setting initial PCT allocations for 2002–03 for those functions for which PCTs will be responsible from 1 April 2002. PCT allocations will be reset to cover the functions that will be delegated to PCTs from 1 October 2002.
In future the intention is that allocations will be made direct to PCTs. Allocations will continue to be based on the principle of weighted capitation.
Health Targets
Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they expect any overspending on National Health Service budgets during 2001–02 to impact on the work of acute trusts, primary care trusts and other health bodies in delivering the Government's health targets during 2002–03.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are still in discussion with health bodies about managing their end-of-year 2001–02 positions and plans for 2002–03. However, we expect them to live within their agreed resources and not to overspend. Information on the 2001–02 financial position will be made available when National Health Service bodies' accounts have completed audit. This will be in the autumn.
Overseas Broadcasting Organisations:Arabic-speaking Services
Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions have taken place between Foreign Office officials and Department for Culture, Media and Sport officials on the issue of licensing of overseas broadcasting organisations to provide services in Arabic within the United Kingdom.
Baroness Blackstone: From time to time officials in my department have discussed the broadcasting of Arabic speaking services with officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, both as a matter of general policy and pursuant to any specific licence applications to the ITC, to assist the ITC in fulfilling its statutory obligations under Section 143 of the 1996 Broadcasting Act.
Northern Ireland: Crime Investigations
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of crime investigations in Northern Ireland of all types have been brought to a successful conclusion during each year from 1994 to date.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: As a result of the major change in the Home Office crime counting rules on 1 April 1998, data from that date cannot be compared directly with previous years. The table below therefore reflects figures from the financial year 1998–99. Provisional figures for the current year from April to December are included.
Total Recorded Crimes Total Crimes Cleared % Clearance Rate
1998–99 109,053 31,639 29.00
1999–00 119,111 36,004 30.20
2000–01 119,912 32,522 27.10
2001–02 (April–December) 104,299 19,295 18.50
Belfast Agreement
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which parts of the Belfast Agreement of 1998 they consider have not been fully implemented, stating in each case by whom and why; and
What topics relating to non-implementation of the Belfast Agreement of 1998 have been discussed with the Government of the Irish Republic.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Remarkable progress has been made in the implementation of the Belfast Agreement, although much remains to be done. For example, the two major reviews on policing and criminal justice are still in the course of implementation; the security situation is far from normal, while there remains a paramilitary threat, with the consequent security force response, and while the decommissioning issue, despite encouraging recent progress, remains to be resolved; and there remains the question of devolving further responsibility for policing and criminal justice, as envisaged in the agreement. All parties who support the agreement need to proceed in partnership to ensure its effective implementation. We regularly discuss implementation of the agreement, including issues set out above, with the Irish Government.
Northern Ireland: Victim Support
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which organisations and groups benefited from the £18 million allocated as core funding for victims in response to the Bloomfield Report We will remember them (1998); by how much each group: and what are their geographical location and remit.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Since 1998, government have £18.25 million to support victims of the Troubles. Of this, £3.1 million was initially allocated to core fund victims and survivors groups. The core funding scheme, which was introduced in January 2000 for a period of two years, is administered by the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust (NIVT), which has recently published its annual report for 2001. This report details each core funding allocation to victims' groups as at 31 March 2001.
The details of grant allocations given in Annex A will vary from those in NIVT's annual report. Annex A gives total grant allocations as at 28 March 2002. Groups are still drawing down money from these allocations and amounts allocated are adjusted as projects progress.
Details of the geographical location and the main geographical area served by each group are also provided. However, groups may provide support to victims in areas outside those given.
In December 2001, Des Browne, Victims Minister, announced the allocation of a further £3 million to extend the core funding scheme. An evaluation of the scheme has recently been completed and a report will be published within the next few weeks. Decisions on arrangements for administering this further allocation will be guided by the findings of the evaluation.
Northern Ireland: Victim Support
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the role and remit of the Northern Ireland Office Victims Liaison Unit; and what are its staffing levels and running costs.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Victims Liaison Unit, established in 1998 to implement the recommendations of the Bloomfield Report, is responsible for the provision of core funding to victims support groups; management and provision of grant aid to the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund; prioritisation and allocation of central government funding for victims; and ensuring that all victims' issues which fall within the excepted and reserved fields in Northern Ireland are addressed.
The unit works in close partnership with the devolved administration's Victims Unit. This co-ordinated approach ensures the most effective support to victims of the Troubles.
At 25 March 2002, the staffing levels in the Victims Liaison Unit (incorporating the secretariat of the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund) are as follows:
1 x Grade A (Principal Officer)
2 x Grade B1 (Deputy Principal Officer)
2 x Grade B2 (Staff Officer)
2 x Grade C (Executive Officer)
1 x Grade D1 (Administrative Officer) part-time
8 Total Victims Liaison Unit Annual Running Costs The annual running costs for VLU are £309K. Breakdown of figures: Pay and Allowances = £275K* Administrative costs = £34K * This includes the costs of the secondment of two members of staff to the Grants Office of the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund.
Northern Ireland: Victim Support
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that there should be a comprehensive review of the "fitness for purpose" of criminal injuries compensation in serving the needs of victims of violence has been implemented and, if so, what has been the progress or result.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The recommendation led to an independent review of criminal injuries compensation carried out by Sir Kenneth Bloomfield. That review reported in 1999. In response to recommendations made by the review, the Government published in 2001 proposals for draft legislation. The Criminal Injuries Compensation (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 received Royal Assent on 26 March, and a draft scheme made under the order, which will introduce a tariff-based system of criminal injuries compensation, was laid before the House on 10 April.
Northern Ireland: Victim Support
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that in dealing with victims within the social security and other systems officials should be sensitive and understanding in their approach has been implemented; and, if so, what progress there has been.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Northern Ireland Executive has taken the lead on the implementation of this recommendation, which focuses mainly on the areas of health and social security. In their draft programme for government, the devolved administration gave a commitment to put in place a cross departmental strategy to ensure the delivery of effective high quality services to victims of the Troubles. This strategy will be launced in the next few weeks.
A co-ordinated approach is vital to ensure the needs of victims are properly addressed, and the Victims Minister, Des Browne, meets regularly with the Ministers in the devolved administration. As implementation of the devolved administration's strategy proceeds, government will continue to review their approach to meeting victims' needs.
Privy Council Office: Heritage Assets
Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is the Privy Council Office's policy to reduce the number of heritage assets it holds, following the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: No.
Privy Council Office: Heritage Assets
Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the Privy Council Office's policy towards the 132 items of "antique furniture" listed in the National Asset Register as being in "everyday use", with regard to the disposal of heritage assets following the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The furniture will continue in use for as long as it serves its purpose. Items that are no longer of use will be disposed of unless they are of particular historical significance. Items falling within the latter category include a roll-top desk used by Charles Fulke Greville when he was Clerk of the Council, which is on permanent display in the lobby of the Privy Council Office. The Privy Council Office is proud of its heritage and will not dispose of items that would significantly dilute its historical links.
Privy Council Office: Heritage Assets
Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the Privy Council Office's policy towards the "heritage antique silver" listed as being "non-operational" in the National Asset Register, with regard to the disposal of its heritage assets following the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: It has been agreed with the National Audit Office that the silver is a donated asset which is exempt from normal capital return requirements under resource accounting and budgeting. The Privy Council Office has no plans to dispose of the silver and hopes to make arrangements to put at least some of it on display if the necessary secure facilities can be arranged.
Privacy and Data-sharing
Lord Brookman: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Performance and Innovation Unit will publish its report on privacy and data-sharing
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Performance and Innovation Unit's report Privacy and Data-Sharing: The Way Forward for Public Services is being published today. The report is important in the continuing development of customer-focused public services and sets out a strategy for improving the use of personal data in the public sector while still safeguarding individual's pivacy, including:
(i) Making better use of technology to deliver more secure, more joined-up services—using technology to ensure data are secure at all times and to enable more joined-up, more personalised service delivery;
(ii) Improving data quality—ensuring that the data held for public service delivery are good quality and up to date;
(iii) Building public trust—ensuring that clear principles govern the way that personal information is used across the public sector and that there is greater openness in the interactions between public services and their consumers; and
(iv) Addressing legal problems—ensuring that public services are clear about how the law regulates data-sharing, together with consultation on possible options for legislative change.
There are a number of recommendations in the report where we need a proper debate before final decisions are made. On those recommendations—set out in the report—the Government are seeking views from all interested parties. For the other recommendations, the Government want to see early progress in taking them forward as part of the strategy in delivering the overall objectives.
Copies of the report have been placed in the Printed Paper Office and the Libraries. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2002-04-11a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2002",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Shops: Closures
lord hain: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many bookshops have closed in the UK since 2010.
lord prior of brampton: In 2016, there were 2,005 retail units specialised in selling books in the UK, compared to 2,055 in 2010 (ONS business counts). | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2017-10-04 | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2017",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Afghanistan: Death Penalty
Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they are making, or will make, to the Government of Afghanistan regarding the abolition of the death penalty for apostasy from Islam to any other religion.
Lord Malloch-Brown: We condemn all instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith or belief and take every opportunity to urge states to implement laws and practices which foster tolerance and mutual respect. The Afghan Constitution (Article 2) provides for freedom of religion. Afghanistan is also a signatory to the six principal international human rights treaties including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees freedom of religion. We expect Afghanistan to live up to those obligations and believe individuals should be able to practise their faith or beliefs free from persecution and prosecution.
The UK is aware of instances in the past of the threatened use of the death penalty for apostasy in Afghanistan. We follow any such individual cases very closely and have lobbied strongly when necessary. We will continue to take an active stance should further such cases arise.
Armed Forces: Helicopters
Lord Lee of Trafford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have for upgrading helicopters currently in service; how many will be upgraded; over what timescale; and with what expected total budget.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: We are planning a series of upgrades which will extend the service life of the majority of our battlefield helicopter fleet. We have already approved the investment of £850 million to upgrade 30 of our Royal Navy Merlin helicopters with a funded option to upgrade a further eight airframes. Under current planning assumptions this work will be completed by 2017. We also plan to invest a further £2 billion over the next 10 years in upgrades to our Apache, Chinook, RAF Merlin, Puma and Sea King Mk4 and Mk7 helicopters. As with all defence programmes, it is not until main gate approval has been obtained that decisions such as final aircraft numbers and the timescales for the upgrades are confirmed.
Armed Forces: Helicopters
Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What capability upgrades are being considered for Apache attack helicopters currently in service; and what are the indicative costs and timescale.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: We plan to upgrade the Apache helicopter throughout its life to sustain the capability provided, but as with all defence programmes, it is not until main gate approval for the specific upgrades has been obtained that their content, value and time-scales can be confirmed.
Armed Forces: Lighter than Air Vehicles
Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What evaluation they have made of lighter-than-air vehicles for military and security use.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The MoD has regularly undertaken evaluation of airships and balloons within the research programme for a variety of surveillance and communication roles. While the technology involved continues to be evaluated, there are no current plans to take this work beyond a monitoring and feasibility stage.
Armed Forces: Precision Guided Munitions
Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Paveway IV precision guided munitions will be available for operational use; how many will be available at that point; what was the original and what is now the formal initial operating capability date; how it is defined; what was the impact on cost and delivery of fuse availability issues reported during initial operational evaluation; and what penalties have been imposed on contractors undertaking the programme for non- and under-performance.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Paveway IV weapon system is currently expected to be available for operational deployment, to meet its initial operating capability (IOC), by the end of 2008. This compares with an original IOC date of December 2007. The Paveway IV IOC is defined as the integration of the weapon on a single platform, the provision of a defined number of weapon stocks, support arrangements, and trained ground and air crew. I am withholding details of the number of Paveway IV weapons that will be available at IOC. Its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
There was no cost impact associated with the delay of the Paveway IV fuse as payment was linked to the delivery programme for operational weapons, the start of which was dependent upon the successful outcome of the operational evaluation (OPEVAL) trials. The MoD refused to accept delivery of, and therefore deferred payment for, the Paveway IV weapon system even though some elements had successfully completed the OPEVAL trials. This was done to generate the appropriate industrial incentive and ensure that the fuse reliability issues were rigorously addressed by the contractor.
Autism
Baroness Thomas of Winchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What training exists to ensure that employment support workers take account of the needs of people with autism.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Although Access to Work provides funding for support workers, the actual support is provided by external companies or organisations. Training for support workers is therefore the responsibility of their employer rather than Jobcentre Plus. Access to Work advisers work with the customer, and where appropriate external assessors, to identify the exact requirements for support, including the level of expertise or knowledge that the support worker should have. The funding agreed for each individual reflects this and Access to Work encourages individuals to procure support from suitably qualified people.
Civil Service: Bonuses
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the payment of bonuses to civil servants was agreed with the appropriate trade unions; which those unions were; and when the agreement was reached.
Lord Patel of Bradford: For staff below the senior Civil Service (SCS), departments have delegated authority to determine pay and conditions arrangements that best meet their own business needs. Under these delegated arrangements, departments and agencies are responsible for negotiating their own reward arrangements with their own departmental trade unions. Reward arrangements for the SCS are managed centrally by the Cabinet Office and are based on recommendations to the Government made by the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB). The FDA, which represents senior civil servants, submits its own evidence to the SSRB.
Commonwealth Scholarships Programme
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have received about the proposed termination of Foreign and Commonwealth Office support for the Commonwealth Scholarships Programme; and what action they have taken or will be taking in response to them.
Lord Malloch-Brown: The Canadian Government expressed regret at the decision and asked us to reconsider it. We have explained the steps we are taking to identify additional funding for scholarships for Canada, in addition to the existing allocation of Chevening scholarships, once we stop funding new awards through the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan after the 2008-09 academic year. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, Universities UK and others have also lobbied against the decision. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has agreed with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Universities UK and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission that a working group should be established to look at scholarships as a whole and how to maximise their impact, including the potential for other sources of funding.
Congo
Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the prospects for a free and fair presidential election in the Republic of Congo in 2009; and whether they will urge President Denis Sassou-Nguesso to accede to the demands of opposition parties for an independent electoral commission.
Lord Malloch-Brown: International observer missions reported irregularities in the conduct of the presidential elections of 2002 and the parliamentary elections held in 2007 in the Republic of Congo. Unless their causes are rectified, it is likely that the 2009 presidential elections will not meet the standards of a free and fair vote.
An electoral commission already exists in the Republic of Congo. The UK is considering what support is appropriate to offer to the electoral process.
Disabled People: Disability Rights Handbook
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Since what date they have been asked to provide comments and corrections to officers of the Disability Alliance on drafts of the Disability Rights handbook prior to its publication; and why they are discontinuing the help traditionally given towards the costs of funding the handbook.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Department for Work and Pensions, and its predecessors, have been providing comments on, and corrections to, the Disability Alliance handbook for at least 10 years. Staff and organisational changes over the years mean that more detailed information is not available.
The department has never funded the handbook.
Northern Rock
Lord Barnett: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether deposits with Northern Rock are covered by the same guarantee provided to other banks; and
Whether Northern Rock bond investments are covered by the Treasury as with other public institutions.
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Treasury's guarantee arrangements for Northern Rock plc apply to certain retail and wholesale deposits. Details of the guarantee arrangements are set out in Treasury press notices published last year on 20 and 21 September, 9 and 11 October and 18 December.
As announced on 11 October 2007 the guarantee arrangements for Northern Rock supplement and do not replace any compensation provided by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which the Financial Services Authority has recently extended to cover 100 per cent of the first £50,000 of deposits.
Older People: Financial Hardship
Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration they have given to the financial hardship of older people, including elderly war pensioners and war widows, as documented by the Royal British Legion in the Return to Rationing campaign documents; and what action they will take in response.
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Addressing pensioner poverty has been one of the Government's key priorities since 1997 and we are aware of the recent campaign by the Royal British Legion.
The number of pensioners in poverty in the UK has fallen from 2.9 million in 1998-99 to 2.1 million in 2006-07 (as measured by 60 per cent of contemporary median income after housing costs). Once housing costs are accounted for, pensioners are less likely to be in poverty than the population as a whole.
The Government have introduced a number of measures to reduce the levels of poverty in older people. Pension credit ensures that no one needs live on less than £124.05 (£189.35 for a couple) per week. We have successively raised the standard minimum guarantee in pension credit at least in line with earnings every year since its introduction. Our commitments in the Pensions Act 2007 to continue to uprate the pension credit standard minimum guarantee at least in line with earnings over the long term, and to reintroduce the earnings link to basic state pension from 2012, or by the end of the next Parliament, will help secure these gains into the future.
On 11 September, the Government announced a new £1 billion package of measures for people permanently to cut their energy bills. As part of this package, 11 million lower income and pensioner households are eligible for free loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and other energy efficiency devices. The Government already make winter fuel payments which provide a significant contribution towards winter fuel bills for those aged 60 or over. Additional payments to be made for winter 2008-09 mean that this year households with someone aged 60 to 79 or over 80 will receive up to £250 and £400 respectively.
QinetiQ
Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are their total net receipts from the multiple sales of shares in QinetiQ; how much was injected into the pension fund prior to privatisation; what was the value of the land bank included in the company's assets; and what restrictions there are on the company breaking itself up.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: When QinetiQ was formed in July 2001, the company paid the Government for its assets with a combination of shares and debt obligations in the form of loan notes. The proceeds raised from the privatisation are therefore the total from the sale of the shares and the repayment of these debts. Including the sale of shares when the company was floated on the stock market in February 2006 the net proceeds raised (after deduction of all costs including the pension indemnity) were £576 million. A full breakdown of these proceeds including the split between share sales and debt repayments is contained in the National Audit Office report, the Privatisation of QinetiQ, which was published on 23 November 2007.
In addition, the Government sold their remaining 19 per cent stake in QinetiQ on 9 September 2008. Net of costs this raised a further £254 million. The total net proceeds to the taxpayer from all stages of the privatisations are £830 million.
When a minority stake in QinetiQ was sold to Carlyle in 2003, actuaries identified that there was a deficit of up to £75 million in the QinetiQ pension fund and Carlyle sought to have the value of the business reduced by this amount. After negotiations, the Government agreed to reduce the value of QinetiQ by £25 million and to provide QinetiQ with an indemnity capped at £45 million. The indemnity was payable if the deficit remained at the time of any subsequent flotation or sale of the business. As stated in the NAO's report, this arrangement gave the Government an opportunity to benefit if the value of the assets in QinetiQ's pension fund increased. However, by the time of flotation the deficit had increased and the full £45 million was paid into the pension fund. As a shareholder, the Government benefited from the resulting increase in the value of the company. In addition, the NAO calculated that by delaying the payment for three years its cost to the Government in real terms was reduced by £11 million.
When QinetiQ was formed in 2001, its assets included £342 million of land and buildings which were used to support its continuing business. Given the specialist nature and location of many of these assets, this valuation was assessed in QinetiQ's accounts as being around £113.8 million greater than the open market value of the assets if they were sold for other purposes. In addition, QinetiQ held surplus property, which was scheduled for disposal, which it had acquired from the Government at an open market value of £98.3 million. Sixty million pounds from the sale of these properties was subsequently paid directly to the Government as part of the company's debt repayments. As shareholder, the Government also benefited from the proceeds raised from further property sales. At the time of QinetiQ's creation, clawback arrangements were put in place to ensure that the taxpayer benefited from the value of any property sales above a specified threshold.
Although QinetiQ can dispose of parts of its business, there are protections in place to prevent transactions that could be contrary to UK defence and security interests. This is in addition to the national security protections under the Enterprise Act.
UN: Protocol on Discrimination
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 16 July (WA 176), when they expect to conclude their review of the United Kingdom's experience of the Operational Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Lord Bach: The review has been concluded, and my honourable friend the Minister for Human Rights (Michael Wills) is considering its findings with colleagues. We expect to publish the review in the next few weeks. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2008-10-14a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2008",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Intelligence and Security Committee
Lord Milner of Leeds: asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to make an appointment to the Intelligence and Security Committee.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has appointed the honourable Member for Doncaster Central (Ms Winterton), to be a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee in place of the honourable Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Ms Cooper), who left the Committee following her appointment as a Minister.
Intelligence and Security Committee
Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are discussing the cases of the 13 Iranian Jews, and of other persons imprisoned in Iran without specific charges or known trial dates, with the Iranian Foreign Minister, during his visit to this country.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary raised this issue with Dr Kharrazi during his visit on 10-12 January. We and our EU partners will continue to raise this issue until it is resolved.
Intelligence and Security Committee
Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make representations to the Government of the Russian Federation seeking explanations about the human rights situation in Chechnya.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We have repeatedly raised with the Russians our concerns that their action in Chechnya breaches their international human rights obligations.
We support the work of the Council of Europe in this area, including the Secretary-General's request to the Russians to explain how their action in Russia conforms with their human rights obligations. We welcome the proposed visit to the region by Lord Russell-Johnston, Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly, and look forward to the Assembly's discussion of this issue in the week of 24 January.
Intelligence and Security Committee
Lord Jenkins of Putney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which of the nuclear weapon countries is most committed to the retention of such weapons; and which nuclear weapon country is most committed to steps towards a nuclear weapon free world.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: That is a matter of opinion. But, among the nuclear weapons states, no government is more committed than we are to working for progress towards nuclear disarmament.
Saudi Arabia: Nuclear Weapons Policy
Lord Jenkins of Putney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the position of Saudi Arabia on nuclear weapons.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Saudi Arabia has been a Non-Nuclear-Weapon State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons since its accession to the Treaty on 3 October 1988.
Health Pay Review Bodies' Recommendations
Lord Hughes of Woodside: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the reports and recommendations of the Health Pay Review Bodies.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: I am responding on behalf of my right honourable friend the Prime Minister to the reports of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) and the Review Body on Nursing staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine (NPRB), which have been published. I understand that a similar announcement was made by the First Minister and the Minister for Health and Community Care in Scotland. Copies of the reports are available in the Printed Paper Office and the Library. We are grateful to the chairmen and members of both Review Bodies for their hard work.
Nurses are to receive another big real terms increase in pay and, for the second year in succession, the award is being paid in full, with no staging. The NPRB have recommended an across the board increase of 3.4 per cent for nurses, midwives and health visitors, with bigger targeted increases for specific groups. About 60,000 Grade E nurses on the scale maximum will get a total increase of 7.8 per cent, worth an extra £1,390 a year, to improve career progression and reward skill acquisition and experience. Another 5,500 enrolled and auxiliary nurses in Grade C will receive total increases of 7 per cent, worth an extra £975 a year. London allowances, stand-by and on-call allowances will also rise by 3.4 per cent. This means that an experienced staff nurse in London will earn basic pay of £22,250 and elsewhere £19,220, with allowances and enhancements typically worth £2,000 on top of this.
The NPRB have also recommended across the board increases of 3.4 per cent for physiotherapists, radiographers and other professions allied to medicine (PAMs). In addition, about 4,500 experienced staff in the Senior 2 grade will receive total increases worth between 8.1 per cent and 8.4 per cent, to improve career progression for experienced staff at the top of their scale. The maximum of the scale for Senior 2 grade PAMs will be £21,290. London allowances, stand-by and on-call allowances will also rise by 3.4 per cent.
The Government have decided to accept all the NPRB pay recommendations for 2000-01, with no staging. The across the board settlement of 3.4 per cent for nurses and other NPRB remit groups is high when set against the current headline inflation rate and more than we are expecting for pay settlements in the public sector generally. However, National Health Service staff deserve a fair pay award, especially after coping so magnificently with huge pressures over the past few weeks. Moreover, we are still having to tackle the nursing recruitment and retention problems inherited as a direct consequence of the last government's failure. This year's settlement will build on last year's large awards. Taken together, the greater majority of Grade D and E nurses--the backbone of the service, who deliver hands-on patient care--will have received very significant pay increases which both recognise and value their contribution to the NHS.
Last year's pay awards gave a big boost to the success of the nurses' recruitment campaign which we launched in February 1999. Already over 5,000 nurses have returned or are set to do so after completing refresher training, and numbers taking up nursing degree and diploma courses have increased by 24 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. There has also been a sharp increase in male applications and in applications from the ethnic minority communities. But we are not stopping there and are determined to build on this success in our 2000 campaign to be launched next month. These awards will provide a welcome boost.
The Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) has recommended an overall increase of 3.3 per cent for salaried doctors and dentists and in the pay element of fees for general medical and general dental practitioners. In addition to the 3.3 per cent increase, consultants will also start to receive from 1 April 2000 the increases flowing through from the £50 million recommended by DDRB last year in recognition of their workload, work intensity and commitment to the NHS. These increases are worth a further 3 per cent on their pay bill and will take two forms. First, changes to the discretionary point arrangements mean that there will be over 2,400 extra awards available (worth over £2,500 each), making almost 5,600 in total, while the number of consultants eligible to receive awards will increase from 12,600 to almost 16,000. Secondly, there will be a new scheme to recognise consultants working in the most intense posts. For junior doctors the 3.3 per cent increase is over and above the money already on the table in our current negotiations on their new contract; from October 2000, this would add 6 per cent to their paybill in the first 12 months.
General dental practitioners will also benefit from a £20 million package to recognise experience and quality and to reward past and present commitment to NHS dentistry. This will give a big boost to the Government's dental strategy and to improving access to NHS dentistry.
The contribution of all staff will be crucial if we are to maintain and improve the quality of patient care and to modernise the NHS. These pay awards, which build on the platform set by last year's increases, reflect a proper balance between the pay needed to recruit, retain and motivate staff and the needs of modern service delivery and patient care.
Hedgerow Protection
Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action is being taken to ensure that European Union regulations do not lead to the destruction of hedgerows and, in particular, of those hedgerows which are protected under pre-1840 Enclosure Acts.
Baroness Hayman: Important hedges are protected by the Hedgerow Regulations 1997. Guidance has been given to farmers encouraging them to seek advice about minimising the environmental impact of any action they may need to take to adjust the width of a hedge or other field margin in order to be able to continue claiming arable area payments on the full area of their fields.
Withholding Tax
Lord Barnett: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they have taken to investigate the financial and employment consequences of the proposed European Union-wide withholding tax.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: This information is included in the Government's paper, International Bonds and the draft Directive on Taxation of Savings, published in September 1999. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Withholding Tax
Lord Barnett: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the evidence that led them to conclude that in its present form the proposed European Union-wide withholding tax risks serious damage to European Union and United Kingdom financial markets.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The evidence is included in the Government's paper, International Bonds and the draft Directive on Taxation of Savings, published in September 1999. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Unemployment: Statistical Breakdown
Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of those aged 60 to 65 are not in employment; how many people this represents; and how the percentage has changed over the past 10 years; and
How many people aged 50 to 60 are not in employment; what percentage of the age group this represents; and how the percentage has changed over the past 10 years; and
How many people aged 40 to 50 are not in employment; what percentage of the age group this represents; and how the percentage has changed over the past 10 years; and
How many people aged 30 to 40 are not in employment; what percentage of the age group this represents; and how the percentage has changed over the past 10 years; and
How many people aged 20 to 30 are not in employment; what percentage of the age group this represents; and how the percentage has changed over the past 10 years.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to reply.
Letter to Earl Russell from the Director of the Office for National Statistics, Dr T Holt, dated 18 January 2000.
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary Questions on people in various age groups who are not in employment.
The attached table shows estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is the main source of labour market data on individuals. It gives the number and proportion of the household population not in employment for 1989 and 1999 and the change over this period. The LFS household population only includes people in private households, plus students in halls of residence and people in NHS accommodation.
The total number of people not in employment includes those who are unemployed and those who are economically inactive. The ONS measure of unemployment, derived from the LFS, is defined on a consistent and internationally recognised basis set out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and counts as unemployed people who are: (a) without a paid job; (b) available to start work within the next two weeks and (c) have either looked for work in the last four weeks or are waiting to start a job already obtained.
People who are economically inactive are neither in employment nor ILO unemployed and include, for example, retired people and people looking after the family or home.
Percentage of household population1 not in employment, by age -- United Kingdom, spring 1989 and spring 1999, not seasonally adjusted
Not in employment (000s) Not in employment (%)
Age Spring 1989 Spring 1999 Spring 1989 Spring 1999 Change: spring 1989-spring 1999
20 and less than 30 2,226 1,957 24.3 25.8 1.5
30 and less than 40 1,685 1,873 21.7 20.2 -1.5
40 and less than 50 1,348 1,414 18.4 18.3 -0.2
50 and less than 60 1,915 2,128 31.9 30.2 -1.7
60 and less than 65 1,881 1,817 65.0 64.5 -0.5
1 Includes the population in private households, plus students in halls of residence and people in NHS accommodation.
Source:
ONS, Labour Force Survey. | uk-hansard-lords-written-answers | lordswrans2000-01-18a | 2024-06-01T00:00:00 | {
"year": "2000",
"language": "en",
"license": "Open Parliament Licence - https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/"
} |
Subsets and Splits